Final Gear List

I was never an ounce counter and my base weight was never incredibly low. It probably fluctuated between 15-17lb during the trip, depending on the section. My gear changed a lot throughout the hike. The first few weeks saw the most change, as I sent home a number of things I didn't need. I also picked up some stuff along the way. Here's a list of the items I kept with me for the entire hike or at least a large section:

The Big Three:

Pack - Mammut Creon Light 45 - Lasted an entire thru hike and only cost $110. Consider this as an alternative to the popular Osprey Exos model.

Sleeping Bag - I moved from a down EMS 20 degree bag to a synthetic Marmot 32 degree bag about halfway through the hike.

Tent - YAMA's Terraform double wall system. Ground sheet was a section of 3mm painter's plastic. Totally waterproof and surprisingly durable.

Clothing:
-Patagonia Cap 2 base layer (sleep shirt on cold nights as well as a less stinky "going into town" shirt)
-Patagonia wind shirt (great lightweight layer)
-MEC Synthetic down jacket (Bounced from NorCal to central WA)
-Synthetic hiking T-shirt (for Oregon and Washington since it was mostly shady with no bugs when I passed through)
-Long sleeve hiking shirt (In California for sun and bug protection)
-2 pairs mid weight Darn Tough socks
-Athletic shorts (OR and WA)
-Pants (CA)
-Rain pants (OR and WA)
-Rain coat (I didn't carry it the whole trip but I should have)
-Thermasilk leggings (amazing to sleep in, weigh almost nothing)
-Mosquito net (Started carrying it in the High Sierra)
-Wide brim hat (CA)
-Baseball cap (OR and WA)
-Turtle Fur Fleece Liner hat (sleeping and occasionally hiking in the cold)
-Sunglasses (must have item!)
-Merrel Moab Ventilators (these boots go for 1,000mi easily, especially if you seam seal them)
-Teva sandals (great for High Sierra stream crossings and camp/town shoes)



Cooking - I started with an alcohol stove but reverted back to the Pocket Rocket canister stove for the convenience. Fuel availability was never an issue. Cooked in a 3oz sierra pot. I always carried a few ounces of hot sauce and olive oil as well.

Misc:
- Tiny multitool
- Journal and Halfmile maps
- Sharpee for writing hitch hiking signs
- Plastic trowel
- Headlamp
- First aid supplies

Great Gear

This post is dedicated to the gear that stood out in some way.

YAMA Mountain Gear: YAMA sponsored me with a tent, the Stratiform 1P system, that I used for California and Oregon. I upgraded in size to YAMA's Terraform for Washington because I wanted more room for the rainy state. YAMA's gear is thru-hiking-proof. The customer service is exceptional. If you're in the market for a new, lightweight tent take a look at YAMA's website.

Leki Trekking Poles: Specifically, the Summit Antishock model. These are tough poles and withstood a significant amount of abuse with only one incident. An internal lock failed and become lodged inside of the middle pole section, rendering the pole useless. I called Leki and they shipped me two new pole sections for no cost, no questions asked. I had the replacements at my next resupply stop and they lasted the rest of the trip.

Turtle Fur: I started the trip with one of their Polartec Windbloc Fleece liner hats. It quickly began to form multiple holes even though I was only sleeping in it occasionally. I called Turtle Fur and informed them of the issue and they shipped me a new one immediately at no cost. They also asked that I send back the old one so they could investigate it. The new one was perfect for the rest of the hike and kept my head warm without overheating it. I'd recommend it for any type of backpacking trip.

Merrel: I began the hike in a pair of Vasque Velocity trail runners and was miserable because of totally flat insoles within 200mi. I tried a few other trail runners with similar results and finally decided to go back to what I knew: Merral Moab Ventilators. These boots are as light as most shoes yet they provide much more cushion and support. They easily last 1,000mi, twice the lifespan of most trail shoes. 

Gear Changes

I made two substitutions in Idyllwild. I replaced my blow up Thermarest because it sprung a leak and I woke up on the ground for 5 days. I could have patched it but I elected to buy a Z-lite instead. It's lighter, more durable, and warmer. I cowboy camped on it last night and I love it.

I also replaced my Trangia alcohol stove with a lighter, smaller setup. I originally chose the Trangia because it seemed tougher but there was a weight cost there. I've watched other folks use these tiny home made ones with great success so I built one last night. It cost about $5 for the fence wire, PBR can, and fuel holder can.

Stove Stuff

I wanted to like Esbit tablets. I really did. It seemed like they'd fit in so well with my "almost-no-cook" food approach. I could carry a few with me at a time and only use them if I really wanted a hot meal or if I needed to fry up some nature burgers that night. Then I tried them.

I tested them out on a 40 degree, windy day, the kind of day where you don't want to be fumbling around with a lighter or other small objects more than necessary. My biggest issue is they're nearly impossible to light in the wind, at least with the technology I was using. I tried matches and lighters and even after holding constant flame on the tablets for close to 5 seconds they were not lighting up. I tried digging the entire stove into the ground to make a wind shield, as well as creating a foil screen, but neither of these approaches helped much.

Once it was lit it worked pretty well. It fried up a nature burger in less than 5 minutes with no lid and it boiled water pretty quickly too. I found another issue when I decided I was done with a lit tablet. They cannot be stifled like most other flammable objects, and blowing them out is difficult. After I lifted the frying pan shown in the photo below a big gust of wind actually lifted the aluminum foil and the stove and sent flaming Esbit tablets skipping across the lawn. This is not a scenario I wanted to repeat in California's wildfire territory.

There was probably some user error involved in these tests but overall this is not a technology I want to use for 5 months. If it annoyed me in the backyard there is no doubt it would have annoyed me in the back country. Therefore, I decided to join the bandwagon and get an alcohol stove. I went shopping at OGE, the downtown Burlington outdoors store. Shivers, a 2012 PCT thru hiker, works there and was kind enough to offer up one of his old alcohol stoves. He lent me a Trangia with pot holder, wind screen, and everything. More about the Trangia from the trail!

Esbit stove frying up a nature burger

Tent Choice

Tent choice gets a special post. A backpacker's tent is his home away from home, the item that enables comfortable survival in the outdoors. Tent choice was my biggest decision in planning for the PCT. My first tent was a low level EMS back country model that frustrated me from day one. It wasn't built intuitively and it weighed 5lb. This was not a tent I wanted to spend 5 months in. When I began searching for a replacement, these were my main criteria:

Double walled (has a removable rain fly) - I wanted the option to sleep under the stars on clear nights, unencumbered by a fly, while being protected from bugs by mesh. I didn't choose to hike a 2,663 mile trail to shut myself into an enclosed tent every night.

Lightweight - Often my first criteria means that I'm settling for a bit more weight, but I felt that a 2lb max was reasonable.

I began my search with these two goals in mind, and I ended my search with this:


Yama Mountain Gear's Stratiform 1P paired with the Bug Shelter 1.0 - essentially the Stratiform 1 System. It's double walled and it weighs just 20.4oz including guylines and stuff sack.

Gen Shimizu, founder of Yama Mountain Gear, has a unique approach to back country shelter. Yama allows you to buy complete shelters or customize your own. You can buy a tarp and a bug net independently of each other, and most tarps are compatible with multiple bug nets. Yama also offers kits that enable hikers to make their own bug shelter and Cuben fiber stuff sacks. Speaking of Cuben fiber, Yama incorporates this cutting edge material into some of the models. There is an overarching emphasis on simplicity, lightweight material, and quality craftsmanship in all of the gear.

Gen heads a formal sponsorship program called mYAMAdventure in which he assists budding long distance backpackers in their first big adventure. This program will take several lucky recipients along Vermont's Long Trail this summer and in the process they will fund raise for the Green Mountain Club. I knew my PCT trip didn't quite fit the bill for the mYAMAdventure program but I inquired about possible sponsorship anyways. Gen was kind enough to donate a lightly used Stratiform 1 setup and I am extremely grateful for the support. I'll be providing updates and reviewing this setup so check back throughout the summer for more information.

3/23 - Below are a few pictures of the tarp setup. I packed down a few feet of fresh powder just to test it out. Staking into all that powder wasn't the easiest thing but I finally got the guylines tensioned enough to really see what the tarp could do. One of the features that attracted me to this tent setup was the tarp's versatility and it certainly didn't disappoint. The user can quickly adapt the tarp to various weather conditions using the trekking pole height and guyline length. It's nice to know that the tarp can ride well above the bug net for ventilation in nice weather and hug the ground in stormy weather. Speaking of the bug net, I didn't pitch it this time out because my stakes were popping out of the powdery snow constantly and I didn't feel like fighting with it more.

Storm mode - note how the edges can basically touch the ground. Ridge line is dipping a little, this picture was taken before I adjusted it.

Fair weather mode - much more head space - ridge line is high and taught.

Gear list

I've been backpacking for a few years and I already have the basics. The following items are my new purchases as well as other important items I already have. I've taken advantage of the winter blowout sales and have been getting lots of this stuff for 30-50% off, making this costly trip much more affordable.

I've been purchasing much of my new gear from C & C Outdoor Store in Waterbury, VT. It's a small store with knowledgeable staff that seem to personally own much of the gear they sell. Their site, along with their online store, can be found here.

Microspikes: These are great, they cling to ice extraordinarily well and are easy to put on and remove. They aren't uncomfortable on normal terrain so they don't need to be removed when transitioning from snow to ice to dirt frequently.

Leki Trekking Poles: These are the toughest trekking poles I've ever used. I rely on them heavily during descents and I don't want to take any chances with weak poles. Cork grips with vents are a nice addition too. Big price tag, but I think they'll be worth it.

Darn Tough Socks: After blowing through a pair of full cushion Smart Wool socks in 8 months, it's time to switch brands. I've heard that Darn Toughs greatly outlast Smart Wool so it seemed like a no brainer for this trip. They're also made in VT! I got a good bulk deal so I went with 6 pairs to start. Some will stay home and get shipped out when necessary.

Seirus Hyperlite All Weather Gloves: I tested these gloves snowboarding on a pretty chilly day (15 degrees with lots of wind). To be clear, these are definitely not winter gloves. I chose to test them in  conditions much worse than I will be facing on the trail. Considering that, they passed with flying colors. They claim to be waterproof and after a full day snowboarding my hands were bone dry. The gloves breath well enough to dissipate sweat and they're waterproof enough to protect me from moisture. To be sure, my hands were pretty cold at times, but the only time I'll be seeing temperatures that low on the trail is at night when I'll be in my sleeping bag anyway. 

Black Diamond Gaiters and Vasque Velocity Gortex Shoes - This is a photo from a recent training hike. It was about 50 degrees and sunny so I strapped the new shoes into my snow shoes and hit the Long Trail. This was my first time using gaiters and I'll never go back. My snow shoes were kicking snow at my calfs all day and none got in my shoes. The shoes were excellent - they were barraged with wet snow all day and they kept my feet relatively dry while allowing them to breath. They just earned themselves the job of getting me through the High Sierras.

Outer Layer System: A Mountain Equipment Co-op Primaloft for insulation and a Patagonia wind shirt for wind protection. I'm blown away by the wind shirt (PUN!?). I used it snowboarding on very cold, windy days and it let in absolutely nothing. I was surrounded by folks in giant winter jackets complaining about the bitter wind and I was completely content.

The Primaloft jacket was given to me by a co-worker who didn't need it anymore - thanks Micah! The wind shirt was on consignment at a local outdoors store.

Maps and Navigation

Backpackers are a critical bunch, and I mean that in the best way possible. Each piece of gear is heavily scrutinized and items that don't pass the field test are quickly replaced. Everyone likes their own way of doing things and will eagerly tell you why on the trail, over a beer, or most importantly (for me) on forums.  I'm grateful for this tendency because it makes research easy. If anything is ever-so-slightly wrong with an item, there is evidence online. Alternatively, if the stars align and there is unanimous praise for any one thing, you can be reasonably certain it's good. I chose Halfmile's maps because nearly every PCT blog I've read uses and endorses them.

Halfmile's maps show you the PCT on high quality National Geographic topo maps. Pertinent information is included on each page along with mile markers, elevation, and coordinates. The cheapest way to get them is to follow this link and call the store. They charge $90 (w/ shipping) which is much cheaper than printing them yourself or using Staples. This fee includes color copies on high quality paper with a sheen that will repel the moisture I'm sure to encounter.

Halfmile also offers an app that can be uploaded to an iPhone or, in my case, an iPod touch. I recently downloaded Halfmile's app for my iPod touch and it seems like it will be a valuable resource. It's easy to operate, and that's coming from a guy with a flip phone.


Check out Halfmile's Site

Halfmile Maps