It's that time of the year again where we reflect on our most recent gear list and analyze the things we carried for so many miles, were they actually worth the weight? You can take a look at these other links to compare:
View the details here: https://lighterpack.com/r/323xjw
As per usual, I don't have very many pics of myself on trail, so I did the best I could to dig up photos of the gear I was using.
The Melanzana fleece was probably the #1 piece of gear on the PCT this year! Everyone was in love.
The red ones were sent to Crater Lake last year, I wore them a bunch up when I was training/hiking/climbing pre-hike. I switched them out for the new blues ones when I got to Sisters.
The blue ones took me all the way to Canada on 600ish miles, mainly bc I didn't want to buy new shoes, so expensize!
2017 PCT GEAR LIST:
PACKING:
Zpacks Arc Haul lined w/trash compactor bag (2) **
SHELTER:
Zpacks Duplex
Zpacks tiny stakes (2) w/stuff sack
Zpacks groundsheet poncho
SLEEPING:
Enlightened Equipment Enigma quilt - 900, 10 deg, short, wide
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite, small w/stuff sack
GossamerGear Thinlight foam pad - 1/8"
Sea to Summit Aeros Premium pillow w/stuff sack
GooseFeet Gear down socks w/stuff sack
COOKING:
MSR MicroRocket w/igniter
Zpacks cuben fiber 12.3L Blast food bag
HYDRATION:
SteriPEN Ultra in case
Gatorade 1L x 2
Scoop made out of a broken Evernew
CLOTHING PACKED:
Filson midweight merino wool long sleeve
Icebreaker Oasis 200 lightweight merino wool leggings
Town shirt from Prana found in Mammoth
Town shorts Icebreaker wool
Melanzana Micro Grid hoodie
Zpacks PossumDown gloves
Patagonia underwear
Patagonia Alpine Houdini jacket
Zpacks cuben fiber stuff sack
SURVIVAL & TOOLS:
First Aid - dental floss, bandaids, ibuprofen, benadryl, imodium, triple antibiotic ointment, leukotape, bic lighter, hydrocortisone
Repair Kit - cuben fiber tape, thermarest repair, tenacious tape, needle
mini nail clippers
Sharpie
HYGIENE:
Normal sized toothbrush
Toothpaste
Tooth pick floss
Eczema Rx
Sunscreen
Hand sanitizer
Vaseline/Body Glide
Wet wipes
1 bandana, 1 pee rag
Hygiene stuff sack
TECHNOLOGY:
iPhone 6 w/case
Dual USB charger for iPhone w/cord
Canon charger
1 extra battery
SD cards
Earbuds
Technology bag stuff sack
OTHER:
Zpacks passport wallet - ID, 1 credit, 1 debit, health insurance card
Zpacks Multi-Pack
Bedrock Cairn sandals **
WORN:
Columbia national park ranger shirt
Brooks Epiphany III running shorts
Icebreaker Sprite merino wool bra
Patagonia underwear
LEKI Cressida faux cork trekking poles **
Dirty Girl Gaiters
TOTAL BASE WEIGHT (minus food, water, fuel) = 14.12 lb
**Notes that these items were given to me, have tested them out and decided to make the switch over for this year.
Mostly all the same stuff as last year with just a few changes where I'll talk more in detail below.
I love my Duplex, it has so many miles on it, why is it even still usable?
STOVE!!! Tuna mac, I was so happy, even if it was kinda hot outside. Being able to eat noodles was luxury.
Exploding gear in GP Wilderness after a night of down pour.
My OR overmits for mornings in WA where all the brush is wet and you get soaked if you touch them.
So, here's a funny story: my NeoAir started deflating around Goat Rocks, so I called Therm-A-Rest and they shipped me out a loaner pad to Stevens Pass. I had already shipped my broken one back in Skykomish bc they had a PO. I get to Stevens to pick up the loaner and found out it was this HUGE, HEAVY car camp pad for someone at least 6 ft tall. I was so devasted, but I carried it all the way to Canada bc it's all I had. At least it didn't deflate on me, but I think the R value was only like a 2, so I got a little cold in the north cascades.
Looking back at the Knife Edge in Goat Rocks. Photo by Eowyn.
THINGS THAT I LOVED:
tent - once again, the same duplex that started with me in the desert, was with me to the end, I didn't have trouble pitching any nights except maybe once when the ground was too hard, WA had surprisingly mostly diggable ground, it made a huge difference having the adjustable guylines this time around, on the one night it poured, there was only pooling at the edges outside of my tent, I have some tiny holes in the fabric on the top so it leaked a little forming drops inside of the tent
quilt - I'm SO glad I made the switch over to a quilt this year, I loved the extra room and it kept me warm even in the low 30s in the north cascades, if it was too hot, draping it over was nice
fleece - okay, so the #1 item this year for everyone was the Melly fleece, and I'm now a fan forever, I slept with it most nights but then it became my insulating layer when it got colder in WA and I started hiking in it, I love that I can wash it in town and it dries fast, it also doubles as a buff/beanie
SteriPEN - started carrying it at the WA border but didn't start using it till around Snoqualmie, I loathe squeezing frozen water so when the water sources started becoming clearer, I switched to SteriPEN
sandals - I'm always a camp shoe person, so this is not new, but the Bedrocks were nice and packable, basically, I hate wearing my hiking shoes unless I'm hiking and I can't do barefoot so I need camp shoes
THINGS THAT I SWITCHED OUT MID HIKE:
officially threw away my old Talenti jar from Campo at Cascade Locks when I got my stove, once it started getting chilly at night, all my cold soak dinners were really gross and hard to eat, I just wanted mac and cheese
switched to Gatorade bottles so I could use my SteriPEN, it needs a larger mouth to stick the pen in to filter, I like how the bottles are sturdier and don't fall over all the time like Smartwater but the new bottle shape took awhile to get used to, since the bottom is wider, it's a little harder to get in and out of my side pockets but I just dealt with it, I ended up carrying the squeeze throughout too just in case I ran into murky water....but I really stopped using it after White Pass
traded in my old Mountain Hardwear gloves for the possum down, the liner inside the MHW ones kept getting tangled inside if there was any moisture, the possum down is only one layer so it never got tangled but I also had no shell so I shipped myself my mountaineering overmits bc that's all I had, they were awesome over my gloves when it rained and my hands were frozen
THINGS THAT I WOULD RECONSIDER:
I'm still looking for my perfect pack, the ULA was sturdy, the Zpacks was light with back airflow, but I don't love either of them, maybe one day I'll find the one that's right for me
honestly, nothing else really, I made all the switches over from last year and was really happy with the changes
This was my heat wave getup in OR. Sun hat, glasses, bandana dipped in water and easy access bug spray. So insanely hot, with smoke.
SteriPEN! Sometimes I didn't even stir it bc I was lazy....hopefully it still worked. Who knows, often I had debris but I didn't get sick.
What my pack looked like on my final day on the PCT. Photo by Chris.
The end! Not as interesting the second time around now that I know what works for me and like carrying. Please ask me questions if you have any! I'm also going to work on a FAQ and post-trail post soon. :)
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