So here is the gear that I used for my PCT thruhike. Mind you I'm not an ultralighter by any means but more along the average pack weight and therefore do not have any weights listed nor will I because its just not my style. Also this is what worked for me, it may not work for you or it may hopefully my gear list will give you an idea of what you want or don't want to bring if you plan on getting out on the PCT.
Pack: Osprey Atmos 50
-Worked well for me. I LOVE the suspension system for this pack because it gets it off your back and the airflow is really great. I used it for mt AT thru-hike as well. Osprey has great customer service and are a great brand who bend over backwards to accommodate issues such as buckle breaking or zippers failing etc.
Sleeping Bag: North Face Cat's Meow
-I've had this sleeping bag for around 7 years. It's beat to hell but, with a layered sleeping system (all my clothes at times!!) it did the job. I used this bag on my AT hike as well and figured it could muster out another. It's a 20 degree synthetic but I'd rate it more towards 30 degrees at best. I thought keeping my synthetic would come in handy for the wet PNW but it only rained the last two days on the whole PCT so a should have purchased a new comfy down bag (which I did and am using for my CDT thruhike). I don't think I can recommend this bag there are so many better ones out there
Tent: Tarptent Moment
-Yet again this is another piece of gear that made it through my AT thruhike (barely) that I brought along with me for the PCT. Because there was no moisture really ever until the end my tent held up. After two thruhikes this tent is wrecked but I did serve me well. For one person its roomy (I'm short) and all my gear can fit in as well. The one HUGE problem is when it rains because it is a single wall shelter you will get misted on and if it pours there is definitely the chance of getting wet if you come in contact with any of the walls. But it goes up in a second and is pretty light. I plan on buying the newly redesigned moment which is double walled and has a double entry for the CDT. Henry Shires who makes and owns Tarptent is fantastic with customer service and makes a quality product.
Sleeping Pad: Thermarest NeoAir
- I started my PCT thru-hike with Thermarest's thin prolite series , which I used on my AT hike, and after it had a leak I used it as an excuse to buy a NeoAir. I love this sleeping pad. As a roll-around-a-hundred-times-a-night side sleeper the depth of this pad made it really comfortable on my body in the long haul. I heard from many that it was a very fragile pad so as a person who generally thrashes gear I was a bit concerned. I made sure to be pretty careful with it and it lasted the whole trip and I will be using it on the CDT.
Cooking Stuff: MSR Pocket rocket, GSI Pinnacle Soloist (just pot)
- I was pretty happy with my cooking situation. I switched to a MSR pocket rocket canister stove after using a supercat and denatured alcohol for my AT thruhike. I found it relatively easy to acquire fuel canisters along the PCT and shipped ahead when they weren't present in the next town or so. The canister stoves I prefer because of the ease of use, the canisters can last a few weeks(only cooked dinner and coffee/tea per day). I also wasn't afraid of burning down the forest which wasn't an issue on the damp AT but was a much more serious possibility on the PCT. My pot was basic and worked fine. It's a little beat up after two thru-hikes but still does its job. I would recommend buying a cheaper pot through, while I got my moneys worth out of this one there really isn't a difference in quality between the cheap and "fancy backpacker" pots.
Maps: Halfmiles and Yogi
-I used halfmiles maps printed out and backed up on my cell phone which was all I really needed for the hike. Yogi's town maps and book are helpful for resupply but not essential, I used it sparingly. The water report was also essential for the desert because it was a really dry season.
Trekking Poles: Black Diamond Trail Compact
- Having used and destroyed a cheap pair of Leki's on the AT I was ready to try out a pair of Black Diamond poles. These are pretty standard, light, affordable, and compact down small. They lasted me the whole trip and I have absolutely no complaints about them.
Headlamp: Petzl Tikka 2
-Awesome headlamp. It shined quite bight but I mostly loved it because of its nightvision/red function which preserves your nightvision while keeping the brightness of the LED down so that it doesn't disturb others. Unfortunately it fell out of my pack around Crater Lake in Oregon and I 'survived' with a single LED $4 headlamp I purchased at the Mazama store at the base of Crater Lake. I miss that headlamp...
Footwear: Chaco Z2's and Brooks Cascadia 6
-I wore two pairs of Chaco's up to Packwood, Washington, a couple hundred miles from the end of the PCT. I also did not have snow in the Sierra's so I could wear my sandals there. I wore Injinji toe socks because of the toe-loop on the Z2's. DO NOT buy those toe socks. I've used multiple thicknesses knits etc and they all wear out really fast and are expensive. I had a pair of Cascadia's for the Sierra and didn't use them there but did end up using them for the last bit of the trip because it was getting really cold and for fear of moisture. If you have narrow feet they are perfect and really comfortable. I have wide feet so they rubbed a little wrong but still were not bad and a majority of the hikers rock these shoes. Plus they have sweet tracks and colors!
Clothing:
-I wore cheap athletic shorts for most of the way. In the desert I wore one of those ridiculous west coast hiking shirts which worked well for the heat and sun sun coverage. I also had convertable pants I picked up from a used gear shop which came in handy for sun exposure and when it was cold. I ended up using these for shorts as well and my athletic shorts became my 'town' pants. I acquired a longsleeve hiking shirt from a hikerbox when I left the desert and ditched my sunshirt. Sunglasses (polarized) and a hat of sorts is a must for the desert and a mosquito head net is vital up north!! Towards the end I had warm gloves, underarmor leggings, and a synthetic puffy jacket (made by Stoic - kind of cheap but did the trick) which kept me warm enough. Raingear was pretty simple: a Marmot shell jacket and a trash compactor bags (inside and out of my pack). Some use less clothes, some use more. I could have ditches a few pieces but I do enjoy half decent clothes for town.
Bear Canister: Bear Vault BV500
-I borrowed my canister from someone who hiked the PCT last year and it worked fine in the Sierras. Models and sizes are you're own discretion. Regardless of what size you get you will not be able to fit all your food in there. I never had an "incident" thankfully and to be honest the canisters are more for the people than they are for the bears.
Groundsheet: Housewrap (similar to tyvek)
-Worked fine I was gifted it before my hike when I realized I didn't have one. It was a woven plastic like housewrap that wasn't impenetrable but it worked and was trashed by the time I got to Canada. I recommend using tyvek, its relatively cheap and durable. Tip: if you buy new tyvek run it through the wash on cold before you use it to make it pliable and less crinkly.
Pack: Osprey Atmos 50
-Worked well for me. I LOVE the suspension system for this pack because it gets it off your back and the airflow is really great. I used it for mt AT thru-hike as well. Osprey has great customer service and are a great brand who bend over backwards to accommodate issues such as buckle breaking or zippers failing etc.
Sleeping Bag: North Face Cat's Meow
-I've had this sleeping bag for around 7 years. It's beat to hell but, with a layered sleeping system (all my clothes at times!!) it did the job. I used this bag on my AT hike as well and figured it could muster out another. It's a 20 degree synthetic but I'd rate it more towards 30 degrees at best. I thought keeping my synthetic would come in handy for the wet PNW but it only rained the last two days on the whole PCT so a should have purchased a new comfy down bag (which I did and am using for my CDT thruhike). I don't think I can recommend this bag there are so many better ones out there
Tent: Tarptent Moment
-Yet again this is another piece of gear that made it through my AT thruhike (barely) that I brought along with me for the PCT. Because there was no moisture really ever until the end my tent held up. After two thruhikes this tent is wrecked but I did serve me well. For one person its roomy (I'm short) and all my gear can fit in as well. The one HUGE problem is when it rains because it is a single wall shelter you will get misted on and if it pours there is definitely the chance of getting wet if you come in contact with any of the walls. But it goes up in a second and is pretty light. I plan on buying the newly redesigned moment which is double walled and has a double entry for the CDT. Henry Shires who makes and owns Tarptent is fantastic with customer service and makes a quality product.
Sleeping Pad: Thermarest NeoAir
- I started my PCT thru-hike with Thermarest's thin prolite series , which I used on my AT hike, and after it had a leak I used it as an excuse to buy a NeoAir. I love this sleeping pad. As a roll-around-a-hundred-times-a-night side sleeper the depth of this pad made it really comfortable on my body in the long haul. I heard from many that it was a very fragile pad so as a person who generally thrashes gear I was a bit concerned. I made sure to be pretty careful with it and it lasted the whole trip and I will be using it on the CDT.
Cooking Stuff: MSR Pocket rocket, GSI Pinnacle Soloist (just pot)
- I was pretty happy with my cooking situation. I switched to a MSR pocket rocket canister stove after using a supercat and denatured alcohol for my AT thruhike. I found it relatively easy to acquire fuel canisters along the PCT and shipped ahead when they weren't present in the next town or so. The canister stoves I prefer because of the ease of use, the canisters can last a few weeks(only cooked dinner and coffee/tea per day). I also wasn't afraid of burning down the forest which wasn't an issue on the damp AT but was a much more serious possibility on the PCT. My pot was basic and worked fine. It's a little beat up after two thru-hikes but still does its job. I would recommend buying a cheaper pot through, while I got my moneys worth out of this one there really isn't a difference in quality between the cheap and "fancy backpacker" pots.
Maps: Halfmiles and Yogi
-I used halfmiles maps printed out and backed up on my cell phone which was all I really needed for the hike. Yogi's town maps and book are helpful for resupply but not essential, I used it sparingly. The water report was also essential for the desert because it was a really dry season.
Trekking Poles: Black Diamond Trail Compact
- Having used and destroyed a cheap pair of Leki's on the AT I was ready to try out a pair of Black Diamond poles. These are pretty standard, light, affordable, and compact down small. They lasted me the whole trip and I have absolutely no complaints about them.
Headlamp: Petzl Tikka 2
-Awesome headlamp. It shined quite bight but I mostly loved it because of its nightvision/red function which preserves your nightvision while keeping the brightness of the LED down so that it doesn't disturb others. Unfortunately it fell out of my pack around Crater Lake in Oregon and I 'survived' with a single LED $4 headlamp I purchased at the Mazama store at the base of Crater Lake. I miss that headlamp...
Footwear: Chaco Z2's and Brooks Cascadia 6
-I wore two pairs of Chaco's up to Packwood, Washington, a couple hundred miles from the end of the PCT. I also did not have snow in the Sierra's so I could wear my sandals there. I wore Injinji toe socks because of the toe-loop on the Z2's. DO NOT buy those toe socks. I've used multiple thicknesses knits etc and they all wear out really fast and are expensive. I had a pair of Cascadia's for the Sierra and didn't use them there but did end up using them for the last bit of the trip because it was getting really cold and for fear of moisture. If you have narrow feet they are perfect and really comfortable. I have wide feet so they rubbed a little wrong but still were not bad and a majority of the hikers rock these shoes. Plus they have sweet tracks and colors!
Clothing:
-I wore cheap athletic shorts for most of the way. In the desert I wore one of those ridiculous west coast hiking shirts which worked well for the heat and sun sun coverage. I also had convertable pants I picked up from a used gear shop which came in handy for sun exposure and when it was cold. I ended up using these for shorts as well and my athletic shorts became my 'town' pants. I acquired a longsleeve hiking shirt from a hikerbox when I left the desert and ditched my sunshirt. Sunglasses (polarized) and a hat of sorts is a must for the desert and a mosquito head net is vital up north!! Towards the end I had warm gloves, underarmor leggings, and a synthetic puffy jacket (made by Stoic - kind of cheap but did the trick) which kept me warm enough. Raingear was pretty simple: a Marmot shell jacket and a trash compactor bags (inside and out of my pack). Some use less clothes, some use more. I could have ditches a few pieces but I do enjoy half decent clothes for town.
Water Purification: MSR Sweetwater and Katahdin Filter
-The MSR Sweetwater are drops and only half the system (paired with
the brand filter). Its one bottle five drops and five minutes which I find
easier than Aqua Mira. It's less frequent in stores but it lasts for quite a
while. It does taste like chemicals (also like aqua mira) so drink mixes make
it go down smooth!
The filter I got on trail and works well in hard to get/disgusting
water situations. That being said you have to be careful not to clog the filter
(very easy) and is a good arm work out when clogged. The filters are really
expensive and I ended up not using it once clogged because
I preferred the convenience of the drops and didn't want to shell out
the cash for another new filter.
Electronics:
-I carried too many electronics. I had a Ipod, Iphone, Camera and
occasionally speakers. (an each one of their wires to charge) The Iphone was
used for my halfmile maps when I didn't have a hard copy and for internet in
town and calling people. They make a halfmile/gps incorporated app
(Guthooks) for Iphones but I chose not to do that because its not my style. People
found it useful though. I have a 160gb ipod with more than half of it full of
music and I refuse to part with all of my varied kinds of music
(my luxury item). Speakers were nice but not necessary. Camera was a
point and shoot Nikon which was roughed up on the AT and I ended up using my
Iphone for picture more and my camera for panoramas. For the CDT I'm using my
phone for my camera hands down.
Water Containers:
-For water bottles I used two (three in the desert) one-liter
smartwater bottles until they were gross then bought new ones. I had a three
liter platypus bag that I kept rolled up as a reservoir to haul extra
water. So my capacity was anywhere from five to six liters which was pretty
standard.Bear Canister: Bear Vault BV500
-I borrowed my canister from someone who hiked the PCT last year and it worked fine in the Sierras. Models and sizes are you're own discretion. Regardless of what size you get you will not be able to fit all your food in there. I never had an "incident" thankfully and to be honest the canisters are more for the people than they are for the bears.
Groundsheet: Housewrap (similar to tyvek)
-Worked fine I was gifted it before my hike when I realized I didn't have one. It was a woven plastic like housewrap that wasn't impenetrable but it worked and was trashed by the time I got to Canada. I recommend using tyvek, its relatively cheap and durable. Tip: if you buy new tyvek run it through the wash on cold before you use it to make it pliable and less crinkly.
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