Okay, I'm finally getting around to this. This weekend I leave for what will eventually be my PCT Through-hike.

First, here is the link to my gear list, as disjointed as it is. Use the tabs at the bottom to switch between AT gear, PCT gear, first aid kit, and a messy bounce box list.

Disjointed because I'm bringing mostly everything I need for hiking the AT in GA/NC/TN until April 20 while I leave what's left of the PCT gear at a friend's house.

On April 20 I head out to the PCT with the slightly different gear list.

So here it is for your entertainment. Let me know if there are any glaring defects, but for the most part I'm happy with how it looks. And, obviously, things will change as I go.

I may have missed it, but I didn't see anything for dealing with bugs while hiking or sleeping.

Have fun!

Oh yeah. I need to get on that. I'm going to buy some permethrin when they get to be a problem. I'll also have a headnet in my bounce box. And I've got some sheets of noseeum netting that I want to rig up to hang in my tarp. That last part shouldn't take too long, right? Hmmm....

Also, clothes worn, since I never put those on the gear list:

AT: Ibex echo merino t-shirt, Champion shorts, Patagonia boxer briefs (we'll see if I decide to lose these along the way), Darn Tough 1/4 crew socks, dirty girl gaiters, New Balance 812 sneakers with custom orthotics.

PCT: BPL Thorofare pants, Railriders Adventure shirt, same footwear, Filson sun hat, sunglasses. Should I have a baselayer under the Railriders shirt?

Where did you get your CAMP corsa? I cant find a good deal anywhere online.
I also planning on taking the GG Vapor Trail. You might want a little more than 5L of water capacity eventually. That shouldnt be a problem though since the 'real' desert section through Mojave is well into the hike. I am especially putting extra first aid in my bounce box because I am picky about my blister care and prefer stretchy band-aids, and i am picky about chapstick too. Also throwing an extra spoon and stakes in there for when I lose mine. Maybe thrown in a cat-can stove just in case? Either way it looks good!

Thanks, Brandon. Hopefully I'll see you out there. I don't know how big the kickoff party will be, but there have got to be a few BPL folks to represent our crowd :)

The Corsa I got, well, let's just say a friend of mine owed me a favor. One time deal, unfortunately...

The 1.5 L nalgene canteens actually hold very close to 2 L each, but it would be better to err on the side of caution for that. I'll keep it in mind when I get out there, so thanks for the heads-up. I'm so used to the New England rain forests that the idea of having to tank up on water seems very foreign to me.

As for spare things like stakes, spoons, etc... I'll keep a few of those back home for my parents to send if I need them, I think. Good call. I don't anticipate losing those, since I take good care of them, but things do happen on trips that long. I'm particularly attached to that folding spoon. I should turn it into a necklace or something...

Am I missing something? You using 4 nail stakes + 2 hook stakes + 2 groundhog stakes for 8 total? I think this is overkill on the type of stakes. In windy conditions I used 8 ti hook stakes without issues of them pulling out. I never had to pound them into the ground as pushing them in by hand always worked; a few times I had to move it 1 inch to the side, but it always went in. So there is no need for the heavier stakes.

I think you may be a little light on the water carrying side. It really depends on how hot it is when you hike. You may need another liter capacity from what you listed. So keep an eye on the weather forecast and the PCT water report posted online when you are in town and buy an extra bottle if needed.

Edited by Miner on 03/07/2010 13:57:59 MST.

Nice list! I would imagine you may need to carry a bit more water than your list would allow. I carried 4+ liters in the desert in several stretches, and consistently at least three.I would advise you to find out what the water situation is like in SoCal, it's really dependent upon the snowpack. It can get really hot, even early in the season. Every year is different.

...I would stay away from the Petzl e-Lite if you plan to use it as a hiking headlamp. It's a great light for camp, but a pretty lousy hiking lamp because of its limited range. I would imagine, if the temps approach 100 degrees, you may elect to hike in the morning, find some shade midday, and then hike into the evening.

I don't want to disparage the e-Lite; it;s good for many things on the PCT, but hiking at night was not one of them. I did carry it for camp, but wound up getting a better headlamp for hiking purposes.

Your mileage may vary....have fun out there.

Dirk

+1 on the water. 4L carry capacity is minimum IMO.

7 oz might be a little heavy for your first aid kit. What all is included?

The exodus IMO is on the minimal side for a 10 lb base weight when you factor in 4L of water plus 6-7 days of food sufficient for a thru-hiker's hunger (~14 lb). Not to mention a bear can. Not that it can't be done, but for me the lightest packs were not comfortable so I switched to the heavier vapor trail.

I'll +1 the headlamp too. I ended up loving night hiking (much to my surprise) and switched out to a more powerful headlamp (tikka2 although I wish I had gotten the xp2) which had sufficient output and battery life.

Really should carry a compass even if it's just a little button one. Just good practice.

Duct tape? Backup fire starter?

Edited by nschmald on 03/07/2010 15:07:29 MST.

Thanks for the input, everyone.

-Sean: I carry the groundhog stakes because I'm used to the duffy and loose topsoil in the Northeast. I've got a few extras of the MSR nail stakes in my bounce box... maybe I'll switch those with the groundhogs right away. I only have the two vargo stakes, but depending on how much I feel like spending the extra few bucks, I may get a whole set of them sometime along the trail.

-Dirk: Good point on the headlamp. I've got an older princeton tec quad that is great for night hiking, although it would chew through batteries pretty fast if I used it that way. I might switch headlamps as well before I head out west.

-Nia: I think you're looking at the AT part of the list. Click the tabs along the bottom to switch between AT, PCT, etc. lists. The first-aid kit is in there (which does include a few non-first-aid type things).