Pacific Crest Trail Thru-Hiker Gear List
Based off Liz Thomas’s wonderful gear chapter in Pacific Crest Trials, here’s a non-exhaustive list of suggested gear items for a Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike.
Quick Navigation
Sleeping Bags
Quilts
Inflatable Pads
Foam Pads
Shelters
Backpacks
Footwear
Puffy Jackets
Rain Gear
Sun / Next-to-Skin Clothes
Additional Sun Protection
Bottoms
Wind Jacket/Pants
Base Layers
Underwear
Socks
Gloves
Hats
Stoves
Water Treatment
Cup/Bowl
Utensils
Bear Canister
Water Storage
Headlamp
Knife
Trekking Poles
First Aid
Navigation
GPS
Snow Gear
Electronics
Hygiene
Miscellaneous
Luxury Items
Big Three: Sleep System, Shelter, Pack
Sleeping Bags
- Western Mountaineering Ultralight 20-degree (what Liz carried on the Triple Crown)
- Montbell Downhugger #2 (suitable for warm sleepers)
- Marmot Helium 15-degree
- Feathered Friends Hummingbird UL 20-degree
- Katabatic Sawatch 15-degree
- REI Magma 15-degree
Quilts
READ NEXT –
- The Best Quilts for Thru-Hiking
- The Best Sleeping Bags for Thru-Hiking
- The Ultimate Guide to Backpacking Sleeping Bags and Quilts for All Budgets
Inflatable Sleeping Pads
Foam Sleeping Pads
- Therm-a-Rest Z-Lite Sol
- NEMO Switchback
- Gossamer Gear Thinlight (good for supplementing current sleep system)
READ NEXT – The Best Sleeping Pads for Thru-Hiking
Shelters
- Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2
- Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2
- ZPacks Plex Solo
- ZPacks Duplex
- Tarptent Rainbow
- NEMO Hornet Elite
- Mountain Laurel Designs Solomid
- Six Moons Designs Skyscrape Trekker
- Six Moons Designs Lunar Solo
- Gossamer Gear The One
- Gossamer Gear The Two
READ NEXT – The Best Tents for Thru-Hiking
Backpacks
- ULA Circuit
- ULA Ohm 2.0
- Gossamer Gear Gorilla
- Gossamer Gear Mariposa
- Osprey Exos / Eja
- Mountain Laurel Designs Prophet
- ZPacks Arc Blast
- Hyperlite Mountain Gear Windrider 55L
- Mountain Laurel Designs Burn
READ NEXT – The Best Backpacks for Thru-Hiking
Apparel
Footwear
- Altra Lone Peak
- Altra Timp
- Brooks Cascadia
- Salomon Speedcross
- Salomon X-Ultra
- La Sportiva Wildcats
- HOKA Speedgoat
READ NEXT – The Best Trail Runners for Thru-Hiking
Puffy Jackets
- Montbell Thermawrap- Men, Women
- Enlightened Equipment Torrid Apex- Men, Women
- Montbell Ex Light Down Anorak
- Western Mountaineering Flash
- Patagonia Nano Puff- Men, Women
- Uniqlo Ultralight Down Parka- Men, Women (at $90, this fashion brand actually makes a decent down)
READ NEXT –
Rain Gear
- Montbell Versalite Jacket- Men, Women
- Enlightened Equipment Visp
- Frogg Toggs Rain Suit
- OR Helium- Men, Women
- Marmot Precip Jacket- Men, Women
- Marmot Precip Pants- Men, Women
- ULA Rain Kilt
- MLD Rain Mitts
READ NEXT –
Other Clothing
First and foremost, to get a breakdown of how clothing needs may change based on section, read this: Pacific Crest Trail Clothing System
Sun / Next-to-Skin (Desert / NorCal / OR)
- ExOfficio BugsAway Shirt- Men, Women
- Columbia Silver Ridge Shirt- Men, Women
- REI Sahara Shirt- Men, Women
- Orvis Pro Sun Hoodie- Men
- Jolly Gear Sun Hoodie
- Town Shirt Sun Hoodie
- A cheap thrift shop buy
Additional Sun Protection
Bottoms (shorts / pants / skirt)
- Patagonia Baggies- Men, Women
- Generic synthetic running shorts
- Columbia Tech Trail II Pants- Men
- Purple Rain Hiking Skirt- Women
Wind Jacket / Pants
- Montbell EX Light Wind Jacket- Men, Women
- Patagonia Houdini Jacket- Men, Women
- Montbell Dynamo Pants- Men, Women
Base Layers (Sierra / Washington)
- Smartwool Classic All-Season Base Layer- Men, Women
- Icebreaker Bodyfit 200 Oasis- Men, Women
- Icebreaker Bodyfit 200 Oasis Zip- Men, Women
- REI Base Layer Bottoms- Men, Women
Underwear
Socks
- Darn Tough Light Hiker- Men, Women
- Point6 Light Socks- Men, Women
- Swiftwick Pursuit Four
Gloves
Hats
Kitchen / Water Treatment
Stoves
- Trail Designs Keg-F system (Liz has used this for 5,000 miles)
- Snow Peak LiteMax Stove
- MSR PocketRocket 2
- Jetboil MicroMo
- Snow Peak GigaPower 2.0
- (DIY) zenstoves.com
READ NEXT – The Best Backpacking Stoves for Thru-Hiking
Water Filters / Treatment
- Sawyer Squeeze
- Katadyn BeFree Collapsible Water Filter Bottle– 0.6 L
- Platypus QuickDraw
- Aquamira
- Bleach drops
Cup / Bowl
Utensils
Bear Canister
Water Storage
- Platypus 3 L Big Zip
- CNOC Vecto 2 L
- Evernew 2 L
- Smartwater bottles
The Rest of the Goods
Headlamp
READ NEXT – The Best Headlamps for Thru-Hiking
Knife
Trekking Poles
First Aid Kit
- Blister care
- Leukotape
- Triple antibiotic
- Benadryl
- Hydrocortisone (single serving packet)
- Ibuprofen
- Other meds
- Band-Aids (just a few)
Navigation
- FarOut App (previously Guthook)
- Brunton TruArc 10 Compass
- National Geographic PCT Maps (replaced Halfmile’s maps)
- Halfmile’s Trail Notes
- PCT Water Report
GPS
Snow Items (The Sierra)
Electronics
- Portable Charger
- Camera
- Other electronics
- Spare batteries
Hygiene / Health
- Sunscreen
- Insect Repellent
- Biodegradable Soap
- Trowel
- Ultralight Portable Bidet
- Toilet paper
- Hand sanitizer
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Vitamins and supplements
- Menstrual Cup
- Pee Cloth
Miscellaneous
- Head Net
- Hiker Wallet
- Fanny Pack
- Ear Plugs
- Passport / Visa (just before entering Canada)
Luxury Items
Updated 11/02/2022 by Rachel Shoemaker.