I got my Hat at Festivus…

That’s right the holidays came, and the holidays went… a long time ago. However, I’m a slow writer, and you my dear reader are getting the story now.

The traditional celebration of Festivus was the highlight of my holiday season. In the proud spirit of the holiday, our friends gathered around the aluminum pole, and the airing of our grievances commenced. There was laughter and the best versions of roasting by our closest friends. 

Eventually all great roasts came to an end, and the night continued to the main event: feats of strength. A points based night of games, of which, only a few truly relied on actual strength. Given how bad I am at most games, I was shocked when I came out middle of the pack for point totals, but the most important part of the night came from the party prizes: Festivus gifts one may say.

For months prior, I had been keeping my eyes open for the gear I would need on the PCT. While decisions on Tents, Packs, Sleeping Bags, and Sleeping Pads are important; the most vital piece of gear is of course a vibrant hat that serves to speak to your crazy side. So my dear readers, on that beautiful prize table at a holiday Festivus celebration, I did in fact get my PCT Hat at Festivus. 

Alright everyone, you made it past my  ̷r̷e̷c̷i̷p̷e̷ Gear Post Intro. Now let’s get down and dirty, and give you get what you really want: a gear list from a person whom has done months a research, but yet to finish a thru hike! A Note of caution to the reader, I have only got my hands on a portion of the items that are listed here. Many are currently in shipment to my house, so I’ll speak in generalities about those.

The Big Three

Tent

ZPacks Plex Solo Lite Tent (2025)

My MLD Solo Mid has been my trusty companion for my weekenders of the past seven years; however, it had a few things about it that made me rethink using it again for my PCT thru hike. The first being that it requires two trekking poles to pitch. While I have been lucky in my time, multiple of my friends have had their trekking poles break out in the backcountry. The advantage of a single trekking pole pitch tent in my mind was worth the changeout. The second being that it is a full 10 oz. lighter than the MLD Solo Mid with bug net. Nice weight savings, but also a second on my list of reasoning for the changeout. 

Sleeping Bag / System

Enlighten Equipment Revolation 20 Degree 950 (2024)

For years now I have used my old Sierra Designs Sleeping bags. The 0 degree mummy and the 32 degree quilt have served me well, but I wanted to try something new for this trail. I had been reviewing the the PCT thru hiker surveys from 2023, and I decided I wanted a lighter weight quilt that was a little colder rated. I ended up going with the Enlightened Equipment Revolation in the 20 degree model based on the open toe box and the PCT thru hiker ratings.

Thermarest NeoAir Xlite (2020)

Tried and true, there’s no reason to change what works. My only thing to say here is that it is more conformable than my old foam mat. 

Pack

Pa’lante Desert Pack (43 L)

I’ve had the REI Flash 45 in the glorious Parrot color for years now; however, I decided I wanted to try something lighter for this longer hike. I’ve seen multiple good reviews on the Pa’lante Desert Pack, and the build quality lives up to reputation: this is based on me just getting the pack, so please take this with a grain of salt. I’ve still got a lot to learn on this pack; however, the 14 oz I will be leaving at home are very exciting.

Clothes

Planned Worn (Most Expected)

I’m expecting these to change as the conditions change for the thru hike; however, I plan on listing what I’m starting with in the desert. Let’s go from top down. On my head, I’ll be wearing my peppy Festivus won flower hat with a pair of Ombraz Leggero sunglasses with side shields. For my top, I’ll be sporting a Patagonia Sun hoody with Outdoor Research sun gloves on my heands. For my bottoms, I’ll be rocking redwood Pa’late shorts for all sorts of leg views. On my feet, I’ll be saddled up with a pair of Darn Tough socks, planned Topo Athletic Pursuit shoes, and Dirty Girl gaiters over it all. 

Planned Carry (Most Expected)

In addition to the above clothes I’ll be wearing more, I’ll also be carrying the below list.

1. Fleece Beanie: Arc’teryx (Light Purple)
2. Sun Pants: Patagonia – Terrebonne Joggers (Light Grey)
3. Rain Jacket / Rain Pants: Frogg Toggs – Ultra-Lite2 Waterproof Breathable
4. Shell Gloves: Luke’s Ultralight – Rain Gloves
5. Wind Jacket & Pants: Enlighten Equipment – Copperfield Wind Shirt & Pants
6. Puffy Jacket: Sierra Designs – Puffy Jacket (Black)
7. Puffy Pants: Montbell – Puffy Pants (Black)
8. Liner Gloves: Outdoor Research – Trail Mix Gloves
9. Pullover Hoody Fleece: Sambob – Alpha 120 Hoody
10. Buff: Buff – Merino (Dark Grey)

Kitchen

For my pot, I went with the Vargo Bot XL.  It’s a bit oversized for just me; however, I wanted a pot that would also be good for two when my wife comes to visit on the trail. Additionally, I wanted the dual function of being able to both cold soak and store water in a pinch.

I spent my ten dollars on the Toaks spoon. I don’t need to say much more than that.

For my stove, I decided to grab a MSR Pocket Rocket 2. The fuel efficiency of the Pocket Rocket sold it for me over something like the BRS 3000T. I also picked up a FlipFuel to allow for fuel transfers as needed on the trail.

For food storage, I got a 13 L Hilltop Packs Bear Bag. I’ll use this when and where allowed, and will add a Bear Vault 500 when I get to the Sierra. I am planning on using a 10 L Ursack for the Washington sections of the trail. 

Water

I decided to go simple with my water system: Sawyer Filter, CNOC 2L, and Smart Water bottles. I’m planning on the sports caps for the smart water bottles, and I’ll carry four 1 L bottles. My intention is to use my CNOC as my dirty water collection and storage. The sports caps on my Smart Water bottles will be used to back filter my Sawyer. I also will have two spare gaskets for the Sawyer.

Hygiene

I know on a high level I’m planning to embrace the stink, so my kit is fairly basic. My toilet kit will be the basic Duce of spades with an Igneous Backcountry bidet. I’ll carry some emergency Toilet paper when needed. I’ll be bringing a basic scrubby glove for both pot and me cleaning: I know gross, but meh. With that, I’ll have two 15 mL dropper bottles of Dr. Bronners peppermint soap. I’ll use this as my all around body and cleaning soap. I’ll also be using it as my toothpaste. I was sold on it years ago when listening to Skurka talk about using it as toothpaste, and I’ve never been grossed out by it for some reason. To finish out the kit, I’ll be bringing my full sized flosser, toothbrush, & nail clippers.

Electronics

I really will have nothing special in terms of my Electronics. In fact, I’ll pretty much be carrying my Everyday Carry items. The entire list can be found below. The one thing of note is the Pale Blue rechargeable AAA batteries. I wanted to be able to carry a quick swap-able rechargeable battery set for my headlamp. I looked into the rechargeable lamps on the market, and was either disappointed by the battery capacity or the lack of ease of swapping batteries for night hiking. I ended up choosing the Pale Blue batteries because they were best option for my criteria. I’ll be looking forward to being able to always have one set of batteries fully charged, and to  be able to easily recharge them in my pack while using my headlamp.

1. iPhone 14 Pro
2. Apple Watch Ultra
3. AirPods Pro
4. 20,000 mAh (3) Port Battery Bank
5. Anker 65 W (3) Port Charger
6. (6) Rechargeable AAA Batteries
7. (4) Charging cords (USB-C, Lightning, & Watch)

Safety

For the entire trail, I’ll be carrying my Garmin inReach mini 2. I will be getting the unlimited messaging and tracking subscription per the request of my wife and mother.  I’ll also be subscribing to the Garmin SAR insurance as well.

Pending the snow on the trail, I’ll be bringing either micro-spikes or trail crampons. In the Sierra, I plan to bring my Ice Axe which I have practiced self arresting in the mountains surrounding Anchorage.

Luxuries & Miscellaneous 

There aren’t a large number of other items I’ll be bringing with me on my hike, but I do have a few “Luxuries” and a few other miscellaneous items.

The biggest luxury I’ll be bringing is the Gossamer Gear Sun Umbrella. As white dude living in Alaska, my fragile pale skin needs all the help it can get to avoid the deadly laser in the sky. I plan to use my sun gear liberally, but the umbrella will be a nice addition. I’ll also be carrying a Chicken Tramper Gear Wallet for all my cards and cash.

I’ll also be carrying my Black Diamond Alpine Cork Trekking poles, a pair of ear plugs, and my Black Diamond Spot Headlamp. 

Links and End

Well there is it. A severely overthought review of all the gear that I will be brining on my NOBO PCT attempt. I’m sure things will likely change as the miles go by and I learn a thing or two, but these are my naive thoughts now. I’ll be keeping my most up to date Gear list here on the Trek, but I also have linked my lighter pack below. My intention is to keep my Trek Gear list as my current gear in my pack, and use Lighter Pack as an archive of gear lists. Additionally, if you haven’t already had enough of my gear discussion, I posted a video on my YouTube going into similar detail, but with much more awkward commentary. Godspeed for anyone watching my poor speaking and editing skills. Anyways, thanks for reading!

Lighter Pack

Trek Gear List

Youtube Gear Talk