The Gear (I Hope) Will Get Me There

Thru Hikers and Outdoor Enthusiasts are excited by predominantly three things: the adventures and trips we plan, the stories we make while out on these adventures, and unsurprisingly… the gear that we use on our adventure.

I’ll admit it, when I am not doom scrolling through social media, you can find me reading in depth reviews of the eccentricities of wool socks or weight to durability comparisons of the hottest new materials on the market. Yes, I too am a bit of a gear nut and am too often drawn in by backpacking company ads that make me want me to buy the newest, coolest, and lightest gear of the season. I love getting myself new nifty little pieces of gear. However, I am not made of infinite money and I wanted to share my setup for the Pacific Crest Trail.

While many of the pieces I am carrying are newer, and sometimes, lighter pieces of gear. Many of the pieces you will find in the detailed list below are not the lightest (or most expensive) pieces on the market. In this update, I wanted to give a breakdown of what I am carrying and why I am carrying it.

As I have gained experience as a thru hiker, I have of course gained knowledge and insight on how to hike farther and what gear best supports me in my backpacking goals. With that said, I have made some big changes in what I am carrying on the PCT as compared to the AT, as both are very different trails with very different conditions. While many of these changes were to lighten my pack weight, some were to prioritize the longevity and durability of my gear for future thru hikes.

Shockingly, if you have read any of my Appalachian Trail content, you know that I am not an Ultra Lighter. If anything, I will come up with an excuse to carry an oddly specific luxury item (flashback to the 1/4lb of coffee and ultra light pour over setup). Further, I wanted to emphasize that all thru hiking setups are as unique as the hikers that carry them and that you are still a valid hiker even if you are not carrying the lightest newest gear.

The Pack

My first major change for my PCT trip is my pack! I have decided to go with the ULA Circuit. During my AT thru Hike, I used both the REI Flash 55L and The Lite AF 45L packs. While I adore and love my Lite AF bag and considered carrying it on this thru hike, I wanted to try something new and a little more durable. My Lite AF put up a good fight on the AT, but however, is beat to shit. The rocky trails of New England were not kind to any of my gear and a lot of pieces needed to be replaced and repaired.

I chose the ULA Circuit due to the capacity and its durability. Since I will be doing longer food and water carries, I wanted a pack that had the capability to haul a lot of weight all while being comfortable. After a lot of researching and many recommendations, I was set to purchase the ULA Circuit.

I have made some additions to my Circuit including a ULA water bottle and a Gossamer gear shoulder pouches, as I have decided to ditch the fanny pack and leave it at home. I want to try to declutter and simplify my set up by using the hip belt pouches and shoulder pouch additions to carry all my extra crap.

Sleep System

As a certified Sleepy Girl™, I am very particular about my sleep system. As a cold sleeper, I always lean towards buying a warmer bag than necessary. Other than warmth, I am fairly barebones when it comes to my sleep system. I do not carry a pillow, as I would rather use a stuff sack filled with clothes. I also like to prioritize keeping my sleeping system simple, the last thing I want to do is over complicate something that should be straightforward. When I get into my tent, I am usually exhausted and want to get my sleeping stuff up and ready as soon as possible. Further, I want to prioritize having a sleep system that is easy to pack and keep dry. The less moving parts, the better.

During my AT hike, I rocked a 0° Enlightened Equipment with a Sea to Summit liner. This time around, I decided to shed a little weight and sacrifice a little warmth by commandeering my Mom’s unused 10° Enlightened Equipment and the Jacks R Better Alpha Direct 90 sleeping bag liner. I am hoping these changes will keep me just as cozy while shedding a few precious ounces. 

For my sleeping pad, I have decided to go with the cult classic Thermarest NeoAire Xlite. During my AtTthru hike, I destroyed sleeping pads. In fact, I think I went through 6 pads total. (Thank God for warranties!) This time around, I decided to opt for a lighter, warmer, and more durable pad. I have used this sleeping pad on a couple shorter trips and I have loved it.

Tent

Another new piece of gear! I joined the cult of Durston and bought the X-Mid 2. Why, you might ask?

Firstly, I wanted more space. During my AT thru hike I went through two tents, the Gossamer Gear: The One (which I hated) and The Big Agnes Copper Spur (which I tolerated). I was not a fan of either of them. They were small and both had their drawbacks,  and that convinced me to upgrade to something a little nicer. So I went with the Durston because it is much roomier and it is more versatile over all.

Major factor leading me to choose the X-Mid 2 over its lighter and more nimble sister the X-Mid Pro 2, was the longevity of ultra light gear. As someone who recreates out in the woods and tries to be conscious of my impact on the planet, I want to prioritize gear that is lightweight while being durable. I do my best to be concious of the impact my new purchases have on the earth and I prioritize a piece of gear’s longevity over how light it is. While I wanted to buy the fancier and lighter X-Mid Pro 2, I am a baller on a budget and I was concerned about the longevity of the lighter and more delicate tent. I think it is important to remember our thru hikes and our gear choices still have an impact on the earth and to really consider that overall impact.

Electronics

This is where things get… heavy. And further, redundant.

I am currently carrying the following:

• Google Pixel Tablet
• Nitecore headlamp
• 2 Nitecore 1000 mAh battery packs
• Ankor 10000 mAh battery pack
• aeropex After shockz headphones
• Garmin Fenix Solar Sapphire Smart Watch
• Smartwatch dongle
• some random wallplug
• A charging dongle and various cables

One major addition to my pack includes a Google Pixel Tablet. During my AT thru hike, I was actively updating my Trek Blog on a phone. Do you know how much it sucks to write content on a phone and how much flack I got for shitty spelling and grammar? Begrudgingly, I must admit, I am getting old and it is much easier to write and edit content on a larger screen.

While I am not necessarily happy that 2lbs of weight has been added to my pack, it is well worth the weight as I will be employed during my hike. Yes, you heard that right,  I will be working as a grant writer while hiking (because thru hiking isn’t hard enough of a challenge by itself!) On top of grant writing and managing clients, I will be updating content to my Trek blog and managing a substack… As a consequence, I knew I was going to need to carry a tablet to enable me to easily accomplish writing in both a professional manner as well as writing my fun silly trail updates.

Due to the additions of a tablet, phone, and smart watch. My charging capabilities were going to need to be lighter as well as have an increased capacity. I will be carrying a total of 30,000 mAh of battery packs to power all of my crap.

Is this overkill? Probably.

But it is still lighter than the 26,000 mAh Ankor brick I carried on the AT and it felt like a better (and more cost effective) solution despite not being the lightest solution. Further, if one power bank becomes compromised, I have a back up power to support all the devices I am carrying. If this setup turns out to be overkill, I can just send it home and use it in the future.

First Aid, Personal Stuff, and Water Treatment

There isn’t anything super specific in here. General first aid and personal hygiene stuff. Kula cloth, spade, baby wipes, and the such. I am a big supporter of carrying both hand sanitizer and soap because gross hands mean gross things get in my body. 

A major change I made to become lighter overall was ditching contacts and getting LASIK surgery. Now I no longer have to worry about ordering, managing, and resupplying contacts. Further, I can see realll good now and can enjoy all those beautiful views! 

Many of my luxury items are personal care items. I carry a lot of lotion and skin balm. I have found that if I take care of my skin, I am an overall happier and better recovered person. So I carry a generic lotion, a THC/CBD topical pain cream for my joints, and a skin balm. It might seem intuitive that if you take care of the largest organ on your body, you generally feel better. Further, I am vain and I want to look young forever. If that means carrying some lotion… then so be it! Protip, If you are like me and want to carry a lot of creams, ointments and balms, shove them in contact cases to minimize the weight and prevent leaking.

For water, I am using a Sawyer Squeeze filter and 2 L CNOC bag. I plan to carry a XL 1.5L, a 1 L Smart Water, and a .75L Smart Water bottle. So my full water carry capacity will be 5.25L which should be more than enough water for longer water carries and dry camping.

Clothing

During my AT thru hike, I lost 44 lbs. This meant I was constantly changing out clothes due to weight loss and fit issues. While I tried to make my too big shorts work, the chaffing of clothes that don’t fit is brutal.

This time around I am trying to keep it pretty simple for my hiking clothes. Besides the more patterns you are wearing the cooler the hiker trash you are!

 

• Jolly Gear Triple Crown Button Down
• Patagonia Multi Trail Shorts 5.5″
• Dirty Girl Gaiters
• McClumsy Crushable five panel hat
• Pit Vipers Exciters Sunglasses
• Brooks Cascadia

As for everything else. I haven’t made many changes and have kept it pretty standard. Some major swaps I have made since my AT thru hike are a new rain jacket, new fleece hoodie, and swapping to a puffy. I decided to go with the puffy as the PCT will (should) be less wet and it’s lighter and warmer than my previous synthetic. Any needed pieces of gear, I plan on picking up on trail as I need them.

• Walmart Teva Knockoffs
• Farpoint Alpha Direct Socks
• 2 pairs of wool socks
• Rab Kinetic 2.0 Rain Jacket
• Arc’teryx Down Puffy
• Patagonia Midweight Capilene leggings
• Patagonia thermal hoodie
• Exofficio Underwear
• my emotional support beanie my friend knitted me
• some sports bra that tik tok convinced me to buy

Situation Specific Stuff

Something Unique about buying gear for the PCT has been the necessary gear for specific situations. For instance, I am now the proud owner of an Ice Axe and a Bear Can. While these pieces are vital for my safety on certain sections of trail, I will not carry them the entire way. I am sure you will catch me bitching about their overall awkwardness and excess weight.

 

This includes:

• BV-500 Journey – Bear Can
• Camp USA Corsa Ice Axe
• Kahtoola Micro Spikes

Gear is Great. However…

Lets be honest. Talking about gear is cool. Buying gear is fun! But there is so much more to all this than buying gear. Don’t let your obsession over your gear set up distract you from the reason we buy it.

It is just a too that allows us to get out and make memories in the outdoors. Remember that the gear doesn’t make the hiker, it is their determination, grit, and spirit of adventure. In the end, the weight, the brand, and the price don’t matter. However, it is the memories we make while we are using it on our adventures. 

If you really want to snoop on what I will be using during my PCT thru, feel free to check out my Lighter Pack.