#pctgear

When I started the Appalachian Trail I had almost no gear. I used a REI backpack bought the previous year for a trip to Alaska, but owned nothing else. Luckily, I borrowed my boyfriend’s sleeping bag, sleeping pad, water filter, and tent. Yes, best boyfriend ever.

After getting off the trail and making the commitment to myself to hike the PCT, my gear-geeked-out obsession began. I started working at REI part-time and have now become a knowledgable associate on all things outdoors. With that being said, gearing up for this trip has been fun. Real fun. Below is the DL on backpacking and my personal gear list.

There are several styles of backpacking: ultralight, light, and traditional. Each style refers to a base pack weight - weight of the backpack plus gear inside, excluding consumables such as food, water, and fuel. 

Ultralight: 10 pounds or below. 

Light: 10-20 pounds. 

Traditional: 20+, on average 30 pounds.

I began the AT carrying around 40-45(!) pounds. Yes, it’s painful to think about. My goal for this hike was to be in the “ultralight” category so I could soar through the trail leaving other hikers in awe of my super awesome, under 10 pound pack. “What a pro” they’d all say. Finally after weighing the list below, I came in at 156 ounces, or 9.75 pounds. Score! Well, kind of. I didn’t weigh my miscellaneous items (soap, maps, 25 kinds of hot sauce, etc). I will also will be carrying 3.5 pounds of snow and ice gear for the High Sierras. I will ship these items to myself before I reach the snow and ship them back asap once they are no longer needed. 

Okay, enough talk. Below is my PCT gear list and each item’s respective weight. Enjoy. 

Camp Gear

Backpack: Granite Gear Crown VC 60, 34 oz

Tent: Big Agnes Copper Spur UL1, 32 oz

Sleeping Pad: Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol, 10 oz

Sleeping Bag: Marmot Helium 15 Degree, 34 oz

Sleeping Bag Liner: Sea to Summit Silk Mummy Liner, 5 oz

Head Lamp: Black Diamond Spot, 2 oz

Trekking Poles: Black Diamond Ultra Distance Z-Pole , 10 oz

Knife: Beretta TKX Titanium Micarta Tactical Knife

Misc: Vitamins, Moleskin, Permits, Maps, etc

Dry Bag: Granite Gear eVent Sil Ultra-Duty PackLiner, 5 oz

Cooking Gear

Stove: Snow Peak LiteMax, 2 oz

Cookware: Snow Peak Hybrid Trail, 8 oz

Fuel: Snow Peak GigaPower 110 Gold, 3 oz

Cup: MSR Titan, 2 oz 

Lighter: Small

Water Bottle: Platypus Platy Bottle (2), 1.5 oz

Water Tank: Platypus Water Tank 1 gal, 3 oz

Water Filter: Sawyer Squeeze Plus, 3 oz

Misc.: Pepper, EVOO, Choluah

Stuff Sack: Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Dry Sack, 1.5 oz

High Sierra Gear *

Microspikes: Kahtoola MICROspikes Traction System, 12.5 oz

Ice Axe: Black Diamond Raven Pro, 13 oz

Bear Canister: BearVault BV450, 32 oz

*I will ship these items to myself to carry only for the duration of the time spent in the High Sierras.

Clothing Worn

Hat: Tilley LTM6 Airflo 

Glasses: Warby Parker “Robinson” prescription Sunnies

Bandana: ExOfficio Insect Shield Bandana

Shirt: Columbia Saturday Trail Stretch Long Sleeve  

Pants: Patagonia Upcountry Pants

Sports Bra: SmartWool PhD Racerback

Underwear: ExOfficio Give-N-Go Bikini Brief (swear by em’)

Socks: SmartWool Light Hiker

Sock Liner: REI Silk One Liner

Shoes: Brooks Cascadia 8 Trail-Runner

Shoe Insoles: Superfeet

Clothing Carried

Rain Jacket: Patagonia Women’s Torrentshell

Insulating Jacket: Patagonia Women’s Nano Puff Half Zip

Long Underwear Top: Patagonia Capilene 2 Crew

Long Underwear Bottom: Patagonia Capilene 2 Bottom

Shirt: SmartWool Microweight Crew Top

Sleep Socks: Wigwam Merino Wool Comfort Hiker

Gloves: SmartWool Liner Gloves

Head Cap: SmartWool Microweight Beanie

Camp Shoes: None other than Classic Crocs

Head Net: Sea to Summit Head Net with Insect Shield

Total Weight: 9.75 pounds