We hiked 105 miles from Echo Lake to Sierra City & are now enjoying Labor Day weekend in Lake Tahoe. I outline our gear, pack weight & the realities of Luxury Light thru-hiking. Plus, a 4th rescue!
Luxury v. light - feels like you guys have found a pretty good balance. Impressed you are down to 15 lb base pack wt - seems light years from where you were in March. Perhaps 80/20 on heaviest items (>16 oz) - pants, poles, jackets - aren't there some pricey, but lighter options there? (I know you're already addressing pack and sleeping bag/sheet). I noticed Lassen in the middle of the current 450. How many National Parks has the PCT taken you through thus far? Thanks for update. Love it. Don't tell my boss (Devon) I'm not working while I read this.
Be careful about storing food in your tent. While on a fishing trip in Ontario we were giving fish to 2 couples who lost all their food, one sleeping bag and their tent was in shreds. All because their food was in the tent.
Appreciate the detailed packing list! With respect to "wear weight", curious what pants/belt you wear. 18 oz total seems somewhat high. On the JMT I wore Columbia Silver Ridge Convertible (at 10.8 oz pants + belt) which I loved but may not be durable enough for PCT.
Also wrt electric pump, I used Big Agnes Pumphouse Ultra inflation bag which is 2.9 oz, pretty fast, no charging, and ensures that the pad doesn't get lots of moist air inside.
Many thanks for an interesting description of your long “walk in the woods.” Just curious: why such an uncommon spelling of KarMMa? Cute, …especially if there’s a specific reason for the idiosyncratic spelling.
Also, how does your experience compare to Ms. Witherspoon’s IMO cheesy Hollywood representation of “solo”-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail? (Solo as in being followed by an army of Hollywood hangers-on.)
Luxury v. light - feels like you guys have found a pretty good balance. Impressed you are down to 15 lb base pack wt - seems light years from where you were in March. Perhaps 80/20 on heaviest items (>16 oz) - pants, poles, jackets - aren't there some pricey, but lighter options there? (I know you're already addressing pack and sleeping bag/sheet). I noticed Lassen in the middle of the current 450. How many National Parks has the PCT taken you through thus far? Thanks for update. Love it. Don't tell my boss (Devon) I'm not working while I read this.
Be careful about storing food in your tent. While on a fishing trip in Ontario we were giving fish to 2 couples who lost all their food, one sleeping bag and their tent was in shreds. All because their food was in the tent.
So many great tips! Thanks for writing these down and sharing with us, Gib. See ya in Bend soon! ❄️ is coming.
So glad you met Scout, Gib!! We met him years ago here in Hanover!! He and Frodo were quite the PCT hosts out there for years!! All the best, Andy
Appreciate the detailed packing list! With respect to "wear weight", curious what pants/belt you wear. 18 oz total seems somewhat high. On the JMT I wore Columbia Silver Ridge Convertible (at 10.8 oz pants + belt) which I loved but may not be durable enough for PCT.
Also wrt electric pump, I used Big Agnes Pumphouse Ultra inflation bag which is 2.9 oz, pretty fast, no charging, and ensures that the pad doesn't get lots of moist air inside.
Great write up. Thank you for the weight specifics. What a wonderful trip.
“ (It will be 50/50 male/female with 20% black/Latinx.)” is not germane.
Many thanks for an interesting description of your long “walk in the woods.” Just curious: why such an uncommon spelling of KarMMa? Cute, …especially if there’s a specific reason for the idiosyncratic spelling.
Also, how does your experience compare to Ms. Witherspoon’s IMO cheesy Hollywood representation of “solo”-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail? (Solo as in being followed by an army of Hollywood hangers-on.)
Kérberos
Happy trails