Monday, May 5, 2014

My Current Gearlist for Southbound PCT Thru-hike

The best thing I've learned from long distance backpacking is that I'm happiest when I have the very least. You're constantly asking yourself, "what else could I do without?" I'm always reevaluating and finding new ways of doing things to shave another ounce here and there. It has been a satisfying practice, and actually more fulfilling than the much more popular practice of accumulating more possessions in life.

I am not an ultralighter, however, as you'll see by my 12 lb. gear list below. I know I could cut it to 7 or 8 lbs, but I choose to carry a few things I don't really need, like my camera equipment, a heavier but more comfortable sleeping pad, and a tent rather than an ultralight tarp.

Below is everything I'll have on the trip, along with the weight of each item that will contribute to my pack's overall base weight (the weight not including consumables like food, water, and fuel.) I'll keep this list up to date throughout the trip on my bio page.

Item Description Weight (oz.)
Packing
Backpack Gossamer Gear Maripossa Plus 24.70
Shoulder Pouch Zpacks Shoulder Pouch, For Camera 0.50
Pack Liner Trash Compactor Bag 3.40
Total:
1 lb. 12.6 oz.
 Sleeping
Tent TarpTent Notch 29.00
Ground cloth Trash Compactor Bag, combined with liner bag 3.40
Seeping Bag ZPacks 20°F 900 Fill Power Down Solo  23.00
Sleeping Pad Full Length NeoAir XLite 12.50
Total:
4 lb. 2.7 oz.
Kitchen
Cook Pot Evernew .9L Titanium Pot 3.85
Spoon Plastic Spoon 0.28
Stove Homemade Alcohol Stove 0.88
Fuel bottle Plastic Soda bottle 0.63
Lighter Mini Bic 0.39
Food Bag Homemade Nylon Drawstring Backpack 2.05
Waterproof Bag Bread Bag, for food packaging that isn't waterproof 0.28
Water Bottle 16 oz. Plastic Soda Bottle 0.63
Water Storage Two 64 oz. Sawyer Water Pouches 2.40
Extra Storage when needed 2L Soda Bottle 1.69
Filter Sawyer Mini Squeeze Filter 1.50
Total:
14.58 oz.
Clothing (Worn)
Shirt Smart Wool Microweight 150 base layer n/a
Pants Kuhl Convertible Pants n/a
Underwear Synthetic boxer briefs n/a
Socks Darn Tough Vermont Merino Wool Socks n/a
Hat Kuhl Baseball Cap n/a
Shoes Salomon Speedcross 3 Trail Runners n/a
Total:
n/a
Clothing (Packed)
Shirt Adidas Synthetic T-Shirt 3.10
Thermal Pants Terramar Merino Wool 4.10
Extra Socks Darn Tough Vermont Merino Wool Socks 1.20
Extra Socks Injinji Toe Socks 1.48
Rain Jacket Marmot Minimalist Gore Tex Jacket (will replace in Mojave for lighter jacket) 15.60
Insulated Jacket Mont-bell UL Down Jacket 8.40
Sock Hat Handmade Ginger Yarn Co. Merino Wool Sock Hat 2.00
Bandana Buff 1.20
Total: 2 lbs. 5.08 oz.
First Aid & Gear Repair
Toothbrush
0.40
Toothpaste Travel Size 1.13
Chapstick 0.32
Sunscreen 2.00
Gauze Roll Used with duct tape for bandages 0.11
Anticeptic
0.04
Excedrin 0.20
Floss Also used for thread in gear/clothing repair 0.04
Toilet Paper 0.50
Zip Loc for Storage Quart-size 0.13
Zip Loc for Laundry Gallon-size 0.50
Hand Sanitizer 1.00
Duct Tape On Trekking Poles n/a
Sewing Needle
0.00
Total: 6.37 oz.
Miscellaneous
Trekking Poles Leki, Carried n/a
Headlamp Black Diamond ReVolt 3.50
Cell Phone Samsung Galaxy SIII, Kept in pocket n/a
USB Charger Micro USB and Wall adapter 1.48
Headphones Yurbud Ironman Earbuds  0.50
Bug Repellent 100% DEET oil in eyedropper bottle 1.50
Compass 0.88
Map/Guidebook pages Halfmile's PCT Maps Printed on Waterproof Paper 3.00
ID Driver's License 0.18
Debit Card 0.18
Cash About $60 0.04
Zip Loc Bag  For waterproof wallet 0.13
Safety Pins For hanging wet laundry on pack/line 0.04
Fishing Line w/ hooks For clothesline and fishing 0.18
Cord 50' Kevlar cord for hanging bear bag 0.90
Razor Blade May replace with knife, not sure yet 0.04
Total: 12.55 oz.
Nonessentials
Journal Homemade Grocery Bag Notebooks, Kept in Pocket n/a
Pen Space Pen Refill Ink, Kept in Pocket n/a
Camera Panasonic Lumix LX7 10.76
Memory cards 162 GBs of SD Cards, in Zip-Loc bag 0.93
Extra Batteries & Charger Panasonic Lumix LX7 4.76
Tripod Gorilla Grip Mini Tripod 1.60
Microphone w/ cables For Podcasting, Samson Go Mic with base removed 2.26
GPS Tracker Spot Gen3 w/batteries 4.10
Solar Charger Bushnell Solar Wrap 3.10
Total: 1 lb. 11.51 oz.
Total Base Weight: 12 lb. 1.39 oz.
Winter Gear
Ice Axe Black Diamond Raven Pro 15.60
Traction System Kahtoola Microspikes 13.40
Gloves ZPacks Fleece Mittens 1.20
Total: 1 lb. 14.20 oz.
Total Base Weight w/ Winter Gear: 13 lb. 15.59 oz.