Guru Hikes

Why I am Reattempting the Pacific Crest Trail

This will be my second attempt at thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. My first attempt in 2018, I made it just 250 miles into the trail. I finished the Appalachian Trail the year previous and decided on an attempt at YOYOing the PCT, meaning hiking all the way north, then hiking all the way back. I started hiking big mile days consistently from the southern terminus, but the main reason I got off of the trail was not burnout. It was the fact that I had not had a real social life on the trail.

I hiked the Appalachian Trail Southbound the year before, and although there are significantly fewer people that hike the trail in that direction, I still managed to make quite a few meaningful connections along the way. With the amount of miles I was cranking out on the PCT, it significantly impacted my ability to make any longer-term connections on the trail. I never saw anyone for more than a day, so it made it impossible to fully get to know the people I was hiking the trail with.

This time around I will be taking it slow, trying to enjoy the beautiful views, while making lasting friends along the way.

Why I am Choosing to Go Ultralight

For me, the less weight I am carrying on my back, the happier I am. When I began hiking the Appalachian Trail, I weighed 145lbs. at 6ft tall. I found that every ounce that I didn’t have to carry made me appreciate the hike more instead of straining to carry extra weight. I am at a more ‘healthy’ weight now, but the sentiment still stands true.

Choosing ultralight items also makes it easier to justify a few heavier items, such as my 2 lbs. of camera equipment.

Any stress I can take (literally) take off my back while on a thru-hike makes the experience all the more enjoyable. Having already completed a thru-hike, I know exactly what I need, and more importantly, I know exactly what I don’t need. A common problem I see with beginning through hikers (a problem that I ran into when I first started), is buying too big of a backpack, then filling up the empty space just because they have the room. My backpack is 3,800L. It fits what I need. It doesn’t fit what I don’t need.

Future Reviews:

As I hike along the PCT, I will intermittently be posting reviews of some of the gear on this list as well as my reasons these items made it into my pack for 2,600+ miles of hiking.

On Item Weights:

For this checklist, item weights are rounded to the nearest ounce. Many of the items listed are extremely lightweight. The links will show more exact weights if interested. The total base weight given at the end is a true measured base weight with the pack fully packed therefore it will not reflect the rounded total of the individual items (especially since some of the items are not considered part of my base weight, e.g. many of the clothing items).

Missing Gear items:

You may notice missing gear, such as an ice ax or crampons. These items I have chosen not to begin the trail with and will pick up along the way if necessary.

My Gear List:

The Big Three:

The big three consists of Backpack, Shelter, and Sleep System.

*Additional pieces for each of the big three are listed in the Multipurpose Items list.

Backpack: Zpacks Nero 38L, Padded Belt Pouch (Pair), 1 Shoulder Pocket – 13oz

Shelter: Zpacks 7×9 Flat Tarp with custom Guylines, 2 Trekking Pole Cups, and 8 Stakes – 8oz

Sleep System: Enlightened Equipment Revelation 20°F, Thermarest Uberlite Regular Wide – 32oz

Multi-Purpose Items:

I am a big fan of multi-purpose items! Also, most items are multipurpose items if you think hard enough!

• Zpacks Front Utility Pack Accessory – 3oz Detachable to use as a small day pack/bum bag
• Webbing Belt – 0oz Came with item listed above, but I use it as a belt, or to attach the bum bag
• Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Nano Tarp Poncho – 6oz Rain protection, ground sheet, wind shirt
• Appalachian Gear Company All-Paca Poncho – 20oz Mid layer, Blanket
• 1 Gossamer Gear LT5 Trekking Pole – 5oz Trecking pole, Tarp pole
• Gossamer Gear Thinlight Foam Pad – 3oz No-slip solution for Thermarest, extra pad, buttpad, yoga pad, etc.
• Zpacks Medium Plus Pillow – 2oz Stuff sack, Pillow
• Appalachian Gear Company Neck Pipe (Gaiter) – 1oz Neck Gaiter, Hat, Pillowcase etc.
• Gossamer Gear Pack Liner – 1oz – Pack liner, Pump sack for sleeping pad
• Sea to Summit Nano Bug Net Single – 3oz Day use and night use (can hang from inside tarp with loops)
• Zpacks Medium Plus Stuff Sack – 1oz Stuff Sack, Pillow along with Neck Pipe for my boney stick knees

Clothing/Footwear:

• Arcteryx Merino Polo shirt – 2oz – No longer in production
• Exofficio Sandfly Pants – 7oz – Soon to be out of production
• 1 pair Darn Tough Light Hiker Micro Crew Light Cushion Socks– 2oz
• 1 pair Happy Yak The Purist sock – 2oz – used as sleep socks and for hight mountain passes
• 1 pair Smartwool PhD Running sock – 1oz to be used as a sock liner
• Altra Lone Peak 6 – 11oz
• Altra Gaiters – 1oz
• Kora Yak 100% Yak wool tights – 7oz – No longer in production
• Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer 2 – 8oz
• Smartwool Merino Sport 150 Boxer Brief Boxer– 1oz
• Outdoor Research ActiveIce Full-Finger UPF 50+ Protective Sun Sleeves – 1oz
• Scala/Dorfman Classico Men’s Crushable Felt Outback Hat – 2oz minus the feather
• Lightweight Brook’s Running Gloves – 2oz No longer in production
• Julbo Colorado Glacier Sunglasses – 1oz

Electronics/Camera:

• Sony A7C with Kit Lens with extra battery, Urth filters, and Peak Designs Camera Clip for backpack – 32oz
• PEDCO Ultrapod 3 Tripod – 4oz
• Google Pixel 6 Pro with Tough Armor case- 9oz
• Google Pixel Wired USBC Earbuds – 0oz
• 2x Nitecore 10,000mah – 10oz
• Anker USB C Charger 40W, 521 Charger – 3oz Dual USB-C fast Charger
• 2x Braided Anker USBC Cables – 1oz

Food/Water Storage:

• Katadyn BeFree 1.0L Water Filter – 2oz
• Hydrapak Flux 1L – 3oz – cap also works as a bidet if you are in to that sort of thing
• Zpacks Bear Bagging Kit – Large – 3oz
• Hydrapak Speed Cup – 0oz (featherlight)
• 6 Ziplock quart freezer bags and 6 Ziplock gallon freezer bags – 1oz – Extra food storage/Waterproofing
• 700mL recycled container (cold soaking) – 2oz Love this and will probably not find a better alternative
• Light My Fire Titanium Spork – 1oz
• 1L Smartwater bottle – 1oz for extra water storage on long hauls

Toiletries:

• Silicon Bristle Toothbrush – 1oz – Antimicrobial and lasts much longer than normal toothbrush
• Sea to Summit Pocket Body Wash and Shampoo/Conditioner – 1oz
• My Magic Mud Tooth Powder – 1oz
• Deuce of Spades #2 Trowel – 1oz
• Some toilet paper wrapped around the spade – 1oz
• 2x Sea to Summit Drylite Small Towels – 1oz 1 for food 1 for gear/body

Miscellaneous:

• Book – 4oz
• Trigger Point Foam Ball – 1oz – If I didn’t already own it I would have gone with a cork ball
• Flowfold Wallet and credit cards/cash – 1oz
• Sea To Summit Aeros Premium Pillow/Regular – 3oz
• Victorinox Swiss Army Classic SD Pocket Knife – 1oz
• Baby Nail Clippers – 1oz This is a hill I am willing to die on.
• Bic Mini Lighter – 0oz
• 8 strips of KT Tape Pro Extreme Tape – 1oz – Pro Extreme sticks way better to sweaty gross bodies
• .25oz Vasaline Bottle – 1oz – I only use this for emergency fire starter
• 1 strip of DCF Tape and 1 strip of Nylon Tape – 0oz – Gear tape

Total Packed Base Weight: 11 lbs 11 oz (5.27 Kg)

*Note: This weight represents my everyday pack’s weight excluding food and water. It does not reflect the weight of the clothing, shoes, trekking pole, or anything else I will have on my body that is not in the backpack.

**Also note that this pack weight would be well under 10 lbs if it wasn’t for the fact I am carrying over 2 lbs of camera equipment and accessories to provide quality content for everyone over on Instagram: GuruHikes and YouTube: GuruHikes

In Conclusion:

I am super excited to re-start this hike in a year that is being geared for many towards new beginnings. I believe I have put together a pack that will help me make the next 2,600+ miles more enjoyable. If you have any suggestions, insight, or questions as to what’s in my bag (or what’s not!) let me know in the comments below!

*Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning I will make a small commission from purchases if the links are used.