Hannah the hiker

Here we are again with another blog post about the Pacific Crest Trail! 

I realized I made a post about what I brought on the trail with me before I started, but never followed that up with what I ACTUALLY used or got rid of. Hopefully this helps anybody that is considering a thru-hike on the trail. At the very least it will just be an eye opener to my (very) few loyal followers. Regardless, thanks for reading.

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What I brought with me in the beginning: 

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What I had at the end:

Gear breakdown on page 2…

Camp:

I used a 50L Osprey Renn backpack. I have used this backpack for any hike I have been on over 10 miles, and it’s never let me down. It may look a bit rough, but that just goes to show how much it’s been used without fail. While I didn’t walk all 2,652 miles of the trail, the pack did last me for 1,544 miles and the traveling to and from the West Coast. It got dirty but nothing ever broke and it was the perfect size for me. I saw so many people with the hyperlite mountain gear ultralight backpacks, and for some time I thought I should have gotten a different pack. But I soon found out these backpacks are not for everyone, and may be a bit overhyped. Unless you are a true ultralight backpacker this backpack is not for you. Many hikers reported back pain and things breaking on the pack because they were carrying too much which the pack is not designed for. So, stick with what you know works for you, and don’t always buy into the hype of a certain piece of gear. This pack is about 3 pounds, and comes with the rain cover! 

As for my tent, my oldest brother bought me the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL1 and the footprint. This tent was great. I am 5’8” and had so much room in the tent. There were mesh pockets on the inside of the tent perfect for storing my headlamp and other small things for sleeping. The vestibule was big enough to lay my pack down in and let my shoes dry out. It only rained a couple nights while I was out there, but when it did rain I stayed dry. There was one stretch of rain for a couple days where I had to dry my tent out in the sun since everything was kind of soaked, but it didn’t take long for it to dry out and be ready to go for that night. It has a bathtub floor which helped keep me dry. At one point I did send my tent home and just used the fly which worked well. I prefer cowboy camping, but if I were to use a tent it would be this one. The setup was super easy too and didn’t require scouting for nearby trees to tie the tent too so that was a plus. This tent weighs in at about 2 pounds. 

Kitchen:

My camp stove weighed 4 ounces. I bought it off of Amazon for about $15 and I have not had any issues with it, and I’ve used it for about 2 years now. It folded up nicely in its case and was easy to use. I saw some people use other stoves like the MSR pocket rocket, and those didn’t give them many issues. Again, I think it’s best to stick with something that has been reliable for you. You don’t want to switch to a new stove and find out you have to eat cold ramen and oatmeal for the next 5 days or so. (Although neither one of those are terrible if eaten cold). 

I carried an Ursack bag with me for the whole hike. The Ursack is meant to be a bear proof bag that you hang up in a tree. I never had any problems with bears or critters getting in my food. But, unless you want to spend the money, maybe just opt for a dry sack to put your food in and hang up. The Ursack was pricey and honestly I’m not sure how well it would hold up if some bear or animal was really hungry for your food, plus it’s not waterproof. Also, I bought an Opsack smell proof bag. This bag lasted about 3 days before it started ripping. It’s just a plastic ziplock bag meant to keep smells out. But think about it. Your whole backpack will start to smell like food whether you like it or not. You will keep snacks outside of that Opsack bag, food will touch the inside of your bag, which then touches the Opsack. Which at this point makes it useless because the bag will smell like food. So save your money, and don’t buy it even though so many thru hiker websites say it’s a great piece of gear. 

At some points on the trail you need to carry a bear canister, so definitely follow that rule. Just make sure you are safe with your food because that not only protects you, but also the wildlife you are walking in.

Wardrobe: 

I highly suggest rain pants and a rain jacket. This will help keep you dry, you will have something to wear while doing laundry, and it keeps you warm. 

A good puffy down jacket is a necessity too. I got cold pretty quickly at night after hiking and it was nice to just throw that on before climbing into my sleeping bag. 

I changed some of my clothing on the hike because I realized I needed some things more than others. I always needed my puffy, rain jacket, and rain pants. But I didn’t need two shirts or mittens at certain times. I needed more than 3 pairs of socks because I was constantly having problems with my feet as a result of wearing the same sweaty socks over and over again. I brought my underwear and wore it only for swimming. It became uncomfortable to wear underwear and hike all day, there is a lot of chafing and rubbing if you don’t get the right pair. Another note about clothes, none of it needs to be the “top of the line” stuff. Go to thrift stores, or use what you already have. Some of my clothes were “name-brand” just because there was a great sale or I found it on the side of the trail, or in a thrift store. You just want clothes that will keep you either warm/cool, dry, and won’t fall apart quickly. Look for wool if you can! It is quick drying, keeps you warm (even if it’s wet), and does not trap in odors! 

First Aid/hygiene:

*All of this was in the smallest size possible and packed into a small waterproof makeup pouch*

My hygiene products pretty much stayed the same. I rinsed off when I could with water on the trail and showered in towns. I flossed every night, brushed my teeth twice a day, and combed my hair every night. This little routine every day helped me feel like a person even if I was a little wild looking. Also, for people who have periods, it doesn’t have to be the end of your thru hike or a reason you can’t hike. I used a diva cup that worked perfectly and was easy to keep clean with the use of filtered water and stops in towns. You also might find that your period might only last a day like mine did once I started walking. I also used a kula cloth which worked great. It dries quickly, is easy to wash, and never caused my pack to smell bad. I also used a portable bidet which, not gonna lie, was tricky to get the hang of. But it felt great that I didn’t have to pack out a bag of used toilet paper. The bidet was also great for cleaning myself in general, it was a lot easier to control than just dumping water on myself. 

I brought a lot of stuff in case of an emergency. The truth is you are hardly out for more than a week before hitting a town. It was comforting to know I had all of the supplies necessary if something happened, but I could have done with less. If I went now, I would carry the gauze, tape, blister cream/body glide, antibiotic cream, sunscreen and ibuprofen (plus the hygiene stuff). Just the simple stuff that you could use often or for a couple different things. Another thing about hygiene, don’t worry about carrying shampoo or conditioner. You could always buy this when you get into a town.

Electronics:

I carried a heavy power bank that could fully charge my phone about 4 times. It worked really well for me and stood up to the heat and cold. But there are lighter options. If you have the money, get a lighter one. And get one that doesn’t take 4 years to charge. There is nothing more annoying than wanting to head back on the trail after hitting town but having to wait for the power bank to be fully charged. 

Other: 

Trekking poles do not need to break the bank. I have seen people lose theirs, get them stolen or be broken. Mine were $40 from Walmart and I’ve used $20 ones from Target before. Both worked fine. Just make sure they are sturdy enough to help with river crossings and if you ever need a splint. I even used mine for about 2 weeks as canes while I could hardly walk and they work just as great on sidewalks as they do on the trail. 

Apps that I used:

• Facebook! (There are so many groups to join that have valuable info about the trail)
• Farout (I bought the entire map for the PCT, it was so helpful to have comments and info about towns, water sources, and general info about the trail)
• Spotify (I downloaded so many podcasts and playlists)
• Hikers Logbook (lets you track your thru hike and has specific plans for different thru hikes in the country allowed me to estimate when i would get to certain towns and spots)
• Garmin Explore (let me send messages from the app through my garmin) 
• Google maps and transit (helped me navigate towns)
• Gaia GPS
• OnX Backcountry
• Facebook Messenger (easy way to contact other thru hikers) 

Final thoughts on page 3…

Final thoughts about my gear: 

When I started my thru hike I was carrying a lot for cold weather, but as soon as the end of July rolled around I didn’t need any of it anymore. I sent my ice ax, micro spikes, and some of my cold weather clothes home. It was really helpful to just send my things to my dad and he could send them back to me if needed. If you are able to, then I suggest doing this since that means you can have a lighter backpack. 

I carried books with me throughout the hike to have something to help me wind down at night. Sometimes I never needed a book to fall asleep quickly, other nights I raced to camp just to be able to get in my sleeping bag and read. I saw some hikers with kindles or ones that listened to audiobooks. I just preferred carrying a book. 

You want your sleep setup to be comfy and feel somewhat safe. Sleep is so important when you are on a big adventure like the PCT. If you want to get big miles in or simply have a good time, make sure you are getting great sleep. 

I never carried an umbrella and I am glad. I would hate to have to walk and carry one because of the sun or rain. I just suggest a good baseball cap or wide brim hat and some sunglasses. It gets sooooo hot, and there isn’t much shade out there. Some days it was about 100 degrees Fahrenheit or hotter. On those days I just hiked early in the morning and the afternoon. I took naps during the day to escape the sun. 

I always carried cash while hiking. I had $20 cash in case I needed to pay someone for a ride. Nobody ever asked me to pay but it was nice to be able to give them something. People are so generous out there and I just wanted to make sure they knew I appreciated what they were doing. 

Along the way there were some places to buy new gear or get rid of some but I would not bank on there being any sort of gear shop in every town. The only places I stopped to get new gear were in Leavenworth, Portland, and Truckee. I was able to get new Darn Tough socks through their thru-hiker warranty which was amazing. I sent them pictures of my torn up socks and they sent me new ones to whichever resupply stop I wanted. Definitely recommend getting socks with Darn Tough because of how great their customer service is.

These are just some general thoughts about the gear that I brought on the PCT. When I was in the planning stages and figuring out what to buy I was overwhelmed by the decisions I had to make. The PCT was my first thru-hike and though I made some typical beginners mistakes I was generally happy with what I was carrying. My biggest piece of advice is to bring what you know works for you. Don’t get trapped into thinking you need to spend all your money purchasing top of the line gear. Sure some of it is really great, like the ultralight sleeping bags and tents, but for most of it you can find cheaper alternatives. Also, remember that your gear will probably change as you hike. That is totally okay, and expected. It just means you are learning more about what works for you and fine tuning your pack! 

Happy hiking, and let me know if I can answer any questions!