[pct-l] Worrying about your gear and clothing

[Austin Williams]

I third that.

On Mon, Dec 13, 2010 at 8:29 AM, CHUCK CHELIN <steeleye at wildblue.net> wrote:

> Good morning, all,
>
> I totally agree with Diane – well, almost totally.  I believe the
> infatuation with gear evaporates well before Kennedy Meadows; for most it
> may be gone by Warner Springs.  With wear-and-tear and grubby personal
> habits most hikers soon end up looking like flood victims anyway, and I’ve
> never heard anyone wearing a $200 Patagonia fleece poke fun at my $3
> thrift-store equivalent.
>
> The objective is to hike, not become wrapped-around one’s own axle worrying
> about all the esoteric details.  It’ll all work out, just as she says.
>
> Steel-Eye
>
> Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965
>
> http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye
>
> http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09
>
>
> On Mon, Dec 13, 2010 at 6:56 AM, Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes <
> diane at santabarbarahikes.com> wrote:
>
> > To those worrying about what gear to get, what clothing to buy.
> >
> > First of all, with the gear, just get something and then don't worry
> > too much about it. Pick the tent or whatever that does the most of
> > what you want. You'll be fine, you won't die, nobody will laugh at
> > your decision, and your decision isn't final anyway.
> >
> > The "fashion show" kind of ends after Kennedy Meadows, which really
> > simplifies your life. After the Sierras nobody talks about gear
> > anymore. It's just a tool by then. There may be disappointments about
> > various things, but you really won't care about gear anymore. Honestly.
> >
> > And as for choosing clothing for the temperature. The range really
> > isn't that great. The human body is really quite adaptable, too. I'm
> > a typical female who freezes in the office, wears a down jacket every
> > day, even in summer, while living in Santa Barbara. But out on the
> > trail, I was constantly moving. When I wasn't moving I was in my
> > sleeping bag. I didn't need that many layers. I hiked in spring and
> > summer so it never was all that terribly cold. Perhaps there were
> > some mornings in the 20s and some mid-days in the 40s at the coldest
> > and I think 103 was tops for the hottest. A small amount of clothing
> > was capable of taking me through that range comfortably.
> >
> > When it was cold (and I did get cold a few times), I felt a little
> > cold but that's all. You can endure more than you think you can. I
> > wasn't dying, I was simply not perfectly comfortable. We really get
> > spoiled, soft and weak in our culture. Fortunately decades of
> > freezing in offices has taught me to endure being cold quite well.
> >
> > To deal with being a little cold, I just kept moving and stayed warm.
> > When I stopped, I went to bed. I was never at risk.
> >
> > At one point I did get tired of being too cold and managed to solve
> > the problem by purchasing a $3 crappy old shirt at a thrift store in
> > Mammoth (in 2009 it was snowing or hailing every day brrr). The thing
> > had runs in it, no brand name, the collar didn't work right, and it
> > was an ugly shade of blue, but it felt warm and I moved on up the
> > trail feeling like luxury. I crossed the Canadian border wearing that
> > shirt.
> >
> > My point is, do the best you can with your gear but after that,
> > remember it is only a tool. Tools are available in most towns. You
> > can always get more tools, swap your tools for different ones. They
> > don't have to have fancy brand names or even be all that high
> > quality. Sometimes cheap stuff works as well or better.
> >
> > Diane
> >
> > On Dec 13, 2010, at 4:44 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
> > >
> > > Hey Paul,
> > >
> > > I know I am bouncing a 9 day old post, but I just wanted to thank
> > > you for
> > > sharing this data.
> > >
> > > A constant struggle is knowing what kind of temps to expect and
> > > thus what
> > > cold weather gear to take - as that tends to be the heaviest items
> > > in our
> > > pack, outside of food/water - and while we can of course expect
> > > different
> > > temps from year to year, having a base-line from which to go on is
> > > amazingly
> > > helpful.
> > >
> > > So, thanks!
> > > John
> >
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-- 
Austin Williams

www.PlanYourHike.com
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