[pct-l] 2011 posible hike gear thoughts

[Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com]

It sounds to me like you're planning for a more hardcore experience  
than you are likely to have. It's not going to be so cold you'll need  
a 0 degree bag and part of the time it's too hot for a 20 degree bag.  
If that's all you have, then you'll live, but if you have a choice,  
choose a 20 degree bag.

You really don't need a bear canister until you hit the High Sierra.  
There are not that many rodents. The bears won't bother you.

You can shop most of the way. Here are a few resources I used to get  
an idea of the kinds of stores along the way:
http://www.purebound.com/PCT/resupply.htm
http://friends.backcountry.net/m_factor/pctresupply.html
http://asthecrowflies.org/resuply-schedule-for-my-pct-pacific-crest- 
trailhike/

As for your feet, the most difficult thing to deal with will be how  
hot it is for your feet on the trail, especially at the very  
beginning. Your shoes should be breathable and not waterproof. Wool  
socks are fine, but you may not like them to be real thick. It's good  
to have several different kinds of socks so you can find relief if  
one kind isn't working.

You'll want to air out your feet when you rest. Take a few changes of  
socks so you can wear one pair and have the other airing out in the  
back pocket of your pack. Bring lots of blister care stuff. Almost  
everybody gets blisters. I never get blisters but I got lots of them  
on the PCT. Be careful about blisters because the PCT is so even  
you'll end up favoring your blistered feet somehow and the  
consistency of the trail will beat your abnormal gait into your  
knees, hips and back and you might end up with what seems like a  
totally unrelated stress injury. Be ready to try anything so as not  
to let foot problems snowball into worse problems later.



On Feb 26, 2010, at 7:41 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

> Thanks for responses so far. I will be hiking solo so I have a lot of
> planning to do.  I have a lot of gear I already use in northern Idaho,
> please give any thoughts on gear I am thinking about using.  Either a
> jetboil or a homemade alcohol stove the size of a hockey puck ( I  
> used it in
> December camping in craters of moon national park, worked o.k.  in  
> afternoon
> at 30 +/- degree F but morning was a pain to light since it was  
> around 10
> +/- degree F) .  A snowshoe 0 degree bag all the way since it  
> should cover
> whatever Mother Nature hits me with.  Tent is still up in the air,  
> but like
> sleeping bag gonna plan for the worst.  Gonna just start out with bear
> canister since it is water and rodent proof also.  Two 2L platypus  
> water
> bags, one 90 oz camelback, one nalgeen btl for tea/mixed drinks,  
> will keep
> all full in desert but less in Oregon and Washington based on river  
> and
> stream Qty.  A Sweetwater filter with extra sterilize drops.  Deuter
> ACT-Lite 65+10 pack.  Thermarest Prolite sleeping pad.  Not sure if  
> I am
> going to mail food or shop along way, luckily I am not picky and  
> will eat
> anything. Clothing currently planned will be: REI 100% polyester long
> underwear & top, wool socks, REI fleece jacket, Northface rain  
> jacket, wool
> cap, light waterproof hunting gloves, Avalanche snow pants (light,  
> very warn
> and waterproof), cargo pants, long sleeve wool shirt, currently  
> testing 2
> pairs of HiTec Outlander low top boots to see how they hold up this  
> summer.
> I look forward to any comments anyone would care to give.  Thanks