[pct-l] Section-hiking and ultralight backpacking

[Kevin Cook]

Hi Tom

I'm not too many years ahead of you in life, but I didn't have the gap in
backpacking. Yes, you should consider some new gear. You don't have to spend
a fortune getting the latest and lightest ultra lightweight stuff. If your
dry weight is 25 lbs, that's not really too bad, despite what some "gram
weenies" might say. I, like you, didn't consider myself, but I'm lucky
enough to be doing a thru hike this year. It's turning me into one slowly
but surely ;)

Start with the big 2, pack, shelter, and sleeping bag. You can save many
pounds on those if your gear is circa 1998. Think about a tarp for your
shelter. If you leave some stuff at home, your volume should have went down
meaning you can get by with a smaller pack than you needed to haul around 72
lbs. In 1995, my college roomate and I hiked Yosemite's backcountry for 10
weeks. My pack was also 72 lbs when I left! Unfortunately, that didn't
include the 2 plastic bags full of crap I had in each hand when I showed up
at the Yosemite backcountry office :P

I can't help much with specifics on section hiking. It was never a goal for
me. I've done a few sections over the years, but my goal has always been a
thru hike. 2011 is my year!

On Tue, Jan 4, 2011 at 1:40 AM, Tom Hudson <vertigelt at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hiya.
>
> I've mostly been lurking this lit the last week or so, and while reading
> everyone's plans and experiences is really amping me up to hit the PCT, I'm
> also finding I might not be in QUITE the right company.  I'm excited for
> all
> of you who who have the ability to take several months from your lives to
> embark on this adventure in a single, amazing journey.  I just can't afford
> the time or the money to approach it this way.  So, I'm going to
> section-hike the PCT.  It will undoubtedly take the better part of a decade
> to do this, but I'm pretty determined to make it happen.
>
> Are there any others here with similar ambitions?
>
> Can you point me to resources that might be better suited for someone who
> wants to approach the trail over multiple trips, multiple seasons?
>
> I'm also just now getting back into backpacking after an 18-year hiatus.  A
> lot has changed since then.  I bought some gear I was proud of back in
> 1998,
> but never got around to using it for actual backpacking.  It would keep me
> VERY comfortable in camp, but my base weight, of course, would be at or
> above 25 pounds. My last backpacking trip, over my 18th birthday, I trucked
> up Bishop Pass with a pack that started off at 72 pounds.  Of course, I'm
> twice as old now, so even if I wanted to pack traditional, I'd consider
> that
> kind of weight to be insane.  Not really paying attention to the
> ultra-light
> revolution in the intervening years, I even day-hike pretty heavy (mostly
> because I like to lug around expensive camera lenses).
>
> So, the gist is this: clearly traditional packing is a thing (mostly) of
> the
> past; I need to get new gear.  But I don't really see myself becoming a
> gram
> weenie.  I'm willing to trade some pounds that might slow me down a tad for
> a little more comfort or convenience.  What's the right way to become
> introduced to the philosophy of lightweight or ultralight backpacking?  I'm
> thinking of reading Beyond Backpacking, but Ray Jardine wrote that 15 years
> ago or so; is there something newer/better to really become indoctrinated
> to
> this new breed of bakcpacking?  If I'm only section-hiking (my longest
> treks
> will be about 12 days), is it even necessary to worry too much over?
>
> Your wisdom here is appreciated.
>
> /Tom
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