[pct-l] Section-hiking and ultralight backpacking

[Scott Williams]

Hi Tom,

Following this forum is a good start, as is Jardine, and even if you're not
a "gram weenie" keep slowly buying or making the stuff the gram weenies
suggest and use.  Over time it will make a huge dent in that 25 lb starting
weight.  Kevin's suggestions are a great place to start as those are your
heaviest items.

I'm not sure where you live, but if you can make it to Kick Off this year,
which I believe is the last weekend in April, at Lake Morena, near the
Mexican border, you will probably see a number of the UL companies with
their products all pitched or spread out on the grass.  New gear is not
cheap, and seeing how a tarp or tent is set up, and feeling how a certain
pack really feels before buying, is invaluable.  If you planned your first
section around Kick Off this year, you could get to look at some gear and
maybe upgrade, as they will mail your old stuff home for you, and hike that
section at the right time of the year with a bunch of thru hikers, from whom
you will learn a lot.  But beware, I started out last year as a section
hiker and after  a week or two found I was having just too much fun to stop,
and went all the way.  I was lucky enough to have the time.  If you're on
the East Coast, the AT has a similar weekend gathering, although much bigger
than our Kick Off, called Trail Days.  It's held in Damascus Virginia in Mid
May.