[pct-l] tents

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

I really don't think you have to work your way down from a  
traditional tent to an ultralight one. There are a few new skills to  
learn, specifically around site selection, but otherwise, a single- 
wall tent is just as easy to set up as any other kind, and one that  
weighs 2lbs isn't any more difficult to use than one that weighs 1lb.

As for "it never rains on the PCT," well, I heard before my trek that  
it might rain 5 days max in a typical PCT thru-hike but in my  
experience it precipitated on me:
- For the entire Memorial Day weekend
- Many days in the Sierras
- For most of Washington

Also, on recent section hikes, it has rained/snowed on me on 3 out of  
4 of my last Southern California hikes in the month of May. I think  
the worst weather has been in So Cal where it not only rains but it  
rains without a cloud in the sky and with wind blowing at 55 mph! I  
can't even get my UL tent to stay up. I end up sleeping in it like a  
bag. Or else I look for a cave. Maybe a traditional tent would be  
better, but I've suffered so much horrible weather on the PCT I  
almost feel immune to it now.

However, if mosquitoes are a problem, no WAY on earth will I suffer  
with a head net stretched across my face and mosquitoes resting a  
centimeter from my skin. I may be a little crazy already, but insects  
can do things to my sanity you don't want to see. Oregon is lucky I  
didn't burn down the entire state.

So anyway, long story....Few thru-hikers have a footprint and a rain  
fly or that kind of tent at all. Most of them have one of the  
following brands: Tarptent, Gossamer Gear, 6 Moons Designs, Mountain  
Laurel Designs, Z-Packs or other similar tents. Section hikers tend  
to have anything and everything. The difference is that thru-hikers  
tend to be in a hurry and need to go light. Others don't care so much  
about going light.