[pct-l] Ultralight as a must?

[Scott Williams]

If you think you may decide to lighten the load up trail, make sure you
come to the Kick Off, the ADZPCTKO (Annual Day Zero PCT Kick Off) toward
the end of April, as many of the ultra light gear companies will be there
with gear in hand.  Even if you don't buy it at the start, get yourself
fitted for a lighter pack, say a ULA or Gossamer gear and check out the
options for lighter tents.  Spend some time with the designers and see how
they pitch and how comfortable they are for you.  If you're sold right
there, buy the new gear and ship the old home, a post office operates
during the event for doing just that.

I started the trail with an Osprey Exos which I loved, but it literally
fell apart after the first 500 miles of water weight in the desert.  Other
folks made it the whole way with that pack, but mine didn't.  I had bought
it at REI and returned it and exchanged it for the heavier Osprey, Aptos
which I used all through a snowy High Sierra in 2010, and up to the Oregon
border where I tried on Plain Slice's new ULA, 2 pound, Circuit. As the
Osprey has a mesh back that pushes the pack weight away from your center of
gravity, it caused me to lean forward to properly balance the load.  When I
put on the ULA, which fit right up against my back, I immediately stood up
straight.  I called from trail and Chris at ULA sent me one overnight mail
to Crater Lake and I've been using it ever since.  It is the most
comfortable pack I've ever used.  I just hiked the CDT with the same pack
and it could handle a lot more.  Eric Bow, who has hiked the PCT, FLT, AZT,
AT, and CDT, over 10,000 miles since 2010, is still using the same ULA,
Circuit, so they hold up well.  At the KO you can be fitted for several
alternatives that you may trade up to over the course of your hike.

Also at KO will be the Wolverines of the PCT, a wonderful bunch of distance
hikers who will be setting up shop with the new thru hikers to help anyone
who wants to, "explode" their pack.  The German girl that Diane talks of
carried 65 lbs all across New Mexico and into Colorado before she really
let us "explode" her pack and show her some of the items she might want to
get rid of.  Before the end of the hike she had lost probably35 to 40
pounds of excess gear.  Her pack itself, a very good Swedish pack would
have been great for an Everest expedition, but at 7 lbs was much more than
she needed for a long trail in the U.S.  She ended up with a ULA CDT, at 1
pound, a great little pack.  She changed much of her basic gear over the
hike to the lighter stuff available over here.

You're totally in the ball park at 20lbs, but every pound lighter you can
go, is a pound more enjoyment every moment of every day.  When you are
hiking 20 to 30  miles day after day, you'll come to notice the difference
at the end of the week when food is low.  Then you'll want that experience
at the beginning of the week by getting rid of gear or by buying new
lighter gear.   But start off with the idea that you can upgrade as you go.
 Every company out there will ship to a General Delivery address in the
little towns along the way if you know what you want.

Good luck on a wonderful summer.

Shroomer

On Sat, Sep 29, 2012 at 12:58 PM, David Thibault <dthibaul07 at gmail.com>wrote:

> Stefan, Congratulations!  You are the first (but not the last) of the 2013
> hikers to overly worrying about their gear choices.
>
> This malady usually peaks in January or February of each year.
>
> >From  what I read you will have reasonable pack weights very typical for
> most PCT thru hikers.   The importance of the gear used on the PCT is way
> over analyzed (especially on this list).   Go with equipment you are
> comfortable with, and is comfortable.
>
> If you can get something that works well for you AND weighs less than
> great, otherwise don't worry about it so much.  Almost anybody can do the
> PCT with a base pack weight of up to 20 pounds. It can be done much lighter
> weights (sub 10 pounds) but not without experience AND that will come with
> time - by the end of your PCT thru hike you will have seen a lot of
> different strategies and gear choices, some you may adopt others you will
> reject - not because they are wrong just because they are not your style or
> comfort level.
> This is kind of cliche but that is just because it is true : It is not the
> gear that makes a successful thru hike.
>
> If you can handle the elements - rain, sun, light snow, 20 to 100 degrees F
> Temp swings  than you should be all set.
>
> Enjoy the trip - it is an adventure of a lifetime
>
> Day-Late (who spent way too much time worrying about gear before his first
> thru hike too)
>
>
>
> >
> > Dear all,
> >
> > somehow we are a bit confused about the gear we are planning to take with
> > me for the pct-hike. we thought we had found the "right way" for us, but
> > this UL-thing keeps coming back into our minds. we'll hike as a couple
> and
> > therefore are able to share some weight/gear. beside our packs (osprey
> > aether 70 and ariel 65, each 4 - 4,5 lbs; both packs that fit our
> expected
> > needs, and our tent which weighs little less than 4 lbs) we try to keep
> the
> > total gear weight very low and aim to reach a total of round about 14-18
> > lbs excluding pack (empty), food and water. since the PCT-community in
> > germany is from non existing to not so big, we feel somehow helpless and
> > intimidated by this "ultralite monstrum". Beyond, we cannot assess the
> > impact of weight+ total distance.
> > alltogether, the chosen gear might be a result of cautiuosness: tent as
> > protection against insects, snakes and the "heavy" backpack due to health
> > considerations even though we`re 24&26 and fit :)
> >
> > we're thankful for suggestions, comments and experiences!
> >
> > regards,
> >
> > stefan
> >
> >
> >
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