[pct-l] equipment

[dude at fastmail.ca (dude)]

wow...  thats' a very open-ended question.  There are litterally an 
infinite number of different gear lists for thru-hiking the pct because 
everyone has their own "essential" gear.  One person might just have to 
have camp slippers, while another may prefer not to take camp slippers 
and want to take a thermarest instead of a closed-cell foam pad.  One 
person will say running shoes are the best and another will say sturdy 
hiking boots with lots of support are the best for a thru-hike.

Its all so subjective, but if you've one a bunch of hiking already then 
you will have some idea of where to start.  Notice I said "hiking" and 
not "camping" because they are different and walking 20 miles per day 
is different than camping in one spot for days.  ...and you will want 
different gear.

I would suggest starting off by looking at people's trail journals and 
gear lists online.  There are litterally DOZENS if not more people who 
have posted such things online.  here are some places to start:
http://www.pcta.org//planning/after_trip/journals/view_hiker.asp
http://www.trailjournals.com
Google'ing for "pct trail journal" should yeild tons more.  I'd also 
try "pct gear list".

As you can imagine, the issue of cost for all this gear totally depends 
on how much new gear and what kind of gear you buy.  Many comercially 
available backpacking products can cost you big bucks, especially if 
you are the type of person who wants "the best" gear.  Manufacturers 
know that lightweight gear is at a premium for gear-hound backpackers, 
and they charge ALOT for their top end stuff.  You can pay as much ast 
$500 for a sleeping bag, and even more for a tent, if you so choose.

Cost will also depend on the philosophy that you choose for your hike, 
which is what I alluded to above:  ultralight vs ultra-comfortable.  
The two trains of thought are actually not so easily broken down and 
overlap all over the place.  Basically, you have one extreme philosophy 
that says "as light as possible, no matter the cost in dollars or 
comfort".  These people cut the tags off of their clothing to save 
weight, they use a blanket instead of a sleeping bag, they use a tarp 
instead of a tent, they use a thin closed cell foam pad that is cut to 
the exact length of the distance between their hips and shoulders and 
then trimmed even further, they even reserahc to find the foods that 
have the most caloried for the weight, and they usually have a base 
pack weight of less than 10 or 12 lbs or less.  Then you have the other 
end of the spectrum which might bring scrumptious meals, coffee, hot 
chocolate, spices, various comfort items such as camp slippers or a 
camp chair, a book to read, a spacious and sturdy tent, full-size 
sleeping bag, and a pillow, etc.  The phrase that these people use to 
describe the ultralighters is "ultralight, freeze at night".  As you 
can see, there is a lot of different ways to hike the pct.

Several hikers have been able to make gear relatively inexpensively.  
Items that have been popular to make at home are: sleeping 
bags/blankets, tarps, ground cloths, dehydrated food.  There will also 
be cost while on the trail.  

The PCTA's website has some info about the cost fo a thruhike here:
http://www.pcta.org//planning/before_trip/faqs.asp#CostToThruHike

Although I know of no official stats, I think that most people end up 
going more toward the ultralight end of the spectrum because its just 
so much easier to carry less weight, and most people feel that the 
sacrifice of a few comforts in camp is worth the comfort of carrying 
less weight on your back all day.  Its been said in this forum many 
times, but I'll repeat it for you: "you can be comfortable in camp, or 
you can be comfortable on the trail.  take your pick".

Good luck in your planning.  Check the FAQ's on the pcta.org site, and 
keep asking questions in this forum.  There are lots of people in here 
that have tons of great info.

peace,
dude
eugene, or




> hi all!  i'm planning on attempting a pct thru-hike in 2006 with my
> ex-boyfriend.  we were looking for a general equipment list/idea of
> how much people generally spend on this excursion.  we have a bunch
> of backpacking stuff already, but i'm trying to find a rough price
> estimate for the entire trip.
> 
> thanks!
> 
> caitlin
> 
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