PCT Gear Photos

Tent System (and Trekking Poles)

I’ll be carrying my ZPacks Duplex for the length of the trail. I have the Freestanding Kit (tent poles), the ground sheet and a gaggle of stakes. Also, shown are my trekking poles, which make the Duplex pretty close to weather-proof when used together with the poles and extra stakes.

Backpack, Chair, Organization and Repair

• Here’s my Hyperlite 4400 Southwest Pack with a phone holder and Peak Design Capture Clip.

• Personally, I’m a fan of stuff sacks and staying organized, so I use a lot of them. I have several of the pods from HMG, their stuff sack and the Versa (hip pack/ fanny pack).

• Also included are both of my seating options, during the desert section I am intentionally planning on hiking shorter miles each day. For this section, I’ll carry my REI chair. At some point, I’ll likely switch over to the sit pad.

• The other items are miscellaneous gear repair and safety items.

Sleep Systems

My sleep system is a little more involved than most.

• Pictured is my 20 degree Hammock Gear premium quilt (depending on the weather, I may switch out with my 0 degree with 2 ounces of overfill)

• My "heavier” sleeping bag liner (I’ll likely switch to the silk one in Northern California)

• Both of my sleeping pads: Gossamer Gear Thinlight and the Thermarest Women’s Xlite, which could be switched with my Xtherm

• ZenBivy Light Sheet, which goes over the Xlite and can attach to my quilt for extra warmth

• And last, but certainly not least, my Sea to Summit pillow

Kitchen & Water Gear

It’s becoming a recurring theme, but I have a couple of luxury items. Here’s my list of kitchen-related items:

• I don’t want to worry about mini-bears, so I’ll keep all of my food and other smell-ables in Opsak bags inside the Ursack.

• I have a JetBoil Stash and a spare lighter, because I always seem to lose one to the abyss of my pack

• Coffee is a must and a very critical component of my morning, so I have a dedicated mug by GSI

• I’m trying a new recovery drink, championed by the Gear Skeptic (on YouTube), so I have the mini Nalgene to mix it up

• In general, I do not like to cook in my pot, so I use the HMG RePack Heat Cozy to insulate my meals as they are rehydrating in a Ziploc bag

• Last but not least in the food department is my trusty Sea to Summit spoon. (I’ve never been a fan of the spork, I think it does a terrible job being a spoon and is even worse as a fork).

My water system is as follows:

• Platypus QuickDraw filter, I’ve used their gravity filter for the past three years, but I’m hoping to shave off some ounces. If I’m not happy with the QuickDraw, I’ll switch back to my Gravity Filter at some point.

• Personally, I’ve found that I hydrate better when I use a reservoir. I’ll stop and take hundreds of photos, but for some reason, I don’t like to stop to grab my water bottle, and with trekking poles I’ve never been coordinated enough to drink on the move. Hence, the 2-Liter Platypus reservoir.

• In the desert, and maybe parts of Oregon depending on the water situation, I plan to have the capacity to carry 7 liters of water. (Two 2-L, and one 1-L Playtpus foldable bottles).

Clothes

Pictured above are all of my clothes (aside from a few layers I switch out in the Sierra). These include:

• My worn clothes- pants, sun hoody, Red Sox hat, sun gloves, etc.

• My sleep clothes- base layer tops and bottom, heavy expedition weight socks, merino beanie and liner gloves, and magical down booties

• My spare clothes- extra bra, underwear and socks

• My external layers- down hoodie, Melanzana fleece, wind shirt, rain pants and jacket, buffs, insect net

Toiletries

• First aid kid, prescriptions, vitamins and Advil

• Hand sanitizer, trowel and toilet paper

• Toiletries - hair brush, deodorant, wipes, soap, hand lotion, toothbrush, paste and floss

• Sunscreen and picaridin (for bugs)

Electronics & Camera Gear

I’m not surprised, but half of my base weight is composed of electronics and camera gear:

• A6600 with a 18-300mm lens attached

• 12mm F2.0 lens (for astrophotography), which gets carried in the sock for some shock protection

• SD Card Carrier, with 4.75 terabytes of memory available

• USB-C to USB-A, with a SD and mini-SD card reader

• Arsenal 2 Pro with Cable

• CPL w/ Variable ND Filter

• Lens Cleaning Kit

• 2 Sony Batteries, Koah Battery Charger, and a dummy battery to run my camera straight from a battery pack

• Kestrel mini weather station

• DJI Osmo Pocket 2

• Mini Bluetooth Keyboard

• Anker 21W Solar Panel and Wall Charger

• Two 26800 mAh Charmrast battery packs

• Sirui Travel Tripod and mini Pedco tripod

• Garmin InReach Mini and my rechargeable Black Diamond headlamp

• Glasses case (with either my regular glasses or sunglasses inside)

• Two dry bags in case of inclement weather (and a bandana to dry off the cameras)

• Jaybird Vista headphones, and not pictured my Garmin Fenix 6S watch and Google Pixel 6 Pro

Snow/ Cold Gear

Here’s my Sierra/ snow gear:

• My synthetic proton blanket which can be added to either quilt and adds insulation and protection from condensation

• Ice Axe

• My crampons and trail spikes, I may start with the spikes, but I’ll have my crampons for San Jacinto and Fuller Ridge and I’m definitely carrying them through the Sierra

• The dreaded bear canister. I live in the Eastern Sierra and try to take a dozen or so trips into the backcountry every year, so I invested in a Bearikade Blazer.

• Extra merino base layer and heavier gloves.

Shoes

My first three pairs of shoes that I’ll wear on trail are shown in the lower row.

• The grey Altras have relatively new SuperFeet insoles in them and will carry me to Paradise Valley Cafe, where

• I’ll switch to my Merrells and grab some of my snow gear for San Jacinto Peak and Fuller Ridge.

• After that section of snow, I’ll switch into the shiny, just barely broken-in, pair of teal-ish Altras.

• The Crocs are my camp shoes. I’m definitely starting with them, but I might ditch them later on the hike.