In 2022, I hiked the Pacific Crest trail twice (5,300 miles) in 191 days. In this post, I've compiled a list of everything I brought along the Pacific Crest Trail, a few opinions on gear, and reasons my gear list at the start looks very different from the end. Throughout the summer, I shifted, swapped, and got rid of gear depending on the weather, terrain, and what I was using. You can find the full gear I ended with here on my LighterPack.
My ending base weight when I got to the Mexican border was around 8 lbs, but it varied from 8 lbs to 12 lbs depending on the weather. My base weight got lighter as the trip went on, and most of this was due to my mileage increase. On the northbound journey, I spent more time hanging out with other hikers and spending time in towns. I brought stuff along that allowed me to be more comfortable on the trail. Going south, I pared my gear down to the necessities and only carried items that I was using every day.
Finished the Northbound hike on July 29, 2022.
Completed the yoyo of the Pacific Crest Trail on October 23, 2022; walking 5306 miles in 191 days
Packing
Backpack
Started with: Hyperlite Southwest 3400, Backpack Shoulder Pocket, Porter Water Bottle Holder 20oz
Ended with: Pa'lante Desert Pack Gridstop 17"
I used a Hyperlite Southwest 3400 backpack for the northbound section of my Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike and switched to the Pa'lante Desert Gridstop pack on the southbound journey. The Hyperlite is a great pack with a simple yet efficient design and is lighter than traditional backpacks but still has plenty of room for all of your gear. I added the shoulder pocket and water bottle holder o the straps of my backpack, so I could carry water weight on the front of my pack and have easy access to my phone. In Washington, I switched to the Pa'Lante pack because I sent home a lot of comfort gear that I wasn't using as much and didn't need the space in the Hyperlite. The Pa'lante has a 37L capacity, a significant amount smaller than the 55L Hyperlite, and is a frameless pack. This pack is great if you are removing quickly and want to snack on the go because it has running-vest-style shoulder straps and a snack pocket built into the bottom of the bag, making it easy to grab food without taking your pack off.
Packliner
For most of the trip, I used a Nyloflume Pack Liner. Eventually, I ripped my Nyloflume liner (after almost 3000 miles of use) and went without one for a while until it rained, and I diy-ed a liner out of a heavy-duty garbage bag.
Shelter
Started with: MYOG 9' by 11' tarp
Ended with: Hexamid Pocket Tarp w/ Doors and a Zpacks Bathtub Groundsheet
I rarely set up my shelter on the Pacific Crest Trail because it rarely rains, so my tarp mostly sat in the bottom of my bag. I started out with an MYOG (make your own gear) 9' by 11' tarp that a friend made out of ripstop Nylon and ended with a Zpacks pocket tarp. A tarp was awesome for the desert because I could set it up as a shade structure for siestas in the desert heat. Once I hit the Canadian border, I sent my shelter home in Mazama, WA, then hiked almost half of the Pacific Crest Trail without a shelter until I hit Burney, CA, and saw rain in the forecast. I never ended up setting up the Zpacks tarp, so I have no opinion.
Stakes
I carried 6 to 8 stakes most of the time, and it was a mix of the MSR Groundhogs and other random stakes I found along the trail.
Poles
Started With: Distance Carbon Z Trekking Pole
Ended With: no poles
Completed the yoyo of the Pacific Crest Trail on October 23, 2022; walking 5306 miles in 191 days
Sleep System
Sleeping Bag
Enlightened Equipment Revelation
I used a 10º Enlighted Equipment Revelation quilt for all 5,300 miles along the Pacific Crest Trail. I run pretty cold at night, so I loved going to bed, knowing I was never going too cold.
Sleeping Pad
Thermarest NeoAir XLite - Regular and Thermarest Z Lite Sol (for 1000 miles)
I went through two Thermarest NeoAir XLite on the Pacific Crest Trail. The first one I had used for one full season lasted me 500 miles, and the second lasted the next 4,800 all the way until the end of the hike. The Thermarest sleeping pad is super comfortable and easy to inflate. After my first one popped, I picked up a Thermarest Z Lite from a hiker box in Techapi. I carried this all the way until I reached the Washington border. The Z Lite is great as a protective barrier to an inflatable pad in the desert and useful for taking breaks without sitting in the dirt or snow. Most people won't need two sleeping pads, but carrying a few panels of a foldable one is nice to have as a comfort item.
Sleep Socks
Started with: Goosefeet Gear Down Socks
I have Raynauds disease, which causes my hands and feet to go completely numb from cool and cold temperatures and turn white. To be safe, I carried a pair of down socks for the entire Northbound trip and through the Sierra going Southbound. For anyone who struggles with cold feet due to circulation issues, I would 100% recommend these boots. They keep your feet warm at night but still let blisters and your feet air out from being in shoes all day long.
Clothing
Worn Clothing
Shirts/Shorts: I wore three different outfits on trail that slowly became less technical.
I started the trail with an Outdoor Research Echo sun hoody and lululemon running shorts
My second outfit consisted of different lululemon shorts, a long sleeve running shirt (hoodless), and a short-sleeved Hawaiian shirt
My third outfit was a cotton sunflower print dress and a thrifted Hawaiian shirt.
Sports Bra: Lululemon Invigorate Bra
Underwear: Patagonia Women's Active Hipster
Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 4
Gaiters: Dirt Girl Gaiters - These are a must-have! They prevent debris from getting in your shoes, preventing blisters and keeping your feet feeling better.
Calf Socks: Generic pair. Calf socks made my knee pain go away so I wore these basically every single day.
Socks: I went through a few different brands, but here are some I thought worked well.
Hat: I went through multiple different hats
Sunglasses: Smith Wildcat - I can't say enough good things about these sunglasses. A pair of comfortable sunglasses is key because many parts of the trail are brighter than you'd think. It is a must to have sunglasses in the Sierra and parts of Washington for traveling on snow, but the sand and wide open spaces in the desert can also reflect a lot of sun. Staring at the sun's reflection for hours of the day can cause serious eye damage, even if you might not feel it at the time, so just go ahead and wear sunglasses, especially during the brightest hours of the day!
Shoes: Hoka Speedgoat 4
Packed Clothing
Fleece Gloves: Not sure of the brand. Any generic ones will work.
Puffy Jacket: Plasma 1000 Alpine Down Park Men - I run pretty cold, so this puffy jacket saved me. There were plenty of mornings where I wore this for the first hour of hiking at 5 am before the sunrose. Also nice to use as a pillow for sleeping.
Rain Jacket: Montbell Versalite - I carried these for around 75% of the entire hike.
Rain Pants: Montbell Versalite Rainpants - I started carrying these in the Sierra and carried them until the Oregon-Washington border on the northbound trip.
Long underwear top: Patagonia Capilene Air - I sent this home in Washington because of the hot fall weather and then picked up a long-sleeve top going Southbound in Burney, CA.
Long underwear bottoms: Patagonia Capilene Air - I liked having a pair of leggings to wear in the mornings when it was cold and something to change into before bed.
Beanie: Skida Lined Nordic Hat - The best company ever
Electronics
Headlamp
Started with: Nitecore NU25 Replaced the headband strap with a shock cord attachment.
Ended with: Petzl Actik Core
GPS
Battery
Started with: Nitecore NB10000
Ended with: Anker Portable Charger 20000mAh
Earbuds
Started with Apple Earbuds
Ended with Apple AirPods
Cords
USB-C to USB-C, iPhone Charger, USB-C to Micro USB
I switched out my headlamps halfway through the Southbound hike because I was doing more night hiking and liked having a brighter headlamp. I switched to a 20k power bank because I had more things to charge: headlamp (more hours used) and AirPods.
Water/Food
Foodbowl: Talenti Jar
Water Bottles: Various 1-1.5L plastic bottles
Water Bag: Seeker 2L Waterbag Carried this for the desert going North.
Spoon: Ultralight Titanium Spork
Water Filter: Katadyn BeFree and Sawyer Mini
Toiletries
Toiletries
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Tiger balm
Neutrogena sunscreen
Dermatone Lip balm
First Aid Kit
Mini Tweezers
Bandaids
Leukotape
Gauze
Medicine: Ibuprofen, Aspirin, Benadryl
Sierra Gear
Bear Can: Bearikade Weekender
Gloves: Patagonia down mitten - I carried these for the Sierra Southbound in October because the temperatures were forecasted down to the teens at night.
Traction: Microspikes
Bivy: Katabatic Pinyon Bivy
Random things I carried NOBO for small amounts of time
An Olympus point-and-shoot film camera. I carried this for a long part of the Northbound trip until Washington when I spilled hand sanitizer in my pocket and the camera stopped working :(
A watercolor set - carried this for roughly 400 miles. Super fun to use on breaks and we diy-ed a backgammon board
A deck of cards - self explanatory
Sketchbook, marker, and pens - carried this for 800 miles when I sent the watercolor set home and liked it a lot better
Starting out this hike I wasn’t anywhere near ultralight, but I didn’t have a traditional “backpacking” heavy setup. The mindset I used is that I wanted to carry things I used and things that would make my hike more enjoyable. The weight of my pack varied throughout all 5300 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, and honestly, I can’t remember every random item I carried nor know the weight. For example, heading into Lake Tahoe and going Southbound, there was a severe four-day rain and hail storm. Leaving Truckee, a friend’s dad lent me a thick pair of old skiing gloves that I carried until Kennedy Meadows North, something like 120 miles. In Burney, after I got giardia, I carried my antibiotics and some other supplements. By the end of the trail, I was carrying barely anything because I was moving 40+ miles each day and only wanted to carry what I used. Once I was in Idyllwild with 150 miles to go, I sent home my tent, rain jacket, puffy, and long sleeve because I knew I didn’t need any of that (really also was ready to be done and didn’t want to carry anything).
All in all, it’s not about the weight but if you feel confident that the gear you are carrying will do the right thing for what you want to get out of it.