Pacific Crest Trail Original Gear List

17 thoughts on “Pacific Crest Trail Original Gear List”

• Buck,
  I am currently a senior in high school, going through the ever tedious college process. However, I am also thinking about taking a gap year, and I have a plan (an unrealistic dream, really, but I’d like to think it’s a possibility none the less) to take a year and through hike the PCT, among other endeavors such as some smaller trips and rock climbing. I have many many questions, and if this plan really does begin to form, I’m sure you’ll be hearing from me again, but I’ll start with something more general for now. Do you have any insights into this on everything from what season to which direction? Or if you think it’s a bad idea all together? This is something I’d really love to do and I have to start somewhere, so I’d love the help of a seasoned veteran of long distance hiking like yourself.

  Reply

  • Hi Isaac,

    My first bit of general advice would be to make sure you like long distance hiking. IF you haven’t already, take the time to go backpacking for a week or two to get a feel for it. Often people like the idea of a thru-hike and find the reality is less fun than they had imagined.

    Most people recommend a south to north hike. That’s the direction I hiked and I would do so again. There is a fairly narrow “hiking season window” to avoid as much deep snow as possible. For a south to north hike starting in April and finishing in September tends to work out the best.

    Good luck!

    Buck

  • I’ve done some long backpacking trips before in a few different places, and I know it’s something I love (which is what brought me to this idea in the first place), but I can certainly see how it could easily turn out to be not exactly what I had hoped for and much harder than what I expected…
    For now this is really all I needed but I hope you won’t mind hearing from me again as this vision progresses and forms.

    Thanks so much for your input as well as for your prompt response! I really appreciate it.
    – Isaac

• Thank you so much for spending the time to put together this website, it has been very helpful an informative. My girlfriend and I are doing a SOBO AT thru hike leaving July 10th and I’ve been driving myself and her a bit nutty researching gear as to not “waste” any currency unnecessarily, but I think it may be inevitable from what I’ve been reading anyway. Maybe I missed it, but I don’t recall seeing trekking poles in your gear list, do you not carry them or did I indeed just overlook them? Also, in the essence of saving weight and currency, what do you think of Frogg Toggs for rain gear? I was considering them and installing some pit zips in them. Also considered buying silnylon and making my own poncho and kilt, but didn’t find much in the way of silnylon rain gear, so maybe there’s a reason it’s not being used. Any input you wish to give will be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Kevin and Alice.

  Reply

  • Hi Kevin,

    Researching gear can be fun but someone with OK gear and a good attitude will outperform someone with the very best, most expensive gear and a bad attitude.

    I did use poles and they are on my list under “hiking poles.” I’ve been using Yana Poles recently but they are expensive and require care to use without breaking them. More inexpensive poles will work fine if you are on a budget.

    Lots of hikers use Frogg Toggs with good success. Beware of “bushwhacking” with them, though, and bring some duct tape or Tyvek tape in case they rip. Many people report they tend to run large, which can be an advantage for layering.

    I personally wouldn’t choose a silnylon rain jacket for lack of breathability, but that would be much less of an item in a poncho. I will leave that up to your own research. I DO know that if it were my choice between the Frogg Togg jacket and a silnylon poncho I’d go Frogg Toggs.

    Have a great hike!

    Colter