Best products from r/PacificCrestTrail

We found 35 comments on r/PacificCrestTrail discussing the most recommended products. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 136 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.

7. UV Travel Sun Umbrella Lightweight UPF 50 Auto Open Close Lifetime Warranty Compact Silver Vent Wind Resistant Travel Friendly

    Features:
  • ☂️𝐔𝐕 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐋 𝐒𝐔𝐍 𝐔𝐌𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀: The UV Umbrella keeps you up to 10 degrees cooler in the sun and dry when it rains, measures 43" Arc, and weighs about 14 Oz. Whether you travel abroad or head to the beach, don’t let intense sunlight ruin the fun. Stay in the shade on any trip since your compact umbrella is travel sized. Our UV travel umbrellas for rain are great for walking and travel.
  • ☂️𝐔𝐏𝐅𝟓𝟎+ 𝐒𝐔𝐍 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: The 8 resin reinforced fiberglass ribs & Silver coating reflects heat to cool you down with a UPF 50+ rating to block 99% of the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB solar rays. Winter, spring, summer, or fall, UV light is all around (even on cloudy days), you don't need to panic! Our sun protection umbrella windproof & travel umbrella keeps you cool in the sun and safe in the rain!
  • ☂️𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐂 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄: UV travel umbrella equipped with one-button. The auto-open & close feature that gives you the ability to quickly & easily open and close your umbrella. It is constructed with a chrome-plated silver metal shaft and its ergonomic handle provides a comfortable grip. So, you can be protected from the sun & first drop of rain to the last. Water repellent, so our windproof umbrella can also be used in the rain vented for wind resistance.
  • ☂️𝐃𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 & 𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈-𝐒𝐋𝐈𝐏 𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐋𝐄: Fiberglass shaft and double enforced ribs not only make this umbrella durable and lightweight but also provide extra safety. Our portable umbrella is durable for lifetime performance. It has a fiberglass frame and an ergonomic handheld handle with detailed craftsmanship. When you meet with strong gusts of wind, your automatic umbrella will not slip away.
  • ☂️𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐘: This ultimate travel sun UV umbrella is there to protect you from UV rays & Rain through our lifetime warranty program. We stand behind the durability of our goods. If you have any questions regarding the product, Please feel free to contact us directly.
UV Travel Sun Umbrella Lightweight UPF 50 Auto Open Close Lifetime Warranty Compact Silver Vent Wind Resistant Travel Friendly
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10. Santa Fe Bean Company Instant Fat Free Black Refried Beans 7.25-Ounce (Pack of 8) Instant Black Bean Refried Beans; All Natural; High in Fiber; Fat Free; Gluten-Free

    Features:
  • PUT SOME BEANS ON IT: Use Santa Fe Black Refried Beans on nachos, quesadillas, tostadas, tacos, burritos, or as a nutritious side dish for any Mexican meal. They're all natural, cholesterol free, high fiber, gluten-free & a delicious source of protein.
  • SANTA FE BEAN COMPANY DEHYDRATED BEANS: Santa Fe Beans are convenient, nutritious and full of flavor. We make dehydrated beans because they're easy to make, retain more of their nutrients than canned beans, and taste like gourmet homemade beans in no time.
  • TACO TUESDAY JUST GOT EASIER: Canned beans can be messy & inconvenient, and soaking beans overnight takes time. We make instant, dehydrated beans in easy tear pouches. They're great as backpacking or camping rations or as a part of any healthy meal.
  • FOR FAST & EASY MEALS: Try our vegetarian refried beans, refried black beans, southwestern style refried beans, pinto beans, Borracho Beans made with dehydrated pinto beans, & chipotle refried beans. Add them to boiling water & they're ready in minutes.
  • IF YOU'VE TRIED OTHER BEANS like Rosarita Refried Beans, La Preferida Refried Beans, Santiago Beans, Amy's Beans, Old El Paso Refried Beans, 365 Organics Beans, or La Sierra Beans, you're sure to fall in love with Santa Fe Bean Company's delicious beans.
Santa Fe Bean Company Instant Fat Free Black Refried Beans 7.25-Ounce (Pack of 8) Instant Black Bean Refried Beans; All Natural; High in Fiber; Fat Free; Gluten-Free
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19. MEDIZED® Ankle Brace, Stabilizer, Lace Up Adjustable Support, Stirrup Compression – for Running, Basketball, Volleyball, Injury Recovery, Sprain, Ankle Wrap for Men, Women, and Children (Large)

    Features:
  • Ankle Brace with Innovative & 360° Degree Design: We have developed Ankle Stabilizer Support Brace that provides effective, stronger, and stable support for your Ankle. The brace is designed with 2 straps that forms figure 8 to protect and support ankle. Further, the brace has been designed with 2 side stabilizers to provide stronger and effective support. Its non-stretch stabilizing straps mirror the stirrup technique of an athletic taping procedures.

  • Strong Support & Stability: The Ankle Stabilizer Support Brace has been developed with 2 Stabilizers on both the sides and 2 straps that provides strong support and effective stability to the ankles. The brace has been designed to help prevent and treat Ankle Sprains. The Ankle brace fits comfortably into normal athletic or street shoe. This is highly effective lace up Ankle Brace with straps that replicate ankle taping, securely locking heel in place.

  • Relief in Pain and Protect & Rehabilitate the Ankle: Recommended for ankle injury rehabilitation/mobilization from sprains and strains. The brace is widely used for prophylactic use. It supports for chronically weak ankles. The ankle brace provides compression and comfort to a soft ankle with significant higher protection than traditional stirrups.

  • Effective Prevention for Ankle Injuries: Effective in prevention of Ankle injuries and distortion. MEDIZED Ankle Brace is effective support and treatment for post Ankle injuries, Effective in chronic ankle instability, Prophylactic and therapeutic use in sport activities. The Ankle Brace is suitable to use in any sports activities where there is constant ankle movement including Running, Basketball, Volleyball, Soccer, Baseball etc.

  • Buy with Confidence: Our Ankle Brace comes with 100% satisfaction guarantee. We take proud delivering high quality of products and excellent customer services to our customers. We provide excellent customer services in case of any issues with replacement or 100% refund. With this guarantee you can buy our Ankle Brace with confidence!

MEDIZED® Ankle Brace, Stabilizer, Lace Up Adjustable Support, Stirrup Compression – for Running, Basketball, Volleyball, Injury Recovery, Sprain, Ankle Wrap for Men, Women, and Children (Large)
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Top comments mentioning products on r/PacificCrestTrail:

u/Enphuego · 3 pointsr/PacificCrestTrail
  1. It's feasible, it will be idiotic if you don't prepare. Just make sure you start in good shape, at a slow pace and your gear is appropriate and has been tested by you. When in doubt, leave it out for gear.

  2. Since you are 26 you should be able to get covered under your parents plan. It would have been better if you had started this process months ago during open enrollment, but they may be able to add you now. If that doesn't work, the next step would be ObamaCare which will probably come with a subsidy for you. After that is finding insurance on the open market - you can probably get a better deal than COBRA on your own. Last resort is COBRA but it's going to be expensive. Start looking now and figure out which will be cheapest.

  3. People tend to hire the person they'd want to have a beer with rather than the person that's best for the job. Having that on your resume will be a definite bonus in almost any career. Just make sure you word it in a way that anyone can understand. If the interviewer is the sort of stickler that can't stand anyone taking a few months off to fulfill a dream, it's probably not your ideal job anyways.

  4. I read and found value from Yogi's Guide, Ray Jardine's Trail Life and A Thru-Hiker's Heart. Skip the sewing though and take it all with a huge grain of salt. Yogi's was great at helping me figure out what to bring and how to resupply. Jardine helped me put the whole thing into perspective and A Thru-Hiker's Heart actually gave me a feel for hiking. None of them can adequately prepare you for the psychological difficulties, that you just need to work through on the trail.

  5. A pistol would be the dumbest, heaviest thing you could bring. The only thing that will attack you out there (and it's incredibly rare) would be a mountain lion. If you are attacked by one, use a rock to defend yourself. Don't bother with a big knife either, you'll only use it to cut open packages and avocados. Something like this is all you need.
u/swag_on_the_deep · 2 pointsr/PacificCrestTrail

A different perspective: if you like wearing shorts but you also need protection for your legs, there are good options for individual problems:

​

SUN:

If you are just worried about sun protection, get some cheep cotton pajamas, bar non the best, most comfortable sun protection. Just dont expect these to provide warmth or dry fast. Also slow drying cotton is great for getting wet at a water source to keep you cool for you next miles.

Sun Protection in the Desert: https://www.amazon.com/CYZ-Womens-Cotton-Pajama-Pants-VoileSilverStripe-L/dp/B076F8TMRD/ref=sr_1_15?dchild=1&keywords=pajama+bottoms+cotton&psc=1&qid=1571767226&sr=8-15 $12.00

WIND:

https://www.amazon.com/Body-Wrappers-Ripstop-Pants-Black/dp/B0002UR7SQ/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=dance+pants+nylon&psc=1&qid=1571767509&sr=8-1 $18.00

Enlightened Equipment and Montbell make good ones too.

COLD:

Leggings/tights/long underwear. Pretty self explanatory, many many brands available.

https://www.amazon.com/Cuddl-Duds-ClimateRight-Underwear-Leggings/dp/B077T671HN $25.00

If your worried about scratchies / are doing a decent amount of bushwacking then your going to want some hiking pants like the author listed.

u/DSettahr · 1 pointr/PacificCrestTrail

The Book Appalachian Trials by Zach Davis is about the AT, but it has some good information about the pros and cons of hiking with a partner, as well as what is necessary to make it work, that are applicable to any long trail. It covers the topic better than any other "how to" book of long distance hiking I've looked at does.

Another set of books that is also AT specific but still probably relevant are the Barefoot Sister's duology of books about yo-yoing the AT together- Southbound and Walking Home. They definitely had some blowups/fights along the way (some of which ended in tears), and the books are surprisingly honest in their descriptions of this psychologically difficult aspect of thru-hiking.

There is no guarantee that you guys are going to be compatible thru-hiking partners. And even if you are, it is still going to take willingness and effort from both of you to make it happen successfully. And even then, you're probably still going to have a couple of (potentially nasty) disagreements along the way. I agree with the others that working up to a thru-hike through some (relatively) shorter hikes that still require you to spend a lot of time with your SO is a good idea.

But don't just discount the idea because it is difficult or because you find major obstacles along the way to making it happen- being able to do something like this with your SO is a great way to become even closer with that person.

u/Thexorretor · 3 pointsr/PacificCrestTrail

Some money saving tips:

Go for a 3/4 length pad. Foam pads do not need to be full length as your feet and head can hang off the pad.

Skip the dry bag. A single garbage bag will fill all your waterproofing needs. A simple nylon stuffsack will do the job.

A rain cover is not needed. See above.

Here's some cheaper gloves that will work just as well. You can pick them up at many gas stations here, but not maybe in San Diego.

Go with the down jacket.

You don't need expensive rain jacket/pants. For full protection, these frogg toggs will work just as well. You can even go with dry ducks suit or poncho. It doesn't rain much in California.

An ordinary baseball cap with work just as well. Just add a bandanna to shade your neck.

Your hiking shirt will be fine for after the desert. You can always roll your sleeves up in warm weather.

Personally, I find underwear pointless when I hike.

The best sunscreen size is the 3 oz container that is sold in dollar stores here.

For anti-chafing, any lotion will do the job. So, just snag some from a hotel. I think sunscreen would work as well, but I haven't tested that out yet.

Just use an ordinary spoon.

Use the bear canistering ordering program (or you might try applying to the loaner program.) Either way, you'll save on shipping it to kennedy meadows.

The mosquito headnet is unnecessary. Mosquitoes will be pretty rare. If you do run into them, just hike to a place without them.

Skip the trowel. Use your feet to dig holes.

You don't need a towel.

I wouldn't buy any special water containers. Just use plastic soda bottles for your needs. I've had too many expensive containers break on me to trust them. Never had a problem with a soda bottle.

The external battery for your phone seems unnecessary. My phone could easily last the week between towns if I would turn it off between uses. This included listening to it heavily and even watching movies.

u/bemental_ · 1 pointr/PacificCrestTrail

Friendly face saying hello, SOBO start around the same time.

Regarding shoes, it's really up to you. That's a double edged "situation dictates" sort of answer, but it's truth.

If you're comfortable in trail runners, use them. Realize as /u/jdlogicman said, you'll probably have snow being kicked around all over them and your feet may very well be wet most of the day. As long as you have a fresh pair of socks and a warm place to put them at night, and you're good with that, go for it.

Also think about your crampons (if bringing), post holing, kicking steps, and god forbid glissading, in trail runners.

I suppose a wise decision (to me) would be to wear something more substantial in the snow zones, switching to trail runners elsewhere.

Personally, I wore these when I thru hiked the AT, and I'm going to wear them on the PCT as well.

But that's me. I like a sturdier boot, and the Gortex works enough that it's worth it for me.

u/atetuna · 1 pointr/PacificCrestTrail

Protection from rocks can still be had from boots with a stiff sole, and most boots have a stiff sole. If you're kicking shoes with the toe cap, then you really should look into fixing how you walk.

I'm with you on keeping rocks out. That's nice. Fortunately you can have the same benefit by using gaiters. Dirty Girl gaiters are very popular on the PCT for that reason.

The other thing I like about waterproof boots is that they keep out fine sand, which means my feet are clean at the end of the day. It's not worth all the extra sweating on a long hike though, at least not for me.

Personally, I recommend looking into Dirty Girl gaiters and using them with non waterproof trail running shoes. I don't use them though because sand and rocks in my shoes doesn't bother me.

Btw, I screwed up my ankles wearing high top hiking boots. I actually twisted my ankles more with them than with low top trail running shoes. I understand needing ankle support, and sometimes I still need it, but I don't go to high top boots for ankle support. When I need ankle support, I use this ankle brace with my trail runners, and it's pretty good at providing support while being comfortable enough to hike in. When I need even more, I use this ankle support, and this one won't even work with boots.

u/killroy108 · 6 pointsr/PacificCrestTrail

Breakfast: instant coffee and poptarts, once I read the calorie count (200 kcal per pastry, so 400 kcal per pack) I knew that they were the breakfast for me and that we shouldn't be feeding these to kids.

Lunch - meat sticks and cheese, various variations sometimes a roll of summer sausage, blocks of cheese, I quit trying to eat tortillas due to my moustache not cooperating.

Dinner - Instant refried beans and minute rice, I seriously ate this almost every night. The beans come in a foil pouch so I would pour half into a ziplock for another night, boil the water with the rice in it, pour/spoon it into the pouch. Same the pouch for the next night, and these pouches are good for packing out used TP. For variety add taco bell sauce packets, bits of cheese, individual spam packets. Minute rice can be found anywhere. These are my favorite beans, but the price looks like it is going up, they can also be found at Safeway. A couple of stores had another brand of instant refried beans that worked OK too.

Snacks - I would pack pouches of dill pickle sunflower seeds, both for the salt and to break up monotony. I ate alot of granola bars, usually when taking a break and felt like I was running out of steam. I found the cheaper granola bars were my favorite, but when I found cliff bars for $1/bar I would usually buy them even though I was getting tired of them (did you know some of them have caffeine in them!).

Edit: Yellowfin tuna in oil pouches rule! Either I would make extra rice at night to eat for lunch the next day with the tuna or mix it in with the beans and rice. Good fat/calories and the oil doesn't freeze when you are in the mountains like the tuna in water does.

u/jrice138 · 3 pointsr/PacificCrestTrail

Kinda depends on what you wanna spend you know? 12-13lbs base weight is perfectly reasonable tho.


Tent is a bit heavy, especially for a one person.

You could drop the extra undies

Puffy is a bit heavy too. Enlightened equipments apex puffy is great and super light. They have some on discount in their warehouse section of the website. Could be worth checking out.

Could probably drop the gloves. I’ve only ever worn gloves in Northern Washington in September.

Technically stuff like sunscreen, toothpaste, ect would be marked as consumable since their weights will vary with usage.

It’s likely you’ll want a little more water capacity. You can get two 2 liter platypus bags for roughly the same weight as the cnoc.

You could drop the ursack in favor of just whatever stuff sack. I used this one and really like it. Granite Gear Air Zipsack Ultralight Zippered Pouch - 16L https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003EMSDBY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_fjSPCbR0VE224

You could switch to a rechargeable headlamp like the Nitecore. Mine weighs 1oz. Haven’t actually used it on trail yet, but it seems great. Also seems to have a lot of good reviews.

No battery to charge your phone?

You could drop the journal and just write on your phone.

As far as books go generally you’re likely to be too tired to do much more than fall asleep with your face in your book. I’ve seen people reading on lunch breaks and stuff, but if you’re into being more social you may just end up hanging with friends while on breaks. There’s almost always books in hiker boxes tho, so you could maybe go that route.


u/jdlogicman · 1 pointr/PacificCrestTrail

I assume cleaning myself, not my cookware (no cleanup in FBC method, just pack out the bag).

I used (and LOVED) this bidet. No TP to pack out. On the downside, you must wash your fingers afterward. I found the bidet bottle had just enough left in it to rinse my camp soap off my hand.

The spray nozzle fits on a smart bottle, but on the "don't cross the streams" principle, so I used the dedicated bottle. It has a nice one-way valve that allows air back in after each squeeze and is the perfect capacity.

u/The_Stargazer · 13 pointsr/PacificCrestTrail

Chiming in as a Desert Search And Rescue volunteer, I find these umbrellas EXTREMELY useful. I started carrying a umbrella as part of my search and rescue pack earlier this year, responding to calls in temps of 100 - 110 F, and I'm using it ALL of the time. I use them both for my patients, and as well for other rescuers or bystanders who are well enough to keep hiking but need to keep out of the sun for a while.

After carrying several throughout the last year, I've finally settled on the following one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003H1HXN6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's compact, it allows air to flow through it so a sudden gust won't destroy it, and it's relatively durable.

​

u/howtohike · 3 pointsr/PacificCrestTrail

There are things you know you know... 1+1=2

There are things you know you don't know... square root of 1 is?

Then there are things you don't know you don't know... I wasn't even aware there was a hiking trail going from ME to CA.

Yeah, it can be hard finding out that 3rd one. As a college student have they taught you how to google?

I'm not joking: https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+hike+the+pacific+crest+trail

> Any tidbit of advice

Yes, read the PCTA's FAQ which answers all your questions... https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/thru-hiking-long-distance-hiking/thruhiker-faq/

Read Ray Jardine's book: https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Backpacking-Jardines-Lightweight-Hiking/dp/0963235931

Read the 1000's of other books on how to backpack.

Watch the tons of hiking "movies". https://www.backpacker.com/stories/the-best-books-movies-about-thru-hiking (that is a tiny portion of all the content out there)

Read the dozens of posts on this very forum posting gear lists (aka "shakedown") for their upcoming thru hikes: https://www.reddit.com/r/PacificCrestTrail/search?q=shakedown&restrict_sr=1&t=year

Read this forum's sidebar of links. One of the most helpful ones are these annual surveys of thru hikers: https://www.halfwayanywhere.com/pacific-crest-trail/

u/cwide87 · 1 pointr/PacificCrestTrail

That charger would probably give you a single charge. If you are only using your phone for emergencies (in airplane mode or off otherwise) then you should be fine. If you are using it for PCT maps, apps, or music/podcasts, then you will probably want something closer to 10000 mah.

If all of your big items remain the same, then I would recommend definitely taking it slow at the beginning unless you are already in great hiking shape. Your pack will be extremely heavy at first due to all the water you have to carry (and other stuff that you will immediately mail back). This will lead to a much higher chance of injury until your get your legs.

Also, from personal experience, it is much cheaper to lose weight (if you have weight to lose) before you go than to spend money shaving ounces on equipment.

u/Shydra · 4 pointsr/PacificCrestTrail

Not the person you replied to, but when somebody asked about that a week or two ago this book was recommended: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1581572123/ref=dp_ob_neva_mobile

I ordered a copy and only just started reading it, but I like it so far. I know next to nothing about the west coast, so it's nice to have an overview of plants and history and such.

u/Wideflange · 2 pointsr/PacificCrestTrail

I went with this Anker 10000 mAH battery at 6.4 ounces it's a couple ounces lighter than other 10 Ah batteries I've seen, and it's very small in size.

For solar I have a small panel from Sunkingdom that weighs 6.5 ounces on my scale. So a total 0f 12.9 ounces for battery and panel.

I used this same combo of solar panel and 10Ah battery on the colorado trail this past summer and found it worked well. Many days I would use the solar panel only, but it was nice to have the battery for the times it was cloudy for a few days in a row.

u/AMomentALove · 2 pointsr/PacificCrestTrail

Thanks for the reply, that Jepson database seems like a very comprehensive source. The PCT website recommends these guidebooks but I'll have to look more into them

https://www.amazon.com/SURVIVAL-PLANTS-ALONG-PACIFIC-Handbook/dp/1387308602/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=food+and+survival+plants+pacific+crest&qid=1569474125&s=books&sr=1-1

u/jakdak · 2 pointsr/PacificCrestTrail

Everyone's physiology is different and this will basically boil down to finding a footwear system that works for you. (And unfortunately figuring this out while already on the trail will be problematic)

John Vonhof's "Fixing Your Feet" does a great job of covering your available options:
https://www.amazon.com/Fixing-Your-Feet-Prevention-Treatments/dp/0899976387

But short term you are going to need to let your feet heal- and when you do get back on the trail you'll want to keep your mileage in check until you figure out your system.

u/numbershikes · 5 pointsr/PacificCrestTrail

The Pacific Crest Trail - "A Hiker's Companion" by Karen Berger and Daniel Smith was written specifically with that audience in mind.

if you're interested in geology/flora/fauna, it's just what you want, and it was written by a couple that through hiked.

Publisher's page

Amazon