(Part 2) Best products from r/PacificCrestTrail

There is a much more economical 500w model by EcoFlow for $599 that I would recommend.

It is also ultralight at a cool 11 pounds. 3000w seems a bit of overkill. This 500w model had plenty of power and I could run my USB personal fans for over a week. They made it really pleasant to hike Southern California during the day. Also, I tend to smell when hiking, hence it was really awesome to have my USB Scent Flower plugged in also. It kept the around me smelling nice and I'm sure the other hikers appreciated the gesture. It seemed to really brighten up their day, because after they saw me, they tended to hike even faster and I couldn't keep up with them.

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.

That Copper Spur UL3 is a BIG tent for 2 people. I'd reconsider and look into a 2 person tent. If you already own this tent, I'd consider using a tarp and groundsheet option for the first 700 miles, then use this tent for the Sierras and switch back to a tarp until WA when I would pick up a tent again.



I had no issues with my inflatable Neoair on the PCT. I love that mattress, very comfortable. I also brought a torso sized zrest as a sit pad and siesta pad.


Check out this BSR stove. Cheap and very light. https://www.amazon.com/BRS-BRS-3000T-parallel-import-goods/dp/B00UGQGS6S/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1495733631&sr=1-1&keywords=bsr+stove


I wouldn't use that water filter. I'd use the Sawyer Squeeze (not the mini) or another gravity filter like the Platypus Gravityworks. This is a personal choice, but I don't enjoy having to drink straight from a filter like that.


The Hydrapak Seeker 3L is HEAVY. Consider lighter water bags, like any simple bag made by Platypus. Also empty 2 liters are great and cheap/free.

If it's only you using the 10,000, it could be OK.

I carry a 20,000 mAh battery pack for myself alone, and on the AT there were a few instances where I came close to running out of juice.

And that's the AT. Where you're never more then a few miles from a road or civilization. And I'm a tech savvy kind of guy who doesn't waste power willy nilly.

It all depends on your usage, but if it was me, I'd up the capacity a bit - especially if your electronics are the primary means of navigation and they don't have replaceable batteries.

The whole "have and not need vs need and not have argument"

Regarding "quick charging", unless your device specifically supports it and you have the proper cables and chargers, the best you're going to do is pump as much juice into the device in as short amount of time as possible.

Your typical phone charger (think little white/black square with one USB port) is one amp, while a larger device charger is typically around two amps. In this situation more amps equals faster charging.

They do make slightly larger chargers that provide multiple two amp ports on them, I recently switched to this one. Can charge the two biggest batteries I have at once (typically the phone and battery pack), and not worry about having to chose one or the other.

On the AT I used a single two amp charger for my battery pack and devices, and came up short a few times (ran out of time charging and didn't get enough juice). What saved me was I had a large enough battery pack that I could make it work with what capacity I had left based on the number of expected days to my next stop.

Also, if you're going to Nero at all, it usually means leaving your devices to charge while you go run errands. If you can only charge one thing, you'll very likely run into the time crunch I mentioned above - being able to charge two devices at once helps solve that problem.

Also, some battery packs provide what's called "pass through" charging, which allows you to effectively daisy chain your devices and charge them all - plugging your battery pack into the wall charger, and your devices into the battery pack while it's charging.

If I was you, I'd do some napkin math on how many recharges you expect to get/need based on your devices and go from there. It's not 100% foolproof, so you can calculate a small percentage of energy transfer loss for weather and heat loss while charging, but basically take the mAh of each device you're bringing, multiply that by how many chargers you think you'll need during a given stretch of time, and add it all up. If that number is bigger then, or close to your battery pack's capacity, you're cutting it too close.

To add my two cents, I would keep the the liner since it's much easier to wash than your bag. I personally like bringing a few extra items to help my gear last longer (like a groundsheet). Would definitely look into a lighter pack like the Exos, or the new Gregory Optic.

You're going to want to add a dual USB fast-charge plug to charge your bank and phone at the same time while in town, something like this. Keep an eye on the snow levels before you head out because you may want to add microspikes/K10's and an ice axe to your Sierra gear. Also don't know if you're planning on bringing trekking poles but I bought the Monoprice carbons and they are fantastic for the money and plan on bringing them on my NOBO. So far they're holding up well on my test hikes but be warned you can't replace the tips!

Here's my Lighterpack as well if you want to compare anything. Still plan on changing a few things around though so take it with a grain of salt!

Edit: Just saw you already marked trekking poles, so ignore that section

My experience comes from an AT thru hike, but I am also planning a PCT hike.

I hear the Sawyer Mini is a real hassle to deal with, and I think most people prefer the Squeeze in spite of the extra weight.

You can save weight by reusing a disposable drink bottle instead of taking a Nalgene.

You may very well decide that you only want one pair of boxers. On the other hand you might want a third pair of socks.

I would note that listening to music is unlikely to be a significant drain on your phone's battery, compared to anything else you might use it for (even things like turning the screen on). You probably don't need the Nano, but I guess that depends on how you use your phone.

Your knife is very heavy, and has much more functionality than you need - most hikers will only ever use the blade, and that doesn't need to be more than a couple inches long. You might consider this knife as an ultralight option, or this one at about 23 grams which includes a bottle opener (the only tool I ever use besides the blade).

I notice you haven't listed maps, headlamp, food storage and protection, or a trowel.

Just wanted to share my strategy which, for me, is a good combo of reliability and light weight: I'm using an Anker 15w solar panel in combo with a Power Add 5000

I've tested the duo together, the power bank and the solar panel together work great, the panel isn't too heavy (12.5 oz) and fills my Power Add in the course of a day. The Power Add 5000 is just the right amount for my purposes, (~2 phone charges) and as a safety back-up in case there's no sun, also it is pretty light and compact (~4 oz).

I also have a kindle. Kindles do not require much, depending on which one you have, one full charge can last you a month.

15w solar panel (12.5 oz)
https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Charger-PowerPort-iPhone-Galaxy/dp/B012YZXMZS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493231892&sr=8-1&keywords=anker+solar+charger

Power Add 5000 (4 oz)
https://www.amazon.com/Poweradd-Slim-Ultra-compact-Portable-External/dp/B00MWU1GGI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493232359&sr=8-1&keywords=Power+add+5000mah

I actually sleep pretty warm, like windows cracked in the winter warm.

I'm from Washington state and have spent many a night in a 30degree bag outdoors, but I was thinking a 20degree plus the clothing I'd be sleeping in would be sufficient? They also have a 15degree bag for a fair bit more, do you think that would be worth looking into?

Also you're probably right on getting baggies instead of barely baggies. Don't want that chub rub.

Do you have a link to the pot you used? This one showed up as the first google result

They still sell a Patagonia ultralight but it has no hood, which is kinda what I was looking for. Hmm.

Thank you :-)

Your main concern should be what to wear for the desert and the High Sierra, since that's when you're most at the mercy of the sun. After that, you can mix it up or wear something cheapo because even though the sun is strong and it's still hot, it's not as insane as in the first 1000 miles. Also the bugs aren't a huge issue after mile 1200 or so, except for Oregon depending on arrival time and year.

You really really want sun protection in the first 1000 miles, so get a long-sleeve shirt. Nylon doesn't start to smell as bad as polyester and merino wool won't last for a PCT thru-hike (my SmartWool t-shirt was torn up after 400 miles on the AT last summer; my friend Bow on the PCT in 2013 said he got 1100 miles out of his before it was basically disintegrating). People use button-down, long-sleeve nylon or blend shirts a lot and to me that makes the most sense. I wore an Ex Officio Air Strip Lite LS shirt, purchased on eBay, and wore it with the sleeves down during the day and rolled up in the early mornings and evenings, when the sun wasn't so direct but it was still warm out. It's loose, vents well, keeps your skin in the shade, wicks moisture ... all the good things for desert and high-altitude sunny hiking.

I love them, and still have 1 that's going pretty well but has a tiny hole now :( Fixed with duct tape... hopefully it holds. I have never been able to find a suitable replacement in Australia. We have garbage bags, sure, but nothing in the same style as the 'Compactor Bags'

Well not at a reasonable price at least. And if the ~$63 packet doesn't scare you, don't forget the ~$58 delivery! Cheapest I found were $6... with $35 delivery...

These things work pretty good. It weighs exactly 4oz. I've switched to instant though, just because it doesn't require hot water the way coffee grounds do. But these silicon things are probably the lightest way to get a real fresh cup of coffee on the trail. And they're pretty cheap, too.

https://www.amazon.com/Kuke-Reusable-Silicone-Dripper-Collapsible/dp/B01AXY8P90

Some technical perspective:

I've done testing that shows that the heat exchanger on the jetboil does indeed boost the efficiency a lot. 68% of the chemical potential energy from the fuel makes it into the water, vs. an average of 53% with a flat-bottomed pot on an open stove.

1.3x efficiency means you only need about 3/4 as much fuel--but how does that affect overall cook system weight?

Let's assume you're cooking meals that each require 2 cups of water and you're eating 2 of those per day. That means you're bringing about a liter of water to a boil every day.

If you have one of these little guys and titanium pot that weighs 145g, your base weight starts dramatically lower than a jetboil--403g as opposed to 640.

A liter of 10°C (50°F) water takes 376.6 kilojoules to come to a boil. Your average isobutane mix has an energy density of 46.39kj/g.

Ultimately, that boost in efficiency takes a LONG time to close the gap. The Jetboil just straight loses until the 37 liter mark. That's close to a month between resupplies. Even then, it only edges ahead for a moment before an additional canister puts its weight above the ultralight setup once again.

Here's a chart I put together of various stove systems. It assumes a 1L titanium pot for everything except the jetboil, which uses the PCS pot. This may not be to-the-gram accurate to the newer Jetboil systems, but is probably pretty close.

Of course, there are factors other than weight that go into choosing a stove, but they're harder to quantify.

Ok, so I bought this about 8 years ago, so I couldn't find the exact one, but this is the closest I could find on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000Q8JTVC?psc=1 I also didn't pay that much for it, if I remember it was ~$35-40 (the most I'd ever spent on a pillow lol). You might be able to find a lumbar support tempur pedic pillow and use it for your head since they make them smaller.

I also realized that I have this, which I've used for traveling https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/therapedic-reg-memory-touch-round-neck-pillow/1013506582 and used it to sleep on airport benches. It doesn't have the same height as a pillow and I would probably stack a towel or extra clothes underneath for long term sleeping. If you shop at BBB you can always get a 20% off coupon online or in the mail too.

Hope this helps!

So, first: Hike your own hike. That applies to a lot of things, including gear. If you're looking for the "best" of any item, you can ask 10 hikers and get 10 different answers.

That said, there's one thing I swear by: bleach. Forget all those other purifying contraptions and gimmicky ways to quench your thirst. A small eye dropper of bleach will last a lot of miles, it will almost certainly cut your pack weight and possibly even be easier and quicker than your current method of making water. And, to top it off, bleach is inexpensive and widely available in stores.

How it works:

• Use plain bleach (nothing scented or such).
  
• I used two drops of bleach per 1 liter of water, shake and wait 30 minutes, following directions from the EPA Note: some sources suggest using as much as 5 drops of bleach per 1 liter of water
  
• I carried an eye dropper filled with bleach. A lot of water was clear enough to scoop directly into a water bottle, drop in bleach, shake and watch 30 minutes. If the water had stuff in it, we'd scoop dirty water into a pot and then filter through a bandana into a water bottle.
  
  Pro tip: Buy a handful of eye dropper LINK bottles. Mail fresh bottles ahead in resupplies that way you can replace anything that gets damaged. Be sure to label "Bleach" on your bottle so no one gets goofy with it.
  
  I also think it's generally a good idea to have the means to purify water in two ways. For instance, if your Sawyer breaks, it'd be a good idea to have a dropper of bleach available. If your eye dropper springs a hole, it'd be helpful to have iodine, a UV pen, a Sawyer, etc. (even a second bottle of bleach!).
  
  
  
  

I used my phone for Guthook/camera (and podcasts) so it was pretty much a necessity to be charged before I could leave town... so I made sure my wall-charger, powerbank, and phone were all quick-charge and it made a massive difference for me: I would hit town and put phone/powerbank on charge first thing, do my re-ration etc, then be able to hit the trail again within a few hours with full charge ... whereas I knew other folk who had to stay overnight when they didn't want to.

I got:

• AUKEY USB Wall Charger with Quick Charge 3.0 & Dual Ports (surprisingly large, but worked great.)
  
• Anker PowerCore II 10000 (great, quick charge both in and out. Only 1 port, but I 95% of the time just charged the phone.)
  
• Nitecore NU25 (awesome torch. not quickcharge, but never really needed it)
  
• 2 USB cables (came with the above stuff, I switched one out for a shorter one eventually)
  
• Motorola G4+ (good for Guthook, meh camera but did the job well enough and it was kinda disposable as it only cost $100 unlocked)
  
• iPod nano (I just like music so much while I walk I wanted a backup in case phone started getting low, and this thing is tiny. I actually used it a ton!)
  
  I think 2 ports is enough really, I would just charge the headtorch/ipod when I got the chance or a longer town stay. Ontrail I would kinda start running low if I used the phone a lot for 4 days, and have to be a bit conservy... there's likely better stuff now, but just fyi!