Hey anons, my PCT starting date is the 20th of April. When are y'all starting?
Will you be sporting your /out/ bear patch? What's on your mind regarding the trail and your gear?
I got to be honest with you, I'm psyched as hell for the adventure of a lifetime.
Where are you starting out from bro? And do you have a gear list?
>>716712
I'm flying in to San Diego. I still need to work out the details of getting to the southern terminus, either by trail bros giving me a ride or taking a bus out to campo.
My gear list consists of the usual meme crap you can find on blogs, nothing particularly worth noting.
Starting May 6 from Campo. Anyone here over the age of 25 going?
>>717899
Also gear list: https://lighterpack.com/r/e6he9k
Fairly conventional. Going to try stoveless for a bit.
Posting some patch designs I have laying around, if anyone is interested in making them just ask permission 2bh
/r/'d by anon
for /pol/
Taking requests.
>>716694
>When y'all starting?
May 8th. Late as fuck for a thru, but that's what I get for not f5ing the sign-up page 24/7.
>Bear patch?
Nope. Kind of wish I had money to throw at frivolities like that as an /out/ secret handshake sorta thing, but I haven't worked in three years.
>what's on your mind regarding trail and gear?
I don't have a tent for the desert, I'm a little worried about snakes making their way into my bivvy. Oh well. I doubt I'm well-equipped for the high Sierras either. I'm already expecting to just stop and fish someplace in Washington.
>I'm psyched as hell.
No doubt. I just got back from another trip; I was so disappointed when I woke up in my bed again. Life is just better when you wake up with the sun on your face.
>>716723
I'm planning on hitch hiking to Campo. If you've never done it before, it's fun. You only ever meet nice people because assholes don't pick you up in the first place.
>>717899
I'm 31. I don't really act it though, obviously.
>>720051
This board is full of envious, petty little fuckers who have never backpacked farther than two miles and call any gear over $100 a meme. Why would I want to publicly identify with this
>>720057
Make one of tree king
>>720143
le sigh
...freaking treeking
>>716694
I figure this is a better place to ask than in the ultralight thread. Is the ULA Circuit as good as people say? I've heard it's smaller than the claimed capacity, which I'm wary about because I'm just easing into ULing. I'm torn between the ULA Circuit and the Six Moon Design Fusion 65.
>>720133
some maybe...not all.
>>720365
People have been doing the trail for many many years before the multi-hundred dollar packs of today. If the ULA is smaller than it's claimed capacity, you'll need to consider what gear you can strap around the bag to make room inside or what you can get rid of to make more space. Some UL backpackers get by with less than 50L capacity. I'd go ULA but desu, I'd just order whatever 65L I could find on eBay.
>>720419
Thanks anon, legitimate answers about ULing are few and far between.
>>720425
I'm using a 58l Osprey exos that fits me perfectly.
Hiked it last year.
To all anons doing it this year as well as those hoping/planning on doing it in the future:you're gonna have a blast. I'm jelly as fuck.
PCT base weight load out:
>Shelter
Thermolite extreme liner 14oz
SOL escape bivvy 5.5oz
Blue CCF pad 7oz
Ground tarp 6oz
Poncho / Tarp 8oz
15' 550 paracord 1oz
Thermal Set (once needed) 17oz
Hammock Cocoon (once needed) unweighed (around five pounds?)
Hammock straps (once needed) 4oz
Shelter Total: 41.5oz - 152.5oz
>Water Procurement
Camelbak 5.5oz
Sawyer mini on Zefal dirty bag 5.5oz
Water Total: 11oz
>Cooking
Biostove (29oz can) 1.5oz
Roll-top stove 0.5oz
HEET (12oz) 11oz
Stanley adventure kit 8oz
Cooking Total: 21oz
>Clothing (in bag)
Light Shorts 7oz
Dry-fit Shirt 5.5oz
Darn Tough Socks 2.5oz
Merino beanie 2oz
Clothing Total: 17oz
>Hygiene
Toothbrush 1oz
Vacuum bag (for laundry) 0.5oz
Half bar Fels Naptha 2oz
Hygiene Total: 3.5oz
>Other
Fishing Spindle and Tackle 5oz
Other Total: 5oz
Base Weight Grand Total 99oz - 210oz (6.25lbs - 13.12lbs)
>Worn
Light shorts 8oz
Dry-fit shirt 6oz
Darn Tough Socks 2.5oz
Trail Runner Shoes (not yet purchased)
Ball cap 2oz
Handkerchief 1oz
Folding knife 3oz
Worn Total: 22.5oz + shoes
Backpack is 38oz, so I'll be changing that for something lighter. What do you guys think? I must be forgetting stuff.
>>721417
Base weight should include pack weight. Missing i see are a jacket, light, first aid kit. In the Sierra you'll need an ice axe and bear canister
>>721417
I'm not experienced with thru-hiking enough to judge your loadout, but if you're in the market for trail runners, I really like Merell's vapor glove line. They don't handle too well on rocky surfaces and they are kind of fragile, but they're comfortable and extremely light.
>What pack are you using now and which are you looking to upgrade to?
>Aren't bear canisters recommended for the PCT?
>>721431
>Pack weight
Yup. I'm upgrading the pack though, so there wasn't much point in counting an item that I'm taking out.
>Missing
I'm trying to get by with as little as possible. I'll look into all that. Will I need the jacket prior to the Sierras, when I switch to a cocoon? I'll be picking up my thermals at that point anyway.
>>721435
I'll check those out, thanks.
>Packs?
Currently a ~45L camelbak I got 15 years ago. Not sure what I want to pick up next; I wanted to know what gear I'd have first so I get the right size.
>Bear canisters
Fuck the police.
>>721496
>fuck the police
I get it I get it, bear cannisters blow. However, you WILL be checked in Yosemitie while passing through. They really fucking care there and if you aren't carrying a bear cannister you are guaranteed a ticket and fine in Yosemite.
It's only a 200 mile or so stretch where you are legally required to carry a bear cannister, and that 200 mile stretch is full of areas where you actually don't need one. But it isn't worth the hassle to figure out where or how many more miles you gotta go until you're in the clear.
Save yourself some money and buy a small one. You are only legally required to carry one, it isn't even required you put all your food in there. Plus the ticket you'll inevitably get in Yosemite will far exceed the price for a normal bear cannister.
>>716694
>tfw myself and some friends were planning to hike the PCT but we were unable to obtain permits.
>>716694
Can any former Thru-Hikers on the PCT tell me how effective it is to cowboy camp? I live in Texas and through the year I camp in a bivy with a small ground cloth, I know it's possible in the deserts but how far up north would this remain plausible?
>>722014
The fuck?
It's super easy to get a long distance permit, plus they're free. There's like no reason to be denied one.
>>722022
All of California except the Sierra.
>>722004
What, do they carry warrants with them? Its a blatant violation of the fourth amendment to search a backpack without it's owner's consent.
>>723091
This
>>722026
They don't take your social dude, why the fuck would the pcta care anyways
>>722022
I've read a blog where the dude said he only pitched his tarp approximately 7 times the whole trip.
>>722014
Sign up for dates you don't start on. They wont arrest you for starting whenever, the permit is only to get you through the national parks and side trails like Whitney.
>>722004
There are food lockers in Yosemite for campers who didn't know to bring a canister.
>>721431
>ice axe
Not technically needed
>>721417
Medkit, get rid of your alcohol stove it's illegal, skip the hammock, more water for the desert, bear bag, USB solar battery charger bank, back country navigator pro
>>723163
I'll be adding a first aid kit, but I don't really know what I need. I'm not taking things that I won't actually use, so at this point all I've got is enough ibuprofen for the first week and some anti-diuretics in case I get hit with giardia. The alcohol stove is just a backup. The hammock is for a cocoon, which insulates better than a pad. My carry capacity is 5 litres of water; do you think I need more than that? I've had trouble with mapping fill points. I've dealt with bears before, I'm not particularly worried about it. I haven't decided if I want to bring solar yet; for as little as I'll use my phone, I should be able to charge it in towns I think. The trail is too well marked for me to bother with maps or GPS, other than using my phone if I somehow get lost.
How do you guys afford to do these hikes for months at a time :(
How are you paying rent and shit
>>723222
Muh EBT. Vote Bernie!
Also, car broke down, lost job, separated from wife, etc... It all helps.
>>723222
Paying rent while on the trail.....
Backpacking is a very cheap and affordable option instead of paying rent and affording typical societal expenses. Consider how much it cost to hike the PCT ($6,000-8,000) v.s. what it would cost to pay rent and live in the city.
When you are in a situation like
>>723228
or myself, it is a cheaper means of living and an excellent way to clear ones head.
>>723222
Checked.
Most people reduce their expenses, move out of their apartments, put stuff in storage, etc.
I currently have no living expenses.
