2012 PCT Hike - Gear Review 2 - Clothes

Clothes

Philosophy: There's a lot of very expensive backpacking clothes. I wouldn't buy expensive clothes unless I knew exactly what I wanted. I don't know how you'd know this without a lot of testing. The trip took place in the hot month of August.

Underwear - Starter 9” Underwear/Trunks, $10 each from WalMart

I don't want to deal with chafing, and I want underwear to help me deal with that. I basically had no problems with chafing on this trip. One caveat: I previously had chafing problems when it rained and it didn't rain on this trip. Eric Valentine recommends BodyGlide for my feet – of course it's also used for chafing, so if I use the Bodyglide I really shouldn't have problems in the future.

Verdict: Excellent, not interested in anything else.

Shirt – Long Sleeve White shirt with a giant Bear, from WalMart

I like the advantages of white, long sleeve shirts (they retain sweat making it cool when it's hot, add a heat layer when it's cold, and keeps sun and mosquitoes off, while the white reflects heat and makes mosquitoes easy to spot). After the hike I found a shirt that I want – a Columbia Sportswear Long Sleeve Base Layer “Insect Guard.” However, at $70 retail I'm waiting for a sale.

Verdict: Looking to upgrade to the Columbia shirt.

Pants - Cabela Bug Skinz Bugproof lycra pants

Instead of running shorts I like long “pants” for the same reasons I like long shirts. The lycra pants were very light and I liked them fine, but between the Shirt and the Pants I didn't have any pockets, and I needed them. The Cabela pants were not mosquito-proof. The pants were a hunter flavor of camouflage, I would have preferred white.

Verdict: Good, but I need to get pockets either on the pants or somewhere else.

Sunglasses - $10 polarized fishing sunglasses, from WalMart

I used lightweight half-frame polarized sunglasses . I was very happy with them, and as I left them on a tree I liked the $10 price. I wasn't sure I wanted sunglasses, but after hiking without them for a day and a half, I think they're important.

Verdict: Excellent, not interested in anything else.

Shade Hat – Garage Sale Special

Lightweight full round brim. The brim was a little small as was the fit. I found the hat at a garage sale and cut up the inside to make it larger and lighter. However, it was still a pinch small. The brim was a little small too. If I had lighter skin I'd insist on a larger brim, but for me it was fine.

Verdict: Good, happy to take again but I'll keep looking.

Warm Hat – Garage Sale Special

Wool, Very stretchy, a smidge small. I bought a Summer Buff but it was too small. I was happy with my hat, and I'll probably take it on my next trip.

Verdict: Good, happy to take again but I'll keep looking.

Rain/Wind Jacket – Garage Sale Special

It's a little heavy (just under a pound) but it's wind proof, water proof, and provides warmth.  I take one thing where some take several lighter things.

Verdict: Good, happy to take again but I'll keep looking.

Socks – WalMart/Dollar Store

2 pairs of Dollar Store dress socks, 1 pair of low-cut socks. I wore 2 pair of socks at a time. I didn't have a good way of drying my socks while hiking, so under the same conditions I'd take one more pair of socks. The low-cut socks scrunched my toes together. Two different thru-hikers suggested toe-socks which would keep my toes separated. I also forgot to clip my toenails before the trip :(

Verdict: Will switch to toe-socks, but not sure which ones yet.

Shoes – Vasque hiking shoes, 1 size too large.

Verdict: Good, will continue to use until I finish the Oregon PCT.

Gaiters - Dirty Girl Gaiters
They helped keep crud out of my socks - I didn't get any until the 3rd day.  Between the gaiters, my socks, and the long lycra pants I didn't have any skin showing.
Verdict: Excellent, not interested in anything else.

Watch 
I carefully took the band off the watch and kept the watch in a pocket to save weight.  This was a mistake.  What I found out is that the way many PCTers know where they're at on their map is this:  get to a landmark on the map, note the time, know about how fast you hike.  This helps them not miss as many water sources as I did.  The point is that you need to reference your watch a lot and it's better to have instant access.   To me, a watch is one of the most philosophically challenging items to get.  If you have a watch that does everything with a phone that does everything are you really getting the nature experience you want?  Seriously, I don't know.  I do think I'd like a watch that at least has an altimeter, though.  Note:  I bought a fancier watch from Big 5 a couple of years ago, but it takes batteries that WalMart doesn't carry so next time I'll make sure that whatever I get does take standard watch batteries.
Verdict: OK, but still figuring out exactly what I want.

What was left Behind:

Going cookless, the plan was to walk all day, pitch a tent at night, and go straight to sleep. Because of this I didn't need a lot of clothes. However, I ended up spending some time with other hikers and I got a little cold just standing there. I didn't run into many mosquitoes.

Gloves – didn't need them.

Rain/Warm Pants – didn't need my long nylon pants, but may be a luxury worth having.

Down Vest – didn't really need it, but it would have been nice (even as a pillow).

2012 PCT Hike - Gear Review I

I went 120 miles in 5 days, turning my feet in hamburger in the process.  However, it was a good opportunity to determine the actual usefulness of much of my gear.  I thought I'd start reviewing the gear by focusing on the Big 3.  A note about costs.  All of this stuff goes on sale from time to time, so I just checked google every couple of weeks throughout the year to get the cheapest price.  So, I paid less than the prices listed below.

Tent: Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1
Specced at 30 oz., it is one of the lightest 1-man tents available.  It is currently listed at $320 and I remember when I bought it that I felt like I was blowing my budget a bit on the tent.  I never used the rainfly on this trip, and some of the thru-hikers I met said that they hadn't run into rain in the 1700+ miles they had gone.  Some of the thru-hikers were envious of my tent.  It is easy to set up, and since I laced the tent pegs around the laces like you're obviously supposed to, set up was very quick and easy.  So far I've completed 3 PCT sections (about 180 miles) and I haven't had any problems with the quality of the tent materials.  The downside of the tent is that I can't sit up in it without rubbing my head against the top (I'm 5'10").  If the tent was only a little bigger or I was 3 inches shorter, I wouldn't have this problem.  Of course, if it was a little bigger, it would also be a little heavier, and I was in an ultralight state of mind when purchasing, so I might've bought another tent.  Would I buy it again?  I'm not sure.  If I was 5'7" or shorter, I would buy this tent and never look back.  If I were 6'0" or taller I would buy the UL2 (same tent but in 2-man version).  At 5'10" I think the UL1 might be better for thru-hiking and the 4 extra oz. UL2 is better for section hiking.  I will end up doing my section hiking than thru-hiking in my life, so if I had to do it again, I'd probably buy the UL2.
Grade: B+

Sleeping Bag:  Mountain Hardwear Ultralamina 32
Synthetic Bag rated at 32 degrees F, weighing 31 oz., and it currently listed at $200.  I wanted to get the lightest synthetic bag on the market.  Why synthetic?  I live in Oregon - home of the free, land of the rain.  Modern down sleeping bags are made with water repellent materials making them difficult to get soaked.  Of course if they do, you're in trouble.  If you've read this blog about my previous exploits, you'd understand that I need the peace of mind of one fewer thing that can go wrong (that and the fact that a good down pack costs about $400).  This model is basically the lightest synthetic bag on the market.  Was the bag warm enough?  Yes, absolutely.  The temperatures got down to the mid 30s some nights.  I was ready to put a cap on my head and socks on my feet, but I didn't need to.  In fact I slept without clothes at all.  What made the bag so light?  Besides the technology of man-made fibers, the bag was small - not head to toe, but side to side - like claustrophobia small.  There was no way I could touch my knees with my hands while inside the bag.  I didn't mind sacrificing some size for the weight savings, but not everyone would feel that way.  Would I buy this bag again?  No.  I plan to do most of the backpacking in the summer - here's the problem.  The bag has 2 side zippers which go down you your waist.  I could not unzip the bag and use it as a quilt.  I had lots of blister problems and my feet were radiating heat - even at night.  The bag acted like an oven.  If I had a full zipper on one side I could have unzipped it completely poking my feet out at the bottom.  If they had a full, one-sided zipper, I would absolutely buy it again.
Grade: B-

Backpack:  GoLite Jam
Weighs 31 oz.  It's a very good pack.  The Dyneema Mesh makes this backpack rainproof and bulletproof.  Seriously, from all accounts this pack can last a lifetime.  Don't be tricked by lighter packs.  They are lighter because they are made of flimsier material or they have taken out some of the features of the Jam.  For example, some have no chest belt or shoulder belt in order to make them ultralight.  No problem if you have the Jam and don't want these things, just cut them off.  Some don't have a sleeve for a hydration bladder.  Again, this can be cut off.  Ditto for loops to hold trekking poles.  If you know exactly which of about 8 different things you want and don't want on a backpack, get the pack that has exactly what you want.  The truth is that unless you've backpacked for 1000 miles or so, you don't know exactly what you want.  I'm still unsure of the issue of hiking poles for example.  Even though I don't use a hydration bladder and never will, I made good use of the sleeve on this trip.  Put another way, I feel this is probably one of the best first packs to own, especially if you're comfortable enough to carefully cut out the parts of the pack you don't want.  It's the right size and one of the cheaper packs out there.  It does have a few little problems I won't go into, but one big problem that I haven't fixed yet - the pack does not have any external mesh pockets.  I found no good way to get wet socks to dry while hiking with this backpack.  With all of this build-up, of course I would buy this pack again, right?  Probably not.  If money were a serious issue, I would buy this pack again, but Six Moons Designs makes a similar Dyneema back with lots of external mesh pockets.  However, I'd really like to see one of these emptied so that I could make sure it had the features I liked in the Jam to make a definitive judgment.  If you're a masochist, you should watch this youtube video - but be warned, while it's a good review of Jason Klass's favorite packs of all time, the result of the video is that there is no perfect backpack.
Grade: B+

Ground Cloth:  Tyvek
Cost: $0.  I saw some construction workers building a structure a block from my house and asked them to give me the let overs.  I can't imagine wanting a different ground cloth.  The only problem is that my tent doesn't have an obvious bottom so it's hard to figure out where to cut it, and my experience with the rain is that you don't want it too large.
Grade: A

Mattress Pad: Therm-a-Rest Z Lite (short)
Weighs 10 oz.  Scott Williamson uses a 1/8" thick pad and I've been eying a similar (but thicker) pad to get some weight savings.  However, on this trip I went from liking this pad to loving it!  I strapped it on the outside of my pack, and was able to quickly get it out and use it as a sitting pad.  There's just not a lot of good sitting places on the PCT, and with this pad I was able to sit anywhere within moments.  Before this trip I thought sitting pads were for wimps.  I've completely changed my tune.  As a bonus, I even used the pad to elevate my feet when staying at a "rustic" cabin.  Would I buy this pad again?  Absolutely, even at 10 oz. (as long as I have a pack that I can strap it on the outside).
Grade: A-

Two Weeks in the Summer

Last 2 weeks... Lyn gets off work at 2, Leave La Grande for Wilsonville, spend night at Gary's house (Lyn's brother), drove to Mcminnville, go to Evergreen Space Museum Water Park, drove to PDX and back for Class Reunion, Drove to Seiad Valley, California, Hike for 120 miles in 5 days (24 miles/day), meet lots of cool “thru-hikers”, turn feet to hamburger, rest for 2 days, get Lyn to call an old friend from high school to drive 40 miles and pick me up (she lives in Medford), take a shower at my host's request! Spend the night talking and watching Olympics, get on Greyhound Bus, sit 2 seats from a guy who talks loudly to himself – he starts talking about hurting people, and he has a gun, which turns out to be a Zippo Lighter which the bus driver takes away, arrive in PDX after 8 hours, get picked up by my dad at the bus station, get to his house, take off my shoes and not put them on for 4 days, watching the Olympics and talking to my dad all day, every day, get picked up by Lyn, drive to Linfield, drop off a bunch of stuff for son Sylvan, visit Grammy, drove to Salem, visited Lyn's old high school friends Mark & Cheryl and Karen (good times guys), went to Lyn's brother's house, spent night, drove to WOU, saw Dale's final concert for his weeklong Jazz camp (Dale got another award, only one I know about at the entire camp), drove to sister Alice's for family get together, stay for 1.5 hours, drive back to La Grande arriving at 1 AM – sleep! Feet.Still.Hurt.