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).