Saturday, February 13, 2010

Clothing/shoe systems for the PCT

Here are my clothing/shoe systems for both my long-distance Pacific Crest Trail hikes:

2008 May - July
Campo to N. Cal.
  • Long-sleeved buttoned "desert" shirt (nylon, Columbia brand, like the pockets)
  • Polyester tank top (thrift store, Champion brand)
  • Lightweight bra (Patagonia, little support, just for chafing)
  • 1 pair of underwear (synthetic fabric, Exofficio brand)
  • 1 pair of zip-off pants (Exofficio brand)
  • Wool socks (Injinji toe socks plus one pair thick wool for wearing - 3 pairs total, eventually ditched the thick socks)
  • Down jacket (Patagonia down sweater)
  • Windbreaker (Marmot driclime, lined)
  • Fleece hat
  • Fleece fingerless gloves
  • Heavy wool socks for sleeping (eventually ditched them when it was too hot)
  • Silk long underwear for sleeping (eventually ditched them when it was too hot)
  • Desert hat (Sunday Afternoons brand)
  • Nothing for rain until I found an umbrella
Shoes:
  • Cheap trail runners with goretex--big mistake.
  • Weird hybrid hiking/water shoes, Columbia brand--much better, 2 sizes too big.
  • Montrail Hardrocks--way too much motion control, gave me stress fractures, sent me home.
2009 May - June
Santa Barbara to N. Cal.
  • Long-sleeved buttoned "desert" shirt (nylon, Railriders brand, like the pockets)
  • Polyester tank top with shelf bra (outlet store, Columbia brand) Switched later for nylon thrift shop long-sleeved turtleneck when it turned out to be cold in the Sierras. Switched back to tank top in N. Cal. Used bounce bucket for storage.
  • Same underwear as above
  • 1 pair of zip-off pants (Columbia brand)
  • Cotton tie-dyed skirt in pink (thrift store--for mosquito protection)
  • Wool socks (Icebreaker bicycle socks, other random socks from my drawer - 3 pairs)
  • Down jacket (Patagonia down sweater)
  • Windbreaker (Patagoinia Houdini - unlined, only 3 or 4 ounces!)
  • Fleece fingerless gloves
  • Desert hat (Sunday Afternoons brand)
  • Homemade fleece balaclava
  • Homemade fleece leg warmers for extra warmth
  • Umbrella for rain/sun
  • Chaps (backcountrygear.com)
  • Poncho until Kennedy Meadows for shelter and rain, but didn't use for rain
Shoes:
  • Brooks Cascadia trail runners--perfect (1 or 2 sizes bigger than any shoe sales person will recommend.)
2009 July - August
Oregon to Canada
  • Same desert shirt
  • Same tank top. Switched to same turtleneck for Washington section
  • Same underwear
  • Same pants
  • Same socks
  • Ditched the down jacket
  • Kept the Houdini
  • Same gloves until I lost them
  • Swapped the desert hat for a cap with side curtains
  • Same homemade balaclava
  • Same leg warmers, but now as arm warmers because no down jacket
  • Same umbrella, but it doesn't really work for rain, so I bought a gas station poncho and then it only rained once for 5 minutes
  • Same chaps, they're awesome
Shoes:
  • Brooks Cascadia trail runners--until my feet got too wide.
  • Brooks street runners in a 4E width and a size too big (beyond the normal 1 or 2 sizes bigger than any shoe sales person will recommend). Worked well.

2 comments:

  1. Wouldn't it be nice not to need clothes on the trail, except for socks and shoes? Maybe if I thru hike, and I am alone, I'll try buff hiking. The freedom would be wonderful, but I would want to be alone or with a significant other. I'm not an exhibitionist.

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  2. That is too funny. If only there weren't so many things trying to bite you.

    I actually wish it was the opposite. All we have to wear is clothing and we could go barefoot.

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