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.