John Kelly's PCT Solo with Notes for Ken

  •   Category Price Weight
  • Pack $220.00
    1.06 lb
  • Shelter $295.00
    1.1 lb
  • Sleep $423.00
    1.53 lb
  • Ditty Bag $105.00
    0.52 lb
  • Food (no cook) $23.00
    0.43 lb
  • Water $32.00
    0.34 lb
  • Electronics $387.00
    1.23 lb
  • Worn Clothes $300.00
    0 lb
  • Packed Clothes $570.00
    1.31 lb
  • Total $2355.00 7.51
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Hey Ken, before you look through the list I wanted to share a couple explanations on decisions I have made throughout this list, most of which may seem a bit crazy. First off, and before anything, this list is in accordance with the conditions of the trail. I have made gear decisions based on what I expect to face out there. For instance, my tarp is pretty minimal (small dimensions, tapered) but I decided to add 6+ ounces of bug protection gear. This is because SOBO hikers often face very little rain but in Oregon and Northern California, there will likely be high bug pressure. If I was expecting more rain I would've brought a tent. Second to the conditions is my plan for the trail. I intentionally want to go light and fast, and I'm essentially forced to do this by the timeline of going Southbound. In the more difficult sections of the trail (Washington and the Sierras) I expect to do 20-30 miles per day, and on the easier sections (Oregon, Northern California, and the Desert) I expect to do 30+. I plan to do this by hiking at a steady clip, taking few breaks, and hiking for most of the day. I know that this is ambitious, especially considering that I have very little experience, but I'm planning on doing a number of shakedown hikes this spring when it gets warm. I want to be able to comfortably do 30 miles a day in WNC, which has terrain that is much more difficult than the PCT generally is. Also, at the beginning of summer (I'm expecting to start the PCT in mid-July) I'm going to do a 4-7 day trip for conditioning. Regardless of that, here is my explanation for the choices in each section:

Pack:

This is a fairly minimalist pack, similar to something like the MLD Burn or the Zpacks Nero (but it does have a bit more durability in its construction). It is frameless and comes with no hipbelt to increase mobility. This pack usually gets uncomfortable at 23 pounds, and I'm hoping to keep it at less than 20 for the total pack weight for most of the trail. The only place where I see this being an issue is the desert section where I might need to carry up to 5 liters of water. I might switch out packs at Kennedy Meadows if I see this being a problem in the water reports. There are also a substantial amount of water caches, but I don't want to rely on these being there at all because it is so late in the season.

Shelter:

I wrote a decent amount about the tarp and the bivy for each description, but basically, I'm expecting to just pitch the bivy for most nights in the trail. It has head and foot attachments so I see it as more of a very small net tent with huge bathtub floors rather than a bivy.

Sleep:

I sleep cold, and also I feel like the Alsek will be very versatile for future trips. This is probably the most conservative item I have. I like this because if everything goes terribly wrong I will be able to bunker up in relative comfort for a while. As for the pad, I wrote my justification in the item description.

Ditty Bag:

I feel like everything here is fairly self-explanatory and the things that might give the most concern are the items I don't have. The biggest thing would probably be navigation. I'm not planning on bringing a map and compass because I feel extremely comfortable with the electronic systems I have. I bought Guthooks and have the app on my phone, which I will use as a primary means of navigation. My phone will always have a GPS signal for the trail. I also will also download all Gaia GPS maps for my phone, as well as the halfmile maps if things go wrong with Guthooks. In addition, my parents want me to bring a GPS unit, so I've decided on the InReach mini, which has mapping capabilities. If I were to lose my phone or if it were to stop working, this has a built-in compass and mapping system with all USGS topo maps pre-downloaded on it. It also has an SOS beacon if things were to really go south. I also have a large power bank to recharge these devices. If I were just using this system on a backcountry route that had very little traffic, I would be concerned, but from research I've found that the PCT is well marked and has a growing number of people attempting it. Obviously a map and compass wouldn't weigh very much, but the problem is that the trail is so long that it is difficult to have detailed maps without it getting heavy. Most of the guidebooks with topo maps in them are 10+ oz.

Food:

Adding a cooking system would add roughly 11oz at the minimum. I've looked into some popular food plans and I'm feeling pretty comfortable doing no cook. I don't drink coffee, so the only thing I feel like I would be missing out on is hot rice, beans, pasta, and bag foods. I want to experiment with cold soaking on some shakedown hikes this fall. If its absolutely vile I will suck it up and bring the stove, but I really don't want my pack weight to creep up to 10 pounds because I would be concerned about maxing it out. I also don't want to be stupid with the food storage, but I feel like hanging food inside OPSaks is pretty safe considering a lot of hikers sleep with their food that isn't even in an OPSak. Also, to build upon my confidence with the food system, I will eat dinner at least a mile before I camp every night so that the scent won't be as strong.

Packed Clothes:

I'm still deliberating if I want to bring a light fleece just for Northern Washington and the Sierras. I hike considerably hotter than most other people. For instance, I went on a really cold 20-mile hike this winter and I always consistently wore 1-2 fewer layers than my dad who was with me. I was comfortable in an R1 grid fleece for that, and there's no way that the PCT will be even close to that cold during the daytime. Puffy jackets suck for active use though, but I suppose that it'll be fixed by a light wind jacket to bridge the gap. I'm still not sure about a fleece for the colder sections though.

green star=large purchase that I don't have yet yellow star=small purchase that I don't have yet