wind's Pacific Crest Trail 2025 YOYO

  •   Category Weight
  • Gear
    4.04 lb
  • Shelter
    1.91 lb
  • Sleep
    2.57 lb
  • Clothing - Head
    0.26 lb
  • Clothing - Torso
    1.87 lb
  • Clothing - Hands
    0.13 lb
  • Clothing - Legs
    1.29 lb
  • Clothing - Feet
    2.06 lb
  • Electronics
    1.78 lb
  • Hydration
    0.41 lb
  • Food
    0.31 lb
  • Toiletries / First Aid / Repair
    0.82 lb
  • Other
    0.28 lb
  • Total 17.73
    lb
    • oz
    • lb
    • g
    • kg
  • Consumable 0.24 lb
  • Worn 3.6 lb
  • Base Weight 13.9 lb

Intro

The gear used on my 2025 YOYO of the Pacific Crest Trail, a 7-month roundtrip from Mexico to Canada spanning 5,312 miles.

The stuff listed under #### 𝑭𝑰đ‘ĩ𝑨đ‘ŗ #### is the gear I finished with. The stuff above that line is gear I used at some point during the hike.

NOBO - March 23rd to August 1st (132 Days)

SOBO - August 1st to October 30th (91 Days)

All weights were measured on an OXO Food Scale. Gear is ordered by weight.

What I learned / What I Would Change

  1. Bring snowshoes from the beginning of the High Sierra (KMS) if entering early season (April). Don't wait until Kearsarge. Also figure out a better way to rig it to the back of my pack. I was using shock cords, which did the job, but given the frequency we had to put-on and take-off our snow shoes during some days (dirt/snow/dirt/snow/repeat), some kind of quick-release rigging would be a lot more convenient. Ditto for microspikes (though for microspikes I would often wear them on my sternum strap in such situations).

  2. Use a 40L or greater pack for early High Sierra (April) to accommodate extra layers without the need of a dry bag. My 30L Wapta was more than enough for everything else though.

  3. Always glissade with the hip belt loosened. I broke a buckle glissading down to Sonora Pass because the accumulated snow and pressure broke my hip belt, that was too tightened. Fortunately I was able to repurpose the buckle from a dog leash sold at KMN for my hip belt. On that note: always bring a replacement hip belt buckle in the first-aid/tools kit in case one does break; losing the load-transfer ability of the hip belt puts my shoulders in agony (if my total pack weight is over 15lb, which it almost always was).

  4. Bring a QuadLock armband/wristband + Case for easy smartphone (FarOut) navigation during early season snow travel when there are no boot tracks to follow (if trailblazing). It makes navigation so much less stressful, and allows you to keep your trekking poles always in hand for balancing and safety.

  5. Don't bother with carbon trekking poles anymore; stick with aluminum. I love the lightness, but I had so many break during this trip, and it was always a very big inconvenience to be down a trekking pole (I just rely on poles too much for balance and injury prevention). Having to pitch my shelter with a stick isn't that fun either.

  6. Get a rain jacket that goes at least a few inches below the waist with arms raised above the head, and with waterproof zippers. My rain jacket was neither and let too much water seep in during prolonged rains (mostly Washington).

  7. Get a warmer quilt. I would have generally been warmer and happier at night with a 10F or 0F quilt.

  8. If I follow #5, drop the down midlayer (real or synthetic), except in the early High Sierra (April/May). I mostly wore my midlayer to bed, but if I had a warmer quilt I would have been warmer overall and wouldn't have needed the down midlayer.

  9. Research satellite smartphone compatibility (T-Mobile, etc.) and drop the inReach Mini if possible.

  10. Considering bringing an ultralight/lightweight folding saw for trail maintenance. Silky, Agawa, UKI, Bahco, etc. There's so many times I wish I could have done some trail maintenance while hiking the trail, and it would make the hike feel more interesting and fulfilling (giving back). The weight penalty would be worth it for me, and technically the saw could double as a self-defense tool in the very unlikely necessity.

  11. Keep my microspikes in Oregon if the snowpack is heavy for early Season, as it was this year. I dropped my microspikes in Ashland, but I should have kept them until Washington. There was plenty of snow from Crater Lake until Olallie Lake, particularly some annoying sideways traverses that would have been made a lot easier with microspikes.

Key

(YYYY) = The year I bought the item, not the year it was released.

đŸĒĻ = Dead

⚠ī¸ = Self-Repaired

❤ī¸ = Favorite

🔷 = Spare

🟧 = Conditional (Snow, etc.)