What size tent do I need? (My answer is 32+ feet for two people, PMags has a longer and better discussion).
How to decide on a sleeping pad? How to stack pads for warmth.
How long does a mobile device last between charges?
“Saving pounds is cheap; saving ounces is expensive.”
Nothing more needed to say than to tell you what is covered (unlike my normal response to advice where I would spend time disagreeing with and correcting the advice).
Gor-Tex Shoes
There is a lot of discussion about waterproof shoes on-line.
One thing that often gets missed is that modern shoes, in the quest for breathability, often become permeable to sand, dust, dirt, and the ash left behind from forest fires.
Now, not everyone forgets about the issue of “stuff” coming through your shoes. To wit:
To determine if shoes are sand-resistant, it’s best to field-test them (or have someone else field-test them). If you can’t do that, start with the tongue. Gusseted tongues, which connect to the upper on both sides, will keep out more sand. Then perform the “flashlight test” on the upper:
If direct light passes through, keep looking — these models are definitively not sand-resistant.
If some ambient light passes through, performance will likely be so-so. Double-layer meshes will block direct light, but will still allow sand to filter through them.
If no light passes through, you have a winner, at least in this regard.
Breathability and sand-resistance are somewhat mutually exclusive. Ideally, find the most breathable shoe that is still sand-resistant. But if you must favor one characteristic over the other, err towards greater sand-resistance for trips in sandy locations.
Which brings me to the point that waterproof shoes resist the sand, dust, dirt & ash so much better than just about anything else. They are also great for hiking in the rain and in wet grass.
Trail
That said, some caveats.
Some people need to let their feet breath more than others. I was fine doing five mile practice loops in waterproof shoes during a long stretch in Dallas with 100 degree weather. Your feet may sweat too much when it is 40 degrees.
While they are great for rain, wet grass and similar water, if the water comes over your ankles routinely then being waterproof won’t help much and you want fast drying shoes instead.
They usually cost a modest amount more and are not always available for discount option trail runners. E.g. the $51 option used by some BATF groups.
All that said. Topo Ultraventures now come in a waterproof option.
Backpacker Magazine Affiliate Marketing Cash Grab—it is the season.
If a hiker doesn’t have a good pair of boots, they’re not going to enjoy hiking.
When the truth is that your hiker will be so much happier in trail runners than boots.
Otherwise, the list is mostly town wear masquerading as backpacking clothing.
Watch out for “advice” like this from now to Christmas.
The best lighter
Bic
The above lighter is superior in reach and many other ways. I find that it is just not superior enough to be worth the extra size and weight over a Bic mini.
I have started looking for gluten free backpacking food now that my oldest daughter has been diagnosed with severe Celiac Disease.
I started by trying to reformulate (to the extent necessary) Skurka’s meals.
Freeze dried refried beans
Then I found out Gluten Free Backpacking Meals is an Amazon category and a significant market in freeze-dried food. I’m skipping links because a Google search pops up a lot of sources and those sources are constantly updating and evolving.
The new hat is working out. Lighter. Folds (for easy carry in pockets, etc). Equivalent coverage (wider brim but curved, I am not sure how that nets, but it fits better) than my Built-Cool hat. About ten dollars, shipped from Amazon including tax.
Panama Jack (tan, on the bottom) 83 grams
Bucked up (canvas) 92 grams
Hats. In order.
New hat (white) 63 grams
Built Cool (blue) 66 grams.
Best of all, it doesn’t slip down and block my vision like my Panama Jack hat does. If the Panama Jack hat didn’t slip I would not have started looking. It also weighs a little less which is a bonus.
I’m pleased. Panama Jack made me discontent with my Built Cool (which I’ve really enjoyed otherwise). Now I’m back on track.
My most recent poles after just a few hundred miles. Pretty poles though.
To quote Skurka:
The durability of the CMT pole tips is sub-par, even accounting for the intensity of my use. Mine wore down into rounded metal nubs, and their lack of bite was an annoyance on hard-packed dirt trails and a liability on frozen snowfields and glacial ice.
The problem is the tip cap, which consists of a carbide spike embedded into a metal socket. I believe that the metal is too soft, or the spike is too short, or both. Gravel, sand, and other abrasive materials erode away the metal socket, and eventually the carbide tip falls out. The erosion of the socket accelerates from there.
I tried to follow his advice with poor results. It hasn’t been easy for me at all to replace the tips using his methods. All I’ve been able to do is boil & break the ends. Others in the comments at Skurka’s site report the same problem of not being able to replace the tips successfully.
Too bad you can’t just screw in new tips.
The typical tip replacements—they don’t work on other than BD poles though
My hopeful solution is that I’m testing some Zpacks replacements that swap out the lower section. That is my next test. I’m hoping that they last longer. The Zpacks sections are supposed to be interchangeable with many pole ends.
I’ll find out.
Great visit by MAV
Jason Brocar (MAV)
We were lucky enough to have MAV visit. His trail name is MAV for Marine Army Veteran.
He served in both branches. Now he runs ultramarathons when he isn’t hiking.
Gloves—NRS Hydroskins
These seem to have real potential. Used by scuba divers and lighter than wool.
Standard wool gloves—great but not water resistant.
At REI they encouraged me to order them in a large (given the free returns). Yes, I’m getting my next pair from REI so I can return them if I’m unhappy as very aggressively suggested by an REI employee.
Training
Happy6 and I have started training.
Weights twice a week. Ten miles or more three times a week.
That will change up to fifteen eventually and then longer as we get conditioned. We should be able to hit the trails come hiking season with non-exhausting twenties. That will make hiking easier.
Part of training is my currently fifteen pound training pack for some of the daily distance. That weight will go up as will the distance I carry it.
Jolly Gear Sun hoodies — White Topo lightweight fabric sun hoodie
Yes. I’m getting one more, when this pattern is back in stock.
The models (people wearing it) don’t appeal to me but the mild light color really does.
By Jolly Gear
Looking forward to this being back in stock.
Mini 3
I don’t have any reason to upgrade my Mini 2 (which I carry for insurance and as backup), but Happy6 uses her Mini2 a lot and this looks like a perfect upgrade and Christmas present.
I am reviewing the guides with an attempt to give you a feel for the content and the tone of each.
The Pacific Crest Trail by National Geographic, William Gray and Sam Abel.
They believed the trail was 2,400 miles long instead of 2,650 miles long. The guide begins with some personal notes and some history of the trail.
Book cover pristine
When this book was written, the trail was 2/3 complete. The full color pictures are in a hodge podge, but evocative. The writing style is florid, the color photographs plentiful, but often out of context or out of chronological order.
The author(s) averaged ten miles a day on their hike.
Dust cover
The book is really a trail journal with outline section maps. Given that it dates to about 51 years ago or more, that works as well as any other format for a modern reader.
I’ll note that Lassen was having fires even back then. In addition, on the trail Cotton was King.
After an epilogue on page 196, the index begins and the book finishes with a tribute to/listing of the officers and board members and others of the National Geographic Society and National Geographic Magazine.
The Pacific Crest Trail Hiker’s Handbook by Ray Jardine
This guide is by the father of ultralight backpacking. He gets well deserved credit for starting that movement. His guide was written more than 35 years ago and he started originally writing when less than twenty people a year thru-hiked the PCT. As a result, the first 264 pages of his guide are mostly about how to hike long distance.
The guide by Ray Jardine
He deserves grace and appreciation. He had completed three PCT thru-hikes and significant backpacking experience and knowledge prior to writing his guide. Ray Jardine is famous for and is significantly invested (with good reason) in reducing weight and carrying less. This theme gets revisited over and over again in his guide.
He starts by warning that the PCT is a fair-weather trail, aimed at the greatest number of hikers enjoying the trail in good to fair weather. He warns that the route will often require going off-trail to adjust for safer crossings and routes.
He is also a strong supporter of pre-hike training which fits with my experience on the PCT.
Much has changed since his day. He was a fan of corn pasta, something that peaked and then faded. He strongly advised that every tent needed a clothesline. That is no longer the current trend. He advised sleeping bags and was willing to recommend non-down fills and used a closed cell pad. He favored umbrellas which are still with us today. He was a pioneer in hiking in shoes instead of boots.
He had some idiosyncrasies. He favored avoiding coffee on trail (I’m caffeine immune so coffee doesn’t do anything for me), and drinking V8 instead of alcohol. He advised Douglas fir cones over toilet paper.
He really despised large advertising budgets – and I have to admire him for that. (I’ve bolded things that Mr. Jardine really emphasized).
At page 275 he gets into hiking the trail by providing itineraries to replace the six month thru-hike pattern he had observed. He then covers resupply, the need for showers and laundry and provides details about resupply locations (address, distance off trail, when open). By 314 Ray Jardine moves on to discussing ideals and history.
Interestingly enough, the first time the PCT was hiked end to end was by over 14 teams that hiked it in a relay from 1935 to 1937. Surprisingly, the first guide book was published in 1935 by Clinton Clark. Mr. Clark, like Mr. Jardine, really disliked pack and saddle animals. In addition to constantly opposing stock, Jardine spends from page 324 to 336 setting out arguments against horses and stock (including llamas and mules) on the trail and calling for them to be banned.
Clark’s successor, Warren Rogers, was a staunch advocate of horses and mules. In 1972 Rogers published a series of maps of the PCT.
It was then that Wilderness Press began to scout and write their classic guidebooks starting in 1973 with a target of day and week-end hikers.
Ray Jardine also greatly opposed shelters (the PCT has very few of them, unlike the AT), water spigots, and civilized trails. He favored adding AT style painted blazes to the trail.
Finally, about page 343 he provides patterns for do it yourself gear and instructions on how to make gear and how to make and use a tarp. Finally he gets to what he calls the “open sleeping bag” which is a quilt and how to make it. He then goes over how to build a cook fire (now illegal on much of the trail) and how to take down a cooking tripod which finishes his DIY section at page 356.
He then provides equipment lists for himself and his wife (with base weights of 7-8 pounds) and instructions on how to re-enter post hike life, with an index on page 373.
He also has a bibliography and a discussion of the ayatollahs of America.
The Pacific Crest Trail A Hiker’s Companionby Karen Berger & Daniel R. Smith
This is a guide that covers the trail. It is the first of what I would consider a “modern style” guidebook. The authors did 200 miles of the Sierra Section of the PCT on their honeymoon and continued with the PCT thereafter. They’ve hiked over 12,000 miles on the PCT.
Berger & Smith
Like Ray Jardine they presuppose the use of the Wilderness Press trail books for finer details and intend their book as a hiker’s companion. It is not a backpacking primer.
Sample section map.
After some background and basics, they begin with a map from Campo to Pines-to-Palms Highway at page 18, covering the first 153.7 miles of the trail. Description (including the plants and wildlife of the section), the route, advice and history, with an ending TLDR covering seasonal information, resupply, best short hikes and gear tips ends this section at page 39-42.
This pattern repeats, section by section with a good deal of information and detail.
If you’ve hiked the PCT, it is enjoyable to read — this guide is like a trip down memory lane with extra information you probably missed.
For example, I learned that the windmill farm had been there longer than I realized and what Kennedy Meadows South was like before Grumpy Bear’s place opened.
The guide also includes color plates in the middle and black and white prints in the text.
It finishes with an appendix on permits and one on further readings. A comprehensive index begins on page 310.
Yogi’s PCT Handbook Planning Guide.
I recommend it for thru-hikers, especially after you’ve hiked the trail, and for the families of those hiking the trail. The newer version is better for pre-hike use (see below).
Eventually perfect bound instead of spiral bound.
This is first “modern era” guide and is by Jackie McDonnell. https://archive.org/details/yogispcthandbook0000mcdo. It was paired with a town guide. While I’ve been able to find the CDT town guide (and own a copy) I’ve had no such luck with the town guide.
Yogi (Jackie McDonald’s trail name) started thru-hiking with the Appalachian Trail in 1999 and then made an attempt in 2001 on the Pacific Crest Trail that was derailed by injury. In 2002 she thru-hiked the PCT. She journaled her hiking.
Then she did it again in 2003. She thru-hiked the CDT in 2004. Then the PCT in 2007. She obviously was in love with the PCT. Hikers wrote her for advice and carried copies of printouts of her journals.
For perspective on this, Guthooks (now FarOut) did not release a PCT Guide until 2012. Yogi started fielding questions in 2003 and her guide started in 2004. It is written from the perspective a robust trail culture on both the AT and the PCT and with an informed perspective. It is surprisingly useful and pertinent, even today.
She covers how to backpack, but from a PCT oriented thru-hiker’s perspective, which is exactly what you need. She also includes the perspectives of many (21 or more) other hikers, including Billy Goat (who at the time of writing had “only” hiked 29,000 miles – he is still hiking today), and includes information about her perspective hikers, including how many zeros (rest days) they took, when they started and when they finished the trail. One of the hikers, Scott Williamson, has more than 35,000 PCT miles
Unfortunately, Scott Williamson’s website is only available using the Wayback Machine.
The guide starts with a list of websites, after introducing the contributors. It has four pages of links, including: https://web.archive.org/web/20070715000000*/https://pctthruhiker.com/ As long as you use the Wayback Machine you can find all of the websites she lists. They are great links.
In her guide, Yogi then compares the Appalachian Trail to the Pacific Crest Trail from the perspective of exploring which of the trails is best for a hiker to hike on. This is useful in deciding where to hike.
In perspective on considering “isolation” on the trail, I will note that when Happy6 and I were SOBO, we might pass up to 60 NOBOS in a day, many of which thought they were the only NOBO on that part of the trail. They thought they were alone. If there were shelters and campgrounds (like on the AT) they would have been funnelled together.
Hikers get spread out on the PCT and if they are hiking at the same rate can go days between seeing another hiker going the same way once they leave the Sierra Section.
In addition to which trail to hike, she goes over whether NOBO or SOBO is the way for you. She then goes on to discuss permits and her information is still good today. Happy6 and I have had our permits asked for and checked on the PCT more than once. Like others, Yogi also recommends the Wilderness Press guidebooks.
Yogi also warns that reroutes and closures are a regular part of life on the PCT (for those who think that is a recent thing, she was warning about this twenty years or more ago).
She then covers ideal start and finish dates. This is important information. That is followed by various details, including places you can do an on-line journal for free, which she recommends (and Yogi is right on this point).
Next is a gear discussion. It is interesting to compare gear discussions through the years to see how much has changed and what has not.
By the time of this guide, flashlights were out and headlamps were starting to be universal. Lightweight gear had gone from Ray Jardine’s “sew it yourself” to there being numerous companies. Of the companies listed by Yogi, only one is out of business now.
Fall on the Wasatch Front
The gear recommendations are still worth looking at, including the first aid suggestions and other thoughts. Pag 54 to 97 covers gear. Some of the suggestions are outdated, but others are still good and all of them generate perspective.
At page 98 the guide starts discussing the various terrain types, starting with the desert. The guide then discusses trail towns and at page 136 gets into random advice. Of that advice, I can very much second rinsing your socks out before you wash them.
At Page 142 the guide covers maildrops and resupply. It has a great chart at 158-161, and talks about food at 164ff. Note that corn pasta is completely absent.
Still excellent. 416 pages of guidance and maps. I reviewed as a true review of it at https://adrr.com/d20/2026/06/26/yogis-guide-pacific-crest-trail-handbook-2020-2021/ I strongly recommend this guide to those considering a hike. The review on this page is a context review, of how it fits in with other guides and so is very short.
The newer version
Interestingly enough, Yogi added comments and input from new hikers to her guide. However, the core differences between this and the earlier guide are the updated materials and the trail tips and town guide starting on page 145. The guide includes resupply summaries for every stop, maps for every city (with guides), that extends from 145 to the end of the book at page 416.
Sadly, the new guides I have been able to find, and even made the mistake of buying, are AI slop fests. They contain contradictions, lack specific details and are painful when not dangerous. I thought the ghost written guides were bad (such as the one that recommends hammocks for the times you are above the tree line — wherre there is no place to hang a hammock).
The new AI drafted ones are worse than the ghost written mulch. Much worse.
Afterword—the wilderness guides — 1973 to 2020
Oregon & Washington Guide
The first 7-8 editions work into strongly advising against thru-hiking and generally advised a couple weeks or less (4 to 12 days) at a time.
They were firmly in the camp of preparing dinner inside your tent (a very bad idea) and large (heavy) tents.
Map from guide
The planning section includes weather and food/resupply notes.
Like Ray Jardine they advise against cotton but unlike him they are firmly in favor of boots. They also are firmly in the tradition of snowshoes and snow skis being used on the trail. That is a window into the past.
At page 37, after a section on natural history, there is an explanation of how to use the guide.
The rest of the guide is broken into sections and each section covers:
Pre-hike preparation and informationincluding setting up compass declination and mileage.
Route description.
Topographic maps. These are universally not well regarded.
Text and map cross references.
Map of Wilderness Press section A.
There are 12 trail chapters.
Forum comment
Many black and white pictures.
At page 331 there are recommendations for further reading and then an index.
The Arizona Trail has a very detailed official guide that is almost all about the trail https://aztrail.org/explore/guidebook/. It is useful for comparison.
We ran into Nahamsha on the Appalachian Trail and YouTube served up a video channel. Kind of presented an update. Always good to see people doing well.
PMags strikes again with an excellent essay (or why I’m providing a link rather than an essay of my own). Note that BRS performance is affected by wind and pot size. We are still using our BRS but our use is specific to our pot and generally low-wind conditions.
Third, https://lightheartgear.com/products/rain-jackets-new — I just don’t trust my Visp, especially after some heavy rain recently. I’ll be testing it more in the winter rains. But in Gettysburg recently it seemed like it was wetting out. I’m really tempted.
I’ll do the shower test first. (Shower test, put on dress shirt. Then wear rain gear in shower for five minutes. Wait five more minutes and then check for water penetration.)
Paw prints.
Fourth, https://zpacks.com/products/nrs-hydroskin-gloves — in a size larger than the pair I have. Warm. Light. Works in the rain. I have -33 Degree Wool gloves that are pretty good but worry about the rain. At REI — so I can try them out for size in store this time.
Overall they are very attractive.
The ladder on the Appalachian Trail near Dartmouth.
Link to Gaia Maps with gpx files Gaia requires a free account to download.
direct gpx download Heads up, this is a large gpx file.
While I was on the CDT in 2023 I compiled a ton of gpx tracks for the full trail and alts. I also made waypoints for water and camping on some of the alts that I took up north. If you’re interested in downloading it I’ve shared it on Gaia in hopes that it can help out others.
It includes, CDT redline, Great Divide Mountain bike trail, Ley alts, Colorado trail (collegiate east), Big sky/Butte Super cutoff – Mega GPX, Big Sky Alt – Keebler and Crew (includes a lot of useful waypoints for water and camping), And I made gpx lines for most of the alts listed on guthooks.
Gaia Maps can be a really useful addition to Guthooks because it lets you make your own alts and navigate off the red line. Sometimes you can avoid paved road walks with side trails and dirt roads as well, especially on lesser known alts.
I also recommend paying for the Gaia year subscription if you choose to use that app in conjunction with Guthooks. It adds a lot of useful features like downloading more detailed maps offline and map layers like snow depth (this was great for gauging snow pack in Colorado!) and active fires and smoke. Also turn on the mile markers in settings to help calculate distances between points. If you have any questions about Gaia Maps, I went pretty deep on my hike so I’d be happy to answer questions.
I also found this cool new service which I wished I had on our hike that forwards severe weather alerts and fire warnings to your Garmin automatically. https://adionaalert.com
P.S. A lot of these tracks have been made by others and I just found them online and added them to this collection.
…I’ve used Feathered Friends bags with Happy6 and we are now using Loco Libre quilts that she added snaps to so we can snap them together. I like them.
…I’m using heavyweight Darn Toughs right now. Darn Toughs have taken over the market due to their warranty. That is a dramatic change over the last ten years from when there was a lot of competition.
… the quality (how well it filters) of the filter isn’t quite good enough for me. Gear Skeptic really got my attention. Either Sawyer or Katadyn filters or Aqua Tabs.
…we have microspikes we like and that were well rated. Ratings aren’t always the same every year or a reliable guide. Something I had to learn. We got lucky in that our microspikes have worked well for us.
Next year I have hope that we will have a good year.
I am planning on serious training to get ready for next year. This year I didn’t train enough. I’m hoping for one more year as I’m aging.
My plan is for weight training twice a week and then hiking three times a week. For the hikes I plan on doing fifteen miles trail with a backpack. That is my current plan.
Just a warning about some rankings and websites out there.
I’ve three pairs. Two in different sizes of light khaki and one in sage. I lost weight and decided to size smaller.
Pricewise they are about $30.
88% nylon 12% spandex. Rapid drying. Light weight fabric in a rip stop weave. Caveat: they are sized a little larger than advertised.
The sage has a different button at the waist than the light khaki. Both have breathable mesh pockets. The Sage ones wear very well. My khaki ones developed holes in the left front pocket in less than a week.
Happy6 repaired that for me and it seems fine now.
Since I wear pants > shorts for protection from the sun and from brush I like them regardless of how well the zip offs work.
Fall colors in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Note: there are numerous vendors for what look like the exact same pants more or less. The price points are between $20 and $40. That puts them much less expensive than the $80-$120 similar pants run at an outfitter.
The pockets are harder to use. The DWR works. (REI flips around on DWR or not and pocket design). I own a pair that fit me when I’m a little thinner.
DWR is+/-. In some situations it is nice to have your pants repel water. For light rainfall it is great. For times you sweat, maybe not. Dirt doesn’t attach as fast.
These new ones are not as true to size as the Union Bay pants I’ve tried. On my last trails I wore my PrAnas. Their alternative to zip offs doesn’t work for me but since I need sun and brush protection it didn’t matter.
The PrAnas are a warmer pant.
Today for looking at the fall colors and a short walk, I wore my new light khaki pants. I was pleased enough to make this blog entry.
My full zip micro grid fleece
Once a fleece layer weighed 18-20 ounces. Then micro grid fleece layers were invented and weights dropped to under twelve ounces.
Years ago everyone suddenly had a full zip micro grid fleece they were selling. Then this was the only one available. Then there were none (not available warning at link) in.
As a result I try to always try shoes on at an REI with a backpack and 20-30 pounds of sand bags for weight.
** seven thousand trail miles later my feet still have not expanded. Other people go up a size or two. You just can’t know. At least my dress shoes still fit me.
Survey results show sometimes 50% to 75% of respondents not reporting foot size changes. PCT: 56.4% – Didn’t change shoe size. CDT: 75.7% – Didn’t change shoe size (but they probably thru hiked another trail and size may have changed then).
This is why survey after survey warns readers not to buy all their shoes for the trail in advance.
Sunset
** watch out for shoes being “improved.” Generally a shoe when “improved” will go from being reliable to either having a vastly different fit or go from lasting 600+ trail miles to collapsing in much less distance than that.
Generally improvement can mean actual improvement or it can mean reduced lifespan (so you buy more shoes) or it means revamping a shoe to fit a different demographic.
** any shoe/boot that actually locks in/supports your ankles will torque your knees.
Shoes with ankle give protect your knees but often stress your ankles.
“Active” shoes make the shoe more responsive but less stable.
Sunset
** some people’s feet sweat much less than others. I used to do 5-6 mile loops in 100 degree weather in Dallas and had no trouble. Others need to wring their socks out when walking in 80 degree weather.
Will goretex or a proprietary version work well for you? On the Appalachian Trail I preferred being protected from early morning dew and wet trails. I rarely worried about water coming over the tops outside the Hundred Mile Wilderness.
Shoes that breathe less also keep more dust/dirt out. You need to find out what works best for you. Section hikes and shakedowns are your friend.
Big Rock/Little Rock tent pitch
** shoe fit is surprisingly personal. That makes it so that there isn’t a “best” shoe that can be recommended for everyone. For survey results:
“With 93 participants using Altras and 85 wearing Topos, these two brands alone accounted for nearly two-thirds of the footwear in this year’s survey. Hoka trails at a distant third with 27 users.”
“What may be the objectively best choice for one person could easily be the objectively worst choice for another. The “best thru-hiking shoes” are the ones that work best for the individual. Don’t be afraid to try multiple models from multiple brands to find the most comfortable shoe for your foot.”
While I own a pair of Moab 3s, I walk and hike in Topos. If I hiked more “Christmas” trail (the rocky kind of trail that should come only once a year, like Christmas does) I’d probably wear the Moab 3s.
But made me think of gear changes. The chest bag was really convenient but it slowed down putting my pack on and off and it was really warm. It now lives in the gear closet.
