The research and decision making process leading up to my PCT: Oregon conquest has been incredibly time-consuming. Without a doubt, I have spent far more hours planning this trip than I'll actually spend on the trail. It has been both exciting and stressful all wrapped up into a ball of tremendous anticipation. Things originally thought as "needs" quickly transform into "wants" when their overall weight, size and practical value is considered over a 458 mile trail. As a result, counting ounces turns into counting grams, and the overall weight of individual items becomes a very high priority. Because of these realities weighing (pun intended) heavily (again!) on my mind, my final pre-trip base-weight (everything but food/water/fuel) is hovering around just 10lbs. I am only taking what I NEED, and not much more, and I'm down with that.
Being that I have just 5 days before I'm dropped off at the trailhead, my time is very limited. Once I'm back and have acquired some long-term impressions of my gear selection/performance, I'll post some more in depth thoughts on gear. In the meantime, here's two pictures... One shows all of my unpacked gear I'll be taking laid out, and the other shows my pack loaded and ready to go.
Additionally, for you gear-freaks, check out my GEAR LIST for details on every piece of gear I'll be taking on the trail. If you find the embedded list too difficult to navigate, I have made the spreadsheet available via Google Docs as well. Check it out HERE.
Being that I have just 5 days before I'm dropped off at the trailhead, my time is very limited. Once I'm back and have acquired some long-term impressions of my gear selection/performance, I'll post some more in depth thoughts on gear. In the meantime, here's two pictures... One shows all of my unpacked gear I'll be taking laid out, and the other shows my pack loaded and ready to go.
Additionally, for you gear-freaks, check out my GEAR LIST for details on every piece of gear I'll be taking on the trail. If you find the embedded list too difficult to navigate, I have made the spreadsheet available via Google Docs as well. Check it out HERE.
All gear + 2 days of food for PCT: Oregon
Somehow fits into this little 48L pack!
