Check out the most recent PCT Gear Guide here.

In an effort to improve Pacific Crest Trail Thru-hiker Survey, I have continued to expand the questions I ask hikers. This year, I have taken an even deeper dive into finding out what gear hikers used, but more importantly, what gear made hikers successful and what gear hikers wanted to burn or throw in the trash (or throw in the trash and then burn).

I've organized the date as best I could, trying to give a comprehensive picture of what gear PCT thru-hikers are using. This post covers the MOST POPULAR GEAR (backpacks, shelters, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, water treatment, stoves, bear canisters), the BASE WEIGHTS of different categories of hikers and how they stack up to one another, the FAVORITE GEAR (same as “most popular”), SHOES, DISLIKED GEAR, NOTES ON GEAR, how much was SPENT ON GEAR, thru-hiker COMMENTS ON GEAR, and finally, a bit of gear ADVICE.

Despite my best efforts, I am sure there are things I missed or things you may want to know about the data, so if anything comes to mind, I would love to hear your thoughts in the form of a comment or email. Also, know that I made a good-faith effort to collect and as much data as I could, but that does not mean there's anything scientific about this post. I did my best to make sure this accurately reflects the data collected from this year's Pacific Crest Trail class and to remove any obviously bad data.

That being said, I hope you enjoy the PCT Gear Guide brought to you by the PCT Class of 2017.

NOTE: A list of the different hiker categories and how they are identified can be found at the end of this post.

THE MOST POPULAR PCT GEAR

With the data we can observe, from a safe distance, what an “average” Pacific Crest Trail hiker's gear list was this year. We'll start where we left off in the survey, review of what we saw First look at the MOST COMMONLY USED GEAR from this year's PCT class.

Remember, this is the most commonly used gear – simply because something was the most used does not necessarily translate to it automatically being the “best” (or even good). Further down we look at what gear hikers DID NOT like, so it might be best to read through the entire post before you go crazy with your gear selection.

NOTE: All the gear in the charts below is listed in order of most common (at the top) to less common (at the bottom).

MOST POPULAR BACKPACK:

The ULA Circuit was the most popular pack for PCT thru-hikers for the second year in a row. It easily fits the BV500 and other bear canisters and carries up to 35 lbs (16 kg) of gear. The satisfaction rating of this pack, according to hikers who used it, was 91%.

BACKPACK PRICE WEIGHT LITERS REC MAX LOAD ACCESS SATISFACTION ULA Circuit $235 41 oz / 1.162 kg 68 35 lbs / 16 kg Top 91% Osprey Exos $220 38.4 oz / 1.089 kg 58 40 lbs / 18 kg Top 88% Hyperlite Mountain Gear Windrider $340 31.08 oz / 881 g 55 40 lbs / 18 kg Top 86% Osprey Atmos 65 AG $260 73.28 oz / 2.077 kg 65 45 lbs / 20.5 kg Top 86% ULA Catalyst $260 48 oz / 1.361 kg 75 40 lbs / 18 kg Top 83%

MOST POPULAR SHELTER:

The Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL2 was the most popular shelter for Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers last year. A lot of hikers also mentioned loving the space of a two-person tent. Something to think about.

TENT PRICE WEIGHT PACKED HEIGHT FLOOR DOORS SATISFACTION Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL2 $390 32 oz / 879 g 4 x 19 in / 10 x 48 cm 40 in / 102 cm 28 ft² / 2.6 m² 1 86% Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL1 $380 34 oz / 964 g 4 x 16.5 in / 10 x 42 cm 38 in / 97 cm 20 ft² / 1.9 m² 1 92% Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 $450 44 oz / 1.25 kg 4 x 19.5 in / 10 x 50cm 40 in / 102 cm 29 ft² / 2.7 m² 2 96% Zpacks Duplex $600 21 oz / 595 g 8 x 14.5 in / 20 x 37 cm 48 in / 122 cm 28 ft² / 2.6 m² 2 89% Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL1 $350 31 oz / 765 g 4 x 19 in / 10 x 48 cm 38 in / 97 cm 20 ft² / 1.8 m² 1 93%

MOST POPULAR SLEEPING BAG:

The Enlightened Equipment Revelation 20° was the most popular sleeping bag for Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers last year (and it's a quilt). This quilt is available as an “off the shelf” model, or is customizable (fill power, length, color) if you want to spend a bit more.

SLEEPING BAG PRICE TEMP WEIGHT FILL FILL WEIGHT SATISFACTION Enlightened Equipment Revelation 20° $285 20°F / -7°C 20.2 oz / 572 g 850-fill duck down 13.63 oz / 386 g 80% Western Mountaineering UltraLite $500 20°F / -7°C 29 oz / 822 g 850-fill goose down 16 oz / 453.6 g 86% Zpacks 20° Sleeping Bag $415 20°F / -7°C 20 oz / 568 g 900-fill goose down 13.7 oz / 388 g 67% Marmot Helium $400 15°F / -9°C 33 oz / 936 g 800-fill goose down 19.8 oz / 561 g 95% REI Igneo 17 $300 17°F / -8°C 31 oz / 879 g 800-fill duck down 15.9 oz / 450 g 94%

MOST POPULAR SLEEPING PAD:

For the second year in a row, the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite was the most popular sleeping pad for Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers this year. In fact, the Therm-a-Rest brand pretty much dominated the entirety of the sleeping pads reported.

SLEEPING PAD PRICE TYPE WEIGHT R-VALUE PACKED THICKNESS SATISFACTION Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite $160 Air pad 12 oz / 350 g 3.2 9 x 4 in / 23 x 10 cm 2.5 in / 6.3 cm 88% Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol $45 Foam 14 oz / 410 g 2.6 20 x 5 x 5.5 in / 51 x 13 x 14 cm .75 in / 2 cm 93% Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite (Short) $130 Air 8 oz / 227 g 3.2 9 x 3.3 in / 23 x 9 cm 2.5 in / 6.3 cm 93% Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol (Short) $35 Foam 10 oz / 284 g 2.6 20 x 4 x 5.5 in / 51 x 10 x 14 cm .75 in / 2 cm 94% Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm $200 Air 15 oz / 430 g 5.7 9 x 4 in / 23 x 10 cm 2.5 in / 6.3 cm 100%

MOST POPULAR STOVE:

The MSR PocketRocket 2 was the most popular stove for Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers last year. However, 18% of respondents said they went stoveless on the trail (something to keep in mind).

STOVE PRICE TYPE WEIGHT DIMENSIONS INTEGRATED POT SIMMER CONTROL SATISFACTION MSR PocketRocket 2 $45 Canister 2.6 oz / 74 g 7.25 x 5 x 4 in / 18 x 13 x 10 cm No Yes 96% Jetboil MinoMo $135 Canister 14 oz / 397 g 5 x 6 in Yes Yes 97% Jetboil Flash $100 Canister 15.25 oz / 432 g 7.1 x 4.5 in Yes No 98% Jetboil Zip $80 Canister 11.75 oz / 333 g 4.1 x 6.5 in Yes No 88% Snow Peak LiteMax $60 Canister 1.9 oz / 54 g 3 x 2.7 x 1.3 in / 8 x 7 x 3 cm No Yes 97%

MOST POPULAR WATER TREATMENT:

The Sawyer Squeeze was the most popular water treatment system for PCT thru-hikers this year (again). Remember, you do not need a treatment for viruses on the PCT (at least that's the word in the mountains).

WATER TREATMENT PRICE WEIGHT TYPE MEDIUM REMOVES DIMENSIONS SATISFACTION Sawyer Squeeze $40 3 oz / 85 g Squeeze/Straw Hollow fiber Protozoa and bacteria 5 x 2 in 95% Aquamira $15 3 oz / 85 g Drops Chlorine dioxide Protozoa bacteria, and viruses N/A 89% Sawyer MINI $25 2 oz / 57 g Squeeze/Straw Hollow fiber Protozoa and bacteria 1 x 5 in / 2.5 x 13 cm 86% Platypus GravityWorks $110 11.5 oz / 326 g Gravity Hollow fiber Protozoa and bacteria Filter: 3 x 7.4 in / Reservoirs: 19 x 8/13.5 x 7.5 in 72% Katadyn BeFree $45 2.3 oz / 65 g Bottle Hollow fiber Protozoa and bacteria 11.3 x 3.5 x 2.8 in / 29 x 9 x 7 cm 85%

MOST POPULAR BEAR CANISTER:

The BV500 was the most popular Bear Canister this year. Bear canisters must be carried north of Lone Pine, but most hikers begin carrying them at Kennedy Meadows They can stopped being used at Bridgeport (but must also be carried in Lassen Volcanic National Park).

BEAR CANISTER PRICE CAPACITY WEIGHT MATERIAL DIMENSIONS APPROVED FOR USE ON PCT BV500 $80 11.5 L 41 oz / 1.162 kg Polycarbonate 12.7 x 8.7 in / 32 x 22 cm Yes BV450 $67 7.2 L 33 oz / 935 g Polycarbonate 8.7 x 8.3 in / 22 x 21 cm Yes Berikade Expedition $350 14.7 L 36 oz / 1.021 kg Carbon fiber 14.5 x 9 in / 37 x 23 cm Yes Garcia Model 812 Backpackers’ Cache $75 10 L 43 oz / 1.219 kg ABS polymer 12 x 8.8 in / 30 x 22 cm Yes Lighter1 Lil' Sami $95 5 L 28 oz / 794 g Polycarbonate 7 x 9 in / 18 x 23 cm Yes

THE MOST POPULAR GEAR LIST

Knowing what we know now, we can begin to assemble a PCT gear list for this year's PCT class. Here's what we've got so far:

The cumulative retail purchase price of this gear list? $1,235. Yes, being a homeless wanderer of the mountains can be a lot more expensive than most people would imagine. Now, let's look at something that nobody but hikers, and more specifically thru-hikers, really cares about: how much all this stuff weighs.

BIG THREE (PACK+SHELTER+SLEEPING BAG): 5 lbs 13.2 oz / 2.644 kg

5 lbs 13.2 oz / 2.644 kg BIG FOUR (BIG 3+SLEEPING PAD): 6 lbs 9.2 oz / 2.984 kg

6 lbs 9.2 oz / 2.984 kg EVERYTHING (MINUS BEAR CANNISTER): 6 lbs 14.2 oz / 3.141 kg

6 lbs 14.2 oz / 3.141 kg EVERYTHING (INCLUDING BEAR CANNISTER): 9 lbs 9.2 oz / 4.303 kg

Obviously, this is still missing a lot of gear (rain gear, warm jacket, headlamp, extra clothing, and whatever else people throw in their packs. However, it doesn't get us anywhere close to the AVERAGE STARTING BASE WEIGHT (that is, pack's weight not including consumables such as food, water, and your poop paper) of this year's thru-hikers: 19.49 lbs / 8.84 kg.

Let's take a closer look at hiker base weight now, shall we?

ALL HIKERS LBS KG BASE WEIGHT (START) 19.7 8.95 BASE WEIGHT (END) 17.02 7.74 % CHANGE 12.67%

THRU-HIKERS LBS KG BASE WEIGHT (START) 19.49 8.84 BASE WEIGHT (END) 16.54 7.5 % CHANGE 14.9%

THRU-HIKE (FINISHED) LBS KG BASE WEIGHT (START) 17.43 7.92 BASE WEIGHT (END) 14.83 6.74 % CHANGE 14.92%

THRU-HIKE (DIDN'T FINISH) LBS KG BASE WEIGHT (START) 21.37 9.71 BASE WEIGHT (END) 18.68 8.49 % CHANGE 12.59%

The drop in base weight between the start and end of all our hiker categories tells us something – people are bringing things they don't need.

It's also interesting to note that hikers who completed the trail began with a base weight that was, on average, 3.94 lbs / 1.79 kg lighter than hikers who did not finish the trail – that's nearly 20% lighter. In fact, the average final base weight for hikers who did not finish is still 1.25 lbs / 0.57 kg heavier than the starting base weight of hikers who finished the trail.

In fact, 73% of hikers who reported a starting base weight of over 30 lbs / 13.6 kg did not finish the PCT. That not enough random data cherrypicking for you? Well, here's a bit more!

21.12 lbs / 9.58 kg – the average base weight of hikers who got off trail due to injury.

– the average base weight of hikers who got off trail due to injury. 0% of hikers with 80+ liter packs finished the trail.

finished the trail. Only 38% of hikers with a starting base weight above the average finished the trail (vs. 48% overall).

Next, let's take a look at how base weights compare between people who were thru-hiking their first long-distance trail and those who had already done a long-distance thru-hike.

FIRST THRU-HIKE LBS KG BASE WEIGHT (START) 20.24 9.18 BASE WEIGHT (END) 16.92 7.67 % CHANGE 16.4%

NOT FIRST THRU-HIKE LBS KG BASE WEIGHT (START) 17.81 8.08 BASE WEIGHT (END) 15.82 7.18 % CHANGE 11.1%

Just as we saw last year, the data again makes a(n unscientific) case for getting your base weight down. That does NOT mean that you have to have a crazy sub-five-pound (2.3 kg) base weight to finish your thru-hike. No, you don't even need to have a sub-ten-pound (4.6 kg) base weight. What you need to do is not bring things you don't need (the cheapest and most effective way to cut your base weight).

Yes, plenty of people can have happy and successful thru-hikes with all ultralight gear. However, people can also have happy and successful thru-hikes with packs much heavier than this arbitrary “average” we've managed to arrive at here. Gear selection is a personal issue, and ultimately, if you're happy to carry something and/or it improves the quality of your hike, then nobody has the right to tell you that you shouldn't have it.

That being said, if the Pacific Crest Trail is going to be your first stab at a long-distance hike and you fall in to the camp of “I have little/no idea what I'm doing/getting myself into”, then there are, of course, strategies to help mitigate your risk of failing to go the distance. One of the best resources reported by this year's PCT class was former thru-hikers. Well, it turns out that this year's class has become “former thru-hikers” and a lot of the gear comments are instructing you, future hiker of the PCT, to think long and hard about what gear you want to bring.

Take some time to think about what you NEED on the trail; not what you want, what you need. Don't say I didn't try to warn you when you decide to bring extra weight and then end up sending everything home (because some of you will ignore this advice and bring a bunch of unnecessary gear, and if you don't then I've done my job).

THE FAVORITE PCT GEAR

We've covered the most common gear from the Pacific Crest Trail this year, but that doesn't necessarily tell us what gear worked best (or didn't work at all). That's why this year I asked hikers whether they were happy with their gear's performance. No point in doing what everyone else is doing if they're all doing it wrong, right?

NOTES ON THE DATA:

I only identified a specific piece of gear as a “favorite” if at least 5% of the hikers in the sample used it (e.g. if four people used Pack X and they all said they liked it, it isn't fair to just say, without acknowledging the size of the sample, that 100% of hikers liked Pack X). Got it? Good.

All the weight (and for backpakcs, capacity) for all the products below are for the product in a size medium (backpacks) or regular (sleeping bags and pads) unless otherwise noted.

(backpacks) or (sleeping bags and pads) unless otherwise noted. Some items that missed the 5% mark were liked by all or a large percentage of the hikers who used them. I feel these items still deserve a mention, so I have denoted them with either HM or Honorable mention .

or . Some items were very much disliked by hikers (relative to other items) and I have denoted these with DM or Dishonorable mention.

FAVORITE BACKPACK:

The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest was the favorite backpack of PCT thru-hikers this year. 94% of hikers with this pack said they were happy with it (I used it on the CDT this year and I'm one of these hikers as well). Read my detailed review of it here.

BACKPACK PRICE WEIGHT LITERS REC MAX LOAD ACCESS SATISFACTION Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest $340 31.08 oz / 881 g 55 40 lbs / 18 kg Top 94% Hyperlite Mountain Gear Windrider $340 31.08 oz / 881 g 55 40 lbs / 18 kg Top 93% Gossamer Gear Mariposa $215 32.7 oz / 927 g 60 35 lbs / 15.88 kg Top 91% ULA Circuit $235 41 oz / 1.162 kg 68 35 lbs / 16 kg Top 91% Granite Gear Crown2 $200 35.7 oz / 1.012 kg 60 35 lbs / 16 kg Top 91%

FAVORITE SHELTER:

The Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 took the top spot in the shelter category. It's a 2-door, dual-vestibule tent that weighs 44 oz / 1.25 kg. It also comes in a more lightweight version (7 oz / 198 g less), the Copper Spur Platinum , that I used on the Continental Divide Trail.

SHELTER PRICE WEIGHT PACKED HEIGHT FLOOR DOORS SATISFACTION Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 $450 44 oz / 1.25 kg 4 x 19.5 in / 10 x 50 cm 40 in / 102 cm 29 ft² / 2.7 m² 2 96% Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL1 $350 31 oz / 765 g 4 x 19 in / 10 x 48 cm 38 in / 97 cm 20 ft² / 1.8 m² 1 93% Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL1 $380 34 oz / 964 g 4 x 16.5 in / 10 x 42 cm 38 in / 97 cm 20 ft² / 1.9 m² 2 92% REI Quarter Dome 1 $280 39 oz / 1.105 g 6 x 18.5 in / 15 x 47 cm 42 in / 106.6 cm 18.9 ft² / 1.76 m² 1 91% MSR Hubba NX $350 39 oz / 1.106 g 6 x 18 in / 15 x 46 cm 36 in / 91.4 18 ft² / 1.67 m² 1 HONORABLE MENTION

FAVORITE SLEEPING BAG:

It seems the Marmot Helium was the favorite sleeping bag for Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers this year). It's rated down to 15°F / -9°C and weight 33 oz / 936 g (filled with 19.8 oz / 561 g 800-fill goose down).

SLEEPING BAG PRICE TEMP WEIGHT FILL FILL WEIGHT SATISFACTION Marmot Helium $400 15°F / -9°C 33 oz / 936 g 800-fill goose down 19.8 oz / 561 g 95% REI Igneo 17 $300 17°F / -8°C 31 oz / 879 g 800-fill duck down 15.9 oz / 450 g 94% Western Mountaineering Versalite $575 10°F / -9°C 32 oz / 907 g 850-fill goose down 20 oz / 567 g 91% Enlightened Equipment Revelation 10° $285 10°F / -9° 20.2 oz / 572 g 850-fill goose down ? HONORABLE MENTION Feathered Friends Egret UL 20 $459 20°F / -6.67°C 28 oz / 799 g 950-fill goose down 17.3 oz / 491 g HONORABLE MENTION

FAVORITE SLEEPING PAD:

For the second year in a row, the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite was the most popular sleeping pad for Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers this year. In fact, the Therm-a-Rest brand pretty much dominated the entirety of the sleeping pads reported.

SLEEPING PAD PRICE TYPE WEIGHT R-VALUE PACKED THICKNESS SATISFACTION Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm $200 Air 15 oz / 430 g 5.7 9 x 4 in / 23 x 10 cm 2.5 in / 6.3 cm 100% Exped SynMat HyperLite $140 Air 13.8 oz / 392 g 2.5 72 x 20.5 / 183 x 52 2 in / 5 cm 95% Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol (Short) $35 Foam 10 oz / 284 g 2.6 20 x 4 x 5.5 in / 51 x 10 x 14 cm .75 in / 2 cm 94% Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite (Short) $130 Air pad 8 oz / 227 g 3.2 9 x 3.3 in / 23 x 9 cm 2.5 in / 6.3 cm 93% Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol $45 Foam 14 oz / 410 g 2.6 20 x 5 x 5.5 in / 51 x 13 x 14 cm .75 in / 2 cm 93%

FAVORITE STOVES, WATER TREATMENT, AND SHOES

This year, I've done a bit of a deeper dive into SHOES. “How many shoes am I going to use on the PCT?” is a question a lot of hikers have before starting their hikes, and it's also a question that cannot be accurately answered before finishing a hike. Even if you knew for certain that each pair of your shoes would last you 700 mi / 1,125 km, buying yourself four pair of shoes at the start of the hike would be a risky decision – what if the shoes aren't as comfortable as you thought? What if your feet swell? What if you die?

Remember, you can buy shoes using this thing called the internet and have them mailed ahead on the trail (to a post office, hotel, local outfitter, trail angel, etc.) once you know that you're going to need a new pair. And if you encounter an emergency situation, you can always buy locally or simply wait around for your shoes to show up in the mail.

But let's return to “how many shoes will I use on the PCT.” The average number of pairs used by FINISHERS was 4.03 (σ = 1.15). But what about shoe-specific numbers? Good question. Here are the average number of pairs used by FINISHERS broken down by brand.

PAIRS USED PER BRAND: Salomon: 3.72 pairs

Altra: 4.12 pairs

La Sportiva: 4 pairs

Merrell: 3.4 pairs

DM Brooks: 4.75 pairs NOTE: 51% of thru-hikers who finished the PCT were wearing Altras .

MOST POPULAR SHOE:

MOST DISLIKED GEAR

That's great that we know what was popular and what hikers liked, but what about what hikers DIDN'T LIKE. That is, what gear might be best to avoid or at least think about carefully before purchasing?

NOTES ON THE DATA: Similar to the favorite gear above, here I only included gear that was used by AT LEAST 5% of hikers.

of hikers. To be considered “disliked” a piece of gear needed to have a satisfaction rating of BELOW 75% .

. Some items were very much disliked by hikers (relative to other items) and I have denoted these with DM or Dishonorable mention.

MOST DISLIKED GEAR: Zpacks Sleeping Bag (67%)

Brooks (71%)

Platypus GravityWorks (72%)

DM: Enlightened Equipment Revelation 20° (78%)

Enlightened Equipment Revelation 20° (78%) DM: ULA Catalyst (83%)

GEAR OBSERVATIONS

Looking through the gear data and the comments left by hikers, a couple of things stood out to me as interesting or repeating. Here's what I managed to fish out of the spreadsheet:

For the second year in a row, there were a lot of hikers ANGRY WITH ZPACKS over the the quality their gear.

over the the quality their gear. As hikes went on, it appears many hikers decided to go STOVELESS (this is exactly what I did at Crater Lake).

(this is exactly what I did at Crater Lake). Lots of hikers expressed an interest or desire to move to a TWO-PERSON SHELTER .

. The average bag temperature of hikers who said their sleeping bag was NOT WARM ENOUGH was 22°F / -5.5°C.

was 22°F / -5.5°C. The general consensus is that you should definitely go lighter, but that you need be beware the super ultralight gear trap; sometimes it's not worth sacrificing durability/functionality/comfort for the sake of a couple more ounces (or grams).

WHERE TO INVEST

So now that we know what was popular, what was liked, and what was disliked, let's look at where this year's class spent their AVERAGE OF $1,561 (σ = $912) on gear before beginning their thru-hikes. Here, we'll also look at the average temperature rating of hiker sleeping bags and how big everyone's packs were.

As a bonus, I've included a look at how these numbers differ between hikers who finished and those who did not finish.

THRU – AVERAGE AMOUNT SPENT ON GEAR | $1,561 (σ = $912)

– $1,561 (σ = $912) THRU ( ON FIRST THRU-HIKE ) – AVERAGE AMOUNT SPENT ON GEAR | $1,695 (σ = $964)

( ) – $1,695 (σ = $964) THRU (NOT ON FIRST THRU-HIKE) – AVERAGE AMOUNT SPENT ON GEAR |$1,263 (σ = $744)

FINISH – AVERAGE AMOUNT SPENT ON GEAR | $1,504 (σ = $848)

– $1,504 (σ = $848) NOFINISH – AVERAGE AMOUNT SPENT ON GEAR |$1,600 (σ = $978)

THRU – AVERAGE SLEEPING BAG TEMPERATURE RATING | 17.8°F / -7.8°C

– 17.8°F / -7.8°C FINISH – AVERAGE SLEEPING BAG TEMPERATURE RATING | 17.5°F / -8°C

– 17.5°F / -8°C NOFINISH – AVERAGE SLEEPING BAG TEMPERATURE RATING | 18.1°F / -7.7°C

THRU – AVERAGE BACKPACK SIZE | 57 L (σ = 9.6)

– 57 L (σ = 9.6) FINISH – AVERAGE BACKPACK SIZE | 55 L (σ = 9.5)

– 55 L (σ = 9.5) NOFINISH – AVERAGE BACKPACK SIZE | 58 L (σ = 9.3)

What's interesting about this? Hikers who finished had slightly warmer sleeping bags and slightly smaller packs on average. This probably doesn't mean anything, but what is interesting is that hikers who finished spent an average of $500 LESS on gear than those who did not finish. Looks like you can't just buy your way to a successful thru-hike.

THRU-HIKER COMMENTS ON GEAR

Hiker comments on gear can be dangerous when looked at indivivually because like so many things on a thru-hike, what gear you bring (and what gear you ultamately love/hate) is a very personal decision. To give you an idea of what I mean, here are two comments from thru-hikers this year:

Switched to Altra Lone Peaks. Best move ever.

Tried the Alta Lone Peak first, but they gave no support and the quality of the soles was really disappointing.

So what are we supposed to believe? Altras are amazing? Altras blow? Personally, I've never used Altras so I can't weigh in on the topic, but I hope you have a good idea of why it's dangerous to take just one random person's opinion (especially mine).

Better to just trust A LOT of random people's opinions.

Fortunately, I have A LOT of data reflecting random people's opinions which means that we can make some slightly more reliable stataments on PCT gear than any single hiker can on their own. Here are some HIKER GEAR COMMENTS that reflect the voice of the majority (or just some gear comments that I found particularly interesting):

I extended my footprint out so that I had a front porch….I loved it.

so that I had a front porch….I loved it. There needs to be a filtering system invented that doesn't suck balls or take a ton of work.

or take a ton of work. It is frustrating to see how much people cared about weight and gear, but didn't know how to use an ice axe or read a river. Outdoor skills should be a bigger focus for the PCT than being ultralight and underprepared.

for the PCT than being ultralight and underprepared. I brought 9 lbs / 4 kg of camera gear. Bring what you need to enjoy your hike (and nothing more).

(and nothing more). Get a warm sleeping bag it sucks to have a bad nights sleep. Try out the backpack it needs to be comfortable Get a warm sleeping bag it sucks to have a bad nights sleep. Try out your backpack – it needs to be comfortable.

Lighter is better as long as it still performs. Don't sweat your choices. Get out and use it before the hike.

I carried a frisbee golf disc from Shasta south. Worth it.

Darn Toughs

LAST WORDS OF ADVICE

And finally, a few more concise tips from the PCT Class of 2017 to take into account before your final gear selection:

Being cold at night sucks.

Good gear is worth the investment .

. Lighter is better (but don't compromise on comfort).

is better (but don't compromise on comfort). Consider getting a 10°F / -12°C bag (or at the very least a 20°F / -7°C bag).

Consider the benefits of a two-person tent (aka a palace).

For more on gear, check out my Ultimate Pacific Crest Trail Packing List.

Here are the labels used to differentiate hiker segments:

THRU : Thru-hikers (all)

: Thru-hikers (all) FINISH : Thru-hikers (all) who completed the entire PCT

: Thru-hikers (all) who the entire PCT NOFINISH : Thru-hikers (all) who did NOT complete the PCT

: Thru-hikers (all) who did complete the PCT NOBO : Northbound thru-hikers (all)

: Northbound thru-hikers (all) NOBO-0 : Northbound thru-hikers who did NOT complete the PCT

: Northbound thru-hikers who did complete the PCT NOBO-1 : Northbound thru-hikers who completed the PCT

: Northbound thru-hikers who completed the PCT SOBO : Southbound thru-hikers (all)

: Southbound thru-hikers (all) SOBO-0 : Southbound thru-hikers who did NOT complete the PCT

: Southbound thru-hikers who did complete the PCT SOBO-1 : Southbound thru-hikers who completed the PCT

If there is ANYTHING you can think of that would make this information more useful (or any more gear-related cross-referencing you would like to see), then please LEAVE A COMMENT and let me know.

HIKING THE PCT NEXT YEAR? ENTER YOUR EMAIL BELOW TO TAKE NEXT YEAR'S PCT SURVEY!

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