Hit 1,000 miles on the PCT this summer and it changed how I pack

I was tracking my miles on the Pacific Crest Trail and when I crossed 1,000 near Belden Town I realized my pack weight had dropped by almost 8 pounds from the start. At first I brought way too much gear, like a heavy camp chair and extra clothes I never used. Around mile 600 I started mailing stuff home and swapping for lighter stuff like a smaller cook kit. Has anyone else noticed their gear load shifting a ton after a certain mileage milestone?

2 comments

2 Comments

blair_davis5019d ago

Yeah man, that 8 pound drop sounds about right, I had pretty much the same thing happen on the Arizona Trail a couple years back. Started out with a 45 pound pack thinking I needed everything, and by the time I hit 300 miles I was down to maybe 37 just from finally admitting I didn't need two kinds of camp soap and a backup water filter. The big one for me was swapping my sleeping pad from that thick insulated one to a thin foam pad, saved a ton of weight and I actually slept better because it didn't slide around. You really don't know what you actually use until you're a few weeks in and realize you've never touched half the stuff in your pack. I ended up keeping a log of every single item I used in a day and if I didn't touch it for a week straight, out it went with the next town resupply. Sounds like you figured out the same lesson the hard way, but that's how you learn what really matters out there cause everyone's setup is different.

cameron77019d ago

Funny you mention the Arizona Trail, I hiked a chunk of it back in 2018 and ended up ditching my rain jacket at a hostel in Oracle because it was just too heavy and I was never using it. That was a big lesson for me too, you load up on gear thinking "what if" and then you're just carrying a bunch of "what ifs" for miles and miles. The sleeping pad thing is real though, I went from a blow up one to a closed foam pad and my back actually appreciated it more even if it wasn't as cushy. Also, two kinds of camp soap is hilarious, I had the same problem with bringing both Dr. Bronners and some fancy biodegradable stuff, ended up just using whatever the gas station had by mile 200.