I have already posted my Pacific Crest Trail gear list and my final gear list (compiled after the trail), but for many people (myself included), looking at what just one random dude decided to put in his pack is not enough.
Now I bring to you: another random dude. More specifically, Appa The Sky Bison (or Appa for short).

I met Appa on my Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike and I quickly manipulated him into becoming a good friend (despite his initial attempts to out-hike me and enjoy the crazy thoughts in his head alone).
This year Appa will be doing what I wish I was doing and hiking the PCT once more. Appa has shared his complete Pacific Crest Trail gear list with me and I have chosen to betray his trust and share it with the world.
From the man himself:
My 2013 gear was no-nonsense, high value, and minimalist. I'll be using some of the same stuff for 2015, with a few upgrades that should improve comfort and safety while sacrificing simplicity. When buying gear, how does a hiker find the balance between being a drifter with a death wish and a gentrified REI model from Portlandia? Feel free to critique.
Just sending some love. This is now my favourite pack list, even if it is 4 years old, I care for other pack lists no more. V factor extremely high.
The Appa will be very pleased to hear this.
Hey Mac, you beautiful vagabond.
Hey there, good lookin.
Jesse, my packing technique is such: first my sleeping bag gets stuffed into a trash compactor bag, which I then roll up to keep my down nice and dry. Next goes the neo air, and food bag (after removing lunch/snacks for the day). Depending on how much food I have left, I pack the rest a bit differently every day in order to keep the weight balanced in my flimsy frame less pack. I like to have my wool hoodie, snacks, rain gear, and tarp on top for quick access. With everything in there loose (the no stuff sack way), it can get disorganized quickly, but after countless repetitions of packing and unpacking, knowing where everything settles in the pack becomes a second sense. Thanks for the question!
Appa, what is your packing technqiue (The no stuff suck way)
Hey Appa, did you use trekking poles? I see you using the Zpacks shelter, but you don’t list a pole you use to stand it up, which leads me to believe you use trekking poles so that you can stand up your shelter with one of them. I see you bring an umbrella, though, so that leads me to believe that you don’t use trekking poles. Do you, or don’t you? 🙂
Howdy future hiker, I did start with trekking poles. They are an old pair of black diamond carbon-fiber poles that have done me well. After about 700 miles this year, I found myself strapping the poles to my pack more often than using them (got my trail legs back). So I sent one home and kept the other for the tarp, that is, until I switched out the tarp for a freestanding tent (Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1) due to the difficulty of setting up the tarp on snow in the Rockies through Colorado.
While umbrella’s seem to work great for others, I found it too distracting, especially when windy. Instead, when the sun was beating down, I preferred to put my wool hoodie on, and slow my pace to adjust for the heat. Thanks for asking.