Complete Pacific Crest Trail Gear List: Inside Appa the Sky Bison’s Backpack

PROS: Cheap, durable, great hip belt pockets, and compressible. I prefer a frameless bag for body-hugging flexibility. I feel more like a ninja, less like a marine.
CONS: Does not hold the BV-500 comfortably. Shoulder pads are too thin at 30+ lbs / 13.5+ kg. Needs a big mesh pocket on the back. Cannot reach water bottles with the pack on. GoLite went under so the pack is no longer available and they plastered their name all over the pack.

WEIGHT/MSRP: 26 oz / 737 g / $100
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CONCLUSION:There are packs out there better at the same things, but this pack chose me and I will not betray it until it betrays me. Anyone have good ideas on how to attach a mesh pocket to the outside?
 
When packed strategically, a frameless pack like my out of production GoLite Jam 35 becomes pretty rigid, and can be worn different ways to carry weight on the hips or shoulders. I like to move the weight around depending on how it’s feeling. The Jam scores high on V-Factor since it only put me back 100 bones and has lasted for a full thru-hike and it on #2 with minimal repairs.

PROS: Very compressible, fits like a glove, and no matter the abuse the down keeps re-lofting after a bath and gentle massage. REI Employee discount.
CONS: Hard to get out of when fully zipped and you’re going to pee yourself. Has a love/hate relationship with moisture. Where’d all those feathers come from?

WEIGHT/MSRP: 23 oz / 652 g / $220
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NOTES: I would not replace at full price, but would consider at a discount. High rated down is worth the extra cash. Since I’m using a bivy, a quilt style bag would work for me, reducing claustrophobic episodes (see ZPacks quilts). The Phantom Sleeping Bag is old and only good to about 45°F/7°C these days, but my liner keeps it surprisingly warm. Regardless, the bag is at the top of the list of gear to replace.

PROS: I love the PCT for all the cowboy camping! Be one with nature my friends, “we are all made of star stuff.” -Neil Degrasse Tyson. My tarp only goes up in a storm. Cuben fiber disappears in my pack when not needed. Cuben fiber does not absorb moisture. No more lugging around the extra weight of a water-logged nylon tarp. Bought used.
CONS: I’ve only set it up in good weather, could be a major nuisance in a storm, but what isn’t? The cuben fiber is tissue-thin, will it hold up to my style of thru-hike? My style = no stuff sacks. Lots of stakes to carry and lose.

WEIGHT/MSRP: 6 oz / 170 g / $180
NOTE: Also carried 8 stakes (6 titanium shepherd hooks and 2 beefy guys) weighing 2 oz / 57 g total.

NOTES: Only the trail will tell, but as a shelter, it is definitely an upgrade from the GoLite poncho/tarp I used in 2013. Just in case I have a Big Agnes Fly Creek 1 ready and waiting. The blue cuben screams thru-hiker decadence. Y’all haters.

PROS: Provides a warm and comfortable night for a side sleeper. It packs small and if protected from pokeys, will last longer than a foam mat.
CONS: Blowing up and deflating! This is a major shift from my lazy hiking style. It cannot be utilized as a sitting, yoga, or waterside mat. When rolling around it creates a crunchy paper noise that may annoy others, but I don’t mind. Useless if it blows a seam, otherwise can be field patched. Accumulates saliva inside which adds weight, can freeze, and is gross. Thru-hiker decadence.

WEIGHT/MSRP: 12 oz / 340 g / $115
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NOTES: Switching to an inflatable mattress has been interesting since it openly defies the idea of Lazy Points (blowing up, deflating, and rolling up are all added chores), but memories of waking up with a numb limbs from sleeping on them have remained distant as I have had consistent lovely slumbers on the NeoAir. Each evening I’m becoming increasingly excited to blow it up and lay down. I guess this is what getting old means.

PROS: Smaller and lighter than the original Sawyer Squeeze. Charcoal filtered water is delicious.
CONS: Apparently clogs easier than the original and squeezing gets old. It also is susceptible to freezing and breaking.

WEIGHT/MSRP: 2 oz / 57 g / $20
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CONCLUSION: Chemicals and giardia are off the table. The system of squeezing one SmartWater bottle, through the filter, and into another bottle or reservoir can be painstaking but is durable, reliable, and one time a hummingbird landed on my bare foot while squeezing. Recognize signs, people.
FURTHER READING: Check out Halfway Anywhere’s detailed Sawyer Mini review here.