The PCT Gear Guide: Class of 2017 Survey

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 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, and review 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).

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%

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%

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%

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%

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%

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%

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:

ITEM	BRAND/NAME	PRICE	WEIGHT	DESCRIPTION	SATISFACTION
BACKPACK	ULA Circuit	$235	41 oz / 1.162 kg	A 68-liter, top-loading pack built to carry up to 35 lbs / 16 kg.	91%
SHELTER	Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL2	$390	32 oz / 879 g	A lightweight, two-person, semi-freestanding, front-entry tent.	86%
SLEEPING BAG	Enlightened Equipment Revelation 20°	$285	20.2 oz / 572 g	A 20°F / -7°C, 850-fill goose down quilt.	80%
SLEEPING PAD	Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite	$160	12 oz / 350 g	A lightweight, inflatable, three-season pad – R-value, 3.2.	88%
STOVE	MSR PocketRocket 2	$45	2.6 oz / 74 g	A compact canister stove with simmer control.	96%
WATER TREATMENT	Sawyer Squeeze	$40	3 oz / 85 g	An adaptable hollow-fiber filter that removes protozoa, bacteria, and floaties.	95%
BEAR CANISTER	BV500	$80	41 oz / 1.162 kg	An 11.5-liter polycarbonate bear canister approved for use along the PCT.	N/A

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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
• BIG FOUR (BIG 3+SLEEPING PAD): 6 lbs 9.2 oz / 2.984 kg
• EVERYTHING (MINUS BEAR CANISTER): 6 lbs 14.2 oz / 3.141 kg
• EVERYTHING (INCLUDING BEAR CANISTER): 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?

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. Is 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.
• 0% of hikers with 80+ liter packs 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.

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 into 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 backpacks, capacity) for all the products below are for the product in a size medium (backpacks) or regular (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.
• Some items were very much disliked by hikers (relative to other items) and I have denoted these with DM or Dishonorable mention.

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%

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

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

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 pairs 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.

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?

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 quality of their gear.
• As hikes went on, it appears many hikers decided to go STOVELESS (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.
• 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)
• THRU (ON FIRST THRU-HIKE) – AVERAGE AMOUNT SPENT ON GEAR | $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)
• NOFINISH – AVERAGE AMOUNT SPENT ON GEAR |$1,600 (σ = $978)

• THRU – AVERAGE SLEEPING BAG TEMPERATURE RATING | 17.8°F / -7.8°C
• FINISH – AVERAGE SLEEPING BAG TEMPERATURE RATING | 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)
• FINISH – AVERAGE BACKPACK SIZE | 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 individually because like so many things on a thru-hike, what gear you bring (and what gear you ultimately 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 statements 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.
• There needs to be a filtering system invented that doesn’t suck balls 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.
• I brought 9 lbs / 4 kg of camera gear. Bring what you need to enjoy your hike (and nothing more).
• Get a warm sleeping bag it sucks to have a bad night’s sleep. Try out the backpack it needs to be comfortable Get a warm sleeping bag it sucks to have a bad night’s 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).
• 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.

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