Top Five PCT Necessities

Look for the bare necessities,
The simple bare necessities,
Forget about your worries and your strife,
I mean the bare necessities,
Of mother natures recipies,
That bring the bare necessities to life.

The lyrics from Disney’s The Jungle Book provides good advice for thru hikers. When I stripped down my bag to just 10-15 pounds to just the necessities to summit Mount Whitney as a side trip off of my Pacific Crest Trail journey, I couldn’t believe how much faster I could hike. I was hopping and skipping up the steep switchbacks of Whitney’s west side, practically running circles around a troop of Boy Scouts that were weighed down by their heavy packs. Of course, some thru hikers ONLY carry 10-12 pounds of gear for their PCT thru-hikes, and they ran circles around me. Other than my side trip to Whitney, I was by no means an “ultra light” backpacker. I carried a 3.3 pound 2-man tent, a 3.3 pound sleeping bag, and enough electronics to open a Radio Shack on the trail.

The point of this blog is to tell you about five items I was so happy to have had on the trail. They aren’t life saving, but very handy nonetheless. There was never a time I thought, “Boy, I can’t believe I brought these. What a bunch of dead weight!” Au contraire! These items made my thru hike more enjoyable every day I had them.

1 – A Journal
I’m a huge advocate for keeping a written account while on the trail. I’m not talking a blog over at trailXX that you update via e-mail. I’m talking about a physical book or notepad that is carried and written in while on the trail. As far back as history records, adventurers kept a journal. Captain Louis Merriwhether was famous for his diligent work in his journal. His words and sketches increased our knowledge in geography, history, and biology. You might not create such an important journal on your long hike, but the act of writing down what you did, what you saw, how you felt, and who you were with will help make your journey a long-lasting memory.
I like the Moleskine Plain Notebook Pocket for their size, sturdy design, and protective cardboard-bound cover.

2 – A Head Net
Many potential thru hikers worry about encountering rattlesnakes, bears, and mountain lions. Well, those aren’t worth your time worrying about. PCT Alumni will tell tales of the BUGS they encountered on their hike more than any 4-legged animal encounter. Swarms of biting flies, air thick with mosquitoes, and small gnats that look like flying periods jabbing you in the retinas. These annoyances can be controlled by a simple head net, keeping these pesky bugs a safe distance from your face and out of your eyes. Best of all, it weighs practically nothing. The Sea to Summit Insect Shield Mosquito Head Net weighs 1.3 ounces and is sold at REI.

Take a break near the San Andres Rift Zone meant dealing with HUNDREDS of biting flies. I was bit twice in my hand as I took this video.

3 – A Good Spork
Surprised to find this item on my list? After weeks and months of hiking, you appreciate the small things. Spend some time shopping around for a good spork. Make sure the handle is long, especially if you’re going to be using a JetBoil. Having a long, sturdy spork will get you through cooking dinner without any burned knuckles or finger tips.


I went with the Guyot Desings – “The Utensils” and left the spatula half of the set at home.

4 – Gaiters
Gaiters are cloth that wrap around your ankles, helping keep dirt, pebbles, and sticks out of your socks and footwear. Like journals, even early explorers wore gaiter-like protection. Heck, even Luke Skywalker wrapped cloth around his legs while on Tatooine to keep his feet free of debris. Clean socks last longer. Clean feet allow you to hike further. I used running gaiters for most of the trip, which even helped keep water out of my boot while fording shallow streams. I wore snow gaiters in parts of the Sierras, which helped keep my feet dry. And like the head net, gaiters weigh practically nothing.

I went through a few pairs of gaiters, but the one’s that lasted the longest were these REI Trail Running Gaiters.

5 – Extra Shoe Laces
A broken shoe lace can lead to blisters faster than you think. I had a boot lace break and decided to hike another 1/2 mile before stopping to replace it. In that short amount of time, I started getting a blister! A broken lace means that your footwear is going to rub against your foot in unusual ways, leading to blisters. Think your laces are indestructible? All the more reason to carry extra! A shoelace can also be used to tie up a tarp, attach a sleeping bag or ground mat to a backpack, or even an emergency splint or sling in case of an injury.

Notice the blue lace on the right boot.

Do you think I missed an item? Let me know by leaving a comment below!