Gear: Part 1

Stripped down Gregory G-Pack. 

Pack:

I will be carrying a Gregory G Pack that I used for the second half of the PCT in 2006.  It is nothing like the G Pack sold today, which has a bunch of unnecessary pockets, straps, etc and weighs nearly 3 lbs.  For the PCT, I removed the lid (top pocket), the metal stay along the back, and cut off several extra straps.  It now weighs ~1 lb.

The only changes I made to the pack were having the hip belt reinforced by Rainy Pass Repair (highly recommended shop), touching up the seam sealant, sewing a strapless $10 watch to the shoulder strap, and making my own GPS holster out of elastic.

GPS with homemade holster.

Watch sewn to shoulder strap.

Stove:

Based on a recommendation from friend and thru-hiker extraordinaire, Lint, I am carrying a 5 oz. Bushbuddy stove.  It burns wood very efficiently and can be stored inside my Evernew cookpot (~8 oz) from the PCT.  The stove is cushioned with a lavender bandana that also functions as a pot holder and dishrag.  The color guarantees I will never accidentally wear it.  It weighs slightly more than the alcohol stove I used on the PCT, but I do not have to carry fuel (nor find denatured alcohol in trail towns), making the weight worth it.

Bushbuddy stove stored inside cookpot.

Shelter:

Gossamer Gear SpinnShelter with storm flap deployed.

Lint also recommended the Gossamer Gear SpinnShelter.  It is similar in size and setup to the Integral Designs SilShelter I used on the PCT, but only ~9 oz (plus 8 stakes).  The spinnaker cloth is also less prone to stretching than silnylon.

I am reusing my 32F Marmot Hydrogen sleeping bag from the PCT (24 oz for a long).  It does not have quite the same amount of loft as it once did, but I should be warm enough.  I am also reusing a lightweight silk sleeping bag liner, which adds a bit of warmth and is easily washed, keeping the bag cleaner.  A 9 oz RidgeRest short pad and light groundcloth complete my sleeping system.

The shelter can also be setup tight to the ground in foul weather

Quite a bit of room for ~9oz