On the PCT

[Caminante]

Chop, I just read three of your trail journals and really enjoyed them. It's a dream to do a long hike one day, but, for now, I'll live vicariously through yours. How great that you and your wife hike together.

[Chop]

Chop, I just read three of your trail journals and really enjoyed them. It's a dream to do a long hike one day, but, for now, I'll live vicariously through yours. How great that you and your wife hike together.

Thanks for your kind words. It has taken a bit of 'engineering' to create a life where we can be out so much, but it has been very much worth the effort. I am truly fortunate that my wife and I are on the same page. She brought up the idea of doing the AT years before I would have given it serious consideration...but now...

Hoy, vamos a ir Guatemala por dos meses en el Lago de Atitlan. Esperamos el caminante va a ir excelente acerca los volcanes

[Caminante]

Que padre! Nunca he ido a Guatemala. Que disfruten su caminata, y espero el diario de viaje. Vete con cuidado.

[xrayextra]

I plan on hiking the PCT this year (2017). It was suggested that I tent camp the first half of the trail due to limitations on hanging spots. I'd hate to alter my mileage just to accommodate a suitable hanging spot. I'll have to read your journals, Chop. Thanks.

[Chop]

Que padre! Nunca he ido a Guatemala. Que disfruten su caminata, y espero el diario de viaje. Vete con cuidado.

Gracias Amigo!

Sent from my XT1095 using Tapatalk

[Chop]

I plan on hiking the PCT this year (2017). It was suggested that I tent camp the first half of the trail due to limitations on hanging spots. I'd hate to alter my mileage just to accommodate a suitable hanging spot. I'll have to read your journals, Chop. Thanks.

This was what I was told prior to my first PCT hike in 2012. I had a tent up through Belden and then switch to my hammock.

After that hike, I went back and pictured all of the times that I would have hammocked in the first half. There were so few times that I when my wife and hiked in 2016, we knew we'd hammock the whole way.

I believe we slept on the ground 5 times, and if memory serves, all before Mojave. All but one of those could have been avoided by hiking on a couple more miles. I believe that it is on this thread where I talk about our all terrain system... If not, it is in my post on gear on our website. Let me know if you have any questions.

The PCT is an incredible walk. Good luck on your journey!

[DevonHowton]

Chop, I too am planning to hike the PCT but it will likely have to wait until 2018. What did your ground set-up look like when you had to do so. Did you just pitch your tarp and throw down some Tyvek? Were bugs (mosquitoes) an issue?

[Chop]

Chop, I too am planning to hike the PCT but it will likely have to wait until 2018. What did your ground set-up look like when you had to do so. Did you just pitch your tarp and throw down some Tyvek? Were bugs (mosquitoes) an issue?

Hi Devon...

I carry a gossamer gear polycro ground sheet, and use 7 parts of a Z rest for going to ground (also great for taking breaks on), and my hammock tarp. Mosquitoes are not a problem in the areas where you are most likely to go to ground... Basically before mile 600 (or before). If memory serves, the tarp only went up once in the few times we slept on the ground... Otherwise cowboy camping is the way to go.

The weight penalty is pretty low to cover both scenarios really. Less than an additional 10 of... And having the half length Z rest is really nice for breaks and using under your legs (I have been using a 3/4 length UQ) during colder parts of the trip, which could be almost anytime.

You can plan your passes in the high Sierra so that you can stay in trees every night. In three passes through the Sierras, I have always slept in the trees... And you can see this using Guthooks app that shows campsite photos as well as looking at halfmiles maps for vegetation coverage. Basically walking 20 miles per day in the high Sierra does this fairly conveniently and gets you in between passes.

You could also review my journal (and Rambling Hemlock's) for mileages to see where we camped and you can aim for the same spots. We both note the total trip miles daily so you can see where we stayed.

Let me know if you have any other questions, I am happy to help.

[DevonHowton]

Hi Devon...

I carry a gossamer gear polycro ground sheet, and use 7 parts of a Z rest for going to ground (also great for taking breaks on), and my hammock tarp. Mosquitoes are not a problem in the areas where you are most likely to go to ground... Basically before mile 600 (or before). If memory serves, the tarp only went up once in the few times we slept on the ground... Otherwise cowboy camping is the way to go.

The weight penalty is pretty low to cover both scenarios really. Less than an additional 10 of... And having the half length Z rest is really nice for breaks and using under your legs (I have been using a 3/4 length UQ) during colder parts of the trip, which could be almost anytime.

You can plan your passes in the high Sierra so that you can stay in trees every night. In three passes through the Sierras, I have always slept in the trees... And you can see this using Guthooks app that shows campsite photos as well as looking at halfmiles maps for vegetation coverage. Basically walking 20 miles per day in the high Sierra does this fairly conveniently and gets you in between passes.

You could also review my journal (and Rambling Hemlock's) for mileages to see where we camped and you can aim for the same spots. We both note the total trip miles daily so you can see where we stayed.

Let me know if you have any other questions, I am happy to help.

That's really great man, thank you! I currently carry 4 sections as a seat / extra padding for when I ground camp. I don't imagine an extra 3 sections will add much weight, mostly just bulk. I have yet to ever hammock camp, but have been sleeping on the ground for a decade. I'm currently waiting on my Dutch Chameleon.

You mention that you have a 3/4 length UQ. What temp rating is it? I have a 20°F ZPacks TQ. Would you recommend a 20°F UQ as well? I live in Calgary AB, where it gets quite cold in the winter and was considering purchasing a full length 0°F HammockGear Incubator. Do you think that would be overkill or could I make it work? The reason I ask is that I'm not opposed to spending money on good quality gear, but I hate buying multiple items that do the same thing. I want one item that can be used for multiple purposes. Ie, if I can make a 0°F UQ work in warmer climates I would rather do that than have 2, or 3 at different temp ratings. Or would you recommend getting a 20°F UQ and supplementing that with other gear to lower its usable temp?

As to planning my trip to stay in wooded areas so that I can hang at night is a good idea, and I'll be sure to read your journal to see what you did. I am a complete novice to thru hiking so any experience that I can take advantage of, the better my chances of success will be, so with that I thank you for your wealth of knowledge and your willingness to share it with me/us.

Perhaps I'll post a gear list and ask you to give it a once over to make sure I'm not doing something stupid. If you wouldn't mind that is.

[Chop]

That's really great man, thank you! I currently carry 4 sections as a seat / extra padding for when I ground camp. I don't imagine an extra 3 sections will add much weight, mostly just bulk. I have yet to ever hammock camp, but have been sleeping on the ground for a decade. I'm currently waiting on my Dutch Chameleon.

You mention that you have a 3/4 length UQ. What temp rating is it? I have a 20°F ZPacks TQ. Would you recommend a 20°F UQ as well? I live in Calgary AB, where it gets quite cold in the winter and was considering purchasing a full length 0°F HammockGear Incubator. Do you think that would be overkill or could I make it work? The reason I ask is that I'm not opposed to spending money on good quality gear, but I hate buying multiple items that do the same thing. I want one item that can be used for multiple purposes. Ie, if I can make a 0°F UQ work in warmer climates I would rather do that than have 2, or 3 at different temp ratings. Or would you recommend getting a 20°F UQ and supplementing that with other gear to lower its usable temp?

As to planning my trip to stay in wooded areas so that I can hang at night is a good idea, and I'll be sure to read your journal to see what you did. I am a complete novice to thru hiking so any experience that I can take advantage of, the better my chances of success will be, so with that I thank you for your wealth of knowledge and your willingness to share it with me/us.

Perhaps I'll post a gear list and ask you to give it a once over to make sure I'm not doing something stupid. If you wouldn't mind that is.

Right, it is just a little more bulk. I actually put the pad on the back of my pack in the shock cord, and that works well, so that it doesn't take up any additional pack space.

If you are new to hammock camping, you are in for a treat. There are so many wonderful things about hammock camping. We end up making some good friends on our hikes and camp with them. What you will find, to many people's surprise is that it will be easier for you to find a spot to hang then your ground dwelling friends (to pitch a tent or tarp) in a lot of places. Simply put, there are plenty of areas with trees that are not flat or have rocks and roots under them When you first start testing your hammock gear be sure to get tips from this site so you get dialed in if it doesn't come naturally. It is a bit more complex than ground sleeping, but the rewards are high.

Thanks for mentioning the Chamelon. I hadn't seen it, and just checked out the Kickstarter campaign page. Looks pretty rockin!

I have yet to use an underquilt that is rated below 20 degrees, and am not sure how a 0 degree UQ would be on a warm night in the 70s. I can say that a 20 degree UQ at 70 degrees is fine...in fact my back is rarely uncomfortable because UQs work so well. I will say that I got a HG Phoenix UQ 20 for this past summer and like it a lot. I intended to sew my own quilt over the fall, which didn't happen, so I will be getting another UQ from hammock gear. I have never had an UQ that was so easy to dial in the fit and location for draft free sleeping. As temps get colder, you can suppliment by adding some baselayers. I have yet to hammock below 15deg - we spend our winters south of the border - right now in Guatemala

We have people who visit the website quite a bit ask for tips to help them have a successful thru hike. Here is what I just wrote to a woman recently:

Advice:

1) Pack light as you comfortably can. Your body will appreciate it. Folks don't realize how much pack weight hurts knees, legs and feet. I think folks just think of the weight on their shoulders and hips...but the damage is mostly done from the knees down. Honestly, I feel that we give up nearly 0 in comfort with our light loads. In fact, I'd bet good money that we sleep better than most while on trail

2) Train as much as you can. Try to get in 100-150 miles / month for two months before hand if possible. You will start stronger and fell more confident going into the hike. (If your hike is several months a way, start now and be in even better shape). Also, start carrying weight for a hundred or more training miles before beginning your hike. We just finished up a couple packs and packed one up with 23 lbs to get a feel for how the pack was carrying. I could feel it in my feet and hips on just a 6 mile walk.

3) Add up the calories for your daily hiking diet so that you know that you are starting with enough. We've run into several people on our hikes who are getting weaker and weaker, and then upon talking about food, realize that they are only getting 2500 calories/day. We aim for 3500-4000. Consider getting Squenchers as an electrlyte suppliment. Another hiker turned me onto these a few years ago, and I absolutely love them, and have 2-3/day while on trail. You can pick them up on Amazon.

Feel free to toss up your gear list, I am happy to offer thoughts on it.