I’ve been tweaking my gear list for a solid 8 months straight now..
I always tell myself to worry less about the gear and worry more about the hiking, but alas, here we are. I love building spreadsheets and micromanaging all of my hiking data. Most of my new gear for my upcoming PCT attempt was purchased by the end of 2024 and I did an overnight shakedown on the Arizona Trail with about 90% of the items on my final gear list. That being said, the gear itself hasn’t changed too much in the last few months, but the data has been sifted, sorted, and analyzed on a near daily basis since September. I’ve double and triple-checked all of my gear weights and altered my list oz by oz and gram by gram.
Finally, I present to you my (hopefully) final 2025 PCT thruhike gear list:
https://lighterpack.com/r/bdm43c
I’ve managed to get my baseweight (total pack weight minus consumables like food and water) down to about 9lbs. This is a major improvement from my ~14lb baseweight on the JMT in 2023 and my ~12b baseweight on the TRT in 2024. (My lighterpack pages for both of those hikes got screwed up, so I’m unsure about exact weights)
Tweaks I made this time around include:
- Switching to a frameless pack (no stays, rods, or back cushion means a MUCH lighter backpack)
- Switching to a closed-cell foam sleeping pad (don’t have to worry about punctures or mold and setup is as simple as laying it down)
- Swapping my headlamp, battery pack, and charging brick for lighter options (I could go even lighter if I weren’t so attached to my 20k powerbank)
- Swapping my down jacket for a synthetic UL jacket (half the weight and less worries about getting it wet)
- Ditching a bunch of random little odds and ends from my ditty bag (ounces make pounds!)
- Packing my essentials instead of my fears
This gear list is obviously subject to change once I get on trail. I may find that my sleep system isn’t warm or comfortable enough or I made decide to switch from cooking warm meals to cold soaking to save a little weight and time. I may tidy up my ditty bag up even more or decide I want a few more comfort or entertainment items – only time will tell.
For a full breakdown of everything I’m bringing with me as I attempt to hike the PCT 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada this year, check out this YouTube video I put together! I don’t plan to make very many PCT videos this year, as I’d rather not be too distracted by filming (a mistake I’ve made and regretted in the past..) Regardless please subscribe to my YouTube channel so you can be the first to know when/if I put out new content!
Myles From Nowhere 