Joan's Sierra Gear List
This is my gear list for the Sierra section of my 2014 Pacific Crest Trail Hike. The weather was usually in the 30's at night, but sometimes dipped into the 20's. I entered the Sierra in late May, and encountered snow and hail. Because I get cold easily, I use more insulation and I also carry a hammock. This list includes microspikes and a bear canister, which fits vertically in the pack and was required in this part of the Sierra.
| Category | Gear Selection | Weight (oz) | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Packing | Gossamer Gear Mariposa | 24 | |
| Trash Compactor Bag | 1 | Pack liner | |
| Zpacks Cuben Fiber Dry Bag | 1 | For quilt | |
| Sleeping | DIY Top Quilt | 19 | Used to 20 degrees |
| Warbonnet 3-season Yeti | 11 | ||
| Gossamer Gear Torso Pad | 6 | Insulation under legs | |
| Gossamer Gear 1/8 Thinlight Pad | 2 | Cut down section for extra torso insulation | |
| Shelter | Hammock Gear Standard Cuben Fiber Tarp with Doors | 10 | Including Lash-It ridgeline with Dutch Flyz hardware, Z-line guylines, and DIY snakeskins |
| Dream Hammock, Darien UL | 10 | ||
| Titanium shephard hook stakes (2), MSR groundhog stakes (4) | 2.2 | ||
| Tree straps (10 foot) and whoopies (8 feet) | 6 | Hammock suspension for large trees and widely-spaced hang sites | |
| Gossamer Gear Polycryo Ground Sheet | 1.6 | Use under tarp and for going to ground | |
| Packed Clothing | Melanzana Fleece Hoodie | 9 | |
| REI Capilene Long Underwear Bottoms | 5.8 | ||
| Montbell Down Jacket | 12 | Also use this while sleeping as a hood for my quilt | |
| Goosefeet Down Booties | 3.5 | ||
| Surplus store wool gloves | 1.3 | Including latex gloves over them | |
| Second pair of Injinji Hiking Socks | 1.5 | ||
| Chrome Dome Umbrella | 8 | For sun, rain, hail, and snow protection | |
| Zpacks Cuben Fiber-eVent Rain Jacket | 5 | ||
| Zpacks Challenger Rain Pants | 4 | ||
| Hydration | Platypus 3 L Hosier | 3.5 | |
| Platypus 1 L Bottle | 1 | For drink mixes | |
| Aquamira | 1.6 | Chlorine Dioxide water treatment | |
| Small Essentials | Sea to Summit Alpha Light Long Spoon | .5 | stoveless "cooking" |
| Petzl Zipka Plus 2 | 2.5 | Headlamp | |
| Iphone 5S | 5 | Including Lifeproof fre waterproof case | |
| Cords and plugs | 3 | Plug with 2 usb ports, 2 cables for USB to iphone/ itorch | |
| itorch 5200mah | 4.4 | Battery for re-charging iphone | |
| SPOT II Satellite Messanger | 4 | ||
| First Aid & Emergency Kit | 2.7 | Pills, ointments, compass, fire starter, repair kits. | |
| Foot Care Bag | 2 | Sports tape, moisturizer, anti-friction cream. | |
| Toilet Bag | 1.7 | TP, wet ones, tiny soap, pee rag, plastic bags to pack out TP | |
| Oakley Sunglasses | 1.8 | Wrap around style | |
| Swiss Army Knife | .8 | Classic SD | |
| Sea to Summit Headnet | .8 | ||
| Butterfly Wallet | 1 | ID, cash, credit card, emergency contact info card | |
| BV500 Bear Canister | 41 | Food storage in bear country, required in parts of the Sierra | |
| Kahtoola Microspikes | 13 | Traction on ice and snow | |
| Weight Summaries | ounces | pounds | |
| Base weight (not including items worn and consumables) | 180.2 | 11.3 | |
| Total base weight including Bear canister and microspikes (not including items worn and consumables) | 234.2 | 14.6 |
This lightweight backpacking gear list was contributed by former Gossamer Gear Trail Ambassador Joan West.