Evolution of Gear for my PCT hike

This is the list at the start and the verbose story of how it changed.

Beginning of hike:
Pack, Shelter, sleep system:
Ray way pack   12 oz
DIY pack cover
Ray way 32 degF alpine quilt, 32 oz
DIY sleeping hood 3.4 oz
knitted sleeping socks 3.7 oz
fleece pants  6.5 oz
Neo air Xtherm mattress, 16 oz
Poly Cryo tarp  7.6 oz
DIY bridge hammock with 10' tree straps 34 oz
Tyvek ground sheet 7x3  5 oz
Total:  120 oz = 7 lb 8 oz


Technology:
Flip phone 4 oz
iPod Touch 3 oz
camera 4 oz
charging adapters 6 oz
Total:  17 oz

Carried Clothing: 
Montbell down jacket 5 oz
t neck LL Bean Powerdry, black 8.5 oz
fleece arm warmers 2 oz
North Face button down shirt 10.8 oz
mittens 5 oz
Frogg toggs rain jacket 5 oz.
Rain skirt 2 oz
Total 38.3 oz

Worn or hand held items:
Patagonia Boxer shorts
REI convertible pants
Icebreaker wool t-shirt
Frostline ankle gaiters for gravel exclusion
Chrome Dome umbrella 8 oz
Black Diamond trekking pole 8.9 oz

Other items
8 oz bottle (brand?) for olive oil  1 oz (?) This one worried me for its potential to leak.
Sawyer mini water filter 3 oz
Platypus 2 L canteen x2  2.8 oz
Gatorade bottles x2 3 oz
Nalgene food mixing container 5 oz
REI plastic Spoon .5 oz
Bear can 2 lb
first aid kit (ibuprofen or naprosyn for pain, cetirizine for allergy, loperamide for loose stools, moleskin) 3 oz
Toilet paper 3 oz.
sun screen 1 oz
Fenix flashlight plus battery .75 oz
BD Spot headlamp 3 oz
Gerber knife 0.6 oz
Dental:  brush, paste, floss 1 oz.
2400 mah Power bank 3 oz
Pack rain cover 2 oz
8 tent stakes 2.5 oz
Compass 1 oz
lip balm 0.5 oz
space blanket 2.5 oz
Paper maps 3 oz
Total:  44.1 oz  
Grand Total:   14 lb 11oz

Evolution of the list:
Pack:

1. Rayway pack, 12 oz. I added pads to put some space between my back & the pack (they weren't thick enough to keep the pack away from my shirt--my back got completely wet with sweat) The shoulder strap foam in the Rayway pack was stiff and hurt when I had a fresh load of food and water.  I hadn't an opportunity to try the pack in a warm climate before the trip and discover how hot I'd get.  
2. At Big Bear (266 miles) I switched to a ULA Circuit for 550 miles.  2 lb.  Really good load carrying, but still wet.  
3. I tried an Osprey Atmos AG65 through Northern Cal, and some of Washington, A great pack with great ventilation on the back, but the belt slipped when wet and the shoulder straps irritated bare skin.  I laughed quietly when some weekend campers thought the pack was too big for me to be a thru hiker.  Well, by then I was a flip flopping thru hiker.
4. I ended up keeping an Osprey Exos 58:  2 lb 8 oz  With the Osprey my shirt got slightly damp, but never wet and carried my gear well.  Pockets on the shoulder strap and hip belt, and I could easily pull out and tuck my water bottles in the side pocket.

Bottom insulation.  

1. Thermarest Neoair Xtherm regular 17 oz.  R value: 5  This worked in the bridge hammock (below) and isn't comfortable in a traditional hammock.  It was great for ground camping. 
2. Hammock Gear 20 F underquilt, replacing #1 after leaving the deserts for good.  20 oz.

Top insulation.

1. Ray way synthetic quilt.  32 ounces.  Temp rating purported to be 32 degF, but untested.
2. Replaced at 266 miles (Big Bear) by Zpacks 20 deg quilt 20 oz.
3. On do-over, I'd buy a quilt with different color inside and outside, sourced from Enlightened equipment, so I can figure which side has the foot pocket, to save me that 5-10 seconds of discovery and having to flip the quilt.
4. Possible option:  JacksRBetter wearable quilt.  It has a velcro sealed hole allowing you to put your head through and wear it.  I only dislike the coarseness of the velcro closure on the foot pocket--sharp on bare skin and catchy if wearing socks. .  A continuous closure isn't necessary to form the pocket, as I found after replacing the velcro with five snaps.  The maker's label came off with the velcro. I sewed it to the top edge, helping me know which side had the pocket. 

     Quilt usage requires some kind of head insulation.  I made my own synthetic insulated hood, that I could also wear around camp.  

Ground cloth.  Tyvek ground cloth 3 feet by 7 feet. 5 oz   I appreciated the rugged material through the deserts, though I once used my Poly cryo tarp (below) on the leeward side of a giant juniper bush during a severe wind storm north of Lancaster, thinking that I'd wrap it over me in event of rain.

Roof.  

1. poly cryo tarp  5 oz. Don't use this unless you plan to replace it every 3-5 weeks. This tarp lasted 7 weeks--by which time the smallest nick would run like mad.  I also didn't like that it was clear, because the light of moon or stars shining through distracted my sleep.  Before I threw it away it had multiple repairs with duct tape, which may have tripled its weight.  The real offender was the hammock's spreader bars rubbing on the tarp.  Poly-cryo works well as a ground cloth.  
2. I used a Warbonnet Superfly from Northern Cal to Canada.
3. Many hikers used a tent.  One hiker used a tent 110 miles and never cowboy camped in the deserts until she asked "permission" to camp with us.  Big Agnes Fly Creek 1 was a favorite as were Cuben tents by various makers.

Tent/tarp stakes: Ruta Locura carbon fiber

Floor.  DIY bridge hammock with suspension and spreader bars .  23 ounces(?).. . I'd taken a couple shakedown trips in a traditional gathered end hammock but wasn't totally convinced I'd be comfortable.  I could have dropped 10 ounces, but the bridge did work really well with the NeoAir Xtherm mattress.  The aluminum spreader bars often made noise in the pack.

1. DIY gathered end hammock with diy bug net 15 oz(?)  The gather fell apart because the zip tie broke. 
2. I didn't have another zip tie so I tied the end of the hammock in a knot and went to sleep.  
3. I lost confidence in my ability to make my own hammocks and bought a Warbonnet Blackbird double layer 1.1 oz ripstop (whoopie sling version) with sewn in bugnet. ~ Weight : 1 lb 6 oz.

Hammock tree straps:  10' diy polyester straps.  5 oz.

2 Bic lighters, one given away to father/son weekend campers

Black diamond Spot.  3.5 oz  I handheld this at hip level for walking predawn in the deserts.  Heavy.  I omitted this for the rest of my hike north of Echo Summit.
Fenix LD 01 Single AAA cell flashlight. Extra battery.  1 oz.  This was a backup, but it worked really well as the only nighttime light after leaving the headlight out.  Usually handheld.  

Clothing. 
Rei convertible hiking pants.  I'd likely leave these home in favor of leg warmers and shorts.  (All right, I hated them--the zippers were too fussy)

PataGucci Hawaiian print boxer shorts.  Great worn alone on warmer days.  Only a kilt could be cooler down there.

Icebreaker wool tee shirt, I also picked up a cotton t-shirt in Julian, which I trimmed off at beltline for better ventilation.

Montrail trail running shoes

Darn tough socks (Oops, no spare socks!)

Knitted sleeping socks

DIY synthetic insulated hood for sleeping.
Mitten shell and fleece mittens

L.L. bean fleece turtleneck shirt, lightweight and warm, but with a loose weave that often requires a windbreaker. No known replacement today.
North Face button down shirt.  This is a door stop.  I wore it to bed for its pockets for keeping my phone warm.  

Mont bell down jacket seven ounces.  See above for a dual use quilt by JacksRBetter that will let you save your $$ and weight.

DIY fleece pants w/zip off legs.  These were a disappointment, due to their weight compared to Mont Bell down pants and it just didn't get cold enough to use while hiking.

Footwear.  
Trail running shoes.  My feet have been wonderful tools for the hike.  They didn't seem to mind  any shoes but the Lowa Renegade Low tops.

1. Montrail (thin and light, but model unknown) wonderful, but I'd already had some miles on them.
2. La Sportiva Wildcats--well fitting and supportive, though my second pair lost support in the mid-sole--I forced REI to take them back.  
3. Altra Lone Peak 2.5--great, with a very accommodating wide toe area, but they let all the water in from bushes overhanging the trail after a very wet cold night.  
4. Hoka One One Challenger ATR--great shoe until I found the Altra's.   
5. Lowa Renegade GTX Low tops--they never came close to breaking in after 130 miles.  They hurt!
6. Fool that I was, I wore Hoka One One Goretex lined Mid Tors for 450 miles on Oregon's PCT, because I was sure that it'd rain a lot.  I hated having super cold water flushing through my Altras in Washington, but it's worse to walk in sweaty socks.  It rained only for a day or two south of Mt Hood and they wetted through in the rain.  They were too warm for most of Oregon--I had to change socks to let them dry every 50-60 minutes.

I can't defend my schizoid footwear approach.  It has nothing to do with any kind of injury, as the only issues I had were two or three minor blisters.  Maybe,  it's the human tendency to forget that"better is the enemy of good" I seemed to have a different part of my feet or legs bother me every day for some stretches of trail, for which I'd alter my gait enough to make the issue recede or disappear.

DIY dirty girls, breathable stretchy cloth gaiters that kept small pebbles, burrs and pine needles out of my shoes. Dirty Girls is a company that made popular colorful dust gaiters for hikers.

The walking roof

Golite Chrome Dome umbrella 8 oz. in one hand with trekking pole in the other.  Some hikers with the dome had rigged their packs to hold the dome hands free, which sufficed for two or three hours midday.  By hand holding I could tilt the dome when sun came in from the sides or front.   It completely protected upper body and arms every day but the fourth when the fierce sun penetrated enough to burn the tops of my bare shoulders.  I used sunscreen only on my legs.  I've since then painted the underside of the canopy with black fabric paint, decreasing the transmitted light even more drastically.  I regretted not having the Golite in Northern Cal--it was hotter than the deserts!  I got it back to walk Oregon and Washington.  GoLite went out of business, but you can still buy these domes.  Source:  $44 @Six Moon Designs

Hat.  A visor with built in head band worn for my entire time on trail.  It got soaked in the forehead region often.  This was more of a fashion statement than a real utilitarian item.  I'm more partial to a do-rag with a $2 foam visor from Joann Fabrics.  

Trekking poles.  One Black Diamond pole CF Alpine.  Replaced with pair of much lighter BD Carbon Distance Z poles, which didn't last 900 miles.  I have Rutalocura CF poles for my next long hike.  Gossamer Gear poles have a rep for fragility.  I heard Komperdell CF are worthy--no personal experience. One has to accept that carbon fiber likely will break before aluminum, so the weight savings MUST be significant to choose CF--it was.  

Food 24 to 28 ounces per day is not really enough for 15-20 mile days, so you have to catch up in trail towns and eat BIG.  Breakfast of granola with powdered milk.  I'd put into ziplock bags dehydrated bean soup or bean mix (Taste Adventure and Fantastic Foods) with pasta, rice or potato flakes.  True stoveless food: tortillas for wraps, cheese, peanut butter, tuna & salmon packets. Trail mix from costco morphing from one with yogurt pieces (which melted in the heat) the salted mixed nuts--I loved the brazil nuts. Costco nut mix.  I liked Idahoan potatoes cold or hot.  Neither Rice Sides nor Pasta Sides ever gained favor with me.  

 Vegetarian bean mixes at my local health food store. (Maybe available at Whole Foods or your local co-op)

Peanut butter.  I almost always had a jar of peanut butter in Southern California.  I would eat a tablespoon of peanut butter every half hour.  No-stir was best for warm season hiking.

Olive oil.  I also had olive oil for at least the first 800 miles.  I used a plastic bottle made for camping--it didn't leak, but it seemed imminent.  I have since read that the 500 ml disposable water bottles (e.g. Dasani) worked well for olive oil.  I took a small gulp of oil every 30 to 40 minutes. 

Food storage.  Bear can:  Wild ideas carbon fiber expedition can.  I wouldn't need this for another 700 miles but cookie monster suggested I take a bear can from the Mexican border all the way to Canada.  I took the Wild Ideas can instead of one of the heavier, cheaper cans.  Every other hiker said I didn't need it until getting into the Sierra Nevada--like I didn't know.  2 pounds.  Hey, Cookie Monster, I sent my can home at Big Bear and got it back at Lake Isabella.  I continued without it from Echo Summit.  I hung my food nightly from my hammock suspension--no problems with critters cp. people who brought food into tents--mice chewed their way into tents.

No stove for southern California.
Northern California to Canada:  Jim Woods' Cat food can alcohol stove (DIY).  1.75 ounces with fuel bottle and foil windscreen.  Fuel either mailed or sourced as HEET gasoline additive in the Yellow bottle.  

Nalgene container for soaking food.  4 ounces--too heavy!  Sent home when stove use started.
Evernew 0.9 L saucepan when I took up the stove--5.5 oz.  Pot cozy of Reflectix bubble wrap.  Bic lighter.
REI Plastic spoon--it broke when using it on cold peanut butter.

Water purification:  Sawyer Mini water filter.  If you expose this to subfreezing temperatures while wet inside, it'll damage the filter elements.  Other hikers had the Sawyer Squeeze--better flow but same issue.  I ended the trip using AquaMira which ran out two days before finishing--I just dipped into a stream and drank--I didn't get sick.

Two one liter smart water bottles to carry water--these would go on the shoulder straps of the ULA Circuit backpack.  Hydrating with the Rayway wasn't so easy. Later, two Gatorade bottles replaced the Smartwater bottles, fitting better in the Osprey pack's side pockets. In the deserts I would drink several ounces every 20 minutes, by the clock.

Electronics and route finding.  I started with a flip phone, a compact camera and iPod Touch with their charging cords.  I sent all those home when I got a new Samsung smartphone at Big Bear.

Anker 10,000 mah Backup battery.  7.75 oz  This replaced the pathetic little Power Bank, which was likely old technology when someone gave it to me just before the trip.
Earthmate app for use with Garmin inReach Explorer.

Half mile/Guthooks app for android 

Paper maps. (Half mile)  

Wrist watch.  I began with a large multifunction Armitron and downsized to a women's Armitron weighing 20 gm. less.  The smaller Armitron had no timer function, which I used to keep on schedule for staying hydrated in the deserts.  I'd go back to a full function Timex watch in a women's size in a NY minute.

More Electronics.  Personal locator beacon (ACR) or two way satellite communicator such as the Delorme (now Garmin) inReach explorer or SE.  Spot might be OK--its user experience has been spotty (no pun intended).
     You need something, whether for yourself or to save someone else.  I kept forgetting to have my ACR sent from my kitchen drawer.  I had none when I was helivaced out of Kings Canyon NP for high altitude pulmonary edema--I waited in place a day before another hiker with an inReach came.  A Park Service chopper arrived 3 hours after the call.  On returning to the trail after my evac, I took both an inReach and an ACR.  Reception with the Garmin can be spotty and can depend on a small window of exposure to the relevant satellites, that is, between trees or rock formations, etc, causing delays up to two hours sending/receiving messages.  Even so, I loved having the Explorer's two way communication in areas of no cell service.  The ACR uses a different satellite network than the inReach.  InReach users without a smartphone and the Earthmate app will find the device very awkward for sending messages--it's not a touch sensitive screen and composing a sentence is much more tedious than using a keyboard with one finger.
     Battery level monitoring.  The inReach indicates how much charge you have left.  The ACR permits a test communication, but no indication of charge and it isn't a rechargeable battery.  That's why I pack both.

First aid kit (FAK).  a very basic first aid kit of a few band aids and meds:  ibuprofen & naproxen for pain, Zyrtec for allergies, ? for altitude sickness. ? for Lyme disease?

Vitamins.
Imodium (diarrhea)--I used this for loose stools which afflicted me from walking long hours, you want more control over when you have to stop.  A few pieces of Moleskin, though I had two minor blisters the entire hike.

No epi-pen. No snake-bite kit. no ambu-bag.  No triangular bandage for broken arm, etc.  Just the meds above.
Other Medications:  For high altitude, I will pack nifedipine, to prevent high altitude pulmonary edema.
A certain reliance on emergency communication devices as discussed above is essential to a lighter pack and a lighter attitude.  Severe conditions require evacuation, not self treatment.  Examples:  a compound fracture, snake bite, high altitude pulmonary or cerebral edema, head injury, a laceration requiring irrigation and stitches.  Sending another hiker out for help wastes precious time.  If travelling solo, that hiker may be a long time coming.

Swim suit, goggles (I used these once at Lake Isabella in a cold pool--not worth taking)

Toothbrush, dental floss

Mylar emergency blanket, 2.5 ounces.  I used this for 3-5 really cold nights inside my 20 deg bag.  I folded it in half and became the filling for a rectangular taco in my quilt.  Humid, yes, but it did the job.  It self destructed on the fourth or fifth use.  It also kept insensitive moisture loss from condensing on the surface and outer layers of insulation of my quilt.  I'll always carry one.

   Some duct tape wrapped around a trekking pole.  I'm embarrassed to say I used all of it and borrowed some from other hikers to repair my poly cryo tarp, which fell apart after 7 weeks.  It was good while it lasted and would have been good if I had a new one every 4-5 weeks.

EAR PLUGS.  At the pilot's lounge at Tehachapi airport (if it ever re-opens to hikers)-- the train tracks are only a long stone's throw away.  I slept very, very well through 120 dB blasts.

Toilet paper.  Cat hole digger. (Deuce of Spades)

My base weight before water and food: about 18 lb.  With 12 lb of food/water, the Osprey handled really well.  The Rayway carried the load just barely OK, but might have been better if I'd left the bear can and had a lighter quilt.  At some threshold of total pack weight (maybe 30-32 lb), an extra pound suddenly makes the load onerous.

Final gear list:
Osprey Exos 58 pack,  2 lb. 8 oz
Warbonnet Superfly tarp (this tarp has 'doors' to keep out blowing rain)
Warbonnet double layer hammock w/built-in no-see-um netting.
8 Ruta Locura tent stakes.
Hammockgear 20 deg under quilt
Dry bag
Zpacks pack cover
Zpacks 20 degree quilt
Chrome dome umbrella
Delorme inReach
ACR personal locator beacon
Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Patagonia long underwear bottoms
LLBean fleece zip turtleneck top (to be replaced by a Patagonia Capilene thermal weight Hoody)
 Darn Tough extra socks
 North Face button down shirt--same pale yellow color.  I replaced the buttons with snaps, but this heavy shirt may yet stay home.
 montbell down jacket
 montbell  pants
DIY rain skirt
DIY rain gaiters
 Outdoor Research helium II rain jacket
Dyneema mitten shell
DIY fleece mittens
DIY hood

Cat food can alcohol stove,  windscreen,  snuff can,  fuel bottle--1.8 oz
Evernew saucepan. Pot cozy, spoon, Bic lighter 8 oz

Basic first aid kit as above
Aqua Mira water purification
Dental stuff
Platypus 2 L canteen x2  2.8 oz
Gatorade bottles x2 3 oz

Toilet paper 3 oz.
sun screen 1 oz
Fenix single cell flashlight plus battery .75 oz
Gerber knife 0.6 oz
Dental:  brush, paste, floss 1 oz.
Pack rain cover 2 oz
8 tent stakes 2.5 oz
Compass 1 oz
lip balm 0.5 oz
space blanket 2.5 oz
Paper maps 3 oz