Hi I tried writing a realllyyy long winded post about gear and planning for a pct thru hike nobo spring 2026. I will be 36 and hiking with my wife 37. I am relatively fit 6'0 170 lbs. My main questions are regarding layers and warmth and my sleep system. My sleep/ shelter system start with the big agnes coppur spur ul 3 , Thema rest neo air xlite reg wide. Nemo disco 15 men reg, and an enlightened equipment evaluation quilt. I have a decathalon f100 down hoodie, upgrading my baselayer ( looking at black diamonds merino solution 150 half zip and the pants. I also have merrel trek tech 2 compression top and bottoms 2 ankle high darn tough wool socks, 1 synthetic running ( sleep) and a full length pair of darn tough socks. ? My sleep wear is typically said socks cheap running pants patagonia capilene tshirt and a synthetic boxerbrief. I like to hike jn my shorts but do plan on bringing prana Zions and my sun hoodie patagonia mens capilene all day cool. I typically use frog togs as a rain layer. I also really like my patagonia fleece and my insulated synthetic hoodie by kuhl( the one hoodie) . My preference shoes are the hoka speedgoat 5s no. Goretex ( no experience with the 6 yet but may try) and I like to bring tea candles for camp ect. I do have mid length kathoola renegaiters smartwool buff arcteryx rho beanie a ball cap and cotton bandana. I have north face glove tip liner gloves and a choice of thicker outer glove.

I am by no means ul my bag is osprey exos 55 and the big agness coppur spur ul3 ( for 2 people) And tend to like some comforts like sleeping clothes a clean pair of boxers socks shirt for sure and I do intend to start with a stove ( msr pocket rocket) pot (gsi ketalist no cup/bow) a toaks 450 ml titanium mug. And toaks spork.

That said I don't want to cause injury with too much unnecessary weight but don't want to be miserably cold or wet. And I am both a cold sleeper and because of certain medical conditions actually get cold easier than most and stay cold. I like to layer and take off instead of being sorry the reverse could have very unpleasant consequences.

Main questions

1. Anything for sure leave at home?
2. Is that an adequate baselayer?
3. I'm worried about these gloves being adequate any suggestions would be great.
4. Anyone with experience using Kevlar socks like KIUA ultra? Are they worth it or a good idea.
5. To many socks or layers?
6. between down hoodie insulated synthetic hoodie and fleece what of those layers should o consider.

7.will the frog toggs and maybe replacing those on the way be adeque5e or should k look at better rain gear. Especially worried about the pnw. 8. Is there any combination or order I should bring my sleeping bag and quilt. For example just a quilt in the desert and mail the bag to the sierras and again around until I get towards the cascades? 9.will kathoola MICROspikes be enough or full crampons. 10.will the renegaiters be good enough, overkill or should I look for some serious post holing gaiters. 11. Ice axe.... never had the need and definitely want to start preparing for self arrest and glissading type situations.... any suggestions had looked at the black diamond raven pro but that's mainly because my headlamp and treking poles are theirs and I've been satisfied with the products. 12. Bear canister size... I have the ursack all mitey but when it comes time for a canister by there? Mail it to myself, rent it it? And what size.. I typically aim for 130 calories per oz but that's not always possible. 13.. Finally emergency gps locators and advice... I'll always have compass and map a garmin forerunner 255 and all trails but what do I need and suggestions on a specific device...

Thank anybody that is willing to help me with these questions. I'm pretty far along on planning preparing and a good year of training hikes and saving ( no one said this was cheap) . So I'm looking to round out my gear not make any huge huge changes past say like 500 unless absolutely necessary ( spikes ice axe and gps unit and bear canister excluded )

Obviously everything will change in trail and I will be able to swap out buy new ect but as far as starting goes.

Hoping to stay warm light as possible and healthy

Thanks all

Hi all,

In December I will start my thru-hike of the South Island of New Zealand (roughly following the Te Araroa), but I’m struggling to pick my shoes. I overpronate very badly, and the midsole of trailrunners I wear tend to collapse completely to the inside, already way before the 200km mark. My trek through Canada was cut short because me Topo Ultraventure Pro’s collapsed and I had to continue walking in them for quite a long distance, resulting in shin splints.

With my last hike, the Cape Wrath Trail, this made me decide to switch to a ‘boot/runner hybrid’, the Scarpa Rush, I managed to finish, even though the midsole started to collapse as well.

This made me decide to switch to a shoe with a lot of extra stability features. I tried some of them on, and ended up with the following short list of shoes that feel relatively stable to me:

La Sportiva Ultra Raptor 2 (wide):

+ Feels very durable and sturdy

+ Stack not too high

+ Still feels quite soft

+ Firm heelcup for stability

+ Upper seems to add stability

- Heavy

- Outsole seems not very durable

- Most expensive option

- Only in black (warm)

La Sportiva Akasha II:

+ Very comfortable upper

+ Outsole looks more durable than UR2

+ Lighter than UR2

+ Midsole feels firm

+ Upper seems to add stability

+ Stability system in midsole?

+ Cheapest option

- Looks (I don’t care much though)

- Forefoot could use a bit more width

- Higher stack?

- Not soft at all, midsole least comfortable of these 3 shoes

Brooks Cascadia 18 (wide):

+ Wide outsole/platform

+ Proven ‘thru hiking shoe’

+ Rockplate

+ Most comfortable midsole (bit softer than other 2 options)

+ Lightest option

- Least durable

- Softer midsole, more prone to collapsing?

There might be people here who suffer the same kind of problems as me, and/or hiked in some of these shoes and might help me with my choice. I really don’t want to quit early again because of bad footwear, even though with exercises my physiotherapist subscribed I hope my overpronation got a bit less, and I plan to bring at least 3 pairs for the 1500km I plan to hike. I’m slightly leaning towards the Akasha, anyone hiked in those?

Other shoes I tried (yes I really tried them all on), but for various reasons are no option:

-          Hoka Speedgoat 5 (wide) (not wide enough)

-          Hoka Mafate Speed 4 (not stable enough)

-          Topo Terraventure 3 (overpronate like crazy in these shoes)

-          Topo MTN Racer 3 (overpronate like crazy in these shoes)

-          Altra Timp 5 (overpronate like crazy in these shoes)

-          Altra Lone Peak mid (overpronate like crazy in these shoes)

-          Asics Trabuco 12 (not wide enough)

-          La Sportiva Akyra (high stack feels unstable)

-          Nnormal Tomir 2.0 mid (not wide enough in forefoot)

-          Inov-8 Rocfly G 390 mid (not wide enough in forefoot)

But if you have other suggestions I’m happy to try other shoes as well. A non-waterproof and light mid/high trailrunner/boot is also an option, not because I'm afraid to twist my ankles, but because it fixes them a bit more in place. I want to cover quite some kilometers every day, so very firm boots are not really an option.

 Thanks!!

I'm assuming there might be questions, but what I'm looking for is the best hiking boot for multi day back country hikes. Cost is not an issue. Literally, if they cost $5000 I want to hear about them.

Specifically, I'm looking for a boot that is long lasting and durable for variable environments, think East Coast/AT types of environments. I normally buy $200-$350 price point boots with Vibram soles, but they get destroyed fairly easily. I would like something that actually lasts me a few years.

Thoughts? Is this something that just doesn't exist anymore? (Disposable this, disposable that)

I have about 2 weeks off from work the middle of August and am looking for some thru hike recommendations for this time. Hoping for a place that’s not going to be sweltering. Any ideas ?

I am looking for a durable, reliable water bladder with preferably a big opening to make cleaning easier.

I was wondering if there is something like a water bladder wich incorporates a filter. This would basically meet all my requirements all at once.

When I did the PCT in 2022, I tried eating more than usual, but even so, I ended up losing 18% of my body mass. O_o (I'm 6'1 - went from 175 lbs to 144 lbs.)

I'd like to avoid that on my CDT thru-hike next year haha. I estimate I burned 5,000-6,000 calories per day, hiking ~27 miles per day. I'll definitely eat more food as I walk, but what's the best way to absorb the most calories on a town day?.. Most nutrition guides aren't aimed at hikers haha

Usually, I'd start each town visit by devouring a bucket of ice cream for a quick 1,700 calories... Followed by a rotisserie chicken some time later. :) If you keep eating to capacity all day (or for an evening + full day + morning), will your body digest and absorb all those calories, or would it just pass all that food through ASAP?

Tl;dr - is there an upper limit on how many calories your body would absorb per day, considering your metabolism is in overdrive and you have hiker hunger? :)

Hello—

Can anyone advise on the sizing? Would the Cascadia 18 in 2e (or wide) be similar to that of an Altra Lone Peak regarding toe box width? Looking for the toe box of an Altra without the zero drop. I’ve heard great reviews on the Cascadia, but none address the width or going up to 2e in width especially for thru hikes.

Tempted to buy the Cascadia for hiking, but my conundrum is: standard ‘D’ width vs 2e. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thru-hiking ruined me and I'm looking for some crazy middle of nowhere mainly outdoor physical labour job because I spent all summer thru hiking rather than working my usual gig in forrestry. I'm in Canada but willing to go ANYWHERE- Does anyone have any clues to share?

Preparing for a PCT thru next year. Curious if anyone has put in real trail miles with a pack on in the Western Rise Session Sun Hoodie—it’s very light and thin, but still UPF50. It’s become my go-to for day hikes, but I’ve always been a little skeptical that it would hold up that well under a pack given the additional abrasion and how thin it is so I’ve generally used other base layers for backpacking. I know the OR Echo is very light too and pretty well regarded for thru hiking, but trying to buy as little new gear as possible.

I am in a weird place personally and professionally. I need a long hike (can be 2 weeks or a few months) to do some soul searching. Tricky part is I’d want to start in January or February. Appreciate any suggestions!

Edit to say I’m currently living abroad for work and am able to travel for this hike, so please share ideas for anywhere in the world. Thanks!

I enjoy chaos and am a bit of a smart-ass, so I was thinking it could be fun to create a triple crown of routes roughly paralleling the AT, PCT, and CDT based on what each trail is most commonly mistakenly called.

I already have a concept planned for an Adirondack Trail with a Caltopo map ready that I'm waiting on an opportunity to ground test. My current vision stretches from the Smokies to the Adirondacks then over to Katahdin as an end for extra fun. As a thematic thread I have it hitting all the east coast's biggest peakbagging lists along the way, with the Southeast 6ers, Catskills 3500, Adirondack 46, and New England 4000 footers.

Pacific Coast Trail would be the obvious parallel to the PCT. The California Coastal Trail and Oregon Coast Trail can take you the majority of the way, and the Olympic Coast is a protected area with established trails that can easily be incorporated in northern Washington. I'm less sure about whether the rest of Washington's coastline could be included with private property and tide issues. Maybe relax the Pacific Coast aspect some and find a way to PCT->PNT to get to the Olympic Coast? That could also incorporate the northern PCT terminus as an additional confusion factor. I would appreciate any ideas here.

I'm not sure yet about what to do for the CDT, or if it even does get its name mistaken much? I suspect it may not popular enough to have reached that point, especially with the ample amount of alternates on it. If any CDT hikers heard misinterpretations of it I would love to hear them!

I would also be interested whether anyone knows if there's a subreddit/forum more centered around route creation and mapping?

Hi! I'm a 30-year-old woman who just finished a sabbatical year hiking the Camino de Santiago. I still have 6 months left and I'm looking for another long trail to explore.

I enjoy solo hiking in mountains, around France, Spain and Germany, always under 3000m. I tend to hike with good weather and focus on safety since I'm not an expert in bad conditions, although I've managed some challenging hikes under rain or bad weather.

This year, I tried a 6-day guided hike in the Spanish Pyrenees and completed a Camino de Santiago over 35 days, averaging 20-45km daily. Both experiences were amazing, and I'm seeking another nature-focused adventure lasting 1 to 6 months.

Living in Spain with enough savings, I'm fluent in English, Spanish, and French. I've heard about the PCT, but I'm concerned about hiking and camping skills. While I loved the spiritual aspect of the Camino, I’d like something more remote with traditional camping.

I’m open to learning but want to avoid unnecessary risks. If you have any recommendations for trails that are safe but still offer beautiful hiking experiences, I’d greatly appreciate your advice! Thank you! 🙏

I have also posted this on the PCT subreddit

TLDR: thinking about continuing my footpath of the PCT via PNT and the GDT

I hiked the PCT Nobo this year. Now I am musing about my next thru hiking adventure. Now I am considering to pick up where I left off basically and hike the PNT from the PCT/PNT intersection to the CDT and then hike the GDT (at a later time). PNT and GDT look amazing and I would hike it in two sections so wouldn't have to take as much time off (compared to the CDT which I have thought about too) Also having a continuous footpath (with two breaks between PCT/PNT and PNT/GDT) all the way from Mexiko to the end of the GDT (and maybe even further with some real adventure?) would be awesome.

Now the question: has anyone done anything similar? Any advice etc?

I hiked about 950 miles NOBO AT last year and I could always pick up where I left off, but was wondering if there are any other options.

I think the AZT looks awesome but hear that mid May is not really an option.

I actually live in Canada and open to travelling outside of Canada and US. I want to start where I have the opportunity to meet other thruhikers too. Starting mid May in Georgia last year was pretty tough meeting people.

Hey Guys! I’ve just finished the edit of my attempt at the kungsleden. It also has english subtitles. Please consider watching :)

https://youtu.be/35Op__ZSojw?si=GI1BYYfZDXJd2Ou3

I’m early into my hike, and am stuck zeroing because I cannot walk without tearing up due to a total of 8 blisters around my feet. I do not want to quit, but I have no ability to walk much. My shoes have been broken in, and I’ve walked a total of about 40 miles in them before this, in similar terrain. If these are not correct fitting shoes I don’t know what are, as I don’t notice much sliding when I walk or feel like they are too tight. I am wearing darn tough socks, which were recommended. Some have burst on their own, and some are about to. I don’t know what to do and would love some advice on how to continue.

I love day hiking and want to be a thru hiker. For a few years, I’ve followed PCT and AT hikers on their social media, and you guys are badass, I want to be one of you. I’ve only had the opportunity to camp twice in my life, I’ve just never had friends or family who were interested in it. But, I just got my first tent and sleeping bag, and I’ll do it alone! How long does it take to learn the skills to take on a thru hike like the PCT without dying?

Hi All,

My wife and I used to do a lot of hiking around the Appalachians and really want to do some thru hikes when our kids get older. We took them to a nice campground in our area to stay overnight and the kids liked it.

Do you have any recommendations on gear to get started thru hiking. We probably wouldn't try to do one for at least another 8 years or so, but figure that will give us time to accumulate gear and start them with more frequent camping and longer hikes, with maybe an overnight during a hike on the AT.

Hi, I'm a beginner thru hiker (I've hiked before for max maybe 3 nights and 4 days but it was awhile ago) and wanted to try something longer and solo.

Was considering Georgia portion of AT but seems like that will be a no go because of the Hurricane

Anyone have some other suggestions?

Ideally with ready access to water, resupply opportunities, cell coverage, etc.

Perhaps a southern piece of the PCT? Not sure how concerned I should be about the lack of water tho

I am planning a through hike in the next couple of years and wonder if anyone has used prepper food. Is it the same as the freeze dried product?

I know someone whose husband bought 90 days of Wise (I think that's the name) prepper food. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. This stuff has a shelf life of 25 years.

Now that she is widowed, she no longer wants it. Apparently, it cost her husband $800. I do not know how much she wants for it. She may be willing to give it to me.

Is this something to pursue?

It seems that hikers don't always eat healthy on the trail and tend to eat a lot of junk food for convenience, but I'd like to find a way to minimize this and eat as healthy as I can on my thru-hike next year. I don't really like the idea of mailing myself boxes from home as I don't have the option to prepare any food beforehand.

What are your healthy eating tips for the trail?

I’m going to be hiking the Ozark highlands trail this winter. Temperatures range between 15 and 40 there are multiple water crossings.

I’ve never done a winter hike so I don’t have any ultralight/hiking clothes equipped for winter, I need advice on everything I need. Brand recommendations would be great too.

My sleeping setup is solid for winter.

Wondering if there is a thru hike that does not go to far to the north that just goes from preferably Norway - Sweden - Denmark, and if not Sweden - Denmark

There are a variety of agencies listed here: https://thetrek.co/appalachian-trail/want-to-help-at-communities-recover-from-hurricane-helene-heres-how/

Also, TheTrek is donating 100% of proceeds from their store through Oct. 3 to three agencies recommended by the ATC: https://thetrek.co/appalachian-trail/fundraiser-for-southern-appalachia-100-of-proceeds-donated-for-the-next-72-hours/

If you aren't able to contribute financially right now, the first article linked above includes information about how to volunteer online with an agency called GISCorp, which it says assists government relief officials in their efforts.

Thank you.