Okay, We’ve made it 800 miles. By now we have a pretty good idea of what’s working and what isn’t, so here’s a gear review for anyone that might be interested. All ratings are out of a possible 10 stars.

Clothing, from the feet up:

Shoes:

GoLite Storm Dragons. 4/10.
Cindy feels that these shoes put WAY too much pressure on her forefoot which caused her tons of foot pain and numbness and tingling and warts. Okay, she didn’t get warts, but she really didn’t like these shoes. She’s now using New Balance 812s and is feeling much better.

Innov8 Flyroc 310. 7/10.
These are probably the best constructed trail runners that I have owned. They’ve come 800 miles, and could probably go another 300, but I think I need something with a little more support. I’ve had some problems with plantar fasciitis and I think that the minimal support of the Flyrocs might have something to do with it. I bought a pair of Brooks Cascadia 4s in Bishop. I’ll give a review in 500 miles or so!

Socks:

Injinji Tetrasock Performance. 10/10.
These toe-socks save my feet. I used to get blisters between my toes on long hikes, but I’ve had zero since switching to Injinjis. The synthetic (Coolmax) is comfortable and durable. I’ve worn through one pair (carrying 2) in 800 miles. I also feel that the separated toes keep my feet a little cooler (just like gloves are colder than mittens), but other hikers have had the opposite experience.

Baselayer:

Icebreaker Bodyfit 150. 9/10.
We love these super-fine merino wool shirts. We both carry the long sleeved shirts, and I carry a short sleeved as well. We knew these would be great in the Sierras, but I was surprised how well they handled the heat of the desert sections. Most importantly, these things just refuse to pick up body odor. It’s nice not to stink, even after a week of wearing the same shirt. They’re not as durable as a synthetic shirt, though, we’ve both developed small holes here and there. A small price to pay.

Insulation:

Montbell Thermawrap Pants, Montbell Down Inner Jacket (Cindy), Montbell Nitrous Jacket (Andy).  10/10.
Great products. We really did our research on these and they haven’t let us down. Ridiculously light, and we’ve really never been cold while wearing our insulation.

Sleeping Bags:

Montbell UltraLight Superstretch Down Hugger #2.   9/10.
These are really great bags for restless sleepers like Cindy and I. Unlike a traditional ultralight mummy bag, where it is impossible to curl up into a fetal position or perform other night-time contortions trying to get comfortable, the Super-Stretch Hugger has elastic stitching in the baffles that allows the whole bag to stretch with you, but also to “hug” you in whatever position you end up in, eliminating cold pockets. It completely eliminates the claustraphobic feeling I get in mummy bags. The 25 degree temperature rating seems spot-on. Cindy likes that the fabric is very forgiving of zipper-snags, but does think that the zipper’s are a bit finicky.

Pads:

Thermarest NeoAir Regular.  8/10.
We started the trail on Ridgerests (closed-cell foam pads). Foam is great for being light, simple, warm, and affordable, but we just don’t sleep well on it. NeoAir’s are the newest technology from Thermarest. They are light, warm, and ridiculously comfortable. They are also silly-expensive, fragile, and tiring to inflate, especially at 11,000 feet. All in all, very worth it to us. We punctured one in two places in the desert, but Tenacious Tape fixed it right up (10/10 stars for McNett Tenacious Tape, by the way).

Tents/Tarps/Bivies

Mountain Laurel Designs Grace Duo Spinntex tarp.  10/10.
We only carried this tarp to Warner Springs, but it’s not the tarps fault that it was replaced. This tarp was super light, meticulously constructed, roomy, and versatile. It was only our failure to avoid condensation in our bivy that lead to abandoning the tarp for a tent.

Bozeman Mountain Works VAPR Double Bivy.  6/10.
It was good in theory for us to combine a double bivy with a tarp for lightweight shelter. It also worked well during our training. However, something changed on the PCT. Maybe it was our metabolism being ramped up by walking 20 miles a day. Maybe it was something else, but whatever the cause, we had uncontrollable condensation. Every morning we had very wet sleeping bags, and nothing we tried seemed to help. Also, it is a bit claustraphobic in the bivy, and the lack of a side-entry made getting in and out an awkward procedure.

Tent:

TarpTent Squall 2.  8.5/10.

This single-walled tent has been almost perfect for us. For just two pounds we get bug and rain-proof shelter for two. The Squall 2 is very roomy and easy to pitch. With a little practice and creativity it can be made pretty stable in the wind, too. Really our only complaints are condensation in certain conditions (probably unavoidable in a single-walled tent) and I think the beak could be better designed.

Cooking:

Bushbuddy Ultra Woodburning Stove.   9/10.
I love this stove. I love not having to buy fuel in town and I love being able to buy the occasional food that has to be cooked for 10, 15 or 20 minutes, instead of relying on boil-and-eat kind of meals. Plus, it’s just fun having a mini-campfire every night without burning more than a handful of twigs and without scarring the ground. The downside is a slightly longer time to boil water, and a slightly more finicky stove and the need to find some dry twigs. Also, a few ounces heavier than alcohol stoves, but we save weight on fuel.

Packs:

ULA Circuit.  9/10.
Definitely the best carrying pack I’ve owned. Also by far the lightest framed pack I’ve tried. No sign of wear after 2 months and 800 miles. The big hip-belts are great. The front-pocket gets a little hard to access sometimes when the pack is full. I love the roll-top design.

I know I’ve left out some important gear, but it’s getting late and we have at least one big pass (Kearsarge) to climb tomorrow and maybe two (Glen). If you have any questions, I’ll try to answer them at the next stop (Vermillion Valley Resort).