Ultralight packs might be ultra-hyped, but having less weight on your back has its advantages. My feet and body hurt less and I hike more miles when UL. I don’t have a hip belt digging into me and there isn’t extra room for gear to get lost in a big floppy pack. When the weight on my back starts to add up, old injuries show their face. It’s best for me to carry less.

This kit details what I carried during the summer on the Pacific Crest Trail. Temperatures reached 106 degrees fahrenheit and never got below the 50s when using this kit. Items are linked in the title, including affiliate links where I may receive a very small commission.

>>>Find my gear list organized on Lighterpack<<<

Lighterpack: UL PCT 2021

Pack | Pa'lante V2 16”

16.7 oz

I like this pack. It’s overhyped, but it has a great design. With 31L of internal volume, this pack is tiny! It is an ultralight pack, so there isn’t much support for carrying heavy loads. The support is created by the way you pack your bag. Gear must be distributed evenly for a comfortable carry. I would use this pack again and plan to take it on the Colorado Trail in 2022. It weighs 18 oz with the addition of a waterproofing nyloflume pack liner.

Quilt | Enlightened Equipment Revelation
40 degree

14.6 oz

I could not believe how light this quilt was. I own 3 different quilts from 3 different brands and I’m happy I went with EE for my summer quilt. I stayed warm even when I forgot to mail myself my winter quilt in WASHINGTON. I hiked 50 miles into Washington with my summer quilt and survived. There were a few chilly nights, but with all of my clothes on I made it work. I ordered this quilt while on trail to ship to Lake Tahoe and carried it from there through part of California, Oregon, and Washington. Check the ready to ship options on Enlightened Equipment’s website if you need a quilt right away. Very happy with the warmth to weight ratio of this quilt.

Puffy | Enlightened Equipment Torrid Pullover

7 oz

It’s always a good idea to have a backup warm layer even when it’s a hot nor cal summer. For those times you get caught in a rain/hail/thunderstorm and need something to keep you warm because all of your other clothes are wet. ALSO, this synthetic beaut keeps you warm while wet, so win win. I would have likely been fine without it, but this pullover was a joy to have in my pack for peace of mind and a bright yellow mood lifter. I wrote a short review on this piece here.

Sleeping Pad | Nemo Tensor Ultralight Insulated

15 oz

Is this ultralight? Definitely not. But it just so happened that my Women’s Thermarest pad bit the dust. I was fine with my Women’s Thermarest Neo Air X-Lite pad until it started leaking and I could NOT find the hole. I ended up cutting off a few feet and ironing the pad to become a torso length instead of a full body pad, but it too eventually sprung a leak. My hiking partner Darren had an extra Nemo pad in our bounce box because the company sent him a new one (bless) and the old one was repairable. Once you sleep on one of these in the backcountry, YOU CAN NEVER GO BACK. The most comfortable pad, I would call it a luxury item.

Shelter

Zpacks Hexamid Solo w/bathtub
16.5 oz

I had intended to start my PCT thru hike solo, so I bought this shelter. I take a mix of 8 stakes, MSR Mini Groundhog and Zpacks Carbon Fiber Stakes at 2.57oz (included in the total weight). Got my partner Darren to come with and we ended up sharing a Zpacks Duplex. Still have the Hexamid Solo around for backups and it’s a stand in for you to get an idea of a more complete kit. I still used the Solo Bathtub (3 oz) for a ground sheet during lunch and dinner. I started the trail with a Gossamer Gear 1/8” Thinlite pad, but I like how much better the Zpacks bathtub packed up and that I could use it as a groundsheet while cowboy camping. Multipurpose is key.

One Trekking Pole

Leki Micro Vario -> Gossamer Gear LT5
9.5 oz -> 4.9 oz

I have since upgraded to the Gossamer Gear LT5 Carbon trekking poles, but the Leki poles have served me well over the years. My shelter only requires 1 trekking pole and I like to have one had free to take photos, 2 poles just get in the way. The GG poles are so light and feel great in the hand, can’t wait to use them this summer.

Packed Clothing

The only pants I carried in the summer were the Enlightened Equipment Copperfield Wind Pants. I also did not have sleep socks in the summer. I accidentally sent my inflatable pillow home, so I used a bug headnet stuffed with my extra clothes at night for a pillow. I actually liked it better than my inflatable pillow.

Mid Layer/Thermal Top - Senchi Hoody 4 oz

Rain Jacket - OR Helium II Jacket 5.36 oz, Mens- OR Helium Jacket

Wind Pants- EE Copperfield Wind Pants 1.25 oz, Mens- EE Copperfield Wind Pants

Beanie- Coal 2.4 oz

Undies- Exofficio Bikini 0.78 oz

Pillow - Bug Head Net 1.3 oz (stuffed with extra clothes)

Extra Hiking Socks - Injinji Midweight Trail 1.94 oz

Worn

I changed out my clothes a few times when they started to wear out- new socks, shorts and definitely shoes. It was nice to change from shorts to a dress for a small mood lifter.

Socks - Injinji Midweight Trail 1.94 oz

Dress- Outdoor Voices Exercise Dress

Short Sleeve- Icebreaker Cool Lite 3.03 oz or Ibex Journey SS Crew

Shoes- La Sportiva Bushido w/Superfeet, Mens- La Sportiva Bushido 16 oz

Bandana- Cotton Bandana 1 oz

Bra - Patagonia Barely Bra 1.9 oz

LS Sun Shirt - Kuhl Ezra or Sun Hoodie 5.6 oz

Hat - Baseball Hat Target - 2.5 oz

Sunglasses - Sunski - .74 oz

Kitchen

I cold soaked or ate food that didn’t need need cooking. We did bring a cook system when we carried our Hyperlite Packs, and that was nice for colder Washington. I never cooked breakfast and always ate cold soaked overnight oats because cooking and cleaning in the morning is the last thing I wanted to do.

Lighter - Mini Bic 0.4 oz

Utensil - Toaks Titanium Spoon 0.6 oz

Water Bottle - 2 1L Smart Water Bottle 1.5 oz ea (3 oz)

Knife - Victorinox Swiss Army w/mini carabiner 0.85 oz

Food Bag - Reusable Grocery bag 0.67 oz

Water Filter - Sawyer Squeeze 3 oz

Cold Soak Jar - Jif Peanut Butter Jar 1.75 oz

Electronics

iPhone X - w/casePhone 7.3 oz

Charging Cables/ Block - Rav Power 30W Charger 2.5 oz

Headphones - Iphone 0.3 oz

Dry Bag - Zpacks Small Dry Bag 0.49 oz

External Battery Pack - Nitecore NB 10000 5.36 oz

Headlamp - Nite Core Nu25 1.2 oz

Camera Gear

My camera gear is my main luxury item. It is heavier than a point and shoot, but I love the quality of mirrorless cameras. I also bring an additional lens for those occasional wide angle landscape shots like below. If I didn’t have my Fuji 14mm f2.8, this image wouldn’t have been as grand. I was actually missing my even wider 10-24mm lens in this scene, as there would be more room for the sky and foreground. Since Darren carries the tent, I can bring a little extra camera gear.