Gear Question: Bivy & Tarp for PCT

Hello Richard,

My name is Joshua and I myself will be thru-hiking the PCT in 2011. I have been looking alot at bivy/tarp as a primary shelter; MLD superlight being the primary bivy and not sure on the tarp yet. I was curious from your experience would you recommend the full net hood for the Bivy or the half moon window? Also any other recommendations about what gear you recommend would be so much helpful. Thank you so much

Congrats on undertaking the PCT! I suppose you've come across my PCT prep blog at http://budgetpct.blogspot.com/

Being an UL advocate and the owner of a Russian-language UL online community, I have a lot of thoughts and opinions on gear!:) Let me share a few, and if you have more questions I'll be happy to give input.

Bivy + tarp works well. Most of the time you won't want to pitch the tarp at all, and just having the bivy will save you time and effort over all the people with tarptents.

I would definitely take the full net hood, but I have never tried any other kind of bivy. What I found on the PCT is that heat is more of an issue than cold. Chances are you'll have a warm bag/quilt for Sierra temps (in 2009, it was 26 to 34 degrees at night for the first 20 days of June) that will feel like overkill for much of the rest of the summer. Having the netting will allow for more airflow.

I found myself at times thinking that perhaps a bug bivy would be more useful than a bivy much of the time. It would have been nice to have a bit more bug-free space, particularly around the head. For instance, I never tried eating more than small snacks inside the bivy. With the full screen, you'll also be able to talk to other thru-hikers more easily while in camp.

If I did it again I would probably take the MLD silnylon poncho-tarp and figure out a better solution for the problem of attaching tie-outs and avoiding tangling (I think I have a good one, but it needs testing). I have since sold my cuben poncho tarp and bought the more functional silnylon one, despite the additional weight.

An even lighter option is the Zpacks Hexamid plus some kind of rainwear such as a 200 gram poncho. You'd have more space to relax in buggy areas but would have to set it up almost every night, meaning less flexibility. I personally am nearly torn between these two options, but the Hexamid + poncho or light rain jacket combo is lighter even than the poncho tarp + bivy combo.

As I think I mentioned in my blog, the Golite Chrome Dome allows you to wear shorts and short sleeves in SoCal, avoiding much discomfort and grimeyness. I don't think I used sunscreen the entire time. A lot of PCT'ers agreed that it was a good idea, but didn't like the idea of choosing between poles and umbrella. But when I asked, most weren't 100% sure they actually needed the poles. For many poles seemed to be something they thought they had to have as backpackers. I, too, started with poles and used them plenty in the Sierras when crossing innumerable streams, but sent them home from Truckee and almost never regretted it.

Rick

Preparation Update

Permits

Today I mailed off the forms for my permits (see earlier post). I decided to pay the $15 for the Mt. Whitney permit just in case. U.S. wilderness authorities aren't exactly known for corruption and embezzlement, so I don't feel bad contributing a bit beyond what is absolutely necessary. Now I just have to remember to send in my ADZPCTKO application in March when it becomes available.

Printing PCT maps

I went to a print shop to find out about options for printing out Halfmile's free PCT maps. I learned it would cost me $50 to print all the California section maps on regular 8.5'' x 11'' paper, with two maps on each side of the sheet. This would be the optimal solution, as you can still make out all the detail and have to deal with 4 times fewer pages than if you just printed out all the maps straight. $20 of the $50 would pay for the work of arranging the pages so that they print at half size.

I had tried to paste the maps into a Word document to make it easier to print two maps to a page, but this drastically reduced the print quality. The same map printed at half size from the original .pdf file printed out crisply. 

I decided to take my girlfriend up on her free printing privileges as the university and just print out double-sized, full-size maps. $50 is too much for me. 

Once I print out the maps in a couple weeks, I'll start making notes on them regarding water sources and towns -- information that I plan on gleaning from the web. I'm hoping I don't have to pay for any guide books. Really, all I need are detailed maps, reliable information on water sources, and info for post offices, food stores, and public libraries in trailside towns. All of that is available online. I don't see why I'd need any more than that for my hike, even though everyone says to get the guide books and Yogi's guide. 

Exercise

I've been going to the gym off and on since fall, and did a strenuous 9-day hike in the Peruvian Andes in January, so I'm in decent shape. With the PCT little more than two months away, though, it's time for a daily concerted effort to get in the best shape possible. I plan to mix running with stair steps, cycling, and elliptical machines (sp.?) to give my legs a full workout, in addition to the standard upper-body stuff. I don't want to overstrain my knees running every single day, and these other machines will focus on muscles that are used when hiking, but not when running. 

Poles or no poles?

I have not decided yet whether I'm going to take trekking poles on the PCT. I've found that the umbrella trumps poles hands-down, and most of the time I don't use the poles anymore. Shielding myself from the sun is more important. The reason I might take them is to help my knees on downhill segments. However, I think my knees strengthen up after a while, and by just slowing my pace I can do fine. Plus, the PCT is gently graded, unlike trails in Crimea (Ukraine). 

UPDATE 18 FEB: I've tentatively decided to leave the poles at home. If I find I need them, I can have them mailed to me.

Value of trekking poles

I recently happened across an article in the Jan/Feb 2009 edition of Men's Health magazine that talked about the fitness value of trekking poles. It cited research that said that people who used trekking poles had a 6% higher heart rate (e.g. 106 bpm vs. 100 bpm, or 141 bpm vs. 133 bpm) and a 10% higher oxygen consumption rate while walking at the same speed as people who did not use them, but they did not report a higher subjective level of exertion. I have done little mini-experiments on myself, just observing my sensations when hiking at a certain pace with and without poles, and came to similar conclusions. It takes a lot more energy to do with the arms what one can easily do with the legs (i.e. propel oneself forward). This research suggests that trekking poles increase cardiovascular fatigue; however they may reduce other kinds of fatigue. See the links below for more details.

Here are links to research reports regarding the use of trekking poles:

- hiking downhill (with and without poles)

- hiking uphill

- physiological response and exertion

- load carriage expenditure

These studies suggest that poles reduce impact on the lower body and slightly reduce perceived exertion, despite a small increase in heartrate. 

Trip financing

I'm probably going to have to sell off some more of my fancy backpacking gear to finance my thru-hike. With no rent or various living expenses to pay for the duration of my hike, I suspect I will actually be spending a little less per month than if I stayed where I am now.