More gear evolutions; snow; information and apps.

Table of Contents

First, the snow

This year I’m seeing lots of posts about early trail snow. Usually snow starts hitting in October but I’m seeing a lot of September snow.

Eg, things like this: https://www.reddit.com/r/CDT/s/BsaKHvHMPJ

Glad I’m not in that mess.

Sunglasses

On the Appalachian Trail, since it was our first trail and we did a number of short hikes to warm up and I read a lot, I stressed a lot about sunglasses.

The more I hike, the less I stress about anything. I tried all sorts of things for sunglasses and other options on various section hikes. I still try things out and experiment.

The AT is the one trail where sunglasses aren’t needed. There were so many variations and approaches I tried on that trail before I realized none of them were necessary or useful.

My bottom line is that anyone recommending sun glasses for the AT is trying to sell you something (probably with an affiliate marketing kickback).

On the PCT sunglasses are more needed. I burned through a number of them due to loss or damage and my last pair was a pair found under a bush. It lasted me through a lot of scratches.

You need sunglasses on the PCT.

For the Continental Divide Trail I was going to get Ombraz sunglasses. Instead I ended up with the Costco ones in the picture with a tether. I got the tether at a discount. That combination works really well.

I’ve gotten about two thousand miles on them and they are like new. I just let them hang around my neck if I’m not wearing them and place them on my hat at night so I can find them come morning.

I owe Happy6 my thanks for pushing that solution.

Reading glasses

Since I had cataract surgery I’ve needed reading glasses.

I’ve been through several iterations on reading glasses and I have used a number of trail magic readers (ie found in the dirt or in hiker boxes) or readers I bought on the trail from grocery stores. Now I always carry a spare.

Currently on trail I am using Amazon blue filter reading glasses (see the picture) with a tether and that has worked well for me. They get lost or damaged less when worn with a tether. I did have one of the lenses fall out of one pair but the tether works well.

At night the readers live in my hat with the sun glasses. A four pack or readers from Amazon costs less than one single pair from some sources. The plastic flexes without bending or breaking.

Pants

My first hiking pants were cotton blend convertible pants from Costco and I quickly learned they were really “hiking styled” pants rather than real backpacking gear.

My first real backpacking pants I bought from a guy on Whiteblaze who was there selling gear. They were REI Sahara convertible pants. That particular model changes cut, fit, colors and characteristics pretty often. The latest change was just in colors offered.

For a variety of reasons I’ve bought other pants. For example, I ended up with some White Sierra pants on trail while on the Appalachian Trail when I needed new pants. I had lost a zip off and wanted complete pants, especially for the cold weather I found myself in.

White Sierra used to be available on line at great discounts. I couldn’t find them last time I needed to buy pants.

Another time on trail I ended up with some PrAna Zion pants. I was on the PCT when my other pants wore out and that was all the two outfitters in town (between them) had in my size.

I’m currently hiking in REI Saharas again. The color I have was discontinued and this time the new colors are pretty much the only change. This time. Who knows what REI will do next.

For comparison on my current choices, the PrAna pants pockets are easier to use, the REI pants pockets are more secure. REI pants zip off. PrAna roll up (and not well over my calves).

PrAna pants have one extra pocket, the REI pants have two extra pockets for “cargo pants” styling. For hiking I only use front pockets, so the back pockets don’t matter.

Generally if I’m going to roll up or zip off my pants legs I wear shorts. Though for water crossings I sometimes roll up or take off the bottom part of pants.

Not really converting my pants very often has me thinking that the $20 wrangler hiking pants might be good when I need another pair. On the AT I converted my pants often. Since then it has been a seldom if ever thing.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/3325312771

Converting my pants just quit happening on the PCT and I wore shorts a lot. In the CDT I only wore my shorts to do laundry.

I often sleep in my pants instead of switching to my baselayer bottoms. That worked out well when Happy6 needed to use my baselayer bottoms because hers were missing.

Bottom line: wear the pants that fit you and you are comfortable in. I don’t have any specific advice on pants beyond that.

“Down” jackets

I’ve ended up using a down jacket for spring, summer and fall on the trail. I wear it to be warm in camp when I am stopped before sleep at night or in the morning before hiking.

My first down jacket was REI’s economy model and cost me $49 (purchased on sale). It came without a hood. I also bought a bright green Patagonia nano puff on sale at REI. I swapped between them at times and wore both on vacations or section hikes.

I picked up a Ghost Whisperer at REI for Happy6 which she wore out and which Mountain Hardware replaced (in lieu of repairs) with a Ghost Whisper II. She also has a Montbell down jacket I bought her.

She bought me a Feathered Friends EOS (with hood) that I’ve carried thousands of miles on trails and a blue nano puff because she really disliked the green color one I had.

The deal was that the green one would get sent to the consignment shop if she replaced it. It is gone now.

The Patagonia is great on vacations and around town. Wearing the nano puff protects my hiking jacket from damage and wear. The EOS has a broad range of useful conditions I can wear it in and it also makes a great pillow.

Warning: a puffy jacket is not for hiking in. It is for warmth in camp. Your fleece or wind-shirt is for hiking in.

Outside of extreme weather about any solution seems to work well though I’m happy with what I’m using. There are people who just use a fleece in camp instead of a puffy or who just have a windshirt. So far that has been too minimalist for me.

Shorts

I’ve been through a fair number of evolutions on shorts. Sometimes I hike in them. Sometimes mosquitoes or the threat of sunburn or cold weather or brush leaves me in hiking pants.

I’ve discovered that what seemed perfect in the way of shorts changes as my cell phones have gotten larger. It is a matter of how the phones and the pockets work out.

My current shorts are by Spyder. They are the lightest of my shorts and the pockets zip so nothing falls out. My cell phone fits.

This last hike I used them when doing laundry. I bought them for around $12 at Costco. I think Spyder has discontinued the model I bought as I don’t see it on their website. Costco always seems to have great shorts for around $12.

The problem is that the specific shorts available keep changing so it is hard to recommend something that others will be able to find.

Books and Movies.

https://whiteblaze.net/forum/forumdisplay.php/426-Books often has kindle books for free on promotions. What is available changes as the free period runs out and a new book gets promoted.

Drop by Whiteblaze from time to time and you can get quite the library.

For the AT you can read A Walk in the Woods or watch the movie. Both are entertaining but lack accuracy. Being exposed to them does let you know what people are talking about when they come up.

The real “book” you need is FarOut, the App. Hikers used to have the app for the trail and guide books for town. Before that hikers would just carry Wingfoot’s guide. The App now covers it all.

On the other hand, a book offers a different experience and the books often have useful information or perspectives and are great for planning.

The ALDHA guide is currently the best of the three print guides. Whiteblaze was briefly best and the third available guidebook used to be the standard but has been eclipsed. You can get the ALDHA guide for free in pdf form for kindle with a membership.

I’ve owned and used all three books on trail.

For the PCT the book used to be Yogi’s Guide. It was head and shoulders ahead of anything else. The latest edition went out of print and it doesn’t look like it will be updated and reissued. She does have material on line.

https://www.yogisbooks.com/links
https://www.triplecrownoutfitters.com/pct-local-permits
Her Facebook group.

The PCTA no longer has guidebooks, just maps where they list guidebooks for sale. https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/maps/.

Otherwise people do read Wild/watch the movie but it is entertainment not a guide.

For the CDT the book used to be Yogi’s Guide. Who knows when or if it will ever be reissued.

The CDT Coalition has some maps and a guide. The guide is very general.

https://continentaldividetrail.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/continentaldividetrail/giftstore.jsp is where you go for their guide.

Otherwise for CDT guides it is all online material.

I don’t know a current guidebook I can recommend for the CDT though there are lots of books written by people about their hikes and lots of trail journals. They can be interesting or entertaining

Bottom line is that two of the three trails don’t have a current, in print comprehensive guidebook. The Appalachian Trail has three.

For documentary movies, see “Videos” below.

Videos

You can find lots of video footage on YouTube.

https://www.tbwproductions.com/ has the best true trail documentary/movies.

Otherwise there is a lot of material that constantly changes and updates. The two “big name” movies are A Walk in the Woods and Wild. Both are more entertainment than inform.

Apps

It should go without saying that FarOut is the #1 consensus best and essential app.

https://faroutguides.com/ It has separate downloads for each trail. Continuously updated after you purchase.

Other apps can be situationally useful and many are a part of other equipment (like the Garmin apps and the InReach) or free.

Here are the ones I keep on my phone:

Some have both free and premium versions.

In addition my wife has https://www.onxmaps.com/. I used to have the PATC maps and really liked them but they ceased to be updated and are no longer compatible with my phone.

CalTopo can be very useful and the maps for the CDT are free through Avenza.

We pretty much used a lot of resources on the CDT and just FarOut for the AT and the PCT.

On the CDT there were times when none of the maps or apps were accurate for the access or secondary trails and roads.

No supplemental app is as easy to use or as flexible as FarOut.

Facebook Groups/On Line Forums

The online forums have all been gutted by people moving to Facebook. Only Whiteblaze seems to have much activity. Some that used to be active go ten-twelve months between posts now instead of having multiple posts a day or an hour.

Facebook used to have new groups for each trail every year and the official group run by the trail associations.

Now the groups just change their names every year. So “xyz trail hikers 2023” just became “xyz trail hikers 2024” and will soon change to “2025”.

In addition Yogi has a PCT new group each year (it seems to have replaced her guide). https://m.facebook.com/groups/pctclassof2024yogi/permalink/975566657515186/? for an example. Lots of useful files and material.

The bottom line is that Facebook has replaced forums for the most part.

Other

I have other posts with link collections for on-line information sources for each trail.

Note that some links lists are newer than others.