My Post Hike Gear Review (Pt. 2 - Clothing)

(My complete gear list)

Hiking Shirt - Columbia Silver Ridge Long Sleeve Shirt

I think I wore that shirt every single day for my entire trip. So it's 152 days on trail, adding a couple of days before I started, down in San Diego. That's pretty impressive.
On the trail, I always wore long sleeves. I don't recall a single time I folded the sleeves up. Even in the hot desert, it was never too hot for me. This way, I also didn't use any sun tan lotion for most of my hike - with arms and legs covered, and having a buff over my neck, I only rarely put some on my face. That was a big bonus, as putting on sun tan lotion is always a pain.
The material is very light and feels nice against my skin, and it dries quickly. The shirt was of excellent quality - I didn't have a single tear or seam falling apart. The only indication it was used constantly for 5 months is the way the color faded a bit. I would definitely wear a similar Columbia shirt for my next hike.

Hiking Pants - Columbia Silver Ridge Cargo Pants

Same as the shirt - Wore the same pair of pants throughout the trip, and I don't have any complaints about them. No tears, no seams falling apart. The only problem was my weight loss - I had to pull the belt really tight, and somehow manage the excess material around my waist so it won't bother me too much. I should have bought a smaller pair somewhere half way through, but I wanted to hike in the same pair for as much as I could. I'm silly that way.

Same clothes for the entire trip. They held up very well.

Boxers - Exofficio Give-N-Go

I had two pairs of those boxers, and I switched between them all along the trail. I admit I was not switching every day... It all depended on when the next laundry is expected, and how hot and uncomfortable I felt with the pair I was currently wearing. Through most days, they worked just fine, though I did have the occasional chafing and raw spots here and there.

Hat - Columbia Bora Bora hat

And here's the hat.

A very nice and comfortable hat. I think I can count on one hand the amount of days I didn't wear it (some rainy days up in Washington). Even in the blistering heat, I was never always comfortable with it over my head, with the small mesh allowing some wind to chill my head.
It took me well over 2 months to figure out I don't need the annoying string attached to it. I used to just put it behind my head (and not under my chin), figuring I might use it in some very windy conditions. But after hiking over half the trail without actually needing it, I finally cut it. The elastic cord around the head worked just fine for keeping the hat in place.

Beanie - ZPacks Micro Fleece Hat

I started without any beanie, and quickly discovered I am losing a lot of heat from my exposed head, during the night (My quilt doesn't have a hood). I bought the ZPacks hat at the ADZPCTKO for $10, and it did the trick. Warm enough for all the nights on the trail, and I also hiked with it a couple of times. Great value.

The Ghost Whisperer Anorak

Wind Shirt - Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer Anorak

The link above is to the hooded jacket, but I had an older version, with no hood, and only half zip in the front.
I carried it with me for rain and wind protection in the first third of the trail, up to Kennedy Meadows. I figured I wouldn't have many rainy days in the Southern California desert, and I was right. I remember maybe 2 days of actual rain, and I probably put it on while hiking maybe twice more to protect me from some cold winds. It did the trick.
I now carry it with me every day, just in case a sudden rain will catch me unprepared. The minimal weight makes it very comfortable as a last resort.

Rain Jacket - Marmot PreCip

A great rain jacket, which I keep on using since my days on the AT, 12 years ago. In 2008 I bought a new jacket, since my old jacket was peeling on the inside, but I've used it since 2008 and on the PCT, and it performed wonderfully. I had just a few rainy days on the trail, and I really liked all the different venting options the PreCip offers to deal with different temperatures and rain types.
In the hot and rainy days of Northern California I sometimes took off my hiking shirt completely, and just put on the jacket. I admit - it doesn't really feel comfortable against the skin. But with the pit zips open, and the front zip also only part way closed, there was enough ventilation to prevent too much sweating, and enough protection at the top to prevent getting wet by the rain.

And here is the infamous PreCip

In the cold rainy days of Washington I used to close it all tightly around me. But it was still easy enough to open up the Velcro at the cuffs, to allow some air inside, or open the pit zips again a bit later, when the rain wasn't as strong, and sweat was starting to build up. It really does fit many different rainy scenarios.
I also used it in camp, at the evening, when it was not cold enough to put on my insulating jacket. And last but not least - even in the coldest nights, when I put on everything else to keep me warm, I'd keep the PreCip crammed inside its own pocket, and used it as a pillow.

Jacket - Mountain Hardwear Thermostatic Hooded Jacket

I was really happy with this jacket. Even at the desert, the nights were chilly enough for me, so I used it in camp on many evenings. It also performed well as a pillow, when I wasn't using the hood to keep my head warm. In some colder nights I wrapped the empty sleeves around my neck and shoulders. I think I Actually wore it during the night only once or twice.
Their down jacket is even lighter, but I figured I carried enough dead geese, and the synthetic insulation will hold better in case it gets wet.

Base Layer - Columbia/Marmot

I wore the base layer on most nights in my tent, and they kept me warm enough through most of them. On the colder evenings I'd put them on right when I got to camp.
I can't find the exact Marmot base layer pants I have, but both the pants and the shirt are nothing special. I think most light-weight warm-ish base layers would function similarly.

Socks - IceBreaker/Injinji

I started with two pairs of IceBreaker Hike+ socks, which worked just fine up to Wrightwood (Mile 369). They started having holes in them, so I ordered a three pack of Injinji's toe socks to there. It took a short while to adjust to the different feeling, but after a while they felt natural, and my feet didn't have any more serious blisters. I switched between the Trail and Run and whatever else models of Injinji, getting new socks in Lone Pine (Mile 788) and Belden (Mile 1289). I think the 3 pairs from Belden lasted all the way to the end. Impressive.

Shoes - Merrell Moab Ventilator

I started the trail with a pair of Merrells I used in Israel, and also hiked around the Mont Blanc with them. They were still in pretty good shape (~150 miles on them, I'd guess). I had some blisters at the beginning

New shoes and socks

Shopping Spree (Wont somebody please stop me?)

OK. I've done it again. And again. (And again).

Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer Anorak

I was eyeing this very nice and lightweight wind shirt (The Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer Anorak) at Sierra Trading Post for a while now, keeping it in my shopping cart. At first I was really excited about this special sale they were having, offering it with an additional %30+ discount over their usual discount rate (I think it's %25), and then I decided I don't really need it at the moment (=got vetoed over it at home), and was a bit bummed the sale was over.

Then I noticed that STP are having sales constantly, each with %25-%35 off on most items, and sometimes even more on several selected ones. So I decided to just keep an eye on the jacket, and see how it goes. Over the past 1-2 weeks I think I once saw "my" jacket for as low as $60, and I didn't buy it at the time. But it got harder and harder to just check it out every day or two, and convince myself that I can manage without it, or at most just buy it as I go along on the trail.

Finally, I decided I will actually get it and be done with it. I might regret it later, but it was on for $65, and the shipping and tax brought it up to ~$80. It's still not bad, considering its full price is $140, though currently even the Mountain Hardwear site is offering it for $107.90.

GoLite Chrome Dome Trekking Umbrella

Then I started looking at the Chrome Dome Trekking Umbrella. I was watching the movie "Tell it on the Mountain" several weeks ago with my girlfriend and several friends, and one of the things that struck us most was the heat and exposure in the desert parts of the hike. I don't mind getting wet in the rain (At least, that's what I'm telling myself at the moment), but I don't want to ruin my skin in the long term, just because I wasn't careful enough in the California Desert. I am not sure that the umbrella is neccesary, and not just an over-weight luxury item I will be carrying for no need. But I decided I'd give it a try. It is not too expensive, and at most, I can just leave it at some hiker box and carry on under my wide-brimmed hat.

Ordering the umbrella wasn't easy, though. The GoLite site does not allow using an international credit card, or PayPal/Google Checkout account, even though my shipping address was in the US anyway. I had to contact their support and ask for instructions, and was told that I can order using an international credit card by phone. It took me several days, but today I finally called them, and ordered the umbrella. The order went surprisingly smooth, except for a mistake in the email address they wrote down, but I have just fixed that by chatting with their online chat support. So that's good.

As a final purchase, I have also just ordered a set of Halfmile maps from Yogi's store. The maps themselves are free to download from his site, which I have. The "problem" is printing all 455 pages... I was trying to print them somewhere in Israel, so I can experiment with double sided and even half size printing, but I failed to find a local print shop that can print on Letter size paper (Over here the standard is A4). I almost found one, but they weren't really answering my emails, and wouldn't give me any quote, even for a 3 page test print.

Even though Yogi is offering the full set for $30, I asked Matt Signore, who is the one dealing with the printing at Yogi's store, for a quote on half size maps (2 per side/4 per page). He offered this option for $18, but at the end I decided I'd go with the full size maps. A small test print on A4 with half size seemed almost ok, but some of the numbers were a bit too small to read, and at the end I decided that I'd rather be a bit on the safe side on this one.

So, three items. I hope this marks the end (apart from some smaller items I'll buy in the US, maybe).

I got all three items shipped to the Trail Angels' house in San Diego, so thanks again for their kind help in keeping my shipping costs to a minimum. It makes a very big difference.

Buying an insulating jacket

Back in 2002 I started my AT thru-hike really early in the season (I had to catch a David Bowie concert in February 22nd in NYC, so my thru hike arranged itself around that), and I had some really cold days and nights early on. I did not carry a special down, or even synthetic, jacket. All I had was this simple EMS fleece outer layer. During the colder times I just put everything on, from polartec baselayer, to hiking clothes, fleece and rain gear on top. I was cold, but it worked.

This time around I decided I'd like to have a simple, light-weight, insulating jacket. The highs are higher on the PCT, and I expect to be camping in snow at least several times, so I should be prepared for it. Besides, it will replace the heavier fleece layer.

I checked out Outdoor Gear Lab's down jacket comparison, and marked some brands to check. At first, I was really looking into the water repellent down that was recently introduced into the market. The only company that offered such jackets was Sierra Designs, except for the Ghost Whisperer by Mountain Hardwear, which seems to be an awesome jacket. But I wanted to have the hooded option, which did not contain the treated Down. I decided I'd wait until the winter 2014 season options be available, hoping that the treated down will appear in more options and more brands.

About a month ago I noticed that Mountain Hardwear have finally renewed their offerings, and are not selling a Hooded Ghost Whisperer with Q Shield Down (Their brand name for water repellent down). I was really looking into buying it, trying to figure out the best way to have it shipped to Israel without paying too much. The web site did not ship outside of the US, but REI and Backcountry Gear did, for about $50 more. I was also looking into a delivery company that gives you an address in the US, and then ships the stuff to Israel itself. I used it once to buy a pair of New Balance shoes. Their rates were $30 for the lightest package, and up. And they were also going through customs and VAT when bringing the package over, so there's no point in hoping it will slip under the radar.

After many evenings trying to decide which jacket I should purchase, and how should I get it over here, I finally decided on a synthetic one. I know down is lighter and compresses better, but I figured that since I got the down quilt, I can spare some poor geese their feathers, and manage with a heavier option after all. I did buy a rather light Thermostatic Hooded Jacket from Mountain Hardwear, so I'm not complaining much. The weight difference is 306g (on my home scales) to 212g (the Hooded Ghost Whisperer, according to their site's specs), so it's about 100g difference. And it's also about $70 cheaper, which is another little perk.

About the shipping, I made the mistake of using the delivery company, hoping the light weight jacket will be only $30, but at the end the bulk of the package caused it to be $50, and then I had to pay another $50 for the VAT in Israel. So next time I'll just order directly from Backcountry Gear. Lesson learned.