I had good luck with the Brooks Cascadia shoes. I went through three pairs, changing each pair after 1,000 miles. I was only able to do this with the first two pairs, I couldn't change the third pair because I ran out of PCT to hike after 600 miles. (crickets).

For awhile I tried using some Sacony running shoes like I had used on my 1996 hike. I never realized how dang hot they were to wear (in the temperature sense, not the fashion sense). Granted my feet stayed cleaner, that was about the only plus. The Cascadia's breathed well. I used the Superfeet Green insoles.

The worst part about wearing shoes is having to constantly hear from non-hikers: "TENNIS SHOES? WHAT? WHERE ARE YOUR BOOTS? WHAT ABOUT ANKLE SUPPORT?!?!!" As a kid I never understood why it was perfectly fine to wear running shoes while walking in the dirt at home, yet completely unacceptable to wear them on a dirt path in the mountains. Hiking boots slowed me down and hurt my feet, no matter how broken in they were. It wasn't until Ray Jardine's book came out that I felt a sense of validation that I was right as a child.

Yes, there were a few times where I rolled my ankle and it hurt like a mofu. How did I fix it? I just got up and started walking on it again. The pain went away after about five minutes.

I changed my insoles every 500 miles or so. The Superfeet "Green" ones worked pretty well for me. Again, this is something that you'll just have to experiment with and see what works for you.

Darn Tough socks, everything else was a non-starter for me. They were the only socks that lasted any length of time. It wasn't until I was about 1000 miles in that I settled on DT socks for the remainder of the trail. Yes, they are more expensive, but worth it. I finally was able to tear a hole in my DT's just because my foot was wet and I forced the sock onto my foot, tearing a hole in the heel. This was after 800 miles or so. The other two pairs I had are still good.

I tried several other types of socks and nothing compared to the Darn Tough's. My Smartwool socks had holes in them after about three weeks. Cotton socks were a disaster.

Rain Jacket: a/k/a "Portable Native American Sweatlodge Simulator"

Disclaimer: I have never owned a rain jacket I have liked. This time around was no exception. I carried a Marmot rain jacket with me. "Breathable", ha ha ha. I used my rain jacket more as a pillow than I ever did wearing it. When I did wear the jacket it was because I really needed it....when it was freezing rain and snowing.

Rain pants were only ever really needed when the weather was super bad, to which I was glad I had them. On the plus side, it does give you something to wear while doing laundry so you don't end up having to act out a scene in that Cheech & Chong movie that I can't find a YouTube clip of.

I had a light down jacket from Nau, this worked great. It was not super heavy, but along with my other layers it was fine.

My synthetic pants from REI were also my pillow. I did wear them if I was up early on very cold mornings, or in camp at night when the bugs were bad. Definitely essential though.

I had a trucker hat I bought at a yard sale for 50 cents. This was essential for keeping the sun out of my face. If you have longer hair then getting sunburned ears is less of a problem. If you have shorter hair then you should wear a hat that covers your ears.

I also carried a stocking cap which was essential. I liked to hike until dark and with just the stocking cap on it eliminated my need to wear a jacket or thermal pants. Later on I carried an REI Balaclava. I would wear the stocking cap at night but it kept falling off during the night, so I had my wife mail my balaclava in one of my resupply boxes. It was also nice for when it was cold and windy.

I had a long and short sleeved "activewear" shirt that I got from Old Navy for free. (well, I remodeled our bathroom and put a bunch of the stuff on my Gap credit card, so they were bought with rewards points. I would suggest not remodeling your house to prep for your PCT hike though). I tended to alternate between the short and long sleeved shirts. The long sleeved shirt was really nice when it was colder but you were moving along and a decent speed.


My bounce box had a Bad Brains T-shirt and plaid shorts which I considered to be my "Sunday best".

This was one of my "always dry" items. It was one of my items I kept for emergencies or when it was very cold at night. (Like camping on top of Mt. Whitney). This is the only clothing item I carried on both of my PCT hikes.

I only carried this in Washington where it was starting to get colder. I was really glad I had it the last few days when the weather was wet and cold for days on end. If you are going to reach Canada sometime after mid September, I would suggest having extra gear for Washington. The Goat Rocks can be completely beautiful or completely miserable in September. I carried a pair of long johns, gloves, and an extra long-sleeved wool shirt for that stretch.

I had some lightweight wind-blocking fleece gloves. These were really nice to have, especially hiking in the early morning when it is still freezing out.

Having baggy lycra/polyester shorts was nice. These were just some I bought on sale at a major department store for 10 bucks.

Change a word in the chorus of Tom Petty's 1989 hit song from "Fallin'" to "Ballin'" and you get the idea.