* * Upcoming Talks: March 7, Oregon City Library, 7 PM // March 26, Straub Environmental Learning Center, 7 PM // April 16, Tryon Creek State Natural Area, 6:30 PM * *
SHOES: Brooks Cascadia
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Bacon Bit, High Life, Maddog: All in Cascadias! |
I went with trail runners.
I didn’t know which to use, so I started with the Montrail Mt.
Masochist. It turns out that these were
NOT the shoe for my foot, and they started to mess up my ankles and
calves. An emergency pre-trip to my
local running store put me in the Brooks Cascadia. These were the perfect shoe. I wore five pairs of Brooks Cascadias on the
trail. It eventually became the single
most popular shoe on trail. We would
figure out which way to go at unmarked intersections by tracking the Cascadia
print.
PROS: Light, sturdy,
and an overall “neutral” shoe. Fun
colors.
CONS: Good shoes are
expensive. These ran $110 a pair.
BOTTOM LINE: These
are great shoes. Yes, you can wear them
for 1000 miles. NO, THIS IS NOT
RECOMMENDED. The structure of the shoe
is gone after 500. Buy new shoes. And consider a sturdy insole. Many people were happy with Superfeet. I did NOT add a sturdy insole, I let my shoes
go a little too long initially, and I was not religious about stretching. I developed a nasty case of plantar fasciitis. I have not hiked more than five miles since I
finished on September 28, 2012. I cannot
run. I tape my feet every time I go to
Jazzercise. Take care of your feet—they carry
you to Canada!
JACKETS: Patagonia & Patagonia Nano Puff Hoodie
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A very COLD Mojave walk! |
I went with a rain jacket I already owned (a lightweight
Patagonia) and carried it the entire length of the trail. I also purchased the Patagonia Nano Puff
Hoodie. I was happy with both. I won’t say much about the rain jacket, any
lightweight will do. We only were rained
on about three times – I used my rain jacket more for warmth and wind than I
did for precipitation. Be forewarned,
though, if you wear it often, it’ll become less waterproof at the rub
points. On to the Nano Puff!
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The Nano Puff went on and off constantly.
I kept it behind my pad on my pack. |
PROS: This jacket is
light, has a hood, has pockets, and is synthetic. I wanted a hood, I wanted pockets, and I
wanted to be able to wash my jacket freely and not lose insulation if it got
wet. This jacket did everything I
needed.
CONS: I’ll admit that
I was jealous of everyone else’s down puffy jackets. They are a smidge lighter and looked like
they were warmer. After I dried my
jacket in a way-too-hot drier in northern California, it lost a bit of loft,
but, fortunately, wasn’t destroyed.
BOTTOM LINE: If you
want to be able to wash your jacket and not worry about it getting wet, go Nano
Puff Hoodie. It did everything I needed
it to do.
PANTS/SHORTS: Sierra Designs Hurricane Rain Pants, REI Saharas
I went with the Sierra Designs Hurricane Rain Pants and my
old REI Sahara zip-off pants.
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Swimming in my Saharas by Warner Springs. |
PROS: The Hurricane
pants are light and come in petite sizes!
And they are very reasonably priced.
The Sahara zip-offs have pockets and easily convert to shorts—they also
clean up well.
CONS: The Hurricane
pants do NOT breathe. I did not have to
wear them often, mostly in town while I was doing laundry—HOT. The Sahara’s . . . I shipped them home in
Northern California. I had to sew seams
twice. The REI petites are no longer “petite,”
and after losing 10 pounds, I was swimming in them. These
are NOT my favorite pants.
BOTTOM LINE: If you
want reasonably priced rain pants that are very light and will serve you, go
Hurricanes. If you are going with pants,
do not go with the REI Saharas. I DID
like having pants on cold Sierra mornings.
Northern California was hot, and I could have ditched the pants at Echo
Lake. I was fine in Washington with
leggings, shorts, thigh-high leg warmers, and my rain pants. People wear pants in the dessert for sun
block, but running shorts are so much more breathable! If I did it again, I would have left the
pants at home.
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Shorts and a sleeveless top. Perfect in Oregon! |
SHORTS: I had a pair
of thin, lightweight Nike running shorts sent to me. I cut out the liner. I LOVED these shorts. I wish I had had them sooner. The navy color hid dirt and grime well.
BASE LAYERS: Patagonia Capilene 3, *local* M.L. Williams
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Love the Capilene |
I went with Patagonia Cap-3 top and bottom. I tend to get a little cold, so I wanted the
warmer base layer. I carried both the
entire trail – mostly. I traded out the
bottoms at the Oregon/Washington border for fleece pants I typically wear
running – read on for how to get these pants!
PROS: These layers
are warm, hold up well with constant wearing and washing, and are pretty good
about not holding odors. They also have
a nice cut, so look half-decent in town.
CONS: None at all
with the top. I had a mock-turtleneck with
a zipper. I loved it. The bottoms didn’t flex/stretch as much as I
needed, so I didn’t get full movement of my legs, and when I bent over, they’d
tug down a bit at the backside. The
bottoms are very cute, not very functional.
I might be different with different bottoms—I had boot tops since I
really needed a petite that they didn’t offer.
Oh, Patagonia gear is, of course, pricey. I bought both of these on sale. Get the weird colors for the sale price.
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Local spandex fleece to Canada! |
BOTTOM LINE: The
Cap-3 top is amazing. I still wear
it. The bottoms are cute in town, but
not reasonable for trail. I traded my
bottoms out for these spandex fleece bottoms I got at Saturday Market in
Portland, Oregon. They are TOASTY warm,
very light, and extremely easy to move in—they don’t have the odor resistance
of the Capilene, but they’re worth it.
If you live in the Portland area, go to Saturday Market to pick them up
OR contact the maker!
HOW TO GET SPANDEX FLEECE BOTTOMS: Marie Williams makes these in Oregon. If you want to go local and affordable, go
this way! You can go to Saturday Market,
March through Christmas, or contact her directly:
thefleecelady@aol.com I am 5'3/4" and went with the x-smalls.
SOCKS: New Balance Expression, Legwarmers
We both (Gumby and I) went through tons of socks. And we both settled on a favorite, the New
Balance Expression.
PROS: These running socks
come in a six-pack, were available at general outdoor stores in Oregon and
Minnesota (a friend brought us some from the Midwest), and were very
affordable. They are thin, but well made. Three pairs could get us through 2 to 3
weeks. Different colors help you rotate. Wool socks are thick and hot—causing blisters
and more! They also dry quickly after
stream washings.
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Gumby sporting our leggings, legwarmers,
and shorts system in Washington. |
CONS: None. Everyone has a sock that they swear by; this
was ours!
BOTTOM LINE: We
decided that thin was best. We both had
thicker, warmer socks for night/camp.
There was also a Columbia short sock that we were happy with. They were a gift . . . I don’t know the
model! Whatever you do, I recommend going
thin. AND, I recommend asking for socks in care packages! We got lots, and we were eternally grateful. The Trail eats socks.
LEGWARMERS: Both
Gumby and I added legwarmers at the CA/OR border when we sent our pants
home. I had thigh-high fleece socks from
Fred Meyer. She bought socks at Crater
Lake. We ripped the toe seams open for
legwarmers. On chilly mornings, we’d
start out in running shorts and pull our legwarmers over our knees. We’d push them down when we got hot. We’d pull them pack up at breaks when we got
chilly. I HIGHLY recommend legwarmers as
part of a pants alternative!
HATS: Various, the Buff
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Love the Buff. |
I switched sun hats three times. Not big enough brim, to floppy of a brim . .
. I finally found the hat that I stuck with at K-Mart in Tehachapi. Light, wide brim, breathable enough, and a
sturdy fabric. I do not have the perfect
answer on a sun hat.
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My K-Mart hat. |
For a warm hat, I had a Turtle Fur fleece beanie that I’ve
had for years. I love fleece hats. No windstopper and roomy enough to pull down
over my eyes when cowboy camping under the full moon. I recommend fleece!
I also had a Buff. I
used this as a scarf, as a hat, and as a headband. Gumby eventually bought one, too. A buff is multi-functional and can cover your
dirty, nasty, greasy hair when you’re trying to catch a hitch into town. I recommend getting one. And, yes, plenty of guys wear them, too.
UNDERGARMENTS: Patagonia & Under Armour
SPORTS BRA: I switched sports bras three times. We both started with two and both sent the
extra home. I finally settled on the
Patagonia sports bra. The thin straps
didn’t bother my shoulders with a pack on (my Reebok sports bra chaffed like
crazy); and it breathed reasonably well.
I’d recommend it. Gumby was happy
with a Nike running sports bra.
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Hot springs! |
UNDERWEAR: I went with the Under Armour Boy Shorts. I rotated three pairs. They aren’t the most breathable, but are
great for swimming and changing anywhere.
Gumby went with lacy underwear (which breathes GREAT!) and eventually
added a pair of Under Armours for swimming.
TOPS: Various
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Mellow Yellow usually sported a silk long-sleeve.
Hawaiian at the Andersons! |
I never found the perfect
top. I started with long-sleeve
button-down. This was hot and stained
quickly. I went through two and then
ditched them altogether at the beginning of the Sierras. In the Sierras, I went with a black poly
Helly Hansen long-sleeve and a thrift-store poly sleeveless shirt I had had for
years. This was a great
combination. I *did* use more
sunscreen. I melted the Helly Hanson
into a plastic ball in northern California.
In Washington, I ditched the sleeveless for a Columbia t-shirt and added
a Patagonia “R” fleece jacket that I had found at a thrift store. Washington got cold. I was happy to have added the thick
fleece. I kept the Patagonia Cap-3 top
throughout.
OTHER CLOTHING GEAR: Gaiters, Gloves, & Headnet
GAITERS: I bought the
Dirty Girl Gaiters. Light and fun, the
made my socks last longer. I’d recommend
them.
GLOVES: I ended up
going with a Brooks running glove that I found at REI. These were spandex/fleece with a windproof
and spandex flap that doubles over the fingers.
The real bonus was that the thumb had a little flap to pull back so that
you could use your Smartphone. I was
happy with these gloves, but did not love them.
If it had gotten really cold, I would not have been warm.
HEADNET: You need one for the Sierras. This saved our sanity. I carried it through the desert, too, but never used it until the Sierras.
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I am still wearing my May 25 birthday bracelet. |