gear list?

[leprechaun]

Hello all! I am in the midst of planning an 09 thru (trying to move kinda fast), and i am trying to balance weight and utility, so i am going to have to ask, which gear list do you think is going to put me at Katahdin? (food is a ball park figure)



tarptent contrail - 24.5 )oz)
aether 75 - 75
pounder - 16
rain jacket - 9
long john - 7.6
jetboil - 15
utensil - 1.3
ridgerest 2/3 - 10
canister - 6.5
water - 70.4
socks - 2.7
food - 128
toothbrush - 3
deet - 3
camp soap - 4
water bottle - 5
hydro bladder - 6.5
moleskin - 2
sweetwater - 14
compass - 1
knife - 5
icon - 6.6
pack cover - 4
pants - 10
shirt - 5



27.19 lbs

[leprechaun]

oops! forgot part two! the lighter list

tarptent contrail - 24.5
conduit - 20
pounder - 16
anorak - 8.3
long john - 7.6
jetboil - 15
utensil - 1.3
1/2 ridgerest - 10
canister - 6.58.3
water - 70.4
socks - 2.7
food - 128
toothbrush - 3
deet - 3
camp soap - 4
water bottle - 5
hydro bladder - 6.5
moleskin - 2
aqua mira - 5
compass - 1
knife - 5
little bd (headlamp - 1
pack cover - 4
pants - 10
shirt - 5




22.8 lbs

[attroll]

Just curious as to what these three things are?
conduit - 20
pounder - 16
anorak - 8.3

[Awol]

Pounder...is that a tent-stake hammer?
I don't know what "icon" is.

A camera would be a good addition.

I have a detailed list of what I carried with pictures and weights at:
http://www.awolonthetrail.com/pack.html
(thats the first of 4 web pages)

[Survivor Dave]

Pounder...is that a tent-stake hammer?
I don't know what "icon" is.

A camera would be a good addition.

I have a detailed list of what I carried with pictures and weights at:
http://www.awolonthetrail.com/pack.html
(thats the first of 4 web pages)


ULA Conduit is his pack and the Marmot Pounder is his sleeping bag if I'm not mistaken. Anorak is some kind of jacket. I had to look these up on Google.

Leprechaun, please be a little more specific with descriptions and weight so we might be able to help a bit easier. Thanks


.

[leprechaun]

absolutely corrct SD!!! sorry about the confusion, anorak is a popular/wellknown term around here (alabama) so I did not think to explain it. most of the gear is a generic term and an estimation. so here are a few explainations: conduit is a frameless backpack made by ULA, pounder is a one-pound sleeping bag (40 degrees F.), anorak is a generic term for a light rain jacket that can stuff into its own pocket, camp soap I mean purell type cleanser, most of the others are sort of a manufacturer listed weights as an average for the products I am considering

[Survivor Dave]

absolutely corrct SD!!! sorry about the confusion, anorak is a popular/wellknown term around here (alabama) so I did not think to explain it. most of the gear is a generic term and an estimation. so here are a few explainations: conduit is a frameless backpack made by ULA, pounder is a one-pound sleeping bag (40 degrees F.), anorak is a generic term for a light rain jacket that can stuff into its own pocket, camp soap I mean purell type cleanser, most of the others are sort of a manufacturer listed weights as an average for the products I am considering

I have put a small list together and will post it in about 15 minutes or so. These are merely suggestions on things you might need with a brief description of why I used them. The picture in the photo gallery has a few items that I chose not to use.

.

[leprechaun]

oh, and I looked at your gear list AWOL, very informative and helpful. I think that a gearlist like that is absolutely the most helpful thing to potential thru hikers. thanks for pointing me to it! o, i completely forgot, i have a small digital camera and waterproof case (weight is around 5 - 10 ounces, haven't weighed it yet) and will be sending the cord to computer connect in a bounce box (or something, Im not quite sure how I am going to do that) and a notebook with pencil. don't know why i forgot these, just absent minded I guess.

[Survivor Dave]

OK, Here goes......

Remember these are only suggestions, you will Hike your own hike...this means gear as well.

I have only hiked from Springer to Fontana beginning in very cold weather. This is what my gear suggestions are for that time of the year.

First of all the weight of water and the weight of food should not be included. The weights will change daily.

Your pack is the Osprey Aether 70? They don't make a 75. I use the Aether 60 and it did just fine. The more room you have, the more room to put stuff in you don't need.

Socks- I always carry at least one extra pair. I even carried a warmer pair to start off.

Sleeping pad- You have 1/2 an 2/3 on different lists. I would recommend a full length so your feet stay dry and off the ground.

Cannister- I'm not quite sure if you mean fuel for your Jet-Boil or a container to hold something, please explain. Thanks

Camp soap- If you are referring to Dr. Bronners all purpose, make sure you try it before you go out. Some folks are sensitive to it and don't like the taste for brushing teeth.

Basic clothing- I used 2 shirts, 2 underwear, 1 pair of convertible zip off pants. All moisture wicking-NO cotton

Warm clothing- Long johns I see you have listed along with your jacket. Again moisture wicking on the long johns.
DEET-You probably won't need it until it starts getting warmer.

Bandana

Extra batteries-optional- most headlamp batteries last a good while. I meant for other more energy consuming devices if you choose.

Here are some additional items you might consider or you might have forgotten to include:

Fuel(Unless cannister in your list meant that)

25ft. of light nylon bear rope-if there are no cables to hang your food bag

Note pad and pen or other transcribing device

Dry Sacks- to protect your tent, clothing, misc. and food. I recommend something made of silnylon or OR makes the Hydrolite.

1/2 roll of toilet paper-lest we forget our poison Ivy identification:D

First aid stuff- 2 small packs of antibiotic cream(hospital samples),Ibuprofen, vitamins(optional), anti-diarrheal tablets(you'll thank me), Tums or Rolaids, maybe a couple of nonstick oversize bandages.

Water reservoir- I use a 4 liter Platypus and filled it up when I got to camp. It was nice not having to treat water more than once. They are about 3 oz. or so. (optional)

A Bic lighter- I didn't take matches, a lighter dries out faster and it's ready fuel.

Duct tape- Invaluable. If you are using trekking poles it's good to wrap about 6 feet on each.

P 38- Army can opener, weighs little but when you run into a can of peaches, a knife hardly works.

Extra Zip-Loc bags 2 Gal. size 2 Quartsize. Use the double zip freezer kind. DONT BUY THE CHEAP ONES!
Remember it's "Pack in pack out". You need somewhere to put your stuff after you eat and other trash. The ATC at www.appalachiantrail.org has a great article about LNT Leave No Trace. You'll hear that alot on Trail.

2 safety pins

AND OF COURSE A COPY OF THE APPALACHIAN PAGES!!!!!!

Other members, please add or delete stuff as you wish for our new AT Hiker Leprechaun.

Again, the picture that I posted is only an example, I didn't take all of that stuff.

Sorry, that was a bit longer than 15 minutes:o:eek::o

SD

[Survivor Dave]

Oh Yeah, earplugs as well.
I was looking over your list and your sleeping bag is rated at 40 degrees.You might want to reconsider that leaving during the Spring. That would be more of a Summer bag IMO.

[leprechaun]

Wow survivor dave, a most excellent and helpful post, i really like the picture! I do apologize again for the rather insufficient list. I did a post edit about camera and journal. Osprey used to make a 75 several years ago, at the time I needed the space for my HUGE 1995 zero degree synthetic mountain hardwear bag and a rather large sized tent. the pack is my weakest link and the piece of gear I am fretting about the most as I already have a problem with the excess space ( I have also considered the atmos 50, a kelty 3200ish, and a few light frameless packs) , I generally use my pack as a foot for the sleeping pad and never had a problem: i did indeed mean fuel canister when I mentioned "canister" ,are you internet psychic SD? :) : the clothing mentioned was the extra set, I put it in the list to sort of guage how I was doing weight wise: I have a wonderful set of Polar Max long johns, wicking and very light, that I would recommend to anyone: most of the other things you mentioned I was still shopping around on trying to get opinions on so I did not include them in my original posts. but for sure i have already saved the lists (both SD's and AWOL's) to use as a point of reference so I leave nothing out. Out of curiosity, what do you use for the containers for the gold bond and runners lube in the picture?

whew, long reply! I just want to say that so far, this has been the most helpful group of people I have posed this question to. the gear issue is a tricky and highly personal thing, and I really like getting input from people older and more experienced than I am. I have done a lot of backpacking but the Appalachian Trail Thru is out of my league. here in Birmingham Alabama the outdoor stores are generally simply not equipped (staff or equipment) to really help me out. Nothing against them, there is just almost no demand here for this sort of endeavor. So I turn to the internet for the help of those who have gone before me. thanks to all for the help!

[Survivor Dave]

I found those at REI for about $2 a piece.

I didn't need the Runners Lube until it got warmer, but the Gold Bond is good for everything.

[leprechaun]

heck yes it is!!! I spent a week in Belize doing volunteer work and I swear the gold bond saved my life

[attroll]

Leprechaun

One bit of advice I would offer when thinking about what ever back pack you may want to get. Take all the gear you going to carry on your hike into the store with you and see if it will all fit in the backpack. You need to make sure that it will all fit. That is the first step. Then put the pack on and walk around with it to make sure you are comfortable with it. Any good outfitter will let you do this.

Dave

How long did you end up hiking for when you attempted your thru hike? Are you going to try to do another thru hike and if so when?

[Survivor Dave]

Leprechaun

One bit of advice I would offer when thinking about what ever back pack you may want to get. Take all the gear you going to carry on your hike into the store with you and see if it will all fit in the backpack. You need to make sure that it will all fit. That is the first step. Then put the pack on and walk around with it to make sure you are comfortable with it. Any good outfitter will let you do this.

Dave

How long did you end up hiking for when you attempted your thru hike? Are you going to try to do another thru hike and if so when?

Not long enough Attroll.
I hiked from Springer to Fontana Dam. A stress fracture in my foot ended my trek.

As far as another Thru attempt, I'm not sure. The plan right now is after shuttling next season, to hike from Fontana through the Smokies to Hot Springs. The following year from there to Damascus in '10, and from there to do the whole state of Virginia in '11.

I also attempted in '07, but had a death in the family and got of at Neel Gap. I couldn't get back in the saddle to finish, even though everybody said I should.

Who knows? The thought's of a Thru-Hike are alive and well, the mind and the body have not caught up yet.

For right now, I am just content to hike anywhere. Yeah, being a Thru-Hiker would be a great accomplishment. I wasn't sure if I was running to something or away from it.

I hope this answers your question.

SD

[Survivor Dave]

I forgot a couple of items Leprechaun.

A good pair of gloves and liners and a warm hat are extremely important as well. I also used a good pair of Leki hiking poles. They helped my knees for sure. I found also that 4 legs were better than 2!

I used a towel as well for those days that I needed to dry some spots in my tent where the rain came in under the fly a bit or condensation formed. The bandana is good, but didn't absorb as much.

I ditched the CamelBak for 2 gatorade bottles. It was easier for me and was able to see how much water I had left without having to take the bladder out of my pack to refill.

Some folks take rain pants as well. I found them to be kind of warm and would rather just hike in the rain. Personal preference though.

As you hike you will find what you like and don't, need and don't need. I found this to be true of a lot of folks I hiked with.

I keep forgetting some things, but as I remember, I'll post them.


It's waaaaay past bedtime. Just haven't been sleeping well. I guess I need to go hike!

SD

[Bilbo]

I agree with SD on the Leki hiking poles. I can't believe how much they have helped me. I have had one knee replaced and now they are wanting to replace the other. My knee pain and decreased almost 50% since I started using the poles. For this I have to thank my sweet wife. She got them for me for fathers day this year.

[leprechaun]

I've been looking at some lekki makalu cor-tec poles, but will they really hold up the whole 2000 miles?

[lonehiker]

Neither list will put you on Katahdin. You will have to do that on your own. The gear plays a very small factor in this endeavor.