Gear

March 3, 2014

Camping and the Outdoors

A brief summary of the gear I took with me. This is also a good way for you guys to double check that you have everything! I have successfully hiked the entire Appalachian Trail in 152 days!!! I won’t say I know everything there is to know about gear, but I can say this. What I had, worked for me, and I finished. That, in itself, should say a lot.

EDIT – Pack Base weight – 20.2 lbs. This will change by the end of the week.

Tent/pack/sleep

Backpack + Raincover

-I used the ULA Circuit 2.2 lbs, however I ended up switching to this

Osprey Exos 58 at 2.7 pounds, it’s still lightweight, and can fit A LOT more in it.

Raincover Osprey Ultralight Raincover

3.7 oz (seriously ultralight)

Tent and groundcloth – MSR HUBBA 1P Tent 2 lb 7 oz, down to 1 lb. 10 oz. This lasted me the entire trip, I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS TENT!

MSR Hubba Footprint (for under tent) 7 oz.

Sleeping bag (winter) – Western Mountaineering Sycamore $480 – expensive is worth is when you are camping in the cold! I hiked in 2.5 ft of snow, and the temps hit downwards of 13 degrees. (25*) Regular – 2 lbs w/ stuff sack

Sleeping bag liner – Sea To Summit Thermolite Reactor Plus $65. (adds 20* warmth) 9.3 oz

Pad –Thermarest NeoAir Xlite (regular) 12 0z. (Lightest for long trips, mine lasted the entire AT)

What I’m wearing

Shoes + Insoles – Saloman Xa 3d Pro Ultra II Trail Running Shoes /Insoles –Superfeet Green 1.76 lbs (both trail runners and insoles) Now that is light. Superfeet saved my life, and I believe I hiked the entire trail because of them. They are worth checking out. They have a couple options, but Green are the toughest.

Socks – Darn Tough 3 0z. Best socks with life time warranty. Get them.

Underwear – Exofficio give and go mesh briefs Prevent the chafe. You will thank me later. Exofficio are THE BEST underwear to hike in. I started off with regular briefs and barely survived. I switched to these and they were a life changer.

SS Shirt – Patagonia Mens Merino Silkweight T-shirt 4.8 oz.

LS Shirt – Smartwool Midweight Zip Top 8 oz.



Shorts –Nylon running shorts 3.8 oz.

Trekking poles – Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork 1 lb 2 oz. I cannot stress this enough, trekking poles will save your knees and joints on long distance hikes. This specific type of trekking poles were the MOST popular on the trail, as they left no blisters on your hands. The price is worth it. Black diamond is a great company.

Wallet – small ziploc bag will hold wallet/phone/headphones – will replace as needed

Watch – High Gear Alti-Xt (records temp/altitude among other things I don’t need) 🙂 Overall just looks awesome.

Bandana – 1 oz.

Clothing

Stuff sack – 8 L Sea to Summit stuff sack 2 0z.

Cold weather jacket/pillow – Patagonia Nano Puff Hooded Jacket 12.6 oz.

Underwear – extra pair (1)

Long Underwear – Icebreaker 7 0z.

Short Sleeve Shirt – polyester T shirt for camp – 4 oz.

Gloves – Smartwool liner gloves 2.3 oz.

Socks – 2 pairs Darn Tough 6 oz.

Rain Jacket – Patagonia Torrentshell Waterproof Rain Jacket 14 oz.

Eating and Drinking

Water containers – 1 L water bottle and 3 L Osprey Hydraulics bladder 10.9 oz.

Water Treatment – Aquamira drops 1 oz.

Stove – Snow Peak GigaPower 3.75 oz.

Pot – SnowPeak Titanium Trek 900 Cook Set (pot 30 oz. lid 8 oz.) 6.2 oz.

Bear line – 50 ft paracord 4 oz.

Spork – .64 oz.

Miscellaneous

Bag liner – Compactor trash bag 2 oz.

Duct Tape + lighters – 2 oz.

Headlamp – Black Diamond Storm 3.9 oz.

Camera + charger – Nikon Coolpix AW110 9 oz.

Cell phone/charger/case/battery – Iphone 5s / New Trent (USB capable, charges 2-3 times they say)

Anker Dual USB Charger – Can charge 2 items simultaneously with 1 wall plug in. (Handy for the phone/kindle, as well as when other people need to share the same outlet)

Glasses + case – Glasses/case/contacts/solution 6 oz. I will be bringing contacts as well as glasses.

Hygiene – (toothbrush/paste/floss/nail clippers/soap (Dr Bronners peppermint)/germ-x)

Towel – bandana 1 0z.

First aid – (alcohol swabs/ibuprophen (lots)/benadryl/duct tape/bandaids/gauze/tweezers/safety pins) *Thanks Redditors!

Trail Guide/Journal – AWOL 2014 NOBO Guide 8 oz.

Kindle – 10.5 oz. (I read countless books on the Appalachian Trail, I use the kindle on every trip. Worth the less than a lb. of weight in my opinion)

Knife – Smith & Wesson extreme ops knife 3.2 oz.

Body Glide Anti Chafe – 1.5 oz.