The evolution of the pack list….

If you’re planning on hitting the trail this year, you’re most likely fretting and constantly editing your pack list. You put things in, you take things out. You look at them and turn them all about.

Trying to get your base weight as low as possible is certainly one ingredient for a successful hike. You can hike longer, put less stress on your body, and hopefully lessen your chance of injury. But have you ever thought of what the successful hikers of yesteryear had in their pack? I’ve taken a look back into the past and gathered old pack lists from books and my hiking friends who hiked 10, 20, or 30-plus years ago.

Let’s take a look into their packs.

1940s-1950s: The Old Timers

Earl Shaffer – 1948

When Earl Shaffer walked up Mt. Oglethorpe back in 1948, beginning what would become know as “The Long Cruise” and first thru-hike, he was carrying the following gear in his Mountain Troop ruck sack:

Air Corps survival tent

Marine Corps poncho

A “rainhat” |

“Paper mill” blanket

Match safe

Compass

Sheath knife

Small handaxe

Sewing kit

Snakebite kit

Mountain Troop cook kit, plus food for about a week

His clothing consisted of:

T-shirts

Navy turtleneck

Mountain Cloth pants

Wool-cotton socks

Birdshooter boots.

The tent was the only item that he removed during his hike.

Emma “Grandma” Gatewood – 1955

Grandma Gatewood may be considered one of the first lightweight backpackers. Her gear list was spartan to put it mildly. First of all, she didn’t have a backpack. Her main pack was a denim bag that she had sewn herself, carried over her shoulder. Inside was a cup, blanket, raincoat, and extra clothes. For a shelter, she used a shower curtain. Her gear weighed in at about 12 lbs and her signature Keds sneakers were her trademark in a world where most hikers still used heavy hiking boots.

Gene Espy – 1951

Gene Epsy was the second person to thru-hike, and he carried something unique. Instead of a flashlight, he used a miner’s carbide lamp which uses a chemical reaction of calcium carbide pellets and water.

Gene’s pack weighed in at around 50 lbs and included the following items:

Steel frame pack

Lamb’s wool used as comfort under the heavy pack straps

Tent (without a floor) and tent posts

Down sleeping bag

Watch; to know his time between shelters

Guide books

Hatchet and rope

Inflatable pillow

Camera

New Testament Bible

Diary and pencil

Collapsible cup

25-caliber pistol (don’t freak out now)

Carbide lamp

Nylon poncho used for a rain jacket and as flooring in the tent

Pants from the Navy to protect his legs from thorns

Two long sleeve shirts

Two pairs of hiking socks

Hat

(Source: GearJunkie)

1970s: Backpacking Popularity Rises

Richard “Peregrine” Judy – 1973

Peregrine, the author of THRU: An Appalachian Trail Love Story, SOBO thru-hiked in 1973. Although he no longer had an actual pack list sitting around, he did have this to say about some of his gear.

“First my boots— an old pair of Dunhams with the thick lugged soles and massive leather uppers popular in the early 70s — are on display at the AT Museum. My pack is on display on the lobby wall of the Len Foote Hike Inn. The pack is an old Trailwise, the kind recommended by Colin Fletcher in the original edition of The Complete Walker. I must admit that if you have items from your personal past on display as museum relics, then you are officially qualified to call yourself a card carrying fossil. I do so proudly. Other items of interest on my list would include: A 1.5-inch Swiss Army knife. An old mesh onion sack that I used for a food bag (obviously, my finances were limited). A nylon parka purchased at a Zayre’s discount store. An old Boy Scout poncho. A brass SVEA 123 stove. An aluminum fuel bottle to carry Amoco premium lead free “white gas” which at that time was the only lead-free gasoline on the market.” My most prized possession of the hike was this mess kit. My Dad was an Eagle Scout, as are I and my son Dan. Dad bought a Boy Scout mess kit in 1928, and it made the whole trip with me in 1973 from Maine to Georgia. It is a tiny one-quart-capacity pot made of steel. It was just barely enough to cook rice or noodles on. I spent many a lonely dinner listening to the sibilant hiss of my SVEA 123 waiting for it to boil up my meager meals in that little pot. The pot will hit 90 years of age next year which probably makes it one of the oldest truly functioning items ever carried on an AT thru-hike.”

1980s: Hiking Comes of Age

Alan “Gonzo” Strackeljahn – 1983

Gonzo hiked the trail in 1983. His detailed journal and photos can be found at 2000milehike.com. Gonzo’s hike is also commemorated at the AT Museum. The 1983 exhibit contains some of his gear and several stories from the hikers of that year that they fondly referred to as AT Three.

Below is his pack list (with a few weights) that he had written on the inside cover of his log book.

Laurie “Mountain Laurel” Peele (later Potteiger) – 1987

Mountain Laurel started her hike in late April of 1987. She admits that her gear choices were not typical for the day. Her starting weight was 33 lbs, which she described as practically ultra-light for the 1980s. Laurie did a lot of research and preparation before her hike. Below is her pack list and comments on some of her choices.

Gear

Camp Trails external frame pack (6 lbs. 2 oz.)

8 x 10 tarp

Synthetic sleeping bag – “About 4 lbs, warm enough to keep we warm every night except one in Maine.”

Rope

No stove

Small aluminum cook pot (used to cook over fire 1-2x/week), mostly ate cold

Lighter

First Need filter (switched to bleach for most of the hike–don’t know of anyone else who used bleach)

Duracell plastic 4-5 oz. flashlight

Footwear

Started with light- mid-weight leather hiking boots

Switched to running shoes, (quite unusual back then), wore most of the rest of the way except

Redwing, hard-soled leather boots in PA

Raichle leather hiking boots for Maine

Clothing

LL Bean hiking shorts

Polypropylene long johns

Polypropylene long-sleeved top

Cotton shirt

Wool knit hat

Rain pants

Columbia $20 rain jacket

~3 pr. wool socks

~ 2 pr. liners

Winter

German Army pants- “I was the only one wearing them”

Wool sweater

Down jacket

Maps/Guides

Philosopher’s Guide

Data Book

Official ATC Guidebooks and maps

Compass

Writing materials

Composition notebook

Bic pen

Compass

Address labels

Stamps

Food

Snickers

Ramen

Lipton noodle dinners

Canned date nut bread

Canned boston Brown bread

Cheddar cheese

Cream cheese

Peanut butter/chocolate wafers

Nutella – “Nobody else had even heard of it back then”

Peanut M&Ms

Peanut butter

Squeeze parkay

Oatmeal

Tuna in cans, probably

“Nobody used trekking poles. I usually had a walking stick, nothing special. A few people had internal frame packs—it was a newfangled thing then. I remember the first time I touched someone’s Patagonia fleece—I hadn’t known about it when I started and couldn’t have afforded it anyway. I couldn’t believe it could be so soft. Polypropylene was really scratchy.”

1990s: Hiking Gear Gets Lighter…?

J.R. “Model T” Tate – 1990

I couldn’t find an actual pack list in J. R. “Model T” Tate’s Walkin’ on the Happy Side of Misery, but he proudly mentions that his pack weight was 52 lbs when he lifted it up onto the Truth Teller at Amicalola Falls State Park. His confidence was compared to two other hikers who weighed their packs after him. He called them eighty-six and seventy-eight. As he passed them on the approach trail, he saw them sorting through their packs, discarding items left and right… and he never saw them again.

Bill “Sprained Rice” O’Brien – 1992

Sprained Rice was already a 2000-miler when he did his 1992 thru-hike, so the list he provided had a good bit of experience behind it. As I look at the photos he sent me of his Hiking Binder, I could tell that a lot of thought and planning had been put into this hike. His pack list reflects the decisions he made to cut certain items that still happens today. Bill reported that his pack weight was a respectable winter weight of 35 lbs.

2000’s: A New Century

Jim “Early Bird” Foster – 2007

Early Bird sent me his list from memory. Even though it has been ten years since his thru-hike, he can still remember everything he carried on his epic adventure.

Granite Gear Vapor Trail pack Zero-degree REI bag for March & April in south, plus later in NH & Maine, also fleeces for those times 30 degree North Face bag for remainder Asolo Fugitive boots, 2 pair used Wigwam Ingenius socks, 3 pair Sea to Summit stuff sack for food Bear rope Lightweight white hat EMS insulated hat EMS light gloves Jetboil stove/bowl plastic spoon, knife, fork headlamp Therm-a-Rest blow-up mattress Tarptent Double Rainbow tent Leki hiking stick Scrubbie sponge 3 neckerchiefs 2 pair men’s underwear Tights Under Armour short sleeve T-shirt Under Armour long sleeve T-shirt waterproof camera Radio & headphones Small cellphone & charger Two pair REI hiking pants with zip-off bottoms Small first aid kit Small container petroleum jelly Earplugs Button up hiker shirt Therm-a-Rest stuffsack pillow Rainsuit

Two garbage bags for waterproofing

2017: And Here We Are Today

So as each of us fusses over the two-ounce difference from one brand to the next, I wonder if maybe we are fretting a little too much. As you can see above, these successful hikers, had a pack weight that today, is considered heavy. They made it despite the weight of their pack. I’m not advocating a heavy pack. I think it is a good idea to try and lessen the load you carry. It can only help as long as you aren’t trying to go stupid light and leave behind what I consider important survival items. That is up to you.

I have personally stopped worrying about my pack weight. I still hold everything up to scrutiny before considering bringing it along, but I know that this process will probably never end. Your pack contents should be fine tuned all along the trail. The changing seasons will bring different needs; be flexible and willing to change things as your hike progresses.

I’ll see you out there.

Peace,

EarthTone