Date: 2017-01-06
To: Gear List
Miles today: 0.0

Last year I was travelling around the world with a bag that weighed under 40 lbs. I was really proud to have everything I needed to live packed so light. This year, on the AT, I will be carrying under 20 lbs! If you¢re interested in what I¢ll be taking along with me on my hike read on. I¢ll go through the basic idea of everything I have and why I choose my stuff. I definitely tried to go light-weight, but I would definitely not be accepted among the inner-circles of the ultralight elite. I considered not only weight, but cost, practicality, and a little bit of comfort .Pack:Osprey Atmos 50 Litre Osprey is a trusted brand for a reason! I have used this pack all over the world and it has treated me well. A little bit of chafing for me on the hips, but that just might be user error. I don¢t have the AG system which from what I understand is a nice upgrade from the older models. I have not opted for a rain cover as most of my gear will be carried in dry-bags and I¢ve not had great experiences with rain covers in the past (they are very limited in their usefulness). This will contain my livelihood for the next few months, neat!Camping Gear:Tent: MSR HubbaSleeping Bag: Big Agnes Lost Lake 30 Degree BagSleeping Pad: Exped UL7 DownmatThis is the essential stuff isn¢t it? I¢ll spend a good time of my hike in my own shelter. Though I tried to be cost effective in most of my gear, it was no expense spared in this category. MSR has provided me with two great tents. I have the original Hubba tent, as well as their new generation Hubba Hubba NX. They have both been very good to me. They have held up well in the elements, are lightweight, and very easy to set-up. My sleeping bag is some mixture of synthetic and down? It¢s got the qualities of down but with moisture wicking so that I can keep its insulating abilities if moisture collects on it. The Exped UL7 is very nice! Great insulation from the ground and packs very small and light. It¢s a little bit of work to set up, but with an intuitive inflation system you can be done in a couple of minutes or less.Clothes:Baselayer Top & Bottom: REI Lightweight baselayerShirt : REI Sahara TeeConvertible Pants: Columbia SilverridgeUnderwear: Exoficio boxers (x2)Shoes : Vasque Breeze III GTX Midsize BootSocks: Darn Tough Micro CrewLiner Socks: REI Merino WoolRain Jacket: Mamot PreCipInsulating Jacket: Rab Xenon XClothes seems to make up a lot of the gear, but in reality, most of it will be worn not carried. Went with as few clothes as I was comfortable with, but could still keep me warm if I need to layer up. Of course, the most important piece of gear here is the shoes. I¢ve worn vasque in the past and they¢ve held up very well in some hard hiking conditions. I¢ve been breaking in the Breeze III for the trail, and I find them immediately comfortable. I hope they last me a long time! I can¢t tell you too much about the clothes. The biggest decision I remember having to make is whether I wanted a lightweight or midweight baselayer. I went with lightweight to save a considerable amount of money, and I¢m glad I did. I went hiking in 20 degree weather and was sweating! Other than that, I¢m real excited to wear some trendy convertible pants. As I say, it separates the men from the boys, and pants from the shorts. Cookware:Stove: Snowpeak LiteMaxFuel: 110g Giga PowerCup: Snowpeak Titanium 450ml Single-WallPot: Evernew Titantium Non-Stick 900mlWater: Sawyer FilterBladder: Geigerrig Hydration SystemSpork: S2S Alpha LightI feel like this is the standard gear for any thru-hikers cookset! A lot of my gear research continually came back to these brands. Evernew had the only non-stick titanium pot I could find, hopefully it works nicely! The geigerrig system is very nice if a little bit less minimalistic compared to other bladders. I enjoy being able to utilize the bladder to spray things (maybe a little shower here and there or a convenient way to clean wounds). If you want to go ultra-lightweight you can do a no-cook hike and ditch the stove and fuel in exchange for some granola bars I guess? Not for me, I want more food options!Misc Gear:Camera: Sony RX100 V (Very excited to use this more!)Hiking Poles: Black Diamond Distance Z PolesCompass: Silva ForecasterMed-Kit: Adventure Medical Kits Med Kit .3Pocket KnifeToiletries (Wet-naps, small toothbrush, travel size toothpaste, sunscreen, etc¢¦)Trail-Guide: AWOL¢s AT GuideHeadlamp: PetzlAll of this is pretty standard I would say. More and more people are ditching the guidebook and using their phones to download guides. I don¢t have a smartphone so I will be using the good ol paper maps. Notable purchases here are the Black Diamond Distance Z poles and the Sony RX100. I went with a cheaper option for the hiking poles, and the Distance Z won in value definitely. I¢m also a fan of being able to fold them up when necessary. I got the newest model of the sony RX100 series, and it was well worth the money! Takes quality shots and is super compact. Hope I don¢t give it to much of a beating . Final Thoughts¢¦:I wouldn¢t call myself a gear freak by any means, but I¢ve found spending my time looking at all the different options is a great way to pass the time as I grow near my hike. My advice to anyone who is looking at buying gear for hiking whether you¢re a thru-hiker, section-hiker, or day-hiker, is to do your research¢¦ but don¢t sweat it too much. Look back twenty years at what people were carrying then and you¢ll see gear has come a long long way. With the surge in the popularity of hiking, there¢s also been a proportionate increase in people that want to make better gear. With so much out there it¢s hard to go wrong. Don¢t feel guilty if your pack is not under 10 lbs or whatever the bar is set for ultra-lightweight packing. Packing light definitely makes it easier on you, but many have finished with much much heavier packs. Speaking of which, I have not kept super close track of my total weight as I don¢t have any scales or such to utilize at home. I estimate my base gear is around 15-16 pounds carried. There are a few small things I omitted, and there will probably be yet a few changes I make in the coming months. I think I hit the main things though. I¢d be happy to try and answer any questions about gear, or if you have any major suggestions for me I¢d love to hear it. Whew, that¢s a lot of typing. Don¢t plan on doing that again. I hope it¢s insightful/helpful for some!