Date: 2017-07-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I have been asked some questions on equipment and give opinions on what I used. If you are not a hiker, this may not be of any interest to you.Pack - Zpacks Arc Haul - good, mice chewed a hole in the belt in VA and a belt pouch loop broke along the way, Zpacks replaced the entire belt quickly in flight and I did not miss a beat. The pack is incredibly light, I never used a rain cover, but did use a trash compactor bag as a liner. My gear never got wet. When I finished I noticed some wear on the back panel straps and Zpacks is sending me replacements no charge. Great service and a good pack. Zpacks are not cheap. I did see a lot of Osprey packs out there and they seemed to satisfy those folks. Trekking poles- BD Ergo Cork - started with my 10 year old BD poles. The tips broke in VA, so I decided to get new ones. The Ergo Cork poles were fine, but straps began to fray within a week. I continued to use them until ME, because the replacement straps they sent were very difficult to replace. Finally in Rangeley, I replaced the tips on the new poles and got some help in getting the replacement straps put on. By the way, the replacement straps are starting to fray. I would probably buy Leki next time. Shoes - 6 pairs - I think shoes are all personal preference. I used Merrill Ventilators, Brooks trail runners and a Merrill trail runner at the end. They all had their advantages and disadvantages. I would probably go with trail runners the entire way, knowing what I know now. Trail runners are light, even when wet, and they dry quickly. Merrill replaced a couple pair for free when they wore out before 500 miles. Cook system - MSR Pocket Rocket and Dualist cookset. This was a 10 year old stove and it never failed to do the job. light and I had no problem finding the fuel along the way. I pretty much boiled water and ate MH dinners each evening on the trail. My wife gets a great MH discount. I never cooked Rahmen. Sleeping pad - Thermarest Neo X-therm - this thing was great in cold weather and I didn't see any downside when it warmed up a bit. No leaks and it supports side sleeping. Pretty light and packs up pretty small. The noise issue is overblown. Tent - Lightheart Solo - this was an 8 year old tent that uses trekking poles. I didn't tent very many times, but it did fine. Lots of space, but I did notice the foot of my sleeping bag usually had some condensation on it in the morning. This tent is a great all around value. I could get all my gear inside the tent. Sleeping Bags - I started with a 5 degree bag, swapped out to my 20 degree bag at Davenport Gap (too soon), and then used my 40 degree bag from Daleville north, until Hanover, when I got the 20 degree bag back. I think the transition of bags depends on when you start. I started in Feb, and the 5 degree bag gave me confidence, but did take up a lot of space in my bag. I had to use a compression sack on the 5 and 20 degree bags. I only bought one new bag, the 5 degree, for this hike. I had the others. As far as equipment, I think people overthink how important it is. You need the basics and you need to think through what is needed for your schedule and calendar. I don't think anybody's equipment choice made a big difference in whether they made it or not. If you go with heavy equipment, you will pay the price, however. I cannot understand why anyone would be out there with a base weight approaching 30 pounds or greater. Do your homework and give yourself a break. My base weight was around 23 when I started in Feb and got down to around 15 by the time I was in the north.