Date: 2014-10-13
To: Gear
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I¢ve been asked to post an updated/more comprehensive gear list. See the Pre Hike posts 3, 6, &7 (Mar 25, Apr 12, 14) for my pre hike thoughts. See Post Hike post 8 (Oct 30) for additional thoughts on drinking water treatment.I¢ll start with my backpack, and then fill up the pack. The order of putting things in my pack was based on when I would want to get to an item on the trail and/or setting up camp. I reserved the outside pockets and hip belt pockets for items I¢d use frequently while hiking or would want to get to quickly while hiking.Total weight is very important! I¢ve discovered that every additional pound of weight I¢m carrying results in noticeably more effort required to carry it down the trail. That means the lighter your total weight, the faster you can go, the longer you can go, the less wear and tear on your feet, knees, legs, hips and back, and the less overall fatigue you¢ll experience - and hence, the more you¢ll enjoy hiking. The older or more out of shape you are, the more important it is to get your pack weight down. My body notices the difference between empty and full water bottles. It knows how many days of food are left. It knows if I¢m carrying a little extra gear for colder weather.If you¢re just going out for a few overnight trips of short mileages each year, then weight is not as important. Take the extra stuff to make the experience more cushy if that¢s important to you. But if you¢re going for a thru hike, or a long section hike, then think twice (or thrice) about whether you really NEED that item. Invest in lighter weight gear if you can. Ask yourself if you¢re primarily going out to hike, or to camp?I prefer to carry most of the weight on my hips. I also like to have the weight as close to my back as possible rather than hanging off the back of my pack or in the back pocket of the pack.Lower weight and having it closer to your back also makes it easier to maintain your balance if you trip or slip or if you're climbing up/down steep rocky sections. I was also told at Mountain Crossings several years ago that men should put the heavier items near the top of the pack, and women should put heavier items near the bottom. I don¢t know how important or accurate that is, and I didn't consider this when deciding how to pack my pack. It kinda makes sense since women¢s hips are designed to carry babies and men¢s shoulders are usually broader. However, it seems to me that if I've got the weight close to my back and on my hips, it wouldn't make much difference if it were high or low except perhaps for balance. Backpack: I started with my 6 year old ULA Circuit. Worked well for my spring start, but I knew I¢d want to downsize for the summer. In the Shenandoah I switched to a Hyperlite 2400 Windrider pack (40 liters). I had not heard about Hyperlite before getting on the trail, but saw several hikers with them. I figured out that I wanted to try a cuben pack and Hyperlite could ship me one the next day whereas zPacks had a 4 to 6 week delay. I love the fact it¢s waterproof and I don¢t need a pack cover. I don¢t like the small hip belt pockets. They don¢t hold as much as my Circuit, plus their shape and zipper placement make it more difficult to get things in and out. But overall, it's great! First layer: Sleeping Bag. This usually went in the bottom of my pack. Sometimes my tent would end up in the bottom if I stayed consecutive nights in shelters/hostels.Spring/Summer - 6 year old Western Mountaineering Summerlite 6¢6¢ (32deg). Probably not good to 32 deg by itself anymore due to wear and tear. In the spring, I supplemented it with an old silk sleep liner I had that I packed with it in the stuff sack. For waterproof redundancy, I initially packed it in an eVent stuff sack and switched to a Hyperlite medium roll top cuben stuff sack when I got my Hyperlite pack.Fall - 3 year old Western Mountaineering Versalite 6¢6¢ (10deg). This was more than I needed, but I took the extra pound as insurance against getting surprised by a cold snap, and I didn¢t have a 20deg bag. I didn¢t have a waterproof stuff sack big enough for it, so I packed it in the stuff sack that came with it and then put that in a kitchen trash can bag. In the future, I¢ll spring for a larger cuben stuff sack. Note: both bags were to cover the coldest temps I thought I¢d encounter. Most nights were warmer and I used the bags unzipped, and laid over me like a quilt with my feet tucked in the bottom.Second Layer:Air mattress: I was looking at the Exped and NeoAir when I saw the REI Flash pad at REI. It¢s a little heavier but cheaper and the shape makes it easier to get two of them in my SoLong6 tent. I may look at the NeoAir again in the future.Pee bottle: So I don¢t have to get out of my tent in the middle of the night. I used a Planters Peanut jar. Lightweight, but takes up volume.Pillow: Small Exped inflatable pillow. I¢m a side sleeper. Most of the time I could have used my clothing bag, but I wanted something consistent that would also be there if my clothing bag were empty due to cold temps or wet clothing.Bear bag cord I used the bright colored 50¢ cord from zPacks. I ended up wrapping it around a stick when the cardboard gave out. I started with the zPacks kit, which included a rock bag with a carabiner on the end of the cord, but it tangled in the light branches too easily and I finally couldn¢t get it down. I still tied a small carabiner on the end using a bowline knot, for hooking to my bag. To throw the cord over a branch, I just used a clove hitch knot to tie a rock or a Cliff Bar on the end.Third Layer:Clothing Bag: In the summer I used a Hyperlite small roll top cuben bag to hold my spare shirt, shorts and socks and my head net. In the fall, I used the medium bag that I used for my sleeping bag in the summer.Miscellaneous Bag: This usually overlapped with the Second and Third layers. A small stuff sack that contained my electronic, medical, repair and other hygene stuff. I used a couple of snack zip lock bags to separate stuff into categories or for redundant waterproofness. Items included: bandaids, gauze, antiseptic ointment, cuben repair tape, air mattress repair patches, small scissors, small lightweight mirror I got when teaching symmetry in geometry, sewing kit, ear plugs, bic lighter, safety pins, bracelets that my granddaughter made me and my daughter gave me that took too much of a beating when I tried to wear them while hiking, extra phone and camera batteries, phone and camera battery chargers, small pocket knife with tweezers, etc. I also had a pencil where I stored duct tape and leukotape wrapped around it, which I stored either here or with the AT Guide.Fourth Layer:Tent: Lightheart Gear SoLong 6 cuben tent. I had an old Hubba NT that I used on 2 to 5 day section hikes that was free standing and had a small footprint. But it was too small for me for four to six months. The SoLong 6 required more ground space and needed to be staked, but was a palace when I was by myself and snuggly fit both Sarah and me on the first night out of Springer, and Swede and me one night in the Whites. I used 6 titanium shepherd hook stakes and carried 6 small screw-in hooks for setting up on a wooden platform. Judy no longer makes it in cuben. I did not use a ground cloth, and got no holes in the bottom during my hike.Note: If I was carrying a lot of food, there sometimes wasn¢t room in my Hyperlite pack for everything. In that case I¢d put my tent outside on top of my pack until I ate enough food to get it back inside.Fifth/Top Layer:Food bag: zPacks cuben food bag with LiteTrail odor proof bag. I don¢t know if the odor proof bags are really odor proof for bears, but I figured they would at least reduce the risk of bears and rodents wanting to get into my food bag. At first I carried a spare odor proof bag in the bottom of the food bag in case I tore the primary odor proof bag. Then I realized that if I¢m carrying it, I might as well use it, so I put the primary odor proof bag inside the backup bag inside the zPacks bag! I frequently slept with my food bag in my tent (I didn¢t eat in my tent.) and never had any problems. Of course, I don¢t know if that¢s simply because there were no bears around, but there certainly were at least mice nearby when I tented near a shelter. (If I carried a stove, I¢d probably carry it here if it fit nicely. Otherwise, it might have to go with the second layer.)Toothbrush Bag: A ziplock bag that I kept in the Food Bag that included a sawed off toothbrush, small toothpaste tube, floss, disposable razor, and a smaller ziplock bag with vitamins.Jacket/clothing layer: If it was cool enough that I started hiking with an additional layer of clothing, when I warmed up and took it off, I¢d simply pack it around or under the food bag. In the fall, when I took my lightweight down jacket, I packed it in my small cuben sack if it were looking like rain.Back pocket of pack:Sawyer Squeeze filter, bag and cleaner. (See Post Hike 8 for a discussion of water treatment options.)Privy Bag: REI waterproof stuff sack with QiWiz Big Dig titanium trowel, toilet paper, wet wipes, small plastic bottle of Dr. Bonner¢s soap. Rain Gear: Pack cover with ULA Circuit (nothing with cuben pack). Cheapest version of Frog Togs - I took the top as both rain protection and as a warmth layer in the spring and fall. In the spring I took a silnylon rain skirt that worked OK, but I decided wasn¢t worth the trouble. In the fall I took the Frog Tog pants for both rain protection and warmth. In the summer, I just got wet from the rain, figuring I¢d either get wet from the rain or from my sweat if I wore rain gear. Later on I started packing my frog togs inside my pack if it didn¢t look like rain that day.AT Guide: I got the loose leaf version and packed the future pages in a ziplock bag here. I also carried any other papers I wanted here. Side pockets of pack:Water Bottles: I used quart GatorAde bottles with my ULA Circuit. The pockets were short and big. I used SmartWater bottles with my Hyperlite. The pockets were tighter, especially when I had my 10deg sleeping bag stuffed in the bottom of the pack. I usually had a 1 liter bottle on one side and a 1 12 liter bottle on the other. Trekking Poles: When rock climbing, I¢d collapse my poles and put them either here or in the back pocket.Hip Belt Pockets:AquaMira, Hand Sanitizer on the right side. I thought about having a second hand sanitizer kept with my Privy bag so I didn¢t have to take this one to the privy each time, but never got around to getting another one.Head Lamp, Ibuprofen on the left side. the ¢Vitamin I¢ was in a small ziplock bag. I¢d also put small temporary items in the left side.Shoulder Strap Pocket: cuben, from zPacks. It had a draw string closure on the top which didn¢t keep out the rain. I¢d have preferred one with a fold over flap on top to keep it waterproof. With the ULA pack, I carried these items in the larger hip belt pockets.Camera, bug spray, sunblock Canon Elph 340 (see journal Pre Hike 5)Pants Pockets: If I wore my REI pants with four front pockets:Phone: Samsung S4 Active (see journal Pre Hike 5)Daily AT Guide pages. just the pages needed for that day, in thin weight ziplock bag. I discovered even on dry days, my sweat would ruin the pages if not protected. I marked up the pages with daily mileages in bigger print so I could easily read them without my reading glasses.Snacks:Usually three snacks or a bag of gorp.Pen/Pencil.Wallet Small ziplock bag. I carried two wallets, each with some cash, a credit card and some form of ID, and kept one in my pocket and one in my pack in case I lost one of them. One of them also had my ATM card.Note: I usually carried the phone and AT Guide pages in my pants left top pocket, my snacks in my right top pocket, my wallet in my left bottom pocket with the velcro closure, and my pen/pencil and any trash from the snacks in my right bottom pocket with the velcro closure. I didn¢t carry anything in my back pants pockets. If I were wearing my other shorts, which had pockets I couldn¢t trust, I¢d put my phone in the shoulder strap pocket with my camera, my AT Guide pages and my wallet in my hip belt pockets and the pen/pencil in the back pocket with my AT Guide. I¢d put trash from my snacks in the side pack pocket with my water bottles.Note 2: For future hikes, I plan to look into getting a larger, waterproof hipbelt pocket(s) so I can offload my pants pockets. I also plan to consider carrying my JetBoil and cooking some meals, especially if Linda goes with me!Trekking Poles: Pacer Poles. Three section carbon fiber. I had never tried poles before I turned 60, but am a big believer in them now. If used properly, they offload some of the work from your legs in balancing, propulsion, and shock absorption - and your legs are usually the limiting factor in backpacking. I like the handle design of PacerPoles, which gives me the advantages of the straps on regular poles but without having to put my hands in straps. I had never tried regular trekking poles before, but used a couple of cheaper ones with and without a strap in NH and ME when I broke one of my PacerPoles. I found using a strap is better than no strap, and that I missed the ease of putting my hand on and off my pole handle with a PacerPole. Disadvantage of the PacerPoles is they are only made in England. Fortunately, Linda had an identical pair which we used for parts when I broke mine.CLOTHINGNote: I periodically treated all my clothing with permethrin to protect me better from ticks, but also to ward off mosquitos and other bugs.Pants: REI zip off long pants, usually worn as shorts later in the hike. I liked having all the pockets, and these pants are baggier and more comfortable than a pair of similar Columbia pants I have. I started out wearing them as long pants, to protect me better from ticks. I discovered that the lighter and more free your pants are, the less effort it takes to move your legs and hike down the trail. There¢s a dramatic difference if your long pants are soaked with sweat vs. a pair of running/swim shorts. Once I got into higher lyme disease probability areas of northern Virginia and north, I started using deet on my legs when in shorts.Under these pants I wore synthetic material boxers. They didn¢t dry as fast as the commercials would have me believe, but they were comfortable. Backup pants: old Target swim shorts with liner. Plus old silk long underwear bottom in spring/fall.Shirt: Smartwool long sleeve shirt. Lightweight (150). I¢ve had a melanoma removed from my right forearm and have had three friends die from skin cancer, the youngest in his forties. I decided on long sleeves to protect me better from both the sun and ticks. I found it just about as cool as a short sleeve shirt, and I could push up the sleeves if I wanted. I chose to splurge on wool vs. polyester for its ability to wash out the stink better than polyester, and it dries nearly as fast. It¢s not as durable, however, and I had to be careful about snagging it on tree branches. Backup shirt: additional smartwool lightweight long sleeve shirt. Plus old silk long underwear top in spring/fall.Socks: REI merino wool and Darn Tough. The Darn Tough socks wear better since they have nylon in them with the wool, but the pure wool socks are a little more comfortable. I typically wore the Darn Tough while hiking, and had the REI merino wool pair for night and as a backup.Shoes: Asics trail runners. I¢m a neutral/underpronator who has had neuromas in both feet, so I like the neutral stability and the larger toe box. I went through three pair - the soles were still good, but the tops were taking hits from the sticks and rocks. Note that shoes are a very, very personal matter!Gaiters: Dirty Girl gaiters. I didn¢t need them with long pants.Hat: OR ball cap that comes with a snap on neck protector. The hat was comfortable on my huge head, but I never used the neck protector - too tight (and a bit nerdy looking!). For bug and/or sun protection I would drape my permethrin treated bandana on top of my head such that it loosely protected my ears and neck, and put my hat on over it. I frequently did this in the early morning and early evening in the summer to keep the bugs away from my head while I was hiking. If it was hot, I would sometimes go bare-headed and use sun block if in the sun.Bandana: I kept this in a carabiner on my right shoulder strap. Useful for a lot of things including neck protection (see Hat discussion above), towel, glasses cleaner, nose wiper and brushing off the bottom of my tent when packing it up.Jacket: Spring and fall only - Sierra Designs lighweight down jacket. I got this a couple of years ago for regular use when they first came out with the water resistant down. I seldom wore it while actually hiking, and then usually only in the first half hour or so until I warmed up. But useful in camp on the cooler mornings and evenings. For colder conditions, supplemented with Frog Togs described in Rain Gear above.Buff: I used a merino wool buff because it's a little bigger and stretchier than the polyester buff and thus fits my huge head better. Just wearing it around my neck helped me stay warmer. At night I would pull the back up over my head and ears or just wear it as a beanie for warmth as needed. Gloves: I have the cuben mittens and wool liners from zPacks but left the liners at home. I took the gloves mainly for hiking in cold rain, but used them a couple of times on cold mornings. Their main use was when I was hiking with the cheap trekking pole I found in Maine and I needed a glove to protect my hand from blisters since the handle didn't fit my hand. This wore out the palm of the glove pretty well after just a week or so, probably because I had to grip tightly on a handle that didn't fit my hand well. I'm hoping they'll last better if I were using them with my poles that fit my hands. I lost one of my gloves in Maine, and used my spare socks for gloves when hiking one chilly morning.Head Net: petersheadnets.com. Only used it once when I was sleeping in a shelter on a buggy night. Bugs were gone by the time I got to Maine.PS I like to think of myself as a lightweight backpacker, but I¢m not an ultra-lightweight backpacker. I started out with a base weight (without food or water) around 17 or 18 pounds, and got it down to around 15 pounds in the summer. I don¢t know what it was in the fall. I¢ll be looking at how I might want to trim it down some more before I go out on another long hike!