with drawn

o.k., here's my 2 cents on the gear list. i'm planning on a thru hike in 2009. in the last 2 years i've tried to make my gear selections based on 2 main criteria: buy the lightest weight/warmest item that still works for me out in the woods and buy gear that serves more than 1 function. i'm making a serious effort to cut my pack weight down. i've made some good progress. my list is a work in progress. feel free to comment/criticize. i'd especially welcome the comments of thru hikers. here goes:

1.back pack- army large ALICE pack with plastic frame 4 lbs. love it.

2.fanny pack- i use it as a chest pack. balances the load great.

3.tent-mountain hardware tri-light 2. the lightest free standing tent i could find that has good room. 4.75 lbs.

4.sleeping pad-Exped foam/air mattress.1.8 lbs. hevent had a bad night's sleep since i got this.

5.sleeping bag-Sierra Designs Snowlight. 0 degree, 800 fill down, 2.75 lbs. with sil-nylon stuff sac! sweet!

6.trekking poles-basic komperdells.

7.hydration system-platypus 2.5 liter bladder plus 2x1 liter platypus.

8.water filter-none. yes, i know what your thinking. i boil or occasionally use iodine.

9.cooking pot- MSR Titan kettle

10.stove-MSR Pocket rocket. great item.

11.fuel bottle-canister

12.pack towel

13.sil-nylon poncho

14.spoon

15.smallest swiss army knife

16.bear bag-50 feet of line

17.food-enertia trail meals. these are dehydrated not freeze dried. taste good and lightweight. about $3.25 per meal. i rarely finish a whole one at one sitting.

18.parka-TNF Nuptse jacket 1.7 lbs. looking to get something that weighs less.

19.shirt-long sleeve patagonia capaline

20.suunto vector watch. has compass themometer and altimeter. has been twitchy. wouldnt recommend buying one.

21.running tights- nylon

22.socks-3 pair wool

23.fleece- 100 weight wal mart special.

24.hat-cheapo wool watch cap

25.gloves- fleece light

26. fleece-Patagonia fleece EW core top.

27.pen. radio.

28.journal -small

29.head lamp- 2 princeton tec LED button lights. i attach one to the bill of my ball cap with velcro. i've hiked down a dark trail with these with no problem at all.

30.lighter

31.compass

32.gaiters
33.at data book- lightest entire guide of at

34.sunglasses- polarized

35.med kit

36.duct tape

37. zip locks

38. toilet paper

39.rainsuit-frogg togs top and bottoms. 1.1 lb. for both pieces. doubles as a wind breaker. great piece of gear.

40.sierra designs down mules(slippers). cant live without em.

41.trail running shoes. they work for me. even with heavier loads on the notorious pennsylvania rocks.

42.lightweight sandals for a change of footwear.

43.small MSR kitchen kit, insulated cup.

This is a link to my gear on trailjournals.com:

www.trailjournals.com/gear.cfm?trailname=1479

Check it out....I'm leaving for the AT in about 2 and a half months so any advice from experienced hikers would be appreciated.

Scout005,
Your positive impressions about your gear are the most important thing. If on balance, you favor a piece's comfort, by all means stick with it over throwing money into a lighter option. That said, have you tried other sleeping pads? You could shed almost a pound there and still have an inflatable. The other three categories where you can shed pounds are bag, shelter, and pack. Your bag is light, though you may wish to have a cooler bag to switch to in warmer months. Consider alternative shelters such as hammocks, tarps, or single-wall silnylon tarp-tents. If they are not for you then good, you have a fine tent. If you are OK with the trade-offs of the alternative shelters, then switching could save you 3-4 pounds off your shelter weight. Doing that, would probably also drop enough volume such that you could get a smaller/lighter pack if that suits you. You may then not need the fanny pack for counter-balance or for storage. Depending on your cooking habits, Snow Peak makes a 110g fuel cansiter that is widely available in outfitters along the AT. On any given day, the pocket rocket and that small canister will rival the weight of an alcohol stove user. Wingfoot's data section in his 2003 (and beyond, I presume) style of guidebook when ripped out of the binding is lighter than the ATC's version. It also is more comprehensive and lists more water souces and other points of interest. Wingfoot also lists total trail mileages rather than numbers broken down by AT section. Using Wingfoot also gives you the town and other point-of-interest descriptions. You can bounce pieces of the book ahead of you using the post offices. An alternative to the Nuptse is the MEC Northern Lite series. See below. Hope this helps. Good luck in your planning.

Jackie,
MEC stuff is quite nice. I have the Northern Lite (the men's is a pullover/half-zip) which has really good loft. I also have their vest and I only really wear both if I'm still and it's below 20ºF/-7ºC. The white/yellow keychain LEDs don't have long battery life and finding a new bat./changing it is a pain. Depending on your usage, that may not matter, but consider the lengths of February and March nights and consider whether you'd like to do a little night-hiking in the warmer months. Also consider a separate post or search the arcives for advice from the hammockers about staying warm. My understanding is that it can be a challenge during Feb. and March type temps. Also, the only two hammocker-thru-hikers I hiked with both wound up favoring shelters and thusly used their pads every night. They also used them liberally in hostels. In other words, having a pad is a good idea for now. Bring one pair of socks to hike in and keep a second pair dry in the colder months to change into in camp and to sleep in. In warmer months, only take one pair. If you take two, you'll just have two dirty pairs of socks instead of one. You have an excellent list. Any changes will probably be for personal comfort/taste which you may not discover until you are out there. Good luck in February. You are in for an incredible experience!

http://geocities.com/gearskinpics/E_pack.jpg

There is my list. Anything marked with a HM is homemade. ANy item with an "x" under P is in my pack while an "x" under B is on my body.

Brian
The only 16 year old on whiteblaze
Future Thru Hiker 2013