Dangerous gear philosophies?

[tolkien]

Probably the biggest thing to note here is no hiker should send cold weather gear home at Damascus (when on a Northbound Trip). The trail climes Mt Rogers after that and it can be bone chilling cold.

also, the trail goes through town every few days in the south, but that changes further north, especially north of Massachusetts. in NH and ME mountains being prepared is a lot more important than having a super light pack.

I'm southbounding next year: in less populated areas it's wiser to plan for more unlikely things.

[10-K]

I'm southbounding next year: in less populated areas it's wiser to plan for more unlikely things.

But you still don't have to have Crocs, Jetboil w/ extra canister, multi-tool, ground cloth, nalgene water bottles, Camelbak, etc.

This is the type of thing you can do better on without compromising your safety.

[russb]

If my brain is the best piece of equipment to carry, how can I get it's weight down? I think mine is to heavy (and bulky).

alcohol.

[mweinstone]

I can't imagine not bringing something with the intention of borrowing/bumming it from someone else.

Also, there are few pieces of gear the lack of which are going to result in a hiker on the AT being the star on an episode of "I Shouldn't Be Alive" but there *are* a lot of hikers who pack their packs like that might just happen.

things i count on sherpaing from other hikers i dont bring but require:

love
friendship
companionship
dog
hug
storys
thermal mass
human windblock
human sheild
reading writting arithmatic skills
recepies
wisdom
encouragement
kindness
johnney thunder
two beers
lwolf
phatchap
tow
dude
jones
baltimore jack
the doyle
standing bear
the place
port clinton
stars
wonder
wonder and brian
coolbreeze
maria in salsbury
wolf23000
stonewall
tank
jester
whitecrow
minnesota smith
and all my hikers


panzer is not required but available as an option

[10-K]

May I just say I'm distraught because I am not on your list.

Dangit.

things i count on sherpaing from other hikers i dont bring but require:

love
friendship
companionship
dog
hug
storys
thermal mass
human windblock
human sheild
reading writting arithmatic skills
recepies
wisdom
encouragement
kindness
johnney thunder
two beers
lwolf
phatchap
tow
dude
jones
baltimore jack
the doyle
standing bear
the place
port clinton
stars
wonder
wonder and brian
coolbreeze
maria in salsbury
wolf23000
stonewall
tank
jester
whitecrow
minnesota smith
and all my hikers


panzer is not required but available as an option

[Blissful]

White crow? Like in White Crow from 2007?

[dbigard]

every hiker should start out with 110 lbs of gear--that way they can leave a gear trail from ammicola falls to neels gap--- and have it down to 35 lbs by neels gap----seems that way in the springs!!!!!

[Wolf - 23000]

every hiker should start out with 110 lbs of gear--that way they can leave a gear trail from ammicola falls to neels gap--- and have it down to 35 lbs by neels gap----seems that way in the springs!!!!!

Well I was close to that when I started off my first thru-hike southbound. I was carrying 2 full size packs with me - one on top of the other. Leaving Monson I slim down a lot after mailing home 25 pound of gear and a lot less food. I left town with about 40 pounds.

Wolf

[BradMT]

every hiker should start out with 110 lbs of gear--that way they can leave a gear trail from ammicola falls to neels gap--- and have it down to 35 lbs by neels gap----seems that way in the springs!!!!!

Can't fathom a real backpacker not having thought it all through before the start and beginning with exactly what is needed.

All I can think is there are a lot of first-time backpackers starting at Springer Mtn...

[sbhikes]

Don't forget if you are out there reading UL gear lists that not all gear lists are for hiking the AT or for hiking in the Pacific Northwest. My gear list for Santa Barbara county trails includes loppers, leather gloves and a saw but it probably won't include rain gear. For decades I didn't even own rain gear and for a very long time the only tent I had was a mosquito net tent (for flies). I'm much better prepared with trail cutting tools than rain gear. Believe me!

[Penguin]

Not bringing a tent, and relying on a space in a shelter during a storm. If no space, then asking for a tent carrying hiker to sleep in his tent, or asking to borrow said tent, seems like a bad gear philosophy. Going back to the original post.

[aaronthebugbuffet]

I saw a dead horse. I'll tell you guys where it is if you want to go beat it.

[harryfred]

I have actually heard ultra lighters tell newbies ready to do a thru hike that any first aid was not needed (you have a bandanna and a bit of duct tape right?) and washing up was a waste.
I agree with a previous post I have seen too many hikes cut short from a small scratch or bite that got infected and got out of control.
My first aid/repair kit is more excessive than I need but not extravagant and I do carry to help others. It is my nature.
For me a two man, double wall, free, standing tent; a camp pillow, dry clothing for the night, and camp shoes, are a must. As are spare socks and socks for night only. I tend to carry too much water and I always have one more meal than I need, which on more than one occasion has proved useful. Don't even go on day hikes without rain gear, it is also my wind gear.
Different parts of the country require different gear. I spent nights on the Mojave Dessert sleeping without a tent on a woven rag rug wrapped in a military wool blanket and was golden but I carried IIRC five gal of water to start there were no springs.
Agree a whistle is a must. It is your worst case bail out. Every one knows three short toots means "I need help" and the reply is two toots, right? I have a whistle/compass/thermometer, that hangs on my shoulder strap where the weight is nothing.

[ShelterLeopard]

It seems to me, with my fairly decent outdoor experience, that every once in a blue moon (and not even that often on this site) you find a gear list(especially the really light ones) that tends to forgo some very vital things in favor of saving an ounce here and there: people carrying 13lbs of gear and a half-ton of "god I hope that doesn't happen".

Has anybody ever run into hikers like that? And I'm not talking about your typical "ultralight" list: those are a bit spartan, but intelligently so. Some people seem to be leaving out things like anti-septic or toothpaste: wouldn't an infection or other easily-prevented issue do a lot more to end a hike than the 4 ounces it takes to haul a bit of Iodine around?
Any response would be nice: I'm trying to re-tune my normal camping/hiking gear for a long trek and sometimes it's difficult to separate the spartan from the stupid.

Not having something dry to change into in camp strikes me as stupid. (Though most people who've been stuck in that situation did carry "dry" sleeping clothes and either did a bad job waterproofing or for a bizarre reason decided to wear their in camp dry clothes hiking.)

The biggie I see is not carrying rain gear or a wind shield. On a chilly day when there's been a lotta rain, it just seems really stupid. I know. I was one of those folks... I have never regretted anything so much in my whole hiking experience as being stuck without raingear. Luckily I was in the Shennies and survived that day to get to one of those roadside stops and ended up buying a heavy Shenandoah Nat'l Park rain jacket.

Concise version: raingear good.

[ShelterLeopard]

Of course, I am DEFINITELY NOT what you would call a UL hiker. During my thru (which turned into a 1,500 mile long section) I carried birkenstocks for in camp shoes for a while, a parachute hammock (in addition to my tent) and a few other "non necessities". But after I was used to the weight on my back, I loved having one or two extra things. And the weight was not much. Also had a frying pan for part of my hike and a mini pillow, which I never got rid of.

And Mr. Squirrel. My constant companion and slackpacker extraordinaire.

[WildTomato]

How about carrying no gear at all?

I am serious, in my first thru hike in 2008 we ran across a guy about 45ish miles from Springer hiking carrying nothing. We asked him out of sheer curiosity at the next shelter why he was not carrying gear, and he said to address him as 'No Weight Jake' and that he is going to walk from Georgia to Maine using no gear.(!)

We all laughed because we thought he was making a joke, but he was dead serious, and everyone had a awkward moment of silence. He said he was a man of nature and only needed to forage for his food and water, and that 'God provides everything I need'.

He was really friendly but we all went to sleep wondering about his chances, and when we woke up he was gone and I never saw him again, nor have heard nothing about him.

So that is my 'Dangerous Gear Philosophies' true story. No gear!

[Penguin]

No Weight Jake would definitely need some creativity when it comes to sleeping on a cold night after days of rain.

[Old Hiker]

..............
And Mr. Squirrel. My constant companion and slackpacker extraordinaire.

It's sorta early, I'm on my first cup of coffee, the kids don't get here for 2 hours. I have to ask: Mr. Squirrel?

I'm gonna regret this, aren't I?

[ShelterLeopard]

MUAH HA HA. (Just kidding).

Mr. Squirrel is my backpacking companion. He's about four inches tall, squeaks when squeezed, and is in almost every significant photo from my AT hike. (He's stuffed) He and I signed shelter logs together.

[Pony]

Wow, a year later and it finally makes sense. Reading the registers last year I always wondered why Mr. Squirrel never signed them. Ha ha. I carried an inflatable pirate sword for 1,100+ miles.

Seriously carry as little or as much as you want, you'll eventually figure it out. I never really care when somebody wants to use my map or guidebook, or really anything except food. What irritates me more is people who feel the need to make comments about why I carry a 40 lb external frame pack, or why is my food bag so heavy, or why do you need fleece pajama pants. These are things that I want/like to carry, and if it's not on your back then don't worry about it. I carried a coffee press and a one pound bag of coffee, and it always turned people's heads. But nearly everyone would gladly drink a cup if I offered it to them.