Starting my planning for '14 or '15 hike

[et_afig]

I've been dreaming of hiking the AT ever since a buddy of my father came back all rugged and scraggly one day while I was in high school. I decided to enlist instead of pursuing college due to a lack of finances and I'm expecting my contract to expire at the earliest in time for a '14 hike, however no later than a '15 hike. I've got a deployment coming up in June which'll drag me to December, despite how slow time feels to go by it actually goes by super quick. So instead of watching paint dry while we bob around in the water I decided to start planning a solid and 'plyable' schedule and gear list for when my contract does expire. That way I can just grab my rucksack and hit the Approach. I'm going to actually be hiking with a buddy of mine that works in my shop with me, we're both in awesome physical condition. I used to 'drag' him along with my while I went camping along the Florida Trail and Suwannee, but now he's pestering me as to when we're headed out again. He's all for it and we've already saved essentially what we're guestimating for our trip.

I'm trying to grab a list together now to settle on the pack, pad, and tent to buy and test while we have all this available time. I've already got a Eureka Apex 2 that I really enjoy however its apparently heavier than most people prefer. I have a Marmot Aspen pack thats frameless but I don't see myself comfortably taking that. We have a decent budget put together, but we're trying to spend no more than $1500 on gear. We're young and strong, we can handle a relatively heavy pack so we can give up a little bit of weight for a little bit of $$$. We've both stood armed watches at the southern most tip of Chile and the hottest and most humid day in Panama, so we can handle a little bit of cold and a little bit of heat. Hopefully that'll assist in suggestions.

I'm also trying to get my head around how the average thru-hiker on here did their mail drops. I'm much more attracted to the idea of picking up our mail drops at a respective city and then camping outside the city limits (I'm not a fan of paying $$$ for only spending several hours in a hotel), we're also planning on having our zero-days outside the city limits as well. Any suggestions on how you guys went through planning what you sent and when?

Every time we get stuck on this tin can out here all we can think about is getting that first mile. I just read 'Bisons' book and I've been grabbing up all the available literature that people have written about their experiences. We really both appreciate this!

[et_afig]

sorry for the double post, government internet is pre-56k apparently

[bigcranky]

Good for you, sounds like plan.

Here's a great starting point for a packing list.

You can get a pretty good set of gear for $750 each. PM me if you want some specifics. Or poke around here on Whiteblaze. Lots of good information.

Re: maildrops. Not worth it, IMHO. You can buy food in town, often enough that it's not an issue. Maildrops require someone at home to buy and package the food and ship it to you. They require you to be in a certain town at a certain time, when the PO is open. Shipping is expensive. There are plenty of decent grocery stores in small towns along the trail, no worries. See the Resupply Info pages on the home page.

Good luck on your deployment and planning your hike.

[ScottP]

I dislike taking zero days unless there is an injury problem.

I used to be a huge proponent of maildrops, but shipping costs have skyrocketed in the last few years. With some planning you can shop along the way and get good food.

If I were to thru-hike now and owned no gear, here is what I would buy. (Assuming march 15th-April 15th start)

Big 4:
Golite 40 degree quilt $180, 19 ozhttp://www.golite.com/UltraLite-800-...ar-P46823.aspx
Golite poncho tarp $70, 7 oz http://www.golite.com/tents/shelters-and-tents +tent stakes+cord (anything cheap/light)
Ridgerest short, trimmed to size $20, 7 oz http://www.rei.com/product/810386/th...e-sleeping-pad
Zpacks zero small with two side pockets $110, 3.5 oz http://zpacks.com/backpacks/zero.shtml

Clothing
Worn: whatever you'd run in+whatever shoes you'd run in

Carried: (buy whatever is cheap. You can probably go to a thrift store, really)
1 extra pair running socks, 1 extra pair warm socks
long sleeve middleweight shirt
long sleeve middleweight pants
fleece hat
cotton bandanna
Good down vest: this is a supplement to your not quite warm enough sleeping bag
WM flight down vest $185, 6 oz http://www.moosejaw.com/moosejaw/sho...8_10000001_-1_


Cooking:
3 1L gatorade bottles
aqua mira
MSR pocket rocket
fuel canister
1L titanium pot
titanium spork


Whatever errata you deem necessary. Keep it to a minimum.

[et_afig]

thanks for the word on maildrops bigcranky, I've heard a lot of opinions on both and looking at shipping prices I'd go ahead and put together a few numbers that would probably prove that even a few over-priced stores don't add up to how much consistent mail drops would be. I'm used to eating cheap and crummy food in the Navy, so I bet I could still even eat nice while shopping at the trailheads.

thanks a lot ScottP, those zeropacks caught my ear earlier last week while I was searching. Pretty sure I'm sold on that, just a little configuring with a strap and pocket or two and I'm completely sold. The golite quilt is an intriuging idea, and what the one review said about it allowing you to "sprawl-out" has me quite convinced that I'd be more comfortable with that.

The tent is a little more primitave than I'd like, however the shangri-la is definitely my range of price and acceptable weight.

[nehiker]

That 40 degree ``ultra-light" quilt is 19oz, $180; Lafuma Extreme 600 is a 45 degree synthetic bag (and thus would function quite well even if wet) is 20oz, $50-70 if you can find it anywhere (I got it from rei-outlet several years ago). I do not know if it would last a through-hike. The first two or three summers it generally felt way too warm (including in ME); I often had to keep it unzipped (inside a tent). Last summer I used in on the LT, and it did not feel so warm. I do not know if this means it lasts about 40 nights or 2-3 years and a few washes; I would hope the latter is relevant.

[et_afig]

I'm bumping this thread since I'm waiting on word on a possible opportunity to get out mid-march next year.

Does anyone have anything negative to say about the quilts? I sleep in a sleeping bag every night in my rack (so I don't have to keep remaking it every morning), so I'm open to this different idea. Any negative inputs on the zero packs as well? A few reviews I read said that the material will start to break down after a while and it most likely will only last one thru-hike (not that I plan on hiking it more than once, I just don't want it to fall apart pre-katahdin).

Also, what liter size for the pack would one suggest? I'm only about 5'7 @ 160lbs, I'm on a mission to keep my pack at about 15lbs (not including food/water).

[Sailing_Faith]

I had (and executed) a plan to go sailing upon my 'release'... it is amazing how sustaining thinking about your dreams can be.

There will come a time, no matter if it is this March, or 2015... when you will simply have to 'just do it'. I warn you, there will be many competing ideas... many of them will come from other people. Everyone was talking to me about 'great opportunities' (mostly employment) to be able to go so things other then I had planned (mostly focused on doing what THEY thought was important).

Do not let ANYONE steal your dream. Know that it can and probably will happen that some will try.

[et_afig]

There have been a lot of conflicting ideologies coming from different friends and family members, but after sitting staring at gray walls all day deployment after deployment dreaming about the trail I'd consider it a total let down in life to not go out and do it. There are other feasible times that I could do it, after college per se (or inbetween semesters), but I see the Navy career as a short little approach-trail to the more important trail of life. Plus, this deployment I'm purchasing all my gear and using the money saved as my support money for the hike.

[Old Hiker]

There have been a lot of conflicting ideologies coming from different friends and family members, but after sitting staring at gray walls all day deployment after deployment..............

Why did you join the military when you could have joined the AF? At least we have an NCO club, swimming pool and beach at every base.

Keep planning, count the days off, keep saving. You can't have enough money! Good Luck. I'm trying again in 2016 !

MSgt, USAF (Ret)

[et_afig]

Because the air force recruiter, after noticing my dreadlocks, birkenstocks, and bob marley t-shirt, thought I wouldn't pass a drug test...the navy didn't care :P

[Old Hiker]

Was that before or after you enlisted in the Navy?? Wait - you're too young to remember the Z-grams. Never mind.

[swjohnsey]

A Ranger's gear list:

ULA Ohm 2.0
Big Agnes Fly Creek 1
Western Mounteering Summerlite 35 degree bag
Neoair 3/4 pad

There are some places maildrops are a good idea unless you are O.K. living off beef jerky and poptarts. I also used a bouncebox.

[et_afig]

@swjohnsey: that bag looks nice but its quite a bit outside what I'm looking to spend for gear. I settled with the GoLite 3-season quilt and I'll settle on a pad sometime tomorrow.

I contacted GoLite and they said they've discontinued their Shangri-La 1 tent, however while digging through the Gear/shelter section of the forum I stumbled upon the sixmoondesigns.com "skyscape scout" (http://sixmoondesigns.com/tents/SkyscapeScout.html). Its pretty much along the lines of what I'm looking for: light, double-walled, and decently priced.

I almost got too jumpy last night and purchased a pack online, I can see how stupid of a mistake that've been. I'll someone have to keep my excitement down and wait until I get back, hopefully there'll be an outfitters somewhere in Northern Ohio that I can head to for sizing.

[swjohnsey]

Look on ebay for bargins on gear. Be patient, you have lotsa time. You will only find crap made in China at most outfitters. Pack is gonna take a beatin' on any thru-hike. Seen lotsa unhappy campers with gear failures on the trail. ULA Circuit was one of the most popular/common packs on the trail. You can talk to the folks at ULA directly. He is a thru-hiker.

[et_afig]

I stumbled upon ULA again in another post, so I moved them up (actually to the top) of my list, the reviews and pictures on backpackergeartest.com were excellent in regards to giving good perception to the functionality of the different bags ULA provides and their assorted features. Being in the military has gotten me used to things failing constantly and more importantly has provided me with a good logical conscious in regards to dealing with and overcoming the stupidity of situations...I look forward to duck tape concoctions as much as I look forward to component-level circuit card work-arounds

Did you stumble upon an outfitter that sold the ULA packs and get sized up, or did you do the sizing yourself and just order that way?

[Old Hiker]

backpackergeartest.com is not correct. backpackergeartest.ORG

Threw me for a bit until I partook of caffeine, woke up and searched. All hail the blessed chemical C8H10N4O2.

Nice site, by the way. Looks like MY Sunday is gonna be filled.

[T-Rx]

Threw me for a bit until I partook of caffeine, woke up and searched. All hail the blessed chemical C8H10N4O2.

+1 on the above posted by Old Hiker!

To et_afig, a big +1 for ULA packs. I have the catalyst and it is a great pack.

[bigcranky]

backpackgeartest.org (not backpacker). Click the link.

ULA Packs are great - I have owned three of them, my current model is a custom Circuit with several features from the Ohm. The Circuit is a good thru-hiking pack for a lightweight hiker: it's large enough for a monster food load out of town, will carry 30+ pounds in comfort when needed, but isn't so large that you fill it up with useless cr@p. It's well made and durable, too, though probably not as durable as the military packs I've seen. Lighter, though.

I got my first ULA pack at the outfitter in Neels Gap, on the AT in north Georgia. Got fitted, walked around for an hour, bought the Circuit. The next summer I wanted something smaller, so I bought an Ohm. Nice pack, but I didn't like the way the hip belt was connected - I prefer a full-wrap belt (which is now available in the Ohm 2.0.) But I loved the stretchy mesh big front pocket and the drawstring main bag closure compared to my Circuit, so when the opportunity to order a custom Circuit came up, I got one in dark Navy blue with the stretchy front pocket and drawstring closure. The custom charge was very fair. Sold my original Circuit to my hiking partner, and the Ohm to somebody in Canada.

If your base weight is below 10 pounds, and you'll never go above 25 total, the Ohm is a sweet little pack. For a 15 pound base weight, with normal loads in the 25-30 pound range, the Circuit is great. That's my sweet spot for year-round hiking in NC. If you have a more traditional set of gear with base weights in the 20 pound range and totals in the 35 range, the Catalyst is probably a better bet.

[swjohnsey]

I stumbled upon ULA again in another post, so I moved them up (actually to the top) of my list, the reviews and pictures on backpackergeartest.com were excellent in regards to giving good perception to the functionality of the different bags ULA provides and their assorted features. Being in the military has gotten me used to things failing constantly and more importantly has provided me with a good logical conscious in regards to dealing with and overcoming the stupidity of situations...I look forward to duck tape concoctions as much as I look forward to component-level circuit card work-arounds

Did you stumble upon an outfitter that sold the ULA packs and get sized up, or did you do the sizing yourself and just order that way?

The folks at Neels Gap have every ULA pack in every size in stock. I bought my first one, a Catalyst, there.