I'm going to be continuing to craft this, attempting to put it into an article, but for now here is some raw data on the gear I used and the food I ate on my thru-hike earlier this year. I'm hoping that as folks read this, they will feel open to ask questions and inspire me to get a bit more specific on what really worked for me and what didn't. It was a hell of a time-
Gear Used
Pack Deuter ACT Zero 50+15
Tent Tarptent Contrail
Poles REI made by Komperdell
Bag Campmor 20 Degree down, switched for La Fuma 60 degree synthetic at Trail Days
Sleeping Pad Thermarest ProPlus, switched to Z-Light at Trail Days
Shoes Started with Brooks Cascadia, switched to Montrail Mountain Massochist
Socks Darn Toughs/Smartwool PHD midlength
Shorts Synthetic thrift store shorts with side pockets
Shirt Smartwool Microweight, replaced with Ibex Merino in Great Barrington, MA
Stove Started with Snowpeak canister stove, switched to a home-made alcohol stove in NC, usually powered by HEET Yellow
Water Purification started with aquamira, got tired of the wait time and switched to the Sawyer Squeeze filter. The white rubber gasket quickly dry-rotted, but I replaced it easily with a garden hose gasket from a hardware store for about 20 cents. Also, the Sawyer bags popped quickly but I replaced them w/ Platy bags, which fit when using the new gasket.
CLOTHING
I carried lightweight synthetic long-john bottoms, a mid-weight smartwool long sleeve, a microweight merino T-shirt, synthetic shorts, the REI revelcloud primaloft jacket, and a mountain hardware windblock fleece beanie. I carried two pair of socks, and would interchange daily. If my clothing got wet, and it was raining the next day, I would always put my wet clothing back on. This way I always had dry camp clothes at the end of the day.
FOOD
I typically carried around 3 days of food. My normal grocery run consisted of a bag of bagels or English muffins, a block of good cheese (smoked gouda or gruyere keep for up to a week), an apple, a box of pop tarts, a box of oatmeal, pasta sides for dinner (my favorites were teriyaki noodles, chipotle rosa, broc and cheese macaroni, or annies white mac and cheese, and sometimes ramen), and cheese crackers for crunching up into my pasta sides (adds flavor and calories). I would also carry a small bottle of olive oil to beef up the calories of meals. Id always try to go to the grocery with hiking buddies so that we could split the cost of a bottle of olive oil. I carried a small bottle of hot sauce as well. Everyone has different cravings, but I would usually pick up a half gallon of chocolate milk that Id drink in the grocery parking lot too. Granola bars, power bars, etc. were really important too as I liked to munch as I hiked to keep my energy levels up. Those were the basics though, and I usually stayed hungry enough that I really didnt tire of those foods. I would eat my oatmeal (3 or 4 packs at a time) cold in the mornings to save fuel, and I really got pretty used to it. My favorite flavor was maple brown sugar. I would eat a bagel sandwich with cheese and apple slices, and spicy mustard if I could snag a pack of it.
Please let me know if this info helps you in an upcoming thru-hike, and ask questions if you would like to know more. 'SONSHINE' 2012