What's the most obsolete/useless/inapropriate item you saw on the A.T?

[Ricky&Jack]

Other than items such as a dog, and a cellphone, what are some of the most obsolete/useless/inappropriate items you have seen "far down the trail?"

I know that MANY people ditch excess gear once they get to Neels gap, but what about stuff they held onto in the long run?

have you seen anyone make it to Pennsylvania carrying a guitar?
have you made it to new england and ran into somebody who carried a hatchet?
Have you ever seen anyone who made it to Maine with a second unused backup tent?
etc.

I'm looking for things you may have seen someone have with them where you thought "there was absolutely no reason to still have that?"

[Mags]

A guy hiked the whole way with a tuba.

http://www.journalnow.com/relishnow/...043992aba.html

[Ricky&Jack]

well that just won the thread.

[ChinMusic]

You will see more guitars than you would have guessed. I was shocked.

IMO, the most useless gear that I see on the AT are solar chargers. Almost every person that had one were charging it up in town by plugging it in. They got VERY little juice from the sun.

[Ricky&Jack]

I was thinking of buying a $20 6oz tripod that you can wrap around a tree, so that I can take pics/videos of me in it. But I wasnt sure if that was too obsolete. its only about the size of a hand. But I was guessing that people actually carry full size tripods

[Ricky&Jack]

You will see more guitars than you would have guessed. I was shocked.

what does a a guitar usually weight anyway? 5lbs?

[ChinMusic]

what does a a guitar usually weight anyway? 5lbs?

No idea. I know that if I had carried one on the back of my pack, I would have destroyed at least a dozen of em from falls.

[Feral Bill]

I was thinking of buying a $20 6oz tripod that you can wrap around a tree, so that I can take pics/videos of me in it. But I wasnt sure if that was too obsolete. its only about the size of a hand. But I was guessing that people actually carry full size tripods

Photo gear adds up fast. If photography is a minor part of your trip, the minipod works well. A full sized tripod is 2-3 lbs, and worth it, even essential for serious shooting. I doubt I'd take one on a really long hike.

[Blue Mountain Edward]

This is a list of stuff I seen dropped on the AT. Large vice grip pliers, hatchet, mini fishing rod and reel, landing net, curling iron. I wanted to keep the hatchet but was packing heavy and slow already did not want another pound or two. I picked up the landing net and carried it 200 miles and gave it to a fisherman on the C and O Canal. Ratbucket found a travel guitar in a shelter in Pa, that was just what he wanted and he kept it.Saw someone carrying a laptop computer in Pa once and was amazed that the man would carry it that far.

[slbirdnerd]

I was thinking of buying a $20 6oz tripod that you can wrap around a tree, so that I can take pics/videos of me in it. But I wasnt sure if that was too obsolete. its only about the size of a hand. But I was guessing that people actually carry full size tripods

Get a StickPic, screws into the bottom of your camera and slides on the end of your trekking pole. (Doesn't work with phone, only camera.)

[ChinMusic]

Get a StickPic, screws into the bottom of your camera and slides on the end of your trekking pole. (Doesn't work with phone, only camera.)

StickPic does work with a phone if you get the AnyCase: http://www.amazon.com/ANYCASE-Univer.../dp/B009NX2EU4

That was my set on my thru

[rafe]

Saw a couple of weekend warriors out near Highpoint State Park HQ, each waving a hand-held battery-operated fan in front of their face.

DeadAhead (1990) made it at least to Damascus with about 20 or 30 cassettes of GD concerts and of course the Sony Walkman to play them. Actually I know he made it to Katahdin but I forgot to ask if he still had the cassettes with him. Connecticut Yankee wore his fully-loaded merit badge sash and Smoky Bear hat well into TN/NC, along with a proper (not miniature) camera tripod.

[Damn Yankee]

2 burner Coleman stove, 5lbs. of potatoes, a dz. eggs, 1lb. of bacon and a case of beer at Mt. Washington and once the case of beer was gone, he hiked back down, drove to the state liquor store and bought another case. I couldn't believe it when he started pulling all this stuff out but, he and his buddy ate well the next morning.

[Old Hillwalker]

2 burner Coleman stove, 5lbs. of potatoes, a dz. eggs, 1lb. of bacon and a case of beer at Mt. Washington and once the case of beer was gone, he hiked back down, drove to the state liquor store and bought another case. I couldn't believe it when he started pulling all this stuff out but, he and his buddy ate well the next morning.

Was this the Mt Washington Pittsburg, PA or the one in Massachusetts, or maybe the one in Oregon? The reason I asked is that there is no need to buy beer in a State Liquor Store in NH. It's everywhere. Sounds fishy to me.

[rocketsocks]

What's the most obsolete/useless/inappropriate item you saw on the A.T?

Solar Panels!

[bamboo bob]

A guy hiked the whole way with a tuba.

http://www.journalnow.com/relishnow/...043992aba.html

I met him in Vt. My wife and I were doing trail Magic on Kelly-Stand road. He was SOBO. When he saw the cooler he played a ten minute tuba concert for us.

[bamboo bob]

On my first NOBO. AT Gooch Gap, the old shelter that you had to climb up to a woman there had a black iron skillet and a guy had an battery operated TV. Never saw them again. Then another trip in the hostel (befoer Pirate) someone left a machete! Also a flare gun! No flares so we figured he shot them off for a rescue. Also on a SOBO, I met a guy at the first shelter, Hunt?. The guy had a walkman CD player and about twenty CD's. He was a nice guy. I met him later and he had dumped all sorts of stuff and became a Hamock Hanger!

[Damn Yankee]

It was the Mt. Washington in NH many years ago and I assumed that is where he went. I don't think at the time you could get beer everywhere but, I could be mistaken.

[Lone Wolf]

water filters. leki poles

[TNjed]

My buddy used to carry a shower around with him in case he met girls on the trail. I'm serious y'all