What thru-hiker companion book should i take?

[iliketacos]

My Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers Companion-the trail conservancy issue weighs in pretty heavy (almost a pound I think), is wingfoots book just as heavy? What's the deal on this? Which one should i use? Did I miss a thread on this? I am trying to avoid mail drops so mailing parts of the book to myself is out. Thanks.

[Pokey2006]

You said you're trying to avoid maildrops, but what about, say, ONE maildrop? Maybe at a halfway point? Then you'd only have to carry half the book at a time.

Also, you can mail home the pages you've already used, so the weight will go down more and more as you progress.

There have been threads on the Companion vs. Wingfoot, but I'm not sure if there's been anything that compares them by weight.

[Johnny Swank]

I detest maildrops, but this is a good reason to have a few, or at least use a bounce box.

You can also spend a few hours ( and probably as much money as just buying a second copy and tearing it up) and go to kinkos to shrink down each page so that you can fit 8 originals on the front and back of an 8.5"x11" sheet.

[PJ 2005]

Wingfoot doesn't weigh a pound, and it's all you need. The only thing I wished it had was elevation profiles.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

May I make a radical recycling sort of suggestion? How about leaving the sections of these books in hiker boxes as you finish them?

As for which book is best - they all work and the Companion supports the trail so go with the Companion. This is a no-brainer for me.

[SalParadise]

Wingfoot's book really doesn't have to weigh that much. about a third of the thing can be ripped out before you leave--all that stuff dealing with how to hike and such.

I didn't hike with maildrops but I still pulled apart my Wingfoot into four sections. You can handle going to a P.O. a measly three times.

For one, obviously a book can get wet and dirty and generally destroyed along the way, so carrying only sections preserves the pages you aren't hiking with.

Also, I liked carrying the book in sections because it parced out the Trail, and I really liked the days when I was getting near the end of a section of pages.

[COOPDOG]

which one do YOU like the most????? then pick that one!!!!!

[Peaks]

Like others, I cut the binding of Wingfoot, and then had it shipped in sections (pages) along with applicable maps. No need to carry information about Maine when I'm in the deep south.

[dloome]

Wingfoots book is imeasurably better than the official AT guides. WAY better. There is many more landmarks and points listed, and all with elevations so you can have a fairly good idea of what the terrain will be like if you don't have elevation profiles. Town maps are MUCH better, everything is just a lot more neat, detailed and concise. Get Wingfoot.

I didn't do maildrops and since I carried a max of 8-9 pounds of gear, I didn't mind carrying the whole book. I just removed the pages I was actually using, kept them within easy reach, and stored the rest of the book ziplocked up in my pack.

[doodah man]

My Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers Companion-the trail conservancy issue weighs in pretty heavy (almost a pound I think), is wingfoots book just as heavy? What's the deal on this? Which one should i use? Did I miss a thread on this? I am trying to avoid mail drops so mailing parts of the book to myself is out. Thanks.

According to Trailplace.com, Dan Burce's Thru-Hikers Handbook weighs in at 6.8 ounces. doodah-man

[Minerva]

My Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers Companion-the trail conservancy issue weighs in pretty heavy (almost a pound I think)

iliketacos,
The weight of the 2007 Companion is 8.8 oz.
Happy Trails
MrsGorp

[TJ aka Teej]

Thru-Hikers Handbook weighs in at 6.8 ounces.

The weight of the 2007 Companion is 8.8 oz.

The extra two oz is mostly the section between Caratunk and Baxter Park.
Sorry about that...

[Almost There]

Screw Wingfoot....seriously though, it's all what you like more. I hiked with some thru's in Va, that seemed to curse Wingfoot quite a bit...personally, I've never used his book, although I have looked at it. I like the way the Companion is set up, so that's how I roll!

[The Band-aid Kid]

I bought both in '06 to check out the differences and prefer the companion, but a bunch of folks seem to prefer wingfoot. On thing I noticed, the 2006 companion was spiral bound making it a snap to break into sections for mailing, and it could be easily reassembled when you got back. The 2007 companion is hard bound, not near as convenient to break into sections and cannot be but back together when you're done. Not a big deal, just a convenience thing.

[iliketacos]

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the comments.

Muchos gracias