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  1. #1

    Default Can I get a 2 month pre hike start shake down?

    Pack: Osprey Atmos 50 Size L 3200cu. in.
    Tent: MSR Hubba with footprint
    Pad: Thermolite 3
    Sleeping Bag: Montbell Alpine Hugger #5 (40* bag, will switch to 15* in NH most likely)

    Stove: Jetboil PCS

    Shoes: Saucony Trail Runners, payless airwalk croc copycats for camp shoes
    Socks: 2 pair Smartwool mini-crew light hikers, 1 pair heavy Smartwool hikers for sleeping if its cold

    Pants: zip-off Paramounts, Columbia nylon shorts
    Shirt: 2 wicking tshirts
    Underwear: 1 under Armour boxer brief and 1 Patagoina Capilene boxer brief
    Rain: Marmot Precip Jacket, havent decided on whether to take rain pants yet.

    Hat: some sun/rain hat, also bandanas.
    Knife: Leatherman Micra
    First aid kit: I put one together, includes sunscreen, vitamins, toothbrush, toothpaste
    Water Filter: Katadyn Water filter, Aqua Mira backup.
    Headlamp: Energizer headlamp, 3 AAA batteries
    MP3 Player: Sandisk m250 2GB with FM tuner for weather reports, only 1.3 oz and uses one AAA battery with 19 hour uptime.

    Water: 1 100oz (3L) water bladder, 2 32oz nalgene bottles narrow mouth

    This isnt EVERYTHING but its pretty much all of it.

  2. #2
    Registered User STOKER's Avatar
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    this is only 1 persons input so keep that in mind, ull find out for urself what u need and what u dont.

    i carried 2 prs sox, water filters r heavy aqua mirra and a bandanna is fine.1 for ur cooking, 1 for water filter. I carried rainpaints most of the way, but only used them to keep warm, NEVER for rain. Jetboils r nice but bear in mind the ignigiter will wear out. Hubbas good if u plan on tenting alot, otherwise their r lighter shelters, ie hammock, tarp. Ditch the nalgenes and use gatorade bottles (im a big fan so i carried 1 nalgene neway)but gatorade bottles or just a 2 liter bladder u sleldom want 3 liters on ur back . Do u have a fleece or somthings? i dont know ur hike date so thats a jugment call.Mp3 is chill, its always nice 2 have some entertainment.Mabey 1 more pair of shorts for camp so u dont have to chill in sweat+funk . my first aid kit was a few ibuprofin and hopeing for the best.U got a decent loadout there. So there ya go.

    experiment and tweak, everyones ideal loadout differs.Ur off to a far better start than i was; i left springer w/ a 56 lb pack. I was stubborn and didnt go lite till virginia. have fun

  3. #3
    Registered User PJ 2005's Avatar
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    like above, this is just my opinion...

    -two pairs of socks is sufficient.
    -one shirt is sufficient.
    -i hate filters and don't believe that they work, so aqua mira only
    -minimal toothpaste
    -unless you burn easily, ditch the sunscreen and wear your baseball/sun cap. mine protected much better than i thought it would.
    -even in the summer, i never consumed 2 liters of water between water sources. two gatorade bottles should do it
    -not a fan of zip-off pants. no need in the summer anyway. one pair of shorts is good.
    -gauze, neosporin, and duct tape will help you through most any medical emergency.

    again, jmo

  4. #4
    Registered User hopefulhiker's Avatar
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    What does it all weigh?

  5. #5
    Registered User tokin's Avatar
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    I agree with most of what is said above, though I know I still debate about taking only 2 pairs of socks and 1 shirt. I had 3 and 2 on the LT which worked well, but I could use the drop in weight.

    As for the stove, have you tried an alcohol stove? Get some directions online and build one out of a couple of beer/soda cans. It really helps in weight since you don't have canisters to carry, and fuel is easy to get. Also, it fits really well into my cup so that space is saved a bit.

    The balance of weight and comfort/peace of mind is always a personal choice.

  6. #6
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    This is a very useful post. I am getting my gear together and I can see that I am going to have problems If I dont pack light.

    Clothing is my biggest problem I am not sure what to bring as I am starting in Maine but having grown up hear all my life I can say it gets cold in the mountians and its often buggy.

    So most of you only carry 3 pairs of socks?? For some reason I am hard on socks, I wear them for one day and they are all nasty hard and crusty.

  7. #7
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    First, I have thru hiked about 650 miles in Florida, over 1000 miles of PCT in three sections of 400, 200, and 300, and the AT NOBO in 06. Remember that you have to find what works for you. IMHO
    two pair of socks are good. I used Thurlo and Smartwools Hiker (my personal favorite) I used liners always too. Dollar store, mens nylon.
    Gatorade bottles weigh one half what a Nalgene does. And when you need a new one you get this really neat drink in them FREE when you buy the bottle.
    My best advice would be to get a resturant scale or go to the post office late at night where they have very accurate scales and act like you are mailing stuff so weigh it all item by item, wirte it all down; then go home and think about the weight. If I ever write a book on hiking the Title will be "Weight is Everything"
    I absolutely bet you that whatever you do you will change some things along the way. Thats what a home based helpoer can do is send you what you need and collect the stinky stuff you find you can live without.
    I would make sure you have moleskin, then duct tape over it.. Forget bandaides, they get wet and fall off within an hour.
    Go do it, have fun, take lots of photos. Get your new friends names and at least an email from them.

  8. #8

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    You didn't list the multitude of little things, but don't forget ear plugs and baby butt wipes.

  9. #9
    mountain squid's Avatar
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    Default

    A few more thoughts:

    rain cover for backpack
    eating utensil
    lighter
    choose between the chemicals and the filter
    food stuff sack
    50' nylon cord
    water dipper if you choose Aqua Mira
    hand sanitizer
    TP
    maps/Companion/Wingfoot
    camera
    needle for draining blisters
    tweezers/scissors for ticks/nail clipping
    ear plugs for noisy shelter mates
    whistle
    pencil/journal

    I also would trade the Nalgenes for something lighter.

    Don't forget ID, atm/credit/phone cards and important phone #s.

    See you on the trail,
    mt squid

  10. #10
    Llama Punch VictoriaM's Avatar
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    Are you planning to bring both the 3L water bag and the bottles? That's a lot of water. You might consider just the bag, or a smaller bag and one of the bottles.

  11. #11
    Laces Lemur's Avatar
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    I love this game. But, I applaud you hiking mega- that's the way to go.
    First, what is a thermolite 3 sleeping pad?
    And then my suggestions:
    Your pack will be plenty big for a through-hike. You could go smaller if you'd like and haven't already bought the pack.
    I'd agree that a hammock might do you better than a tent. I switched from tarptent to hammock. There are a lot of rocks near the trail and I found that I preferred to sleep above them rather than spending hours looking for the perfect campsite. Ditto alcohol stove (though some hiker gourmets prefer the spped of the jetboil), ditto ditching the nalgenes, ditto ditch the water filter. I say ditch the aquamira too and bring along a 1/2 ounce bottle of bleach instead- its lighter, cheaper and easier to replace- and you don't end up with all that "Part B" left over. One shirt, one pair shorts - maybe running tights for if its cold in camp or your shorts are wet, no rain pants unless they're something you're planning on adding to your gear in October/November, and even then you won't need waterproof pants. Either hat or bandana- hat for shade if you like, bandana for sun protection. No need for both or multiples (ie 2 bandanas) and I'd skip sunscreen - it is a bug magnet. Re your knife, the most basic swiss army knife works great-- and works as a needle to drain blisters provided you burn the tip with your lighter first. It also has scissors to clip your nails with and built in tweezers- all you need in a multi tool for a little bit less weight. A rain cover can be skipped easily by using a trash compacter bag inside of your pack. One lasted me an entire through hike even though I went through 2 packs. Mtn Squid is right-(Hi Mtn Squid!) you'll need a food stuff sack (silnylon does the trick fine DON'T't splurge for the OR bags everyone has- you won't even know which is yours when they are all hanging orange and alike in the shelter) and rope for bear bagging (if you ever do it). But I'd say skip the dipper (your gatorade bottle will work fine, you just let the floaties settle or try again if the water has too much 'nutrition' when it flows into your bottle.) As far as earplugs--- try to be the one snoring, or better yet, hang your hammock away from the fray. If you are the snorer though, some charitable hikers carry earplugs to pass out to their sheltermates. (shout-outs to Pi.)
    And yeah, you'll regret not having TP and hand sanitizer and a writing instrument and a scrap of paper and at least a friend with a working camera and id, a credit card, an index card that says who to call in case of emergency and has all the other info you may need to access but might forget (encoded password to acces your credit card/bank acct on line/brother's phone number/ parent's address....). And carry a passleful on fragmentary or run-on sentences to tide you over, they weigh only on your mind.

    -laces, a little punchy--

  12. #12
    Laces Lemur's Avatar
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    yeah- like she said - that's a lot of water capacity. A single gatorade bottle and a 2L platypus is what I used. It was great to have 3L capacity for camp, but except for a few dry spots in PA and NJ, and once in Tn/NC when it froze overnight, I never hiked with water in the platy. Also quite feasible if you have hte pack volume is 2 gatorade bottles, one empty except for in camp.

    -Laces

  13. #13
    Registered User hopefulhiker's Avatar
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    Personally I did not use the water filter. used Aquamira.. also I dropped the Jet boil in favor of an alcohol stove.. One thing I liked in the summer was those bandanas that had those crystals in them that keep you cool... Drop them in a creek for a while then wear them for a while...

  14. #14

    Default

    Thanks for all the replies so far, it's nice to get some input.

    A recurring theme in the replies is for an alcohol stove. I actually used to have one and use it but it just takes too long to get water to boil. It's not that I dont have patience its more of a timing thing. It does weigh more but its not that much more and I like the conveince.

    Another point of interest is the water. I used to carry only 2-3L of water until I got dehydrated one time and said never again. So now I carry at least 3L of water. I like using the bladder instead of bottles because with the bladder I can drink water without stopping to get the bottle out from the back of the pack and during the summer I'll be drinking water like crazy.

    It is true I didnt list the little things but thats because I wanted to get the "big" list final. Here is the "little" list.

    Food: 2 silnylon bags, 1 for breakfast and dinner will also hold the jetboil
    Pack cover: silnylon rain cover for backpack
    Fire: lighter and waterproof matches
    Spork: Ti spork

    I have the 50' of cord for bag hanging, the hand sanitizer, butt wipes, TP and other assorted things. Ill put it altogether today and weigh it.

  15. #15
    Registered User hammock engineer's Avatar
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    When are you guys starting again. There is a chance that I will not get school done in time to go nobo, which means I will go sobo the first chance I get. Just wondering who is going to be out there.

    Another little thing I will throw out there is a needle and thread. I am planning on wrapping some thread around a small piece of cardboard and stiching a needle with a large eyelit in it. That way I can fix anything that goes wrong with my gear in the field.

    Here is a couple other small things.
    compass
    map
    guidebook
    firstaid cream (I use corona brand. made as a cow utter cream but it works really really well on blisters.)
    emergency fire starter
    bug headnet (I hear the black flys are murder in June)

    I like the jetboil. I am taking that in place of the alcohol one I made. When you figure in everything, they are pretty close in weight.

    In the end, take what you want. Just be prepared to change after you start.

  16. #16

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    Ok I just took some measurements.

    The first was to measure the big 4(tent, bag, pack and pad)

    The total weight for all these packed into the pack and then weighed was 9.0lbs. Im happy to get it under 10lbs.

    Adding everything I can think of SANS water and food the pack weight is now at 18lbs. Figure 10-12lbs for food/water and im looking at 30lbs which is fine to me. The sleeping bag compresses to the size of a water bottle so I put it on top of the tent in the pack where the tent is at the bottom. The n I stuffed in a drybag. If I can keep everything under 30lbs I will be happy because im sure ill be adding some things in the future.

  17. #17
    Registered User hammock engineer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by blackmath View Post
    Ok I just took some measurements.

    The first was to measure the big 4(tent, bag, pack and pad)

    The total weight for all these packed into the pack and then weighed was 9.0lbs. Im happy to get it under 10lbs.

    Adding everything I can think of SANS water and food the pack weight is now at 18lbs. Figure 10-12lbs for food/water and im looking at 30lbs which is fine to me. The sleeping bag compresses to the size of a water bottle so I put it on top of the tent in the pack where the tent is at the bottom. The n I stuffed in a drybag. If I can keep everything under 30lbs I will be happy because im sure ill be adding some things in the future.

    That's pretty good. Mine took a hit when I started adding things like pocketmail, cell phone and charger, book, guide book, and camp shoes. Things I might not take on short trips, but will want on a thru. Cell phone might not last long though.

  18. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by hammock engineer View Post
    That's pretty good. Mine took a hit when I started adding things like pocketmail, cell phone and charger, book, guide book, and camp shoes. Things I might not take on short trips, but will want on a thru. Cell phone might not last long though.
    Im still debating on whether to take mine or not. If I did take it, I would use it for text messaging only to save battery life. Just dont know yet. I still have to get camp shoes, just waiting on the local payless to get the Airwalk croc copycats in stock and in my size. Theyre super light though so it wouldnt affect overall weight.

    Im not taking a guide book, just the maps and probaly companion.

  19. #19

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    love the Sandisk less expensive than an IPOD and will not cry if something happens to it.

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