bits & peices

[squeezebox]

I'm concerned how much my proposed pack list is expanding. for example ace bandage, sprains. light knee braces, I expect knee issues. hydrocortisone cream, rashes happen, -2oz. kitchen spatula 2 oz. An oz or a few can add into lbs faster than you want them to.
What kind of things have you sent home to lighten your pack? Better to not bring it than send it home from Neel's Gap.

[garlic08]

If you bring everything you might need, you sure will have knee issues. I discovered that when I was about 40, and started lightening my load.

It sounds like some shake-down hikes are in order. Nobody can tell you what not to bring. I would never go on a hike with someone else's pack, for instance.

The average pack list you see here has 60 or more items. It took some years, but I got mine down to under 30 items. If each of those things weigh a few ounces, that's a lot of pounds. First aid could be a big one--my kit now fits in a small snack-size baggie. As it turns out, I stay pretty healthy on the trail. The cook kit is a great place to simplify, too. It doesn't have to be that complicated for the typical thru hiker--food needs tend to get pretty simple on a long hike. Boiling water is about all most end up doing. And some, like me, don't even do that anymore and eat cold.

Things like rashes on the AT you can treat at the next town. If you don't get a rash, don't carry the stuff.

[4eyedbuzzard]

If you need knee braces, bring them. But you should actually use everything you carry. Carrying a "just in case" anything other than a very small first aid kit is usually just a waste - very small being a few ounces.

[MuddyWaters]

If you need knee braces, you will be wearing them, not carrying them.

An ace bandage can come in handy, but is something you can get in town if needed. Not having one isnt going to make the difference between hiking 15 miles to town and not being able to hike 15 miles to town. I have limped ~40 miles basically without bending a hurt knee before, and still covered 16 miles per day. I have hiked about 30 miles with a stress fracture in a leg. When you have no choice, you just do it and figure out how to do it the easiest way possible.

Kitchen spatula....no. You are not going camping. Are you bringing a frying pan and lid too?

cortizone..no, unless you already have ongoing skin problems you need it for.

Anything you think you might need , can be put in a bounce box and bounced ahead of you to the next town.

[Tipi Walter]

http://youtu.be/XoRLIJJSG4o

[M C]

I feel your pains Bryce (both the growing pack list & knee concerns). I'm going into this knowing that I'll be starting with more than I will actually need and fully expect to be donating to hiker boxes, mailing some things home and giving some things to my wife when she visits me.
I'll be bringing some things that are similar/redundant but am actually looking forward to experimenting and seeing which piece works best etc. I imagine some things will get sent back pretty quickly and I'm fine with that. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going out there with a 50 lb
pack, but I'm not gonna fret too much if it's not under 25 lbs either. Also gonna try breaking down certain consumables/medicines into smaller containers etc and use bounce box & packages from home to replenish along the way. Not looking to set any speed records either, so if
that means only doing 8 miles some days instead of 15, that's OK too (I'm sure the knees are glad to hear that). Also, re the knee concerns, trekking poles really seem to help with that. (I'm sure you know that, I'm just "saying it out loud" so my own knees will feel better :p)
Best of luck to you and maybe by the time we reach Damascus, we'll be sub-20 lb lean mean hiking machines!