View Full Version : Starting gear weight.
I finally got a good sense of my AT gear weight: 27 lbs, including 5 lbs of foodstuffs and water, which is about 17% of my booty weight.
Sounds reasonable to you veterans?
Firefighter503
12-08-2013, 01:07
That sounds very reasonable. 22 lbs base weight is great. If you want, post your gear list and we can critique it (though it sounds like you are good to go).
Sarcasm the elf
12-08-2013, 01:41
That's far better than average for someone starting out. Like Firefighter said, if you want post your gear list and you'll get lots of advice, some good some bad and a lot which will undoubtedly be conflicting.
Post a gear list and let us pick it apart (I mean make suggestions)
hikerboy57
12-08-2013, 09:43
you should be able to get down to 26 lbs.
MuddyWaters
12-08-2013, 10:51
I finally got a good sense of my AT gear weight: 27 lbs, including 5 lbs of foodstuffs and water, which is about 17% of my booty weight.
Sounds reasonable to you veterans?
If your booty weights 158 lbs, how much does your whole body weigh?
You can go lower, you can go higher. But you arent seriously overloaded to start.
That doesnt mean you are properly equipped though.
I would adjust your thinking a bit. You will be carrying well over five lbs of food for much of your hike. When your hiker hunger kicks appears, five lbs of food will be nothing. On the start of my PCT thru I was carrying 24 lbs, 8 lbs of gear, 8 lbs of food and 8 lbs of water. Later the weight and volume of my food and water was almost always significantly heavier than my gear. (Yes, the AT has more resupply options and more water but this same scenario has played out on my AT hikes as well.)
In your case you won't have such a big weight contrast since your base weight is much higher. But I believe new thru hikers underestimate the weight and volume of food in their planning and find they have to shed gear to accommodate the weight (and possibly volume) of thousands of calories of food.
You asked for it, and I appreciate any further advice y'all have:
The complete gear list
I. The Big four:
a. Pack: Eddie Bauer women’s model, too old to find on their website, internal frame and smallish, with a built in 1L camelback, lots of external pockets and straps, and pocket in the bottom for a compressed pack-cover. Too many bells and whistles, so it’s heavy at about 2 lbs, and much used, but loved.
b. Tent: Eureka solitaire, almost a bivy, with 2 short poles, and 6 pegs that must be used weighs about 2lbs; I don’t expect to use it too often, as I don’t mind using shelters
c. Sleeping bag: REI “40” down-filled (I think) as very compressible; ancient and overused, so the temp ratting of 40, assuming that is a temp rating, can’t be trusted, but light (perhaps too light for winter)
d. Sleeping pad: Basic Designs ergomat, self-inflating four-paneled air-mattress with inflatable “pillow”; ancient and frayed, and heavy at about 1lb, but no leaks yet.
II. Clothing & footwear:
a. Marmot lined light windbreaker; not hooded, but warm
b. REI convertible pants/shorts
c. Patagonia capilene long johns
d. Nike dri-fit long-sleeve shirt
e. FL Trail Assoc’ poly tee-shirt
f. Smartwool socks, two pair
g. Headgear, two sorts: a “beanie” synthetic warm hat and “fishing” hat with bug-net
h. Merrell (or Keen) goretex hiking shoes (am still field-testing both)
i. Crocs shoes for camp and stream-crossing
III. Cooking:
a. “beer can” aluminum stove, with 16 fl oz can of denatured alcohol fuel plus home-made foil windscreen and pot-stand
b. REI aluminum mug/pot w/ collapsible handle (but with no lid…sad face)
c. Swiss army knife (w/ scissors) and spork
d. Lighter (x 2)
IV. Accessories:
a. Hiking poles, collapsible and cheap, aluminum yet heavier than Komperdells
b. Headlamp with AAA batteries, by Black Diamond
c. Sawyer mini squeeze water treatment system (plus 8 fl oz of bleach)
d. 1L Nalgene water bottle
e. Smartphone plus charger (and maybe my digital camera)
f. Deet, moleskin, “bandaids,” ibuprofen
V. Food & drink:
a. Home-made GORP 1lb
b. Home-made jerky 1lb
c. Power-bars, pop-tarts, etc., 1lb
d. Electrolyte drink powder packets, tea bags (with honey)
capehiker
12-08-2013, 12:14
I would get a scale and weigh each single item. Some items don't have weights or are averages. Might want to get an exact weight. Some of your items that are old could possibly need replaced along the way.
I used the Solitaire on my thruhike and only carried four stakes. Mine is an older design, so maybe you need six now. When it would be raining, I would cram my trekking poles under the rain fly to create an "A" frame design. This would make the fly taught, since I didnt have the extra stakes to stretch the fly.
I am not sure your start date, but I would reconsider the 40 degree bag. If you are set on the sleeping bag, I would recommend carrying an emergency thermal blanket. I am a cold sleeping and used a 20 degree bag. For about about a month straight I lined my sleeping bag with my emergency blanket because it was so cold out at night.
Again, not knowing your start date, but I would save your bug net and deet for June/July. I didnt encounter an annoying amount of bugs until I reached New York.
Happy hiking!!!
hikerboy57
12-08-2013, 13:51
id like to know your start date too, cuz if you're starting in march or earlier, you're gonna be cold.goretex boots suck by the way, except for day hikes.
Bags4266
12-08-2013, 13:58
Rain gear, underwear. 8 oz of bleach! Why. I'd also 86 the knife. I would bring another pair of socks and base shirt. Just my quick 2cents. Also your bag is questionable, as stated above don't know when your leaving
Leanthree
12-08-2013, 14:21
From the looks of it, you need to add some warmth:
1) a rain jacket (I prefer the marmot precip as I think pit zips are the most valuable 3 oz in my pack, others swear by driducks)
2) a fleece or puff (depending on how much you want to spend: fleece has become quite cheap these days while puffs have become absurdly light). The lined windbreaker may fill this role but I can't tell based on your description of it.
3) 15-20 deg sleeping bag. A +15 liner just might work in a pinch if combined with your nalgene filled with boiling water before bed and maybe even your tent laid over your bag as a blanket when staying in the shelter, but the liners are normally more like +7 in the real world and you will be cold with the make-shift setup. You can swap out to your 40 deg bag in southern VA. The Georgia and TN mountains in March/April can be very cold.
4) Homemake a lid for your pot out of aluminum flashing or a few folds of heavy duty aluminum foil or an aluminum can lid like is made here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05-eVFvjSBk customized for your size
You won't need the DEET the first couple months, same with the headnet.
Slo-go'en
12-08-2013, 14:42
We really need to know your start date and if this is for a thru-hike attempt. If it's for a thru and a typical early April start, you need more and better gear. The list you have is pretty lean for the weight.
1) You need a much better sleeping bag. At least 30 degree, 20 would be better. A new sleeping mat might be in order too.
I'd be suprised if your old, beat up, over used 40 bag would keep you warm enough to sleep at 50 and it's going to be a lot colder then that for a month or two.
2)Is that Marmot jacket any good in the rain? Probably not. Get a proper rain shell (unlined) instead and carry a wool shirt or fleece jacket instead.
3) Add a second torso base layer. Long sleeve thermal top (light weight) is good for sleeping.
4) Undies? At least 2 pair of nylon boxers. One to wear, one to spare. Nylon running shorts could be used instead.
5) ditch the nalgine bottle for some plastic solda bottles.
6) don't forget the sun block. You'll need it until the trees leaf out. But since your from Florida, maybe you already have a good tan :)
Sorry for the oversight. I am leaving July 1, SOBO.
Sound advice, no doubt.
Thanks for it!
I used the Solitaire on my thruhike and only carried four stakes. Mine is an older design, so maybe you need six now. When it would be raining, I would cram my trekking poles under the rain fly to create an "A" frame design. This would make the fly taught, since I didnt have the extra stakes to stretch the fly.
I am not sure your start date, but I would reconsider the 40 degree bag. If you are set on the sleeping bag, I would recommend carrying an emergency thermal blanket. I am a cold sleeping and used a 20 degree bag. For about about a month straight I lined my sleeping bag with my emergency blanket because it was so cold out at night.
Again, not knowing your start date, but I would save your bug net and deet for June/July. I didnt encounter an annoying amount of bugs until I reached New York.
Happy hiking!!!
Interesting suggestion on the tent. I am worried about it, as it's old, but I have sealed its seams. I may get a heavier bag for the Smokies.
Thanks!
From the looks of it, you need to add some warmth:
1) a rain jacket (I prefer the marmot precip as I think pit zips are the most valuable 3 oz in my pack, others swear by driducks)
2) a fleece or puff (depending on how much you want to spend: fleece has become quite cheap these days while puffs have become absurdly light). The lined windbreaker may fill this role but I can't tell based on your description of it.
3) 15-20 deg sleeping bag. A +15 liner just might work in a pinch if combined with your nalgene filled with boiling water before bed and maybe even your tent laid over your bag as a blanket when staying in the shelter, but the liners are normally more like +7 in the real world and you will be cold with the make-shift setup. You can swap out to your 40 deg bag in southern VA. The Georgia and TN mountains in March/April can be very cold.
4) Homemake a lid for your pot out of aluminum flashing or a few folds of heavy duty aluminum foil or an aluminum can lid like is made here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05-eVFvjSBk customized for your size
You won't need the DEET the first couple months, same with the headnet.
Thanks. I love the home-made lid vid.
hikerboy57
12-08-2013, 21:52
if youre going sobo. yes youll need the deet and the headnet isnt a bad idea either. it would be a good idea to have an insulating layer and a rainjacket instead of the marmot, gives you more options for the mountains, particularly western maine and the whites where t storms are common almost daily,and temps can drop to the 40s at night , cooler in the high peaks.
I would adjust your thinking a bit. You will be carrying well over five lbs of food for much of your hike. When your hiker hunger kicks appears, five lbs of food will be nothing. On the start of my PCT thru I was carrying 24 lbs, 8 lbs of gear, 8 lbs of food and 8 lbs of water. Later the weight and volume of my food and water was almost always significantly heavier than my gear. (Yes, the AT has more resupply options and more water but this same scenario has played out on my AT hikes as well.)
In your case you won't have such a big weight contrast since your base weight is much higher. But I believe new thru hikers underestimate the weight and volume of food in their planning and find they have to shed gear to accommodate the weight (and possibly volume) of thousands of calories of food.
I expect plenty of water sources in Maine, and am only packing food enough for 7 days there, but I hear you loud and clear...both are heavy!
if youre going sobo. yes youll need the deet and the headnet isnt a bad idea either. it would be a good idea to have an insulating layer and a rainjacket instead of the marmot, gives you more options for the mountains, particularly western maine and the whites where t storms are common almost daily,and temps can drop to the 40s at night , cooler in the high peaks.
Right on, and thanks for the word.
Firefighter503
12-09-2013, 05:47
I agree with most of what has been said so far. Since you are SOBO in July, I think adding a liner to your sleeping bag will probably suffice for most of the trail. Might need a warmer bag in the GSMNP. I'd also look at a fleece or puffy jacket (my personal choice) and separate rain jacket in place of the Marmot. Regarding the pack with "too many bells and whistles," don't be afraid to cut off some of the stuff you don't need/use. Other than that, you look like you have a handle on things for the most part, and will figure the rest out along the way. Good luck!
Drybones
12-09-2013, 10:14
[QUOTE=MuddyWaters;1823438]If your booty weights 158 lbs, how much does your whole body weigh?QUOTE]
MW...Thanks for saving me from being the smarta** that asked this question.
Your weight looks good to me. You'll learn that you have something you're not using and toss it and find there's something you'd like to have and get it along the way, most make some modifications along the way to fit thier needs. Dont skimp on food, it's easier to carry a heavy pack on a full stomach than a light pack with an empty stomach.
You asked for it, and I appreciate any further advice y'all have:
The complete gear list
I. The Big four:
a. Pack: Eddie Bauer women’s model, too old to find on their website, internal frame and smallish, with a built in 1L camelback, lots of external pockets and straps, and pocket in the bottom for a compressed pack-cover. Too many bells and whistles, so it’s heavy at about 2 lbs, and much used, but loved.
b. Tent: Eureka solitaire, almost a bivy, with 2 short poles, and 6 pegs that must be used weighs about 2lbs; I don’t expect to use it too often, as I don’t mind using shelters
c. Sleeping bag: REI “40” down-filled (I think) as very compressible; ancient and overused, so the temp ratting of 40, assuming that is a temp rating, can’t be trusted, but light (perhaps too light for winter)
d. Sleeping pad: Basic Designs ergomat, self-inflating four-paneled air-mattress with inflatable “pillow”; ancient and frayed, and heavy at about 1lb, but no leaks yet.
II. Clothing & footwear:
a. Marmot lined light windbreaker; not hooded, but warm
b. REI convertible pants/shorts
c. Patagonia capilene long johns
d. Nike dri-fit long-sleeve shirt
e. FL Trail Assoc’ poly tee-shirt
f. Smartwool socks, two pair
g. Headgear, two sorts: a “beanie” synthetic warm hat and “fishing” hat with bug-net
h. Merrell (or Keen) goretex hiking shoes (am still field-testing both)
i. Crocs shoes for camp and stream-crossing
III. Cooking:
a. “beer can” aluminum stove, with 16 fl oz can of denatured alcohol fuel plus home-made foil windscreen and pot-stand
b. REI aluminum mug/pot w/ collapsible handle (but with no lid…sad face)
c. Swiss army knife (w/ scissors) and spork
d. Lighter (x 2)
IV. Accessories:
a. Hiking poles, collapsible and cheap, aluminum yet heavier than Komperdells
b. Headlamp with AAA batteries, by Black Diamond
c. Sawyer mini squeeze water treatment system (plus 8 fl oz of bleach)
d. 1L Nalgene water bottle
e. Smartphone plus charger (and maybe my digital camera)
f. Deet, moleskin, “bandaids,” ibuprofen
V. Food & drink:
a. Home-made GORP 1lb
b. Home-made jerky 1lb
c. Power-bars, pop-tarts, etc., 1lb
d. Electrolyte drink powder packets, tea bags (with honey)
First thing, buy a postal scale and weigh everything, make a spreadsheet using the list you have and start looking for lighter items.
Here's my opinion on some of what you have:
Pack - 2 lbs is good for a pack but make sure it will hold up and hold everything you need including 5 days of food. The most you will probably need to carry at one time.
Sleeping bags - The 40 degree bag you have will not keep you warm at 40 degrees so you will need something else when it gets colder in Oct. Get a good quality down filled bag. You can order a bag while on the trail and have it sent to a post office. It's money well spent.
Sleeping pad - Something that is light and packs down small is well worth the price. I used a NeoAir. 14 oz. and rolls up to the size of a Nalgene.
Water - I like to have the capabilities of carrying 4 L, I used two Platypus bags. i usually only carried one but sometimes you hit dry stretches or a long walk from camp to the water source.
Shoes - A very personal choice, everyone is different. I would suggest not buying Goretex. Your feet will be wet no matter what, non-goretex shores hold water and take longer to dry. I hiked the whole trail in trail runners.
Socks - Good choice but bring 3 pairs. Keep one for evenings and sleeping in when it gets cold.
Clothes - You should add an insulated (puffy) jacket later when it gets cold. I carried a Patagonia down sweater the whole way and used it for a pillow at night. Also treat your daily hiking clothes with Permethrin to keep the bugs away.
Stove fuel - You probably don't need to carry 16 oz. You can refill along the way, lots of places sell it. I carried about 8 oz and never ran out.
Nalgene - Replace with a Gatoraid bottle, it's lighter. I didn't carry one but if you like drink mixes it's handy.
Guide - I don't see a trail guide. Suggest Miller's AT Guide in SOBO version. I don't think he does the SOBO in loose pages so cut it up into 500 mile stretches and only carry what you need.
Food - Are you doing mail drops for all your food? There's lots of info on this site about resupply. I downloaded Baltimore Jack's resupply article found here and used it as a guide.
Camera - Take one! A large SD card and spare battery too. I sent the dead battery home for charging and had it sent back. The memory card lasted the whole trip.
Bugs - Carry a small can of spray, treat clothes with Permethrin. Black flies will be bad in ME.
Mental health - The trail is a mental game more than anything else. I just read "Appalachian Trials" by Z Davis. I wish I had read it before I thrued but Zack thrued in '11, the same year as me so it hadn't been written yet. The book covers the mental aspect of thru hiking and should be very helpful.
Hope this helps.
Have fun!
Hey Nick how's the planning going for the trip? Have you changed anything as far as gear goes for the July start? I keep flip flopping on pieces. June needs to get here soon enough for me.
Hey Nick how's the planning going for the trip? Have you changed anything as far as gear goes for the July start? I keep flip flopping on pieces. June needs to get here soon enough for me.
Honuben,
I've made gear changes from top-to-bottom, based on WB input (so hat-tips to all).
My start date in Baxter is now June 26th, my birthday, and am solo and SOBO-thruing all the way. I have my flight and a room at the AT Lodge reserved.
My new Pack: Gregory Z pack, medium, 62L, 3lbs. 12ozs.
My new Sleeping bag: Kelty, Forecast +20 synth bag 3 lbs. 13 ozs.
My new Sleeping pad: Klymit Static V 18.1 ozs.
In Clothing & footwear, I may switch out the Marmot Dri-clime for their hooded Goretex raincoat, without its fleece liner, which I was going to keep in reserve for Winter and mail-drop to Damascus, but my earlier start date may necessitate that I start with this. This strikes me as overkill, and it's 1.5lbs heavier, but I'm heeding the majority of the advice on my prior post. This is my Maine question: is the heavier coat, and its added layering possibilities, really required for the rain in Maine, and the cold in the Whites; does it justify the added weight?
No one, yet, has talked me out of bringing both my Keen Voyagers and my New Balance 810 trailrunners (plus crocs); this may be overkill, but don't my dogs deserve it? I will keep the Merrell Moabs for winter. I need in-soles for the trail-runners, but am otherwise done shopping...I think!
Any thoughts would, as always, be greatly appreciated, and even acted upon!
Nick
I'm waiting for my final pieces of gear to come in the mail this week and will probably post a gear list next weekend. Going sobo and starting June 14th my biggest concern is transitioning from the rainy June Maine weather then eventually to the whites. From what I understand it's going to warm n June in Maine when not in elevation. And once past the whites, it really seems "down" hill from there. The whole starting period will be the toughest as I'll carry both summer and winter gear. My mindset is it's better to have some extra warm gear on the onset that I can and will send home after the whites. That being said I'm ok with the warmer coat/jacket but would try to offset that heavier weight by losing one set of shoes. I'm still debating on whether I want to bring crocs to slightly reduce my weight.
That being said I'm ok with the warmer coat/jacket but would try to offset that heavier weight by losing one set of shoes. .
Yeah, this is sensible. My runners weigh 1 lb, my keens 2, but I will double the lifespan of both if I carry and switch them out as terrain demands, and perhaps help the feet avoid blisters.
You (we) could mail some heavier gear directly to ourselves down the trail, to Damascus, e.g., after having it on hand in the Whites.
Good luck with the gear-getting; do post a list when you get it together.