Gear Check List

[dustinpn]

Hello everyone. I'm planning to tackle the Northbound starting March 1st and have basically everything in order. My gear list is below:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AjD2AJMf2Y_udEM1dEZJM0V5bUxxVzMtSmQyWGZLS Gc&usp=drive_web&authkey=CLaH7sAG&authkey=CLaH7sAG#gid=0

The place I'm having trouble deciding on are rain gear (this has me more worried than it should cause when I start it will still be cold).

Is the packa worth buying? I was thinking when it was drizzling I could just wear the rain coat, but if it was a downpour I can throw the packa on over the raincoat and bag.

Any changes I should make?

*Things that are yet to be purchased/decided on are on the second tab. I've included theoretical weight into the spreadsheet.

[dustinpn]

Also, I think I've decided to skip rain pants. Is this a good idea or bad?

[Mumbles_2014]

I'm leaving around the same time (March 5th) and would recommend some sort of insulation layer (down or synthetic jacket). The poncho is probably not necessary, you should just get a pack cover instead. I decided to bring rain pants to help combat wind and snow when its really cold but, i'm planning on sending them home sometime in Virginia.

[dustinpn]

Checked out the rain forum and I'm switching the generic REI rain jacket for a Marmot PreCip for $79 from backcountry and I think I'm going to combo that with the Packa.

[Bags4266]

No tarp for the hammock, what degree and type of bag do you want to buy ? Your phone can be your camera. Section out your trail guide to save some weight. Also not seeing water treatment. I don't see a mid layer, fleece down, puffy jacket. I would bring another pair of socks too.

[dustinpn]

I looked at pack covers and I didn't see a single one where people didn't complain about water still getting into their backpack. The Packa is expensive, but everything I hear about it is positive.

[jimmyjam]

You need to have a food bag that you can hang, 40 to 50 ft of bear bag line, and a rock sack to hang your food. Also you need a trash bag or compactor bag to line your pack- a pack cover will not keep your stuff dry. Also your first aid kit weighs 0? And you need 3 prs of socks total. You will also need gloves or mittens, a fleece or wool cap, and a warm jacket for the first month.

[dustinpn]

No tarp for the hammock, what degree and type of bag do you want to buy ? Your phone can be your camera. Section out your trail guide to save some weight. Also not seeing water treatment. I don't see a mid layer, fleece down, puffy jacket. I would bring another pair of socks too.

Tarp is included with hammock weight. I have a bag already, it is an REI Radiant down bag. Tested in very cold Colorado weather already and it worked great. I thought of combining the phone and camera, but then I'd have to rely on my phone's battery. Have been toying with the idea of mailing my phone ahead in a bounce box and carrying a flip phone with my SIM in it. I didn't really want to section out my book, I don't like the idea of tearing it up to save a few grams. Water treatment isn't included yet, but I'll be using tablets so that shouldn't add anything to the weight.

I'll be starting in March and hopefully finishing in around 4 months. Do I really need a fleece/down/puffy jacket? I'll have the Marmot PreCip rain jacket. Shouldn't that, along with the long sleeve shirt and maybe another be fine?

[dustinpn]

You need to have a food bag that you can hang, 40 to 50 ft of bear bag line, and a rock sack to hang your food. Also you need a trash bag or compactor bag to line your pack- a pack cover will not keep your stuff dry. Also your first aid kit weighs 0? And you need 3 prs of socks total. You will also need gloves or mittens, a fleece or wool cap, and a warm jacket for the first month.

I've read that by the first month people aren't even using bear bags anymore so I opted not to worry about it. I have a sack for food. Planned on lining bag with a trash bag. My friend went 2 years ago and said everyone uses duct tape for first aid, so I didn't include one (other than the duct tape). Will be adding a 3rd pair of socks and I've got a pair of gloves I bought at Walmart that I'll just trash after the end of the cold season.

Looking more and more like I'll need to buy an additional jacket.

[Mumbles_2014]

I planning to hike in the Marmot Aegis rain jacket (which is similar to the Precip) with a long sleeve thermal and maybe a t-shirt underneath. My rain jacket is good for blocking wind but not providing that much warmth, so its good when on the move in cold conditions. In camp when not moving a warm jacket with my other layers is good for retaining heat.

[dustinpn]

Modified it a bit. Added gloves, tarp, and cold weather jacket.

Tentatively looking at http://www.rei.com/product/855177/patagonia-nano-puff-jacket-mens for a jacket

[jimmyjam]

The first few weeks the shelters will have bear cables . Not hanging your food is what helps cause problem bears . Please take something to hang your food with .

[CarlZ993]

Hello everyone. I'm planning to tackle the Northbound starting March 1st and have basically everything in order. My gear list is below:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AjD2AJMf2Y_udEM1dEZJM0V5bUxxVzMtSmQyWGZLS Gc&usp=drive_web&authkey=CLaH7sAG&authkey=CLaH7sAG#gid=0

The place I'm having trouble deciding on are rain gear (this has me more worried than it should cause when I start it will still be cold).

Is the packa worth buying? I was thinking when it was drizzling I could just wear the rain coat, but if it was a downpour I can throw the packa on over the raincoat and bag.

Any changes I should make?

*Things that are yet to be purchased/decided on are on the second tab. I've included theoretical weight into the spreadsheet.

My $0.02 worth...

Add a trash compactor bag for a pack liner. Almost foolproof. Adds about 2 - 3 oz at most.
Your down sleeping bag & sleeping pad seem really heavy. Is this a typo?
You list a light as weighing 6 oz. Way too heavy. 2 - 3 oz should suffice for a headlamp (don't carry a flashlight).
Rain pants really help when it's cold & wet... or just plain cold. Some send them home when it warms up. Others kept them the entire hike.
You list convertible pants twice - wearing & under clothing. You carrying two pair? You can get by w/ one.
Your pocket knife is listed @ 5 oz. Really heavy. A Swiss Army Classic knife would suffice & it weighs less than an ounce.
I didn't see any hat. You might appreciate one. More hiked w/ hats that hiked w/o them. I used a wide brim hat (at my dermatologist's suggestion). A baseball hat would suffice for most. The brim would help keep the rain off your face. If it's really sunny, you can use your bandana as a sun cape over your ears & neck.

[dustinpn]

My $0.02 worth...

Add a trash compactor bag for a pack liner. Almost foolproof. Adds about 2 - 3 oz at most.
Your down sleeping bag & sleeping pad seem really heavy. Is this a typo?
You list a light as weighing 6 oz. Way too heavy. 2 - 3 oz should suffice for a headlamp (don't carry a flashlight).
Rain pants really help when it's cold & wet... or just plain cold. Some send them home when it warms up. Others kept them the entire hike.
You list convertible pants twice - wearing & under clothing. You carrying two pair? You can get by w/ one.
Your pocket knife is listed @ 5 oz. Really heavy. A Swiss Army Classic knife would suffice & it weighs less than an ounce.
I didn't see any hat. You might appreciate one. More hiked w/ hats that hiked w/o them. I used a wide brim hat (at my dermatologist's suggestion). A baseball hat would suffice for most. The brim would help keep the rain off your face. If it's really sunny, you can use your bandana as a sun cape over your ears & neck.

Thanks for the input.

I double checked the weight for the pad and bag and they are accurate, seems average to me. I just guessed on the weight of the small stuff, will correct the light and knife. I figured if I wanted a hat I'd pick one up on the way, not going to buy one in advanced.

[Ironbelly]

I think you need to make a few minor changes. That list is a little hard to make sense of, but here is my stab at it.

Not taking a water bottle?
Not taking a compass? don't need anything fancy, but a simple small one is highly recommended.
Not taking any form of hand sanitizer or soap?
Not taking a first aid kit/blister treatment?
Not taking a small patch/repair kit for that inflatable pad? Those tear aid patches are worth their weight in gold and they literally weigh like .1 of an ounce if that.
Your using a jetboil but not the jetboil pot? You dont need a snowpeak cookset too Kinda defeats the purpose of the jetboil system to use it without its pot.
You dont need a rain jacket, poncho, pack cover , and pack liner. Go pack liner, rain jacket. or liner poncho.
Definitely bring a beanie of some sort, your going to probably be wishing for one, its one of those critical items along with gloves and a puffy insulation layer.

Adding a waterbottle, simple first aid kit, compass, and repair kit you would be adding , if your smart about it, MAYBE 5-6 ounces? Waterbottle-gatoraide bottle, firstaidkit(at a minimum)-needle,neosporin etc, moleskin, compass-small bubble compass(think keychain style), repair kit-dental floss, tear aid patch, duct tape.

[dustinpn]

I think you need to make a few minor changes. That list is a little hard to make sense of, but here is my stab at it.

Not taking a water bottle?
Not taking a compass? don't need anything fancy, but a simple small one is highly recommended.
Not taking any form of hand sanitizer or soap?
Not taking a first aid kit/blister treatment?
Not taking a small patch/repair kit for that inflatable pad? Those tear aid patches are worth their weight in gold and they literally weigh like .1 of an ounce if that.
Your using a jetboil but not the jetboil pot? You dont need a snowpeak cookset too Kinda defeats the purpose of the jetboil system to use it without its pot.
You dont need a rain jacket, poncho, pack cover , and pack liner. Go pack liner, rain jacket. or liner poncho.
Definitely bring a beanie of some sort, your going to probably be wishing for one, its one of those critical items along with gloves and a puffy insulation layer.

Adding a waterbottle, simple first aid kit, compass, and repair kit you would be adding , if your smart about it, MAYBE 5-6 ounces? Waterbottle-gatoraide bottle, firstaidkit(at a minimum)-needle,neosporin etc, moleskin, compass-small bubble compass(think keychain style), repair kit-dental floss, tear aid patch, duct tape.


Ok, redid everything on geargrams.com. Link is below:

http://www.geargrams.com/list?id=16550

I've applied any advise you guys had to it except for a few things. I'm holding off on the compass and repair kit for the pad. I've been using it for a year and a half now and its worked great and now it will be used in a hammock so it won't come into contact with the ground. If it gets a tear somehow I'll fix it at one of the stops along the way. I dropped the extra pans. I was going to get it just for the frying pan and the options that opened up for cooking, but I guess I'll be fine with just the jetboil pot. I'm dropping the poncho and just making sure everything inside my bag is in bags and the pack is lined within. Sticking to just a raincoat and potentially rain pants (still haven't decided on these). Added a zpacks beanie.

Added some blister tape / moleskin. Havent decided what kind exactly. Will throw neosporin into first aid kit.

[Ironbelly]

Thanks for reposting your list, that is much easier on the eyes and brain than having a list with a bunch of items marked that your not bringing.

In regards to the repair kit for the pad, its really not a kit per say its 1 item. Its called a tear aid patch. It is about the size of a quarter and weight is negligible. If you DO happen to get a leak from a puncture your going to be wishing you had it. I tried to once patch mine with duct tape and it didnt work so well. Was very glad to have one of these along. Since your pad will be seeing ALOT more use on a through hike it would be strongly advised to carry it, but you certainly don't have to.

Same thing with the compass. Strongly advised to carry one. Even if its a cheap small .5oz bubble compass.

As to the rest of your list:
You may want some long johns(pants) for sleeping in/camp during the colder weeks at the beginning. This is obviously personal preference.

You may want to add a bandana, useful for many things. Ex: prefiltering water, pot graber, sweat rag etc. I do see you have the zpacks towel, which are great, just not sure how good they are for prefiltering water. Maybe someone else can chime in in regards to that. I mention that only because you are using aquamira, unless you just have an unnatural fondness for floaties in your water =P.

A blue dish sponge, even half of one is quite nice to clean up with. You could use a bandana or your zpacks towel. I personally prefer the blue dish sponge.

Might want to carry a full roll of TP, doesnt make much weight difference...and thats one thing you dont want to run out of!!

You may want to consider replacing duct tape with leuko tape, or an athletic tape. Not quite as good for repair type things, but is a world of differnce if you need to use it more for a first aid type application such as wraping an ankle etc. I personally prefer athletic tape to duct tape. Between athletic tape, small thing of dental floss, a needle, and 2 zip ties i have yet to be able to repair/improvise something because i was missing duct tape.

[fireneck]

If you decide rain pants, I'd go with some dry ducks. They wont last an entire thru hike be will work until you hit warmer weather. I didn't wear mine at all so ditched them pretty early but was better than buying an expensive heavy pair. If I remember correctly mine were around 4 or 5oz.

Knife/tool, I love the classic swiss army, but you can do a lot with a straight razor (gotta make a sheath for it) for almost no weight penalty.

Hiking t-shirts are best found at target/Wal-Mart/Thrift Store. Just any poly shirt. I got mine for the LT for $5!

Don't forget a safety pin, it's part first aid part repair kit.