Yet another gear list

[portablesounds]

Hi guys! For my benefit and hopefully the benefit of others, here is my gear list: https://lighterpack.com/r/elp1zb . I obviously haven't finalized some of it and things that have no cost have already been bought. I would love to start early (Feburary) so I have a better chance of making my late August deadline when the fall semester begins, so I'm gonna tend on the side of winter gear at first. This forum has been invaluable in making this list already so thank you guys!

[Venchka]

Let us know how the quilt works in February.
Wayne


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[portablesounds]

Forgot to put the specs earlier (20F 800DT), but hopefully that combined with my XTherm and my thermal underwear I should be good.

[coyote9]

Not bad mate. Are you using the Sawyer bag? Wow that pack cover poncho is crazy expensive for what it is. I dont see a need especially given you have a cuben pack and its lined.

[Venchka]

I own a Western Mountaineering Alpinlite, Xtherm Large and LL Bean 250 weight merino wool long johns. To date I've only been out at 25 degrees. The bag was only zipped halfway. No hat. No gloves. Hood and collar wide open. I would trust the Alpinlite in the low teens. Maybe less.
"Hopefully" may not be very comfortable in the quilt approaching single digits.
Try to get some real world testing before you start.
Wayne


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[portablesounds]

Are you using the Sawyer bag?
I'm not sure. Currently I want to put my filter inline on my bladder but I will finalize that during my shakedown hike.


Wow that pack cover poncho is crazy expensive for what it is. I dont see a need especially given you have a cuben pack and its lined
The packa was a recommendation from my cousin who inspired me to go. It is expensive but its about the cost of the rain jacket I was considering (OR Helium II) anyways and it has some added benefits from being both pack cover and poncho, mainly the ability to deploy the poncho at a moment's notice if the weather is being unpredictable. And you can put on just the hood or the hood and put your arms through the pit zips or put the whole thing on depending on how bad the rain is. Considering the most miserable parts of a thru hike seem to be hiking through several days of rain, I'd like to have some flexible rain gear as a sanity check. Consider it a "luxury item" :)

[portablesounds]

I own a Western Mountaineering Alpinlite, Xtherm Large and LL Bean 250 weight merino wool long johns. To date I've only been out at 25 degrees. The bag was only zipped halfway. No hat. No gloves. Hood and collar wide open. I would trust the Alpinlite in the low teens. Maybe less.
"Hopefully" may not be very comfortable in the quilt approaching single digits.
Try to get some real world testing before you start.
Wayne


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From the reviews I've read the temperature ratings on these quilts are generous. However I will absolutely make sure to test this out before starting the trail in a controlled setting (e.g. backyard or next to my car) so I don't end up as a news story about a hiker who lost his toes and fingers to the Appalachian winter.

[Venchka]

From the reviews I've read the temperature ratings on these quilts are generous. However I will absolutely make sure to test this out before starting the trail in a controlled setting (e.g. backyard or next to my car) so I don't end up as a news story about a hiker who lost his toes and fingers to the Appalachian winter.

How cold do you think it might get in February and March?
Wayne


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[B.j. Clark]

Save 4 oz by losing the groundsheet. Your tent floor is plenty tough. Dozens of nights in my Lunar Solo with 30 denier floor. Zero issues. 20 degree quilt in Feb might cause some cold nights, but clothes may be enough to counter that. Tent will be warmer than the shelters. I tend to carry a 10D quilt in those temperatures, though a 20D quilt and bivy has also been comfortable as well. But I sleep cold.

[portablesounds]

How cold do you think it might get in February and March?
Wayne


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Very cold. Possibly 10F or rarely below 0F even in March. Good point. This is why I'm still tossing around starting in February. I have flexibility so I will start if the trail isn't sitting at all time lows like -29F on top of Mt. Mitchell in March.

[Oventoasted]

Very cold. Possibly 10F or rarely below 0F even in March. Good point. This is why I'm still tossing around starting in February. I have flexibility so I will start if the trail isn't sitting at all time lows like -29F on top of Mt. Mitchell in March.

Better not be 0F! i would probably have to wear every bit of clothing i had! Only both quilts im bringing are rated to 20F and ive slept with them comfortably at 16F with a good amount of wind. But im pretty sure 0F will make for a pretty sleepless night.

[portablesounds]

Save 4 oz by losing the groundsheet. Your tent floor is plenty tough. Dozens of nights in my Lunar Solo with 30 denier floor. Zero issues. 20 degree quilt in Feb might cause some cold nights, but clothes may be enough to counter that. Tent will be warmer than the shelters. I tend to carry a 10D quilt in those temperatures, though a 20D quilt and bivy has also been comfortable as well. But I sleep cold.
Thanks for the suggestions. Good to hear I've made a good investment in my tent. "Worst case scenario" I could toss everything I got, including my thermal layers and my Ghost Whisperer on top of me, which could extend my thermal range as well. I'm not totally sure what kind of sleeper I am yet, cuz I start the night usually blazing hot and wake up in the morning with my body refusing to heat up. In between I'm not sure. We shall see.

[portablesounds]

Better not be 0F! i would probably have to wear every bit of clothing i had! Only both quilts im bringing are rated to 20F and ive slept with them comfortably at 16F with a good amount of wind. But im pretty sure 0F will make for a pretty sleepless night.
Lol if I saw those temps on the weather I'd pay for a nice warm hostel in town and wait it out ;)

[ScareBear]

Thanks for the suggestions. Good to hear I've made a good investment in my tent. "Worst case scenario" I could toss everything I got, including my thermal layers and my Ghost Whisperer on top of me, which could extend my thermal range as well. I'm not totally sure what kind of sleeper I am yet, cuz I start the night usually blazing hot and wake up in the morning with my body refusing to heat up. In between I'm not sure. We shall see.

T-shirt, long sleeve thermal t-shirt then the Ghost Whisperer, then get in the bag. Don't forget socks/booties, thermal tights, balaclava and gloves. If it get more tragic than that scenario, throw on your rain jacket and pants and deploy a bandana or something to fully cover your nose and mouth(the slight pre-heating of air drawn through membrane, like fabric, can make a world of difference in staving off hypothermia). If it gets more tragic than that, and you don't have a space blanket to create a VBL inside the bag....break camp and start hiking to stay warm...eat on the run...

Also, if it gets this bad, be sure to take measures to prevent your water from freezing...

[jeffmeh]

Very good list. If you go for the Feb start, I would recommend that you get the eVent rain mitts, eVent gaiters rather than basic cloth ones, consider some goretex socks, bread bags, or the like, and go for a merino buff or a synthetic or merino balaclava. Also, I think that the ability to wear all of your clothing under your quilt is a great strategy to ride out a reasonable worst case temperature scenario.

[Miguelon]

Small thing: but might want to consider victorinox signature. Same tools as the mini multi tool you posted but only .8oz and has a pen. Can find them used/TSA confiscations on ebay for $8 or so.

[portablesounds]

T-shirt, long sleeve thermal t-shirt then the Ghost Whisperer, then get in the bag. Don't forget socks/booties, thermal tights, balaclava and gloves. If it get more tragic than that scenario, throw on your rain jacket and pants and deploy a bandana or something to fully cover your nose and mouth(the slight pre-heating of air drawn through membrane, like fabric, can make a world of difference in staving off hypothermia). If it gets more tragic than that, and you don't have a space blanket to create a VBL inside the bag....break camp and start hiking to stay warm...eat on the run...

Also, if it gets this bad, be sure to take measures to prevent your water from freezing...
A VBL is an excellent idea. Considering that kind of cold would be a freak occurrence, I think I'll grab a little mylar emergency blanket just for that. Also yeah I figured worst case scenario is just keep hiking.

[portablesounds]

Very good list. If you go for the Feb start, I would recommend that you get the eVent rain mitts, eVent gaiters rather than basic cloth ones, consider some goretex socks, bread bags, or the like, and go for a merino buff or a synthetic or merino balaclava. Also, I think that the ability to wear all of your clothing under your quilt is a great strategy to ride out a reasonable worst case temperature scenario.
Perfect. Just the short list I needed. Updated my list.

[portablesounds]

Small thing: but might want to consider victorinox signature. Same tools as the mini multi tool you posted but only .8oz and has a pen. Can find them used/TSA confiscations on ebay for $8 or so.
Just got one for $6 :).

[Hikingjim]

Nice gear
Maybe some of this has already been said:
Your mat is good, assuming it doesn't spring a leak. I prefer dual mats in winter, but many don't go that route
Don't underestimate the need for head insulation. A quilt + down jacket with no hood leave a big gap to fill. I don't know if that lightweight buff and beanie are enough if it's 10f or something, but you can test it

If it's going to be cold at night, you can't really wear your ghost whisperer during the day (unless it's dry and you wear it at camp).
Just make sure you have enough stuff to be comfortable in cold temps hiking, comfortable a bit if it's wet at camp, and then still have all your dry stuff for sleep. You don't want to have to just hide in your tent and bag if it's cold at 6 pm

I've noticed a lot of hikers grow tired of hiking in feb/early march after awhile because they just don't have enough warm stuff to go around once a couple items get wet and the cold snap hits.

[portablesounds]

Nice gear
Maybe some of this has already been said:
Your mat is good, assuming it doesn't spring a leak. I prefer dual mats in winter, but many don't go that route
Don't underestimate the need for head insulation. A quilt + down jacket with no hood leave a big gap to fill. I don't know if that lightweight buff and beanie are enough if it's 10f or something, but you can test it

If it's going to be cold at night, you can't really wear your ghost whisperer during the day (unless it's dry and you wear it at camp).
Just make sure you have enough stuff to be comfortable in cold temps hiking, comfortable a bit if it's wet at camp, and then still have all your dry stuff for sleep. You don't want to have to just hide in your tent and bag if it's cold at 6 pm

I've noticed a lot of hikers grow tired of hiking in feb/early march after awhile because they just don't have enough warm stuff to go around once a couple items get wet and the cold snap hits.
I will definitely be bringing the sleeping pad repair kit and some repair tape so I should be good on that.
I made sure to add a merino wool buff for head warmth but I will consider a down sleep hat as well.
The jacket was on sale for like $70 off without a hood so I had to go for it. Also I will only get out my jacket, my short sleeve shirt, and my thermal leggings in camp (hopefully hiking will keep my legs warm). Having only that long sleeve merino shirt may be an issue, so I will probably need to add a Patagonia R1 back to my list.

[ScareBear]

Yeah, if you don't mind the vibrant pea soup green color, you can get a Ghost Whisperer for $120 right now at STP.

I prefer to use a very lightweight synthetic balaclava and this multi-purpose fleece thing. Combining the two at night gives me more than adequate coverage and does away with the need for the single-purpose down hood/hat, even though my winter bags have hoods. I prefer not to use the bag's hood...it's a confinement issue for me personally...the very lightweight balaclava goes on my head as a beanie during the day, easily deployed to cover the face when you hit a wind blast on a ridge...YMMV

https://www.amazon.com/Miracu-Heavyweight-Balaclava-Windproof-One-Size/dp/B016GK256O/ref=pd_sim_193_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B016GK256O&pd_rd_r=A2WHCB628CYEZRRBHQXQ&pd_rd_w=ZA8uC&pd_rd_wg=FiAaT&psc=1&refRID=A2WHCB628CYEZRRBHQXQ

[Hikingjim]

I will definitely be bringing the sleeping pad repair kit and some repair tape so I should be good on that.
I made sure to add a merino wool buff for head warmth but I will consider a down sleep hat as well.
The jacket was on sale for like $70 off without a hood so I had to go for it. Also I will only get out my jacket, my short sleeve shirt, and my thermal leggings in camp (hopefully hiking will keep my legs warm). Having only that long sleeve merino shirt may be an issue, so I will probably need to add a Patagonia R1 back to my list.
Sounds like R1 would be a nice addition. You can always mail it home first when you're confident in your gear and through the coldest stretches

1 cold night test run will tell you most of the rest!

[Don H]

portable sounds, this a well thought out list. Here's a few thoughts, just my opinion based on my experiences.

Instead of using a trash compactor bag consider a few UL dry bags. I used one for clothes, one for my sleeping bag and one for food. When I started my thru I was using the compactor bag, eventually it leaked. Also for the sleeping bag the dry sack acts like a compression bag by allowing you to push all the air out.

Frogs Togg pants; I did carry rain pants and didn't need them. You'll just sweat and get wet in them. I did carry wind pants used mostly in town while doing laundry.

I had a Houdini jacket and ditched it eventually. Instead I used the Frogg Togg jacket.

I had Sealskinz socks and ditched them. My feet got soaked from sweat. Others have carried plastic bags for snow hiking but I didn't. My feet just got wet when hiking in snow. No big deal, keep moving and you'll keep warm. Also I started mid March and didn't carry anything that you consider winter gear.

Tenacious Tape; I carried a few squares of this, it came in handy for repairs.

Leuko tape is great for blisters. I carried maybe 2 feet rolled on a plastic straw.

I used the same tent as yours. great tent, lasted the trip and in fact I still use it.

Didn't need a windshield for my stove. Just set up next to a log or rock.

You're carrying almost 2 pounds of electronics! Of course that's pretty light for you youngsters : )

Have you ever hiked any distance in Microspikes? They're a PIA to hike in, they hurt my feet, but work well.

[Hoofit]

Great list!
Maybe add a couple of items....
Definitely an extra water bottle...one just isn't enough.
An extra 20 feet or so of line...always useful, saves cutting up your bear bag line.
Food bag, not on the list.
Fuel weight.
Personally, I like to carry a back up headlamp but that's just me.
All those zeros, nine I believe, add them up to get a truer weight.
Best of luck, you're already off to a good start with that gear.

[Miguelon]

Cool. I just think these are perfect. Clipping nails with the scissors is tough.... but possible in a pinch. File useful as well on nails. Take the file out all the way when you use the pen... useful to get purchase on the pen.
Mike

Just got one for $6 :).