My 2017 Northbound Thru-Hike Plans--such as they are...

[Miguelon]

Hello All,

So, I finished my MA in Teaching English and am currently looking for work in Colombia, South America. The tentative plan is that I'll get on a plane go there and interview get a teaching job at a University for the next term come back to the US and hike as far as I can in the time that I have. March to July ish.... It's a nebulous plan, I admit.

I'm into History. Right now I'm really interested in the History of English and the History of Spanish and how these languages overlap--French, Latin, Greek. My MA's thesis was creating materials/approaches to making English vocabulary acquisition easier for Spanish speakers mainly by pointing out linguistic patterns. I'm very teacherly. Helpful. Knowledgeable about tons of unimportant ****! I'm not into alcohol, pot, cigarettes or partying at all. I plan on not sleeping in shelters... I'm hoping to lose some weight on the trail.... 20 or 30 Lbs.

On backpacking, I've never done any big hiking. I did 1000 miles bike touring in the early 90's... but that was a long time ago....

The goal for my gear is that it will weigh about 12.5 Lbs not including what I wear or food/water.
The numbers below should be somewhat accurate. I don't have all gear purchased or made yet so there are some guesstimates.




Shelter/Pad/Quilt/SitPad/Pillow
57.39oz 1627grams



Loco Libre 20F Quilt 24oz?

680


Thermarest Ridgerest Solar Reg
384



9x9tarp w/stuffsack
326



Lawson Titanium stakes 9 sheppard
55



1 ground hogs stakes w/ 3 inch reflective tie off/pottytrowel
16



stake sack
5



guy out lines: 7) 4' lines zpacks
10



4) 7' lines lawson reflective
30



1) 12' line z packs
5



Guy out line stuff sack
3



Pillow: Stuff Sack w/5x10climashield
27



Sit Pad: Pillow stuffing. Cut down Folded Gossemergear thinpad
30



Polycro sheet 4x8 foot 40 x96 = 46 grams

46


Sleeping Bag Stuff Sack ?







BACKPACK/WaterLiner
952g/33.61oz


ULA OHM 2.0 w/pad removed/some shaving/adding bungies
903


Gossemer Gear Bag Liner
39


extra bungee and lock/pad on outside.
6


Dutchwear Big Carl Pack Hanger
4





Cook System/Fire
355g/9oz



titanium Everrnew One Liter Pot w/Lid
113



gossemergear Bamboo Spoon
9



Cut down microfiberl/Pot holder dish rag
8



MiniBic
12



WaterProof Container for Matches & Flint
21



Victorinox Lumberjack Alox (Saw/CanOpener/Knife)
42



Victorinox Signature Swiss Army Knife(Scissors,file,pen)
23



Emberlit Fire Ant Titanium Wood Stove/windscreen/alcohol stove stand
84



Aluminum WindScreen for Emberlit
5



Cook Kit Stuff Sack

25


2 plastic quart ziplocks for fuel tablets
13






Medical Kit 1
220grams/7.76oz



Prescriptions/Aspirin/tylenol Bottle

25


Asthma
25



cotton balls cut in half & soaked in 91% Rubbing Alcohol (fire starter)
14



bleach dropper backup water purification

10


tooth brush
12



Body Glide
28



Dr Broners-soap/toothpaste. Mosquito Spray in 20 cc containers

40


quart ziplock
6



green stuff sack
4



crazy glue
4



aquatabs 30 tablets
4



2 ziplocks for aquatabs
12



Duck Tape/AthleticTape?

17


Bandages?

10





Potty Kit
78grams/ 2.75oz


2 Quart ziplock Double bag.
12


6 wet ones Wipes
31


Toilet Paper
35





Shower System/Hot Water Bottle
102g/3.60oz


3 Liter Platypus shower & emergency hot water bottle/sleeping
55


Cut down Orange Wash Towel
22


Shower Spout: Nalgene 1oz lid w/ holes
2


Shower Stuff Sack
4


Part of Bear Line with two Dutchwear hooks for shower
19





Electronics
489g/17.24oz



iphone5 +screenprotector wallet
165



usb wall chargers
44



new usb battery
123



head phones
12



usb to micro Charger 4" for batterypack
11



usb to lighting 4" for iphone
9



Ziploc Bag
6



Cuben Fiber Dry Bag
22



MP3 Player sansa clip jam and 32gb micro sd

44


Flashlight: Olight i3sEOS
23



Stick Pick and Cradle thingy
30






Water Food & Dry Containers & Misc
385g/13.58oz



1 20 oz bottles
22



2L platupus clean water
37



2L platupus dirty water/back up
37



Zpacks Food Dry Bag

40


Large Ziplock/trashbag
12



Large Ziplock/WashingMachine.
12



Whistle/Mag/Compass/Thermometer
24



fruit plastic bags (16) vapor barrier/emergency
32



Loose Leaf Guide to AWOL in 4 parts with Ziplock

77


Ziplock Bag for Days journey AWOL

6


Mosquito Head Net
18



Bear Bagging Line (30feet of it other 20 in shower system)
25



Emberlit Stuff Sack/RockSack for Bear Bagging
5



6oz Container for olive oil
16



2oz Container for Mexican hot sauce

22?





Worn Gear
1731 grams/ 61 oz



Gossemer Gear Carbon Trecking Poles
183



Outdoor research hat
59



orange exofficio underwear
86



Outdoor research tee shirt
108



Darntough AT socks
75



Shorts: Llbean-- Might custom make some. This #'s a filler.

222


SHOES-- have Merrells but am looking to change. This #'s a filler.

1000





Carried Clothes
1559g/55oz



Patagonia Nano Air Hoody
457



Rain Gear Sea to Summit Poncho Tarp and Bungee
192



tights
156



Outdoor research long sleeve tee shirt
148



wool buff
47



Darn Tough Knee High Socks
60



cuban stuff sack for clothing
10



Home made RAIN SKIRT?
38



Windshirt Lukes gear
77



hankerchief
22



Sleeping clothes: socks
61



exofficio underwear
93



Arm swaddlers/neckwarmer infinity scarf
37



home made camp shoes

60


Wind Pants

101





Goal Weight -not consumables or worn clothing is:
5669 grams/ 200oz/ 12.5LBS



5767 grams/203.42oz is where the above list is.... so pretty close:)

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I'm missing some little things.... ziplock baggy for this and that.... some stuff sacks and don't have all of these things purchased yet.... But, I'm only missing 6 or so big things I underlined and italicized these items. And, some of these weights are estimates, i.e., homemade camp shoes made out of foam and Ducktape.

My biggest concern is while I like to plan on gear... I'm not big on planning mail drops/hostels/food etc... So, I've got to work a little on that. But that can come later.

I'm not sure about Pants... I like the idea of tights and shorts but I'm concerned about ticks. I need to learn more about Permethrin.

The above is my Cold weather set up. For summer I might switch to: a Gossamer gear G-4 saving 16 oz, a 50F Quilt saving about 10 or so oz, dropping the actual rain poncho and using a disposable one saving 5 or so oz, dropping the Patagonia Nano Air Hoody and using a Melanzana Micro Grid Hoody Saving 3.5 oz. Saving 34.5 oz or so but picking up some summer gear, 9 oz hammock with hanging cordage thingys, a 2 oz bug net and a switching long sleeve shirts... En toto saving 20 oz or so for a summer carry weight of 11.25 LBS.

I'm not planning on going really light. I know that many of you will be opposed to the idea of a shower system, but I'm thinking right now that I will start with this and if'n I want to lighten up I can...

I appreciate what I have learned from other posters in the WhiteBlaze community and I thank you for your helpful and kind suggestions in advance.

Miguelon

[fastfoxengineering]

Your certainly bringing some comfort along with ya.

I'm not one to tell people what to bring, but in the interest of leave no trace principles, showering and laundering your clothes on trail is typically frowned upon. Some people will argue your going to use wayyy to much soap, even if it is biodegradable. Showers are something one should really be doing in town. If you are going to do it. Well, do it far, far, away from a shelter or water source.

A better approach is to carry in wet ones, action wipes, or similar. Use one before bed, and pack out your trash. Its satisfactory.

Laundry. It's better to just keep a set of "clean" sleep clothes and wear your dirty hiking clothes proudly as you walk into a laundromat.

You have a lot of redundancies and organization in your pack. You'll find your packing habits will change quickly. Just go with the flow and don't be afraid to try something new. I went from a bunch of ziplocks inside of other stuff sacks inside other ziplocks. ALL my misc gear, which nowadays, isn't really much, goes in one waterproof stuff sack. And that stuff sack is about a liter in size. The only other ziplock in my pack is my first aid/repair kit. But that's because I rarely go into that bag and would like to keep that stuff together. That ziplock is a pint sized bag.

What are you using for water purification? I'm assuming a filter but I didn't see one. 2x 1L water bottles and a 2L collapsible soft bottle is what I recommend at first. Bottles for hiking. Soft bottle for extra water in camp. Anything more is way overkill on the AT. You just don't need more capacity unless your trying to take a 30 minute shower FAR AWAY from the water source we talked about.

Clothing. It's usually good advice that if you can't wear all your clothes at once in a layering system sans spare socks, your carrying too much clothing.

There's no reason to get too detailed into itemizing all this stuff, it's likely and most probable your strategy will change within the first few days.

Long distance hiking gear = reliable, keep it simple principles are truly best.

Now to be blunt, I personally think your bringing way too much crap. Then again, we have different styles of hiking and what makes you happy doesn't make me happy. Hike your own hike, so on and so on. However, I bet we can get that number from 12lbs to 10lbs if your willing to. Sounds like you have a quarter pound just in ziplock baggies alone lol!

[moldy]

This is a well thought out list. It has a military style precision. You will soon discover within a few days that you have too much stuff. This is normal for all of us. I'm not going to nit pick your list. After about 3 days and 31 miles you will come to Neel's Gap. Ask the people who work at the store there to take a look at your load.

[Cheyou]

Get rid of the hot sauce bring red pepper flakes. Lighter , hotter and it is what all the great explores have used since the beginning of time.

Thom

[ScareBear]

Get rid of the hot sauce bring red pepper flakes. Lighter , hotter and it is what all the great explores have used since the beginning of time.

Thom

It is pretty well thought out, with some obvious things that can go:

The entire shower set-up. Lose it. LNT.

Only one knife.

What you can wear +rain gear+sleep gear(not UL, but I hate sleeping in dirty clothes. So do my expensive down bags...) and nothing else to wear.

Too much organization/too many baggies. K.I.S.S.

No laundry on the trail, please. LNT.

As all the previous posters have mentioned, you will figure it out as you go. Dump your pack on one of the picnic tables at Mountain Crossings store at Neels Gap. Look through everything. You will have a good idea, even as soon as Neels Gap, as to where you overpacked. By the time you get to the old oak tree and leave GA, anything you haven't used, except first-aid, can be sent back or put in a hiker box. You also may be making stove/shelter/sleeping bag changes before you get to GSMNP...just sayin...

[coach lou]

Have fun on your walk.....I carry a heavy pack myself. I carry half what I did when I was your age.

I really don't like to post on these gear list things, 'cause like others have said.....you wil figure it all out by NC!


........but, I use a tarp.....in all weather. Many pics of it are in my gallery here or at The Looney bin.

I see no hammock listed, so here is my 2 cents.

I see NO bug net under your tarp:eek:
Google it, there are a zillion different types and prices. They can be very light and you can get one with a floor.

Mine is 10 X 8 and I've been hemming and hawing about getting a 12 x 12.

'Cause when the wind rain and snow are howling you have to close one end off.....or you will get wet.

[Slo-go'en]

You don't want to sleep in shelters but only have a tiny 9x9 tarp to sleep under and a piece of flimsy plastic to sleep on? In March? You will be buying a tent at Mountain Crossings for sure.

It looks like your going to rely solely on a wood stove to cook on? I see no other fuel or alcohol stove listed. Although cooking with wood is okay occasionally, it can be a real pain when your cold, wet, tired and it's raining. You at least need the alky stove and fuel for when using the wood stove isn't practical, which will be much of the time.

[Cheyou]

The sleep pad would not b enough for me would want a warmer pad. Like an R6 . At least get a shaped tarp like a Deschutes. Light , cheep , great coverage.

Thom

[StubbleJumper]

That's a nice collection of gear. Very well thought out. A few minor comments:


1) Lose the shower system. You can't really wash off thru-hilker grime with only 3 litres of water. You'd be as far ahead to simply sponge-bath (without soap) at a creek or brook.

2) Lose the laundry system. Soap in the backcountry isn't ideal, and you'll never get your clothes dry after washing them. Rinse the salt from your underwear in a creek or brook when the opportunity presents itself, and then do a proper load of laundry using detergent in town.

3) Do you need the mag/compass/whistle/thermo? Your ULA pack probably has a whistle integrated into the sternum strap. The compass in those multi-use items is usually pretty cheesy, and your Iphone probably has compass capability anyway. The themo is only really for entertainment (ie, there's nothing we can do about the temperature anyway).

4) I didn't see alcohol gel in your toilet kit. It's probably just an omission, but if it was intentional, I'd recommend that you add it to your kit.

5) One knife is probably enough.


Anyway, those are my minor suggestions. I'd say you're in great shape.

[Miguelon]

Thank you all for your replies.

Fastfox--
"Clothing. It's usually good advice that if you can't wear all your clothes at once in a layering system sans spare socks, you're carrying too much clothing." --- I love this idea. I've been on this track but will work on this. (I'm going to start with sleep socks, underwear, and shirt.)

On Water Purification: 1. don't purify. 2. Aquatabs. 3. Boil. 4. Bleach.

On the tarp/shelter/bug net system: I plan on using my 9x9 tarp and the sea to summit nylon poncho tarp together... the poncho being used as mainly as a door covering/overhang. Bug net: I was planning to bring just a head net at the beginning and adding a head covering sleep teepee type mosquito net that I had made later on... (58g it's around 58" x 34"?)

On the second Swiss Army Knife: The first knife victorinox--signature is tiny--smallest kind they have. It doesn't have a toothpick instead it has a pen, tweezers, file, scissors, and a tiny blade. It weighs .75oz. The alox lumberjack has a saw, a bottle opener/can opener and a larger knife. It weighs 1.5 oz. There is knife redundancy. Giving up the saw is the main issue.... I like the idea of having a saw--even if it's tiny--if there was a medical emergency (to build a splint/fire break/shelter etc.). My woodstove is tiny and a saw's probably not of any use to it... so, I think I will give up the larger knife/saw....

On the Cook System: I'm thinking to cook mainly by fire, but I plan on bringing lots of fuel tablets in case of emergency and laziness. 20 tablets weigh about 6.5 ounces. My Emberlit Fire Ant Titanium Wood Stove/windscreen/alcohol stove stand will accept a can stove/cat alcohol stove so I could switch to that later if I need.

On organization: Many commented on too many baggies... I figure I have time to work on this.

On sleeping pad warmth: Ridgerest Solar. I got it for $10. I figured I'd see how I liked it. I'm hoping it'll be good enough. I don't expect to love it. I also have a gossamer gear thin pad that's been cut down... 30 x 18 ish? My homemade rain skirt is made out of Polyethylene Foam ? So, If'n I had to use that for insulation I could.... The 3 liter hot water bottle would also come into play in the cold. I've been debating about a Thermarest neo air/xtherm... but I figured I'd wait until I was out on the trail to decide if I was going to upgrade.

On Alcohol gel: I'm opposed to antibacterial stuff philosophically but if it's just Alcohol at a high enough concentration... then I might bring it... Wipes are tough for me in the same vein... but I know I'm n' gonna hafta do things I don' wanna.

On LNT, Leave No Trace, I hadn't considered this side of showering and doing laundry. My idea was that Dr. Bronner's soap isn't such a big deal. I use tiny amounts of it-I have almost no hair! Similarly, underwear, socks and t shirt would be the focus of my washing. I used this shower system last summer and there was enough water. And it feels so, so nice to be clean at night. I figured if I brought this system along I could avoid staying in hotels longer... Well, due to LNT principles, if I shower/laundry. I will do my best to be environmentally conscious.

Stubble Jumper--"Do you need the mag/compass/whistle/thermo?" I agree that it's pretty silly. But I do think a whistle is necessary and a compass can be of help. Funny thing, the ULA OHLM 2.0 I have doesn't have a whistle. But, I will double check to make sure.
I like the idea of rinsing underwear/clothes in a creek.


Thank you everybody,

Miguelon

[fastfoxengineering]

You don't want to sleep in shelters but only have a tiny 9x9 tarp to sleep under and a piece of flimsy plastic to sleep on? In March? You will be buying a tent at Mountain Crossings for sure.

It looks like your going to rely solely on a wood stove to cook on? I see no other fuel or alcohol stove listed. Although cooking with wood is okay occasionally, it can be a real pain when your cold, wet, tired and it's raining. You at least need the alky stove and fuel for when using the wood stove isn't practical, which will be much of the time.
A 9x9 tarp tiny for a solo hiker? What makes you say that? People have hiked the AT with a much less substantial shelter.

Now, it doesn't sound like this individual has a ton of tarping experience just from their loadout.

When the cold weather storms hit, you NEED to know how to setup your tarp correctly.

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[Slo-go'en]

9x9 doesn't give you much protection, at best you only have about a foot of buffer between the edges and what you want to stay dry. If you pitch it close enough to the ground to minimize splash coming up under the bottom edges, you can't sit up or change clothes without rubbing up against the sides.

In any case, you really, really need a full length bivy sack with waterproof bath tub type bottom. Otherwise you will have a soaked sleeping bag after the first night of rain.

Having a small tarp can be handy and makes a good emergency shelter, but it really doesn't make for a good primary shelter on the AT. A tent is SO much easier and SO much more forgiving then a tarp.

[Miguelon]

Hey,

Yup it's true I don't have a lot of experience. But with a 9x9 tarp and a 50"x104" or so poncho I'm hoping to be fine. If I were to get a tent, I'd go for a SixMoon Gatewood.... Perhaps have BearPaw make me a tarp/tent thingy... I don't mind bivvy's--I used one when I bike toured. But, if I spend good the time on to select a good tarp site, I hope that'll be enough to avoid water issues.... time'll tell.

Miguelon

Mike

[One Half]

You don't want to sleep in shelters but only have a tiny 9x9 tarp to sleep under and a piece of flimsy plastic to sleep on? In March? You will be buying a tent at Mountain Crossings for sure.

It looks like your going to rely solely on a wood stove to cook on? I see no other fuel or alcohol stove listed. Although cooking with wood is okay occasionally, it can be a real pain when your cold, wet, tired and it's raining. You at least need the alky stove and fuel for when using the wood stove isn't practical, which will be much of the time.

There are also places where all fires are not allowed, no? Not including canister stoves. But my understanding is that wood burning cook stoves would be disallowed when there is a fire prohibition.

[Venchka]

There are also places where all fires are not allowed, no? Not including canister stoves. But my understanding is that wood burning cook stoves would be disallowed when there is a fire prohibition.

I'm pretty sure that you are wrong. If you have proof that you're right please share with us.
Poncho as shelter? An okay idea I suppose. Until it's raining 25mm per hour or more, the temperature is close to freezing, the wind is blowing stink and you need to visit the privy. Something will get wet that should not get wet. Visit TarpTent.com or Light Heart Gear for budget friendly thru hike tested weathertight shelters. Springtime in the eastern USA mountains is similar to Great Britain. A few minutes of glorious weather interspersed with days of shear misery. And wet wood everywhere. Unsuitable for burning.
Be prepared.
Wayne


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[Venchka]

I got the first paragraph above wrong. I apologize.
Wayne


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[Venchka]

After an exhaustive search of WhiteBlaze, I could find no mention of specifically banning wood fueled stoves. I would attribute this to lack of experience with fire bans and types of backpacking stoves. The bans written in the western states are very specific: only stoves with an on-off switch are allowed during fire bans.
The prudent backpacker would do the right thing and avoid making fires with wood or alcohol. The officials should contact their western colleagues for help in posting unambiguous fire bans.
Be Safe.
Wayne


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[Miguelon]

Wayne,

No worries... My idea is to have the 9x9 tarp and the Poncho and possibly use them in conjunction. There could come a time where I send the tarp up ahead and be without it and go stoveless too for example... to test the pros and cons of a super light load. But, that would be in better weather for sure.

Miguelon

[Venchka]

Good luck. You're going to need it. Divine intervention maybe.
Wayne


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[Sandy of PA]

The AT never gets dry enough that I would want to be without a proper shelter. The humidity insures that "cowboy camping" will leave you wet in the morning. Please carry your tarp the whole way for safety.

[Miguelon]

The AT never gets dry enough that I would want to be without a proper shelter. The humidity insures that "cowboy camping" will leave you wet in the morning. Please carry your tarp the whole way for safety.

I am thinking to start with 2 tarps. One is a 9x9 the other is a Poncho tarp. In the summer, if the weather were to be good I'd send the 9x9 forward. If I did this I would still have the Poncho tarp. Isn't cowboy camping, not using any tarp at all?

Miguelon

[fastfoxengineering]

I am thinking to start with 2 tarps. One is a 9x9 the other is a Poncho tarp. In the summer, if the weather were to be good I'd send the 9x9 forward. If I did this I would still have the Poncho tarp. Isn't cowboy camping, not using any tarp at all?

Miguelon

The weather is never good and consistent on the AT. I'd send the poncho forward before the 9x9. People always say well when the weather gets bad I'll just head for a shelter. Well, that's what everyone else is thinking too. It would stink to get to a full shelter and have to brave out a nasty rainstorm on the AT under a poncho tarp.

If your trying to save weight by carrying a tarp. Your tarp and ponch probably weigh more than a tarptent. Which, would serve you much better on the Appalchian Trail and really simplify your kit. Maybe sell your items here on whiteblaze and look for a secondhand tarptent in the for sale section. Some good deals to be had.