Gear Shake-down

[Dakota_]

Any ideas or thoughts on my gear for the thru hike are appreciated. This still seems like a lot of stuff and I would like to keep the lightest load possible, at least for the first month.

Thanks for you comments.

Base weight is about 15.5 lbs.
Total weight with 5 days food (10 lbs) and 2 L water (4.4) is 30 lbs

PACK GEAR
Pack 27 oz
Trash Compactor Bag for inside 1 oz

SHELTER GEAR
Tent-Tarptent Contrail 24.5 oz
PolyCryo Ground Cloth 1
small eyelet hooks for platforms 0.25
Tent Repair kit 0.5

SLEEPING GEAR
15* Sleeping Bag (Montbell #1) 38 oz
Z Rest Pad 11

COOKING/WATER GEAR
Cone Stove kit w/McDonlads Cup 2.5 oz
Fuel (alcohol) 5.5
2 Esbit Tablets 1
Food Bag 1
Lexan Spoon 0.5
Cooking Pot (no lid) 3
Platypus 3L Waterbottle 3
16 oz plastic bottle 2
Water Purification drops 1
Matches and Lighter 0.5
Insulated Cup w/foil lid 1

NAVIGATION GEAR
mini compass 0.2 oz
thermometer 0.25
Maps 2
Appalachian Pages Trail Guide 2

FIRST AID/SAFETY/REPAIR
Pezel Headlight 2 oz
Needle
Mini Knife 1
Duck tape 0
Spot Messenger 8 Carrying this for my mom so she doesn't worry as much.
2 Razor blades 0.25
First Aid kit 2
Bug Spray 2
Sun Block 1
Bug Head Net 1.5
Pezel Headlight 2
Candle 0.25

CLOTHING
Stuff Sack for Clothes 1.4 oz
LT WT Top (Polartec Silkweight) 6
LT WT Bottom (Polartec Silkweight) 5.5
Mid WT Top (Nylon Wind Shirt) 8
Mid WT Bottom (Capalene 2) 4
Capalene T-Shirt 4.5 (Will be wearing)
Insulation Layer (Montbell UL Down Inner Jacket Light 8
Outer Shell (Marmot Oracle) 14 oz with hood removed
Hat (Seattle Sombrero) 3.5
Outer Shell Rain Pants, none
Fleece Hat 1
1 Shorts 4.5
Kilt, 12 oz, (will be wearing)
2 Socks 9
1 Boxers 2
Flip Flops 4
Fleece Gloves 2.5
Glove Liners 1

HYGIENE GEAR
Sea to Summit Soap Flakes 0.5
Floss 0.5
Hand Cleaner sticks (Sawyer Go Ready) 1
Razor and extra blade 0.3
Tooth brush 0.2
Vasaline/Chapstick 0.5
Baking Soda 4
TP & trowel 2
Shaving Oil 0.25
1-2 Gallon Zip Lock bag
Comb 0.25
Fingernail Clippers 0.25

OTHER GEAR
Stuff Sack for Other Gear 1.2
Journal & Pen 4
Creative Muvo mp3 player/recorder 1
Stationary/Postcards 2
Addresses/phone #s 0.25
Cash, Credit Card,ID 0.25
Camera & extra HD cards 9
Camera Battery Charger/extra battery 3
40’ Rope 5 32 oz
Ear Plugs 0.2

I'm debating about including these items, what do you think?

Hyperflow water filter, 7 oz
Bear Spray, 2 oz
Silk Sleeping bag liner, 4 oz
4 extra AAA batteries, 3 oz
iPhone & charger, 5 oz
Frogg Togg Rain Pants, 9 oz
Fleece Gloves, 2.5 oz
Folding pocket knife 3.5 oz
Microfiber Super Absorbent towel, 2 oz
N Face Combo Pants, 11 oz

[Appalachian Tater]

[
PACK GEAR
Pack 27 oz
Trash Compactor Bag for inside 1 oz

SHELTER GEAR
Tent-Tarptent Contrail 24.5 oz
PolyCryo Ground Cloth 1 don't need but if it is really 1 oz it would be interesting to see what all you cold use it for
small eyelet hooks for platforms 0.25
Tent Repair kit 0.5 don't need

SLEEPING GEAR
15* Sleeping Bag (Montbell #1) 38 oz
Z Rest Pad 11
get another compactor bag for your sleeping bag and one for clothes, MUST stay dry.

COOKING/WATER GEAR
Cone Stove kit w/McDonlads Cup 2.5 oz
Fuel (alcohol) 5.5
2 Esbit Tablets 1
Food Bag 1

Lexan Spoon 0.5
Cooking Pot (no lid) 3 take tinfoil for lid then
Platypus 3L Waterbottle 3
16 oz plastic bottle 2
Water Purification drops 1
Matches and Lighter 0.5 Bic mini??
Insulated Cup w/foil lid 1

NAVIGATION GEAR
mini compass 0.2 oz
thermometer 0.25
Maps 2
Appalachian Pages Trail Guide 2

FIRST AID/SAFETY/REPAIR
Pezel Headlight 2 oz
Needle
Mini Knife 1
Duck tape 0
Spot Messenger 8 Carrying this for my mom so she doesn't worry as much. no!!!
2 Razor blades 0.25
First Aid kit 2
Bug Spray 2
Sun Block 1
Bug Head Net 1.5
Pezel Headlight 2
Candle 0.25

CLOTHING
Stuff Sack for Clothes 1.4 oz
LT WT Top (Polartec Silkweight) 6
LT WT Bottom (Polartec Silkweight) 5.5
Mid WT Top (Nylon Wind Shirt) 8
Mid WT Bottom (Capalene 2) 4
Capalene T-Shirt 4.5 (Will be wearing)
Insulation Layer (Montbell UL Down Inner Jacket Light 8
Outer Shell (Marmot Oracle) 14 oz with hood removed
Hat (Seattle Sombrero) 3.5
Outer Shell Rain Pants, none
Fleece Hat 1
1 Shorts 4.5
Kilt, 12 oz, (will be wearing)
2 Socks 9
1 Boxers 2
Flip Flops 4
Fleece Gloves 2.5
Glove Liners 1

HYGIENE GEAR
Sea to Summit Soap Flakes 0.5
Floss 0.5
Hand Cleaner sticks (Sawyer Go Ready) 1
Razor and extra blade 0.3
Tooth brush 0.2
Vasaline/Chapstick 0.5
Baking Soda 4 don't bother
TP & trowel 2 skip trowel
Shaving Oil 0.25
1-2 Gallon Zip Lock bag
Comb 0.25
Fingernail Clippers 0.25 don't they weigh more?

OTHER GEAR
Stuff Sack for Other Gear 1.2
Journal & Pen 4
Creative Muvo mp3 player/recorder 1
Stationary/Postcards 2
Addresses/phone #s 0.25
Cash, Credit Card,ID 0.25
Camera & extra HD cards 9
Camera Battery Charger/extra battery 3
40’ Rope 5 32 oz ????? are you a rock climber?? or is this 3.2 oz
Ear Plugs 0.2

I'm debating about including these items, what do you think?

Hyperflow water filter, 7 oz take if you want to filter water, I would
Bear Spray, 2 oz no!!!
Silk Sleeping bag liner, 4 oz take
4 extra AAA batteries, 3 oz no!!!
iPhone & charger, 5 oz
Frogg Togg Rain Pants, 9 oz
Fleece Gloves, 2.5 oz
Folding pocket knife 3.5 oz no, take mini
Microfiber Super Absorbent towel, 2 oz take
N Face Combo Pants, 11 oz

You may have a little too many clothes but others are much better at that than I am.
Three pairs of socks are good, one to wear and wash at night, a clean one to wear at night, and one drying. Foot care is very important.
You also need tweezers for ticks if not on knife.

[Alligator]

You can find lighter socks.

Pick the midweights and leave the lightweight layer, both sets weigh nearly the same.

Pick shorts or the kilt.

If you go with a Frogg Toggs set, that would be 2 oz more than your outershell top, but you'd have a set.

Pick glove liners or fleece gloves.

I just picked up some lighter bear bag line, 40', as I lost (left) my last one. The little bag I sewed and the line weigh 1.2 oz and the line is 1000lb test. I don't know how much your rope weighs.

[John B]

I don't recall ever seeing a tent platform, so I'd probably skip the eyelet hooks; there's no way I'd carry extra batteries -- you'll probably rarely be more than a couple of days from a town, and even if the MP3 player dies, you can probably suffer through without the tunes for that long; I can see how a super absorbant towel would be nice, but I'd probably skip that and just use my bandana; I'd think that the bear spray will be more for your own sense of protection because I don't recall ever reading of someone on the AT actually using it to fight off a black bear; if you have a mini knife, then I'd skip the pocket knife; I'd think that you'd be safe not to carry a candle or a tent repair kit (duct tape cures most ills); unless you want precise numbers, I'd skip the thermometer -- it's always going to be either too hot, too cold, or just right; I'd add a lid to the cook pot because water boils faster if the steam is trapped. All that said, it looks like you gave your list a lot of thought -- it seems very solid and well-constructed.

[Dakota_]

Thanks, rope is 3.2 oz

[Old Grouse]

You have the Petzel light listed twice, but I suppose it doesn't weigh any more no matter how many times its listed!

[Alligator]

Thanks, rope is 3.2 ozIf you are interested, I got my line from the Jump Shack (http://www.jumpshack.com/webcatalog/default.asp?CategoryID=49&SectionID=PART), I'm 99% sure it was the 1000lb(It's on the flatter side.) They hadn't put up the online link when I ordered it earlier this month. Those are yard prices too.

[Foyt20]

You have 2 mp3 players. Get an extended battery pack (attatches to the outside) for your iphone. I know that they sell them for ipods. Could be a thought. And if you drop the SPOT messenger you would be all set.

[Appalachian Tater]

Yes, as far as the SPOT thing, you will mail it home in the first couple of hundred miles anyway, if not at your first P.O. The A.T. is the superhighway of trails, you're not going to be alone even if you want to be.

[Bearpaw88]

When are you leaving? If it's in March I'd reccomend rain pants, frogg togs are light. They doen't last long but you'll only need them a month or so.

[Blissful]

I'd still carry a sil nylon pack cover, IMO. Reynolds oven turkey bags work good to double bag clothes and sleeping bag.
Won't need eyelits until New England. Won't need head net until NY.

Tyvek is good for a ground cloth.

You'll be cold in a kilt to start, assume an underlayer will need to be worn for hiking. Or use the kilt after Damascus and go with convertible pants to start.

I'd skip glove liners, but that's a personal call.

Bounce chargers?

Do guys really shave on the AT? :)

Looks real good.

[Appalachian Tater]

Do guys really shave on the AT? :)A few of us do, but mostly in town.