View Full Version : Leaving july 6
stickat04
03-04-2004, 15:04
I will be going south and have a few more questions.
Do I need more then 1 32 oz gatorade bottle and 1 nalgene bottle?
Is 1 pair of zip off pants enough? I mean if they get wet I'll have rain pants and thats it.
Will there be alot of snow in december in the hills of the south?
Thanks in advance for the reply's
Stick
You'll dehydrate if you only have two quarts of water available at some points - remember, you should be averaging 1-1.5 gallons a day, so I'd suggest more gatorade bottles or scraping them entirely for either a platypus bladder or a Nalgene "Canteen" bladder - the platypus is lighter, the Nalgene better made.
gravityman
03-04-2004, 16:06
I will be going south and have a few more questions.
Do I need more then 1 32 oz gatorade bottle and 1 nalgene bottle?
Is 1 pair of zip off pants enough? I mean if they get wet I'll have rain pants and thats it.
Will there be alot of snow in december in the hills of the south?
Thanks in advance for the reply's
Stick
You'll be fine with 2 32 oz containers. Might as well both be gatorade bottles. There are very few places where you have a long hall between water. However, it could get old at night having to go to the water source multiple times with so little capacity. We carry dromolite bags...
Gravity man
Starting out SOBO you need only concern yourself with having plenty of water to make it up and down Katahdin on a hot day. After that, you will have plenty of water along the trail for a long time to come. By the time you start planning for dry campsites and the like, you will be a fine tuned thru-hiking machine and will have everthing figured out.
As for the Nalgene Bottle, here is what I would recommend: I'd put it on a scale and figure out how much it weighed. Next I'd put an empty Coke or Gator Aid bottle on the scale and add M&Ms until I reached the weight of the Nalgene Bottle. I would do this right before dinner. The next step would be to skip dinner. At around 11 PM (or whenever you go to bed) you should then ask youself what you would rather have 2 days outside of Monson. The Nalgene bottle or the Coke Bottle and M&Ms. If you say the Nalgene bottle, go to bed hungry, and ask the question again in the morning. ;-).
Always having something dry and warm for your torso is a greater priority than for your legs, I think.
Northbounders scared the wits out of me regarding snow in the Smokies. My year it was a total non issue (My hike ended the first of December), a few inches at most, and never for long. My advise on that is simply not to worry about it. By the time you have to deal with that (IF you have to deal with that) you will be a fined-tuned thru-hiking machine.
Rick B
Dont forget the Deet and a head net!
Nalgene bottles weigh 5.30 ounces exactly (or .33 pounds, but my scale reads 5.30 oz, I assume because of the paint on it or rounding). They're also virtually indestructable and can be used for hot drinks. One isn't a bad idea, but some sort of bladder is the way to go and you end up saving oz per quart in carrying capacity - Nalgene itself has a 3 quart bottle (bladder, really, and it can't carry hot liquids either) that weighs 2.72 oz and works with all of the standard Nalgene wide mouth accessories like filters and hands-free hydration, and then there are some 6+ quart models from other companies that come in at a bit under 3, but the Nalgene have the standard wide-mouth opening
I think you'll find that if you take a 2.72 oz bladder you'll be under the weight of carrying 3 1+ oz gatorade bottles for the same capacity and remember that's about the heaviest and ruggedest bladder made compared to the lightest 1 quart plastic bottles available.
On another note, if you plan on drinking hot liquids then you will need some sort of cup to hold them - then is where a Nalgene bottle, whether it be the 5.3 oz 1 quart or the 3.2 oz 1 pint is perfect because it can hold hot liquids and still double as a water bottle saving you weight, space and providing additional robustness over the two items seperately.
Better still a green Sprite bottle. The color will hide stuff floating around, and the subtle flavor imparted on your drinking water can only be compared to that an oaken cask imparts on a fine wine.
Cleaning out Cocoa from the bottom of your 5.3 oz. Nalgene could be a bit of a challenge. Not that one would bother.
Has anyone ever had a coke bottle break?
Coffee and Dewars both require a civilized mug.
Rick B
Coffee and Dewars both require a civilized mug.
Rick BI'd probably go with the 16 oz Nalgene for that one which weighs less as I noted and is easier to clean and drink out of, plus a little bottle cozy.
I will be going south and have a few more questions.
Do I need more then 1 32 oz gatorade bottle and 1 nalgene bottle?
Is 1 pair of zip off pants enough? I mean if they get wet I'll have rain pants and thats it.
Will there be alot of snow in december in the hills of the south?
Thanks in advance for the reply's
Stick
Your first question is how much water do you need to carry. Part of the answer depends on how wet things are. During my thru-hike, I seldom carried more than 1 liter of water. (But there were times and places when I carried more than 1 liter.) I also carried a filter, so I could fill up and drink right away without waiting for chemicals to work. If you are going the chemical route, then you might want to carry more water than I did.
Your next question is about water containers. Like everything else, there is no clear consentous on water containers. Some use disposable bottles like gatoraide, others the hard bottle like Nalgene, while others use flexible containers, like the Nalgene Canteens, or a hydration system, such as Camelback or Platypus. You need to figure out what works for you. Myself, I like 1 Nalgene instead of a disposable gatoraid bottle because it doesn't leak. I have had bad luck with gatoraid bottles. I also carry a 3 liter Nalgene canteen, but usually empty. I use it in the evening so I can make 1 trip to the spring and back.
1 pair of zipoffs? Assuming that you are hiking mostly in shorts, then that's mroe than enough. In fact, now that I have Frogg Togg rain pants, I usually don't bring any other long pants during the warmer months. But I do bring along 2 pairs of shorts (wear one, pack one). So, are you planning of bringing along any shorts?
Snow in the Southern Mountains? All depends on the year, and when you get there. You might as well read the Old Farmer's Almanac.
smokymtnsteve
03-04-2004, 19:45
I like having a nalgene bottle along with "coke/gatorade" container.
the nalgene is very durable...
There are some packs now that come with a slot for the 3 quart Nalgene canteen and you can use their little hydration tube w/ it. I think it's only external so far, but the Nalgene soft bottles are the most durable and that's just a very "nice to have feature" - a must get on my next pack.
smokymtnsteve
03-04-2004, 20:11
snow on the top of the ridge in the smokies in dec...very likely...
snow onthe top of the ridge in the smokies in april...not out of the question at all
Don't worry about December snow. We're talking TN/NC here, not New Hampshire. December snow isn't that deep down south, even in the Smokies. But even if a heavy hits the Smokies, you can still posthole from shelter to shelter.
Just wanted to add something on the topic of snow. Truth is, I don't know what you will run into. Not a fricking clue. What I can say is that I worried about having my hike derailed by snow which, on my hike, never really materialized to any great extent.
What I can speak to is how the CONCERN about snow impacted MY trip. Because of UNINFORMED speculation from scores of people I met along the way, I felt an uncomfortable sence of urgency. This had a real impact on my trip; I took just one zero day, for example.
Like you, I started in July. I think that contributed a bit to my worry, since I thought of myself as "behind" right from the start. Even though it turned out that July was a great time to start. There was no way I wanted to reach NC/TN and find that the Trail was effectively closed to me.
Were I in your position I might check out some of the SOBO journals through the Smokies to see what others have run into. Because even if you only see a few inches, the spectre of it can take its toll.
Rick B