Gear List am I missing anything?

[hillbilly21]

I'm planning on doing a month on the AT this summer (nj,ny plus the return). I've been upgrading some of my old heavy beat up gear. Ive used most of it for weekend and 4 or 5 trips, but ive never gone for a month. i'm not sure if im missing anything, and im curious to hear everyones observation.

Osprey Aether 70 73oz
MSR Hubba w/ footprint and compression sack 65.8oz
Marmont Aspen Ultralight 40 DN w/ GG drylite compression sack 33.5oz
Therma-rest prolite3 20oz (upgrading to prolite4 25oz for extra padding)
Therma-rest compression pillow med 9oz
MSR pocket rocket 3oz
MSR titan kettle 4.2
MSR titan cup 1.9
MSR coffee filter 1oz (gotta have a good cup of joe, not folders)
Snow Peak TI spork .5oz
MSR miniworks ex 16oz (looking to upgrade to MSR hyperflow)
MSR dormlite 6L 5.7oz (i consume massive amount of water on the trail,
plus camp use)
Camelpack 1.5L bladder 6.3oz
Nalgene 1L bottle 6.2oz
Raingear pants, jacket and pack cover 32oz. (heavy but waterproof)
First Aid/Personal Hygiene/Repair kit/Leatherman 20oz
Personal gear varies from time to time, but the basics are: map &
compass, pack towel, mp3 player, tikka xp headlamp 8oz

[Egads]

Trade the footprint for a UL tarp and have a quick shelter or extra dry space
Food bag & rope
Fuel
Ear plugs
Hat
Sunglasses
Trekking poles
Camera
Extra socks
Second shirt & underwear

[hillbilly21]

i thought food bag, rope, and fuel were obvious. my eye glasses have a magnetic sunglass clip on.

[Spock]

Man, that's a lot of gear! And some duplications. You might look at multi-use options. Like why a dormlite and camelback both AND a nalgene? Clothing can be rolled up to make a pillow. Compression sacks are not only heavy, but damage insulation. Thicker closed cell foam pads will save you a half pound with greater reliability and the same insulation. And you might give some serious reconsideration to leaving items such as the Leatherman. That puppy is a pound and a quarter of solutions without a problem. You can lose a pound and a half with silnylon raincover and a DriDucks rainsuit - which is breathable and totally waterproof.

I second Egads' additions. You will definitely want a camera.

Take a look at some of the gear lists here and on other sites.

[karoberts]

Rather than doing a NY-NJ there and back trip, why not do a one-way trip that is twice as long? Getting a shuttle really isn't that hard.

[hillbilly21]

spock, the reason for the redundancy in the water deparment is because i can easily consume 2.5L of water between water sources. the dormlite is used for bulk water/camp. the stepup im using now has done me well because it makes mixing electrolyte powders much easier. as far as the sleeping pads, ive tried closed cell foam pads. i have a bad back from a car accident, and they dont provide enough cushion. so i opt for the inflatable pad. you are right about the pillow tho, i could do without it. the compression sack is only used on the trail as it is waterproof (ive tested it), and holds my extra town/sleeping clothes. i know my raingear needs updating and is rather heavy. its something i plan on replacing before my hike but i may have to make do. the leatherman has me teetering on the scale. for me ive never gone anywhere without one. its been a lifesaver on my occasions. so it quite hard to part with, but you are right that it does weigh a ton. but i have to decide it the security is worth the pound of extra weight. i was planning on bringing my canon power a720 is with me, but forgot to add it to my list.

karoberts, im doing an up and back because i live 20mins from the dwg. its just logistically easier. but you are right i could just go twice as far. it just keeps me close to home in case there is an emergency with my family. i could get off the trail and be within an hour of my home in a worst case scenerio.

[KG4FAM]

karoberts, im doing an up and back because i live 20mins from the dwg. its just logistically easier. but you are right i could just go twice as far. it just keeps me close to home in case there is an emergency with my family. i could get off the trail and be within an hour of my home in a worst case scenerio.have you thought of a flip flop style hike? Hike north for a while and then come home and hike south for a while. That would keep you close to home.

[hillbilly21]

ive done most of pa, and find that the only time i will hike there again is on a thurhike. ive gone 2 days north of dwg, but nothing further than that. thats why i was planning on going into ny.

[Joe8484]

Camp shoes?

[Panzer1]

I would keep the pillow. I've been using a pillow for 10 years now and won't go back to using folded up colthes. I get a lot of use out of the pillow since I use it at leas 8 or 9 hours every day on the trail. Its the best part of my day.

Also I carry both a 4 quart Dromlite and a 1 quart nalgene for the same reasons that hillbilly21 noted. When I get into camp I like lots of water, the nalgent is for making drinks and attaching to my water filter, the 4 quart dromlite is so I can have enough water for that night and breakfast the next morning and still leave camp with a quart or more. Some duplication of gear is ok even good as long as long as the total weight of the pack is not too much.

Panzer

[Panzer1]

the leatherman has me teetering on the scale. for me ive never gone anywhere without one. its been a lifesaver on my occasions. so it quite hard to part with, but you are right that it does weigh a ton. but i have to decide it the security is worth the pound of extra weight.


I think you right about needing some sort of a pocket-tool. Just not a real heavy one. a pound is too much for a pocket tool. Leatherman makes some real small pocket tools. You can look into one of those. I would recommend something in the 3 to 4 ounce range. My swiss army knife weighs 3.6 ounces.

If you like leathermans, here's a small one that looks nice and only weighs 4.3 ounces:
http://www.leatherman.com/multi-tools/pocket-tools/juice-c2.aspx

or this one at 1.9 ounces:
http://www.leatherman.com/multi-tools/keychain-tools/squirt-s4.aspx

There are also many other varieties to choose from.

Panzer

[Egads]

I saw your pics in the gallery and noticed you do not have a drybag to keep our sleeping bag and clothing dry.

[hillbilly21]

egads, i have a granite gear drylite compression sack for my bag, pillow and a dry set of clothes. i have tested it a few different ways, and beside being fully submerged, it is quite waterproof.