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datachomper
03-07-2009, 01:12
So I'm a backpacking newbie, leaving for the AT mar 15th. If anybody needs a good laugh check out my gearlist. I'm sure I've made all the usual newbie mistakes.

Couple notes.
1) I'm still on the fence about the filter. Might just drink the water untreated. I grew up swimming in Tims Ford Lake, so I figure i've been pretty exposed to the nasties. I dunno.

2) Might ditch the pack towel (super absorbent sham-wow type). I have two bandanas. I was just a little worried because they are thin and not too absorbent. I am going to use the packtowel's container to hold tortillas though :O)

Wish I could have come in a bit lighter, but it'll lighten up by a few pounds once it warms up for good. :-?

freedompirate01
03-07-2009, 01:24
Wow cool list, i'm also getting ready and were both taking the same 3 out 4 of the first items you've listed. 8)

Looks like your pretty serious about saving weight, how come you haven't upgraded your tarp to SpinnUL? That would save you around 10 ounces.

datachomper
03-07-2009, 01:31
Wow cool list, i'm also getting ready and were both taking the same 3 out 4 of the first items you've listed. 8)

Looks like your pretty serious about saving weight, how come you haven't upgraded your tarp to SpinnUL? That would save you around 10 ounces.

I hadn't heard of SpinnUL, but I went back and looked and that tarp actually only weighs 15oz, instead of the 22oz listed. Woot! Free weight savings. I thought that looked heavy. It's actually the last thing I'm waiting on. Brian seems pretty busy.

maxNcathy
03-07-2009, 09:10
Have a great hike.
Look for Sandalwood on the Trail.
Sandalwood

Jeff
03-07-2009, 09:14
Water filter is a personal decision...but you will find most hikers using aquamira, iodine or chorine.

4eyedbuzzard
03-07-2009, 09:33
So I'm a backpacking newbie, leaving for the AT mar 15th. If anybody needs a good laugh check out my gearlist. I'm sure I've made all the usual newbie mistakes...

What are you going to do for an encore when you get good at this?;)

Sounds like a good list. Have you temperature tested the sleeping gear/setup?

Sunscreen for early on? Bug dope for later?

freedompirate01
03-07-2009, 09:35
I hadn't heard of SpinnUL, but I went back and looked and that tarp actually only weighs 15oz, instead of the 22oz listed. Woot! Free weight savings. I thought that looked heavy. It's actually the last thing I'm waiting on. Brian seems pretty busy.

Hmm.... Ah your right the nylon one is listed at 15.5, and the SpinnUL one should weight around 11.5. Thats approx 4 oz savings 8) Plus you won't need line tensions anymore supposedly, that might save you another half oz ???

mountain squid
03-07-2009, 10:12
Looks pretty good. Some observations:

be absolutely certain you will be warm in the hammock - it will be cold
camp footwear
hydration system for drinking on the go
DR B's is very sudsy - 2oz would probably last a long time
50 ft of rope (30 may be enough, but if a branch is higher than 15ft, it might be difficult - albeit entertaining for everyone else:D)
as 4eyedbuzzard mentioned - sunscreen
long hiking pants? - shorts alone will probably be too cold, down pants for hiking might be too hot
if no cell phone, phone card and important phone #s

And, of course, don't forget ID/atm/credit cards.

See you on the trail,
mt squid

JAK
03-07-2009, 10:16
Nice list.
A big bic might be easier to use with cold hands this time of year.

mountain squid
03-07-2009, 10:31
1) I'm still on the fence about the filter. Might just drink the water untreated. I grew up swimming in Tims Ford Lake, so I figure i've been pretty exposed to the nasties. I dunno.I know there are some on WB that don't treat water. Personally, I am not sure it is worth the risk. Springs are probably OK, but then again, I always wonder about the sanitation habits of the 20 hikers before you, that have dipped their hands into the water source. How many hikers have cleaned their dishes in the water source (you will see some floating ramen noodles eventually)? How many hikers have cleaned themselves in the water source? How many dogs have trampled through the water source? etc, etc

Just my thoughts...the risk might be worth it to you and others...in my opinion it is better to be safe than sorry (and that sorry will probably hit you at 2 in the morning when it is 25F....DOH!)

See you on the trail,
mt squid

road.born.orphan
03-07-2009, 11:39
You got me sorta psyched up as our gear lists throughout are very similar as is our depart day...& also a newb. I just got my MacCat Deluxe model - SpinnUL and am employing it with HH ultralight with homemade under and over quilts ...the montbell UL as well with Underarmor cold gear skinnies and down jacket. I did 26 F. Tuesday night in a pine break and was out like a light till morning...toasty. I added tabs to the middle of my underquilt and bind shock cord over the ridge line with a draw lock and pinch my foot and heads draw up tight..and expand my tyvek rain poncho and deploy it over the bug net to trap heat on top. I tried the wigwams in the hammock at 21 F. and my feet got seriously cold. After that episode I returned em and picked up some polortec 300's hunter socks and cannibilized some rei down booties, replacing the duck down with 700+, removed the fleece and knocked down the shell weight.
I used a 3g thinsulate pair of gloves on my ride back from Austin to Houston last weekend on my motorcycle...75mph at 30 F. at 8 am...and my hands did better in those then my kevlar pair.
I got hold of rep at montbell and he highly recommended using a nylon shell outside our pants if doing much activity in them at all. Rainmakers 1 oz camp sandles are working out good so far too. http://www.trailquest.net/sandals.html
You might consider dumping the longsleeve shirt and underwear tops for the underarmor compression wear...it can double up as both..and is offered with a attached hood. Using that hood, smartwool beanie and my 2 bandanas, 1 around the throat and 1 over face...i dumped the balaclava. That stuff has been rockin all winter.
I'm using the aqua mire 4oz. bttls & vit c tabs. Instead of Chapstick & neosporin go w/ Burts bee...the ingrediants can double up on the lips but also as a antibiotic ointment.

I think we are gonna have bueno bueno fun hammocking the trail !

garlic08
03-07-2009, 11:43
I'm one of the ones who doesn't treat water, mostly. I stress mostly. I carry one set of Aquamira bottles for the few times I might really need to get water out of a cow pasture or roadside stream. It's cheap, light insurance. You really should have something, but I definitely agree with not bringing a filter.

Also, pay attention to what Mt Squid says about it being cold up there in March and April. Is your system good for temps in the teens in blizzard conditions? That happened to me twice in April last year. Also that's a good tip about 50' of line, not 30--it's good to have a little extra for emergency repairs and guy lines.

I found I did not need any sunscreen or bug repellant. A hat and mosquito net worked fine.

I did fine with one bandanna, no towel.

Great questions, nice list, and good luck on the hike!

datachomper
03-07-2009, 11:58
be absolutely certain you will be warm in the hammock - it will be cold
camp footwear
hydration system for drinking on the go


All of these things I've thought quite a bit about and decided that if I survive to Neel gap without them, I can swap up my gear if the going is rough.



DR B's is very sudsy - 2oz would probably last a long time
Ah, gotcha. I'll probably get another 1oz purell bottle then and stick some in there. I'm already using one for some of my favorite Louisiana hot sauce. Man I love that stuff.



50 ft of rope (30 may be enough, but if a branch is higher than 15ft, it might be difficult - albeit entertaining for everyone else:D)

Lol. In my gear list preparation, I've read a lot of other hiker's lists. In most cases people tell them to go from 50ft to 30ft.

I actually have 100ft of "mason's line" that only weights an ounce or so. But I was afraid to take it for fear that it's diameter is so small it maybe abrasive to the tree bark if I'm hoisting 15lbs of food each night. I'm not an ultra-hippy, but my grandpa taught me to respect the trees.



long hiking pants? - shorts alone will probably be too cold, down pants for hiking might be too hot

Yea I wavered on this one for a while. I have some convertible hiking pants but they weigh 1lb. To be honest if I'm hiking, i'll probably want shorts. If I stop for camp and get a little colder I can either put on my Marmot Precip pants or my long johns (or both). I actually really like those precip pants, they seem to breath and don't make much noise. (Jokes on me, probably, they won't be waterproof first time I test it out :OP )

JAK
03-07-2009, 12:06
I think water treatment and hygene are as much to protect the environment from us as the other way around. We get all sorts of bugs everyday, in our municipal water, in our tap water, in our treated hiking water. Its all a matter of degree. These organisms enter our bodies are part of their natural life cycle. Sometimes their population explodes enough that we get sick. Sometimes these organisms themselves are invected with other organisms and we might get very sick.

When we hike in large numbers, we can have a more serious impact on the environment. We can minimize the impact on the environment with good hygene and water treatment. The water treament keeps these organisms from multiplying too much in our bodies, and then re-entering the environment and causing harm to other animals besides humans. Choosing better sources is the first and most natural step. Not stirring up the water too much. Maybe using a cloth filter. Boiling is most practical if you are going to heat your water anyway. Carrying a filter or chemical treatment is a good idea when you want to drink cold water from questionable sources. UV methods might work, but in my opinion isn't the most natural or sustainable practice for water treatment while hiking. We shouldn't have to send batteries to a land-fill to get a drink of water.

It doesn't need to be 100%. Just be a natural part of the environment and take steps appropriate steps to protect the environment from your gastro-intestinal tract when hiking through the environment with an un-naturally high population of fellow humans.

datachomper
03-07-2009, 12:10
I'm one of the ones who doesn't treat water, mostly. I stress mostly. I carry one set of Aquamira bottles for the few times I might really need to get water out of a cow pasture or roadside stream. It's cheap, light insurance. You really should have something, but I definitely agree with not bringing a filter.


Ok so this issue is the one I've had the hardest time with. From what I understand the two main concerns are Cryptosporidia and Giardia two larger diameter protozoa. Now Chlorine and Aqua Mira specify that for these two and other "big stuff" you have to let the water treat for 4 hours. Do ya'll really treat the water for 4 hours?

Then we get to viruses. Either viruses aren't a concern on the trail or nobody gives them the credit they are due for making them sick. I searched for ANY cases of virul infections on the AT and all I found was an outbreak of the common norwalk virus, IN A TRAIL TOWN, lol.

So the way I see it. If the "Filterers" are being exposed to viruses and the "Bleachers" are being exposed to larger protozoa and both groups aren't dying out, then both exposures must be relatively harmless?

I dunno, maybe I don't have all the facts. :-?

Slo-go'en
03-07-2009, 12:14
I'd keep the sunblock until you get your hiker tan. One or two sunny days hiking in a T shirt and you will have sun burnt arms and/or legs. I ended up buying a long sleeve sun block shirt with ventilation along the arms and sides of the shirt from Mountain Crossings last year. Cost $50.00 (ouch) but kept my arms from getting burnt and warmer than a T shirt on the sunny, yet chilly days.

The camp towel is also good to have. If you get soaked hiking in the rain all day, you can dry off before changing into your camp clothes. There are also occasions when you might find a shower, but no towels (or they cost extra).

datachomper
03-07-2009, 12:21
I tried the wigwams in the hammock at 21 F. and my feet got seriously cold.

Oh crap. That's good to know!



I used a 3g thinsulate pair of gloves on my ride back from Austin to Houston last weekend on my motorcycle...75mph at 30 F. at 8 am...and my hands did better in those then my kevlar pair.

Sweet! This guy is a goldmine for gear info.



Rainmakers 1 oz camp sandles are working out good so far too. http://www.trailquest.net/sandals.html

Haha, that's awesome. I'll have to rig up a pair of those when I replace my insoles.



I'm using the aqua mire 4oz. bttls & vit c tabs. Instead of Chapstick & neosporin go w/ Burts bee...the ingrediants can double up on the lips but also as a antibiotic ointment.

Oh a multi-tasker item, I like that.



I think we are gonna have bueno bueno fun hammocking the trail !
I agree :O)

randyg45
03-07-2009, 12:59
I have never treated water, and I've never gotten sick from it; but most of my hiking hsa been out west. I'm starting to plan an AT thru-hike, and may break down and carry a steripen just in case I have to use a truly questionable water source.
My thoughts about food and water changed in Europe and 'Nam. Unless you've been to an open-air fish/meat market in Saigon or Paris you just have no - say again, no- idea how unnecessarily protective Americans are of their immune systems (which are, of course, stronger if exercised).
So, my idea of a "truly questionable water source" may be something many others would think of as an "absolute biohazard". YMMV