Yet another gearlist...

[michaeyk]

Hi all,

Leaving April 1st, so it's about time I stop lurking and post. What do you guys think? I know the knife is a bit ridiculous and technically I won't be wearing it so should be added to my pack weight.

Thanks and see you on the trail..

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pnuovEQnjgpDJ8vD8YGRGLQ

[Secret Squirrel]

Do you plan on sleeping in Shelters most of the time? Have you thought about a Tarptent or Tent?

How much food/Fuel will you carry?

Looks like a good list, but I couldn't do the bivy for more than a night or 2.

[Mighty Mouse]

You'll probably want earplugs, especially since it looks like you're planning on staying in shelters. With all the snoring and farting that takes place, even if you're a heavy sleeper, you'll want them.

I'd ditch the can opener. Foiled packs are lighter than cans anyways. I'm also not a huge fan of the P38, but maybe it's just me.

I'd also ditch the head net for bugs. Just carry a little thing of deet when they get bad. They will bite other areas than the head.

What's with the knife Vanessa? Is it a sentimental thing? I carried the Gerber Ridge (1.4oz). Great knife.

Will you guys ALWAYS be hiking together? It's common for people to be within 5-15 min of each other. Otherwise, you may want to carry your own TP.

Best of luck on you hike.

[oldfivetango]

I am curious as to what Michael is carrying.
Oldfivetango

[Heater]

I am curious as to what Michael is carrying.
Oldfivetango

Click on the Michael link. ;)

[Mace]

As far as the can opener, im pretty sure now a days you can get basicly any canned good with the new fancy smancy pop top things. But I still carry mine with me anyways.

You went all out with your gear list with the weight and stuff, nicely done. When I did a section in 07 I just grabbed a bunch of **** and threw it in my pack and started hiking... pack weighed 60 pounds... after 2 weeks and madder than hell, I started tossin **** left and right till I got it down to about 45... then around 400 miles later I got it to about 35 and kept it at that.

You forgot to put the bra size in the notes section btw :-P j/k

[michaeyk]

Thanks for the critique guys.... I wanted to post the list to make sure there wouldn't be any comments like.. "oh you'll freeze to death!" I'm in So. Cal. at my parents house and sometimes I feel cold at night walking the dogs w/ my base layer (merino wool) and windshirt.

Some of you guys missed the second sheet on the spreadsheet. The first sheet is my g/f's gear. Mine is on the second sheet. And if you think her knife is overkill.... mine is a whopping 5.5 oz.

We're not really planning on taking any canned foods on the trail, but sometimes you find giant cans of beef stew or chilli in hiker bins. Exhausted hikers leave them in hiker bins before leaving the trail. If I come across something like that, I'd like to be able to open it up. Won't carry it, but will gladly eat it ;)

We'll be sleeping under a tarp most nights and the bivies are mostly to keep rain splash off our bags. A tarptent w/ groundsheet is actually lighter, but in case one of us can't make it all the way (knock on wood), the other will continue on w/ poncho tarp and bivy. The 8x10 tarp get mailed home.

Thanks again all! Hope to see you on the trail!

[Pokey2006]

Really good job on the gear list. You guys would be fine going with exactly what you have planned.

But...a few more things to consider:

You might want to rethink the flip-flops. It's really hard to walk around camp in them, climbing down hills to get to water sources, tripping through the bushes at night to go pee. Alternatives that work better would be Crocs (or knock-offs) or Tevas.

Also consider switching the wool caps for balaclavas.

You both might want to carry your own toothbrushes and toilet paper. Wet wipes come in handy, too. As does a small supply of Ibuprofen.

If the knives are for protection or peace of mind, by all means, bring them. If you plan to use them as tools, I'd just forget it. You won't need them.

What about some rope for bear-bagging your food?

Things you can ditch (IMHO):
--Mosquito head nets
--Wind pants
--Half of your tent stakes (bring 3-4 then use trees, rocks, sticks)
--Whistles
--Rain mitts
--Firestarter

Again, great job putting your gear together. Have a great hike!

[vts084]

Thanks for all the comments. I didnt even know this thread existed until last night and half the gear is mine.

Alot of this is refined through other hikes, especially a JMT thru in 07.

Pokey,

I know that some people say no camp shoes. lol Those people never got athletes foot from a motel floor. :o Anyway, we were considering crocs and took them on the JMT. But in an effort to lighten up, and because they are bulky and our packs arent huge, I got these. They were bought at a discount shoe store in LA. They were the lightest I could find and made of foam so should try fast. Crocs would be more comfy.

The wool cap, for me, in sentimental. I got it in Peru on my first overnight in my adult life and take it everywhere.

Toothbru shes, TP, and Ibuprofen are musts. :sun

We have 50 ft of paracord for the bear bagging.

No wind pants? Those are my only pants that arent thermal or silkweight. Actually I understand this though. I think they are mostly for laundry. (As in go to town, put on wind pants and wind shirt while everything else is washing).

As for the knives, where else can we carry cool knives like this? :p Mike almost took the smaller one.

Vanessa

http://www.trailgallery.com/photos/8483/tj8483_030509_013349_420501.jpg



Really good job on the gear list. You guys would be fine going with exactly what you have planned.

But...a few more things to consider:

You might want to rethink the flip-flops. It's really hard to walk around camp in them, climbing down hills to get to water sources, tripping through the bushes at night to go pee. Alternatives that work better would be Crocs (or knock-offs) or Tevas.

Also consider switching the wool caps for balaclavas.

You both might want to carry your own toothbrushes and toilet paper. Wet wipes come in handy, too. As does a small supply of Ibuprofen.

If the knives are for protection or peace of mind, by all means, bring them. If you plan to use them as tools, I'd just forget it. You won't need them.

What about some rope for bear-bagging your food?

Things you can ditch (IMHO):
--Mosquito head nets
--Wind pants
--Half of your tent stakes (bring 3-4 then use trees, rocks, sticks)
--Whistles
--Rain mitts
--Firestarter

Again, great job putting your gear together. Have a great hike!

[DC2.2GSR]

what i'm curious about is why are some of you suggesting to knock off items like the wind pants, firestarter, tent stakes, and (IMO) most importantly the larger knife. sure i was raised by Boy Scout propaganda and "Be Prepared" was drilled into my head for a few years straight, but personally i'd prefer to deal with the slight extra weight in order to bring along a few things that would up my chances of properly dealing with an unforseen situation.

are cold wind, really wet firewood, lost/bent stakes, and *insert knife scenario here* things that you would honestly say you've never encountered?

i'm the FNG here and obviously you guys are much more experienced... i'm trying to get into the mind of a thru hiker here - why would you suggest tossing such lightweight items that would go unnoticed until you need them? even over 2100 miles, do you guys think that 1 pound of extra gear would really make that much of a difference that it would be worth leaving those things out?

[Pokey2006]

Carry it on your back every day for six months, and believe me, you'll notice.

Why lose rain pants? Because they're useless. In a pouring rain, you're gonna get wet anyway And if you keep moving, your legs won't get cold, even if you're soaked and it's cold out. However, a rain coat is an essential. You need to keep your core warm.

Why lose firestarter? Well, because chances are, you're never going to even want to build a fire. If you're cold, peel off your wet clothes and crawl into your sleeping bag.

Why lose tent stakes? Because look around you in the woods -- there are sticks and trees everywhere. They work just as well as tent stakes. Carrying nine stakes is excessive, though I do recommend carrying some, to make setting up a shelter a little easier.

When would you need to "insert knife here?"

The thing is, ultimately YOU are the one who decides what goes in your pack. If you are more comfortable with more tent stakes, or a knife, by all means, carry it with you! All we can do is give our opinions -- when asked -- based on our own experiences. Each individual must then choose their own gear.

[DC2.2GSR]

i definitely understand that it's an individual decision, but i was just asking why you suggested those things. you answered it all. i dunno. :-? i guess i'm one of those people who'd rather deal with carrying a little more than be sitting in the cold woods cursing myself for not bringing something.

thanks for the response :cool:

[michaeyk]

Thanks Pokey.... from your suggestions, I guess our gear list is pretty good. Even with your suggestions we wouldn't be shedding too much weight.

I will drop some stakes.... I actually have an extra in case we lose one. They always seem to disappear and yet we always have left overs when setting up camp.

We found the whistles useful our last hike. They are very loud and when looking for a suitable camp site; we'd go in different directions and one loud blast meant "I found one." Moreover it's a lot of emergency insurance for so little weight.

I can't say anything about the knife... I'm a knife guy. I carry a small Sebenza in my pocket everyday. I didn't want to lose it in the woods, so I bought a couple alternatives. When else will I be able to carry a fixed blade knife and use it daily. It's very likely it will be mailed home. I have a very light Fallkniven U2 folder in the bounce box. Let's see how long I carry the heavier knife.


...are cold wind, really wet firewood, lost/bent stakes, and *insert knife scenario here* things that you would honestly say you've never encountered?


I whittle some stakes out of narrow sticks I find laying around :) Pitch the tarp and get in the sleeping bag.

Thanks again everyone!

[Pokey2006]

I do think you guys are in good shape, gear-wise. You'll be fine!

Hmmm, didn't think of using a whistle that way, since I usually hike alone. Totally makes sense, though.

Good luck, and have a great hike!