Jacket and Pants

[Stir Fry]

I have a Mont Bell UL Puff Ball Inner Down Jacket. An inner layer and a mid layer of fleese, and the down jacket I feel comfortable for a early March start. My question is. Is it worth the extra expence and weight to get the down pants also? I have the inner layer and a fleese mid layer, I'm just not shure if this is enought ot be comfortable when I'm in camp for the night.

[Spokes]

I say ditch the idea of getting the down pants. You'll be fine. Heck, just jump in your sleeping bag when it gets really cold.

[Blissful]

No to down pants. But for an early start I included rain pants, then set then home by May.
Bring long undeerwear.
Not sure you will need all those layers. One fleece plus one down jacket should be plenty, esp with long underwear for camp/sleep.

[garlic08]

You didn't mention your sleeping bag. Assuming you have a decent three-season bag, 20F rated or similar, that's probably plenty of clothing. I wouldn't get down pants for the AT. It can get real cold out there, but it ain't Denali and there are towns all over the place. If you're going out with a 40F summer bag, you might need the down pants and maybe more.

You may want to think of the down jacket as back-up to the sleeping bag. I'd recommend not hiking in it, at least not strenuously, certainly not in wet conditions. Your sweat could render it useless quickly. And protect it very well within your pack. I carried a light down vest in April on the AT and never wore it, but it was nice to know it was there. I did use it around my bare legs one night when temps dropped into the low teens.

[Long feet]

I just ordered the Mont Bell Alpine Light Down Jacket and U.L Down Inner Pants. They were on sale at Frontcountry. I did a section hike last December where it got into the single digits in a shelter, and it was windy. My jacks R Better No Sniveler was not warm enough. With my new gear I figure I can comfortably use this set up for the Winter, but I have not tested it yet.

Down is so light I would clearly choose it over fleece. I think it will pair well with a lighter bag/quilt for a flexible sleep system. My quilt also turns into a kind of a jacket, so I have loads of configurations depending on the temperature. I'll take all pieces, leave the pants and or jacket, or just take the quilt for the Summer.

[Stir Fry]

[quote=garlic08;917457]You didn't mention your sleeping bag. Assuming you have a decent three-season bag, 20F rated or similar, that's probably plenty of clothing. I wouldn't get down pants for the AT. It can get real cold out there, but it ain't Denali and there are towns all over the place. If you're going out with a 40F summer bag, you might need the down pants and maybe more.

'll be usin a Nunatak Alpinast 20* with 10% overfill should be good to 15* or so.

[squeezebox]

I see the point about the down jacket getting sweaty and getting flat. and about getting damp in wet weather. with that I'm thinking synthetic fill. would not neccessarily have to be protected in misty weather. but a lot of folks do use down jackets successfully. should i consider a down vest if I go with a synthetic jacket.
What layers do you use for pants.
I was thinking boxer briefs(smart wool?)
mid weight wool long johns
hiking pants
rain pants
do I need a fleece layer on bottom also?
ie. running pants

[garlic08]

I see the point about the down jacket getting sweaty and getting flat. and about getting damp in wet weather. with that I'm thinking synthetic fill. would not neccessarily have to be protected in misty weather. but a lot of folks do use down jackets successfully. should i consider a down vest if I go with a synthetic jacket.
What layers do you use for pants.
I was thinking boxer briefs(smart wool?)
mid weight wool long johns
hiking pants
rain pants
do I need a fleece layer on bottom also?
ie. running pants

Whether you need a real jacket or not depends on the season and your style. I know I can keep warm enough while hiking in a very thin fleece/windshirt (12 oz) and rain shell (7 oz) in any three-season conditions I've encountered so far, with no long underwear bottoms, only trousers and rain shell. So I do not carry a real jacket or long johns or fleece pants.

If it's cold when I stop, I get in the sleeping bag. If you like to set up camp early in the day and would get bored lying around in your bag, you may like more warm camp clothing.

If late or early season winter cold snaps are possible (the southern AT in Spring, for instance), I carry a light (8 oz) down vest mainly as a back-up to the bag, not for hiking. That works for me, and you need to find your comfort level. You can always send stuff home if you figure out you don't need it.