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Lil Drummer Boy
06-20-2010, 18:23
Please Evaluate My Gear List
Hello there, I could use some evaluation on my gear as of now for my attempt in 2011 for a thru-hike. I have capitalized all manufacturers and for those that are not, they are items easily attainable or have not purchased yet. The clothing area is yet to be determined as I am loosing weight and sizes will change from now. I am not trying to be Ultra Lightweight! But I am trying to get as close as I can. I have heard the usual gambit of what is the lightest/best and have tried to stay close to it. But I am NOT looking for the “Super Hiker” opinion. I do not care if you did the trail with a poncho, jumpsuit, pack of matches and a zip lock bag and ate Twinkies and Ho-Ho‘s the whole way. Hats off to ya! I am trying to get a practical assessment here. Will this list get me thru this adventure?
I have listed some optional gear at the end as possible winter gear or other available gear. There is a * next to items that will be going regardless. And then finally, the question of which back pack would work best. I like the comfort of the Osprey Aether 2010 model but it weighs around 5 pounds. I’m not sure if I need all that suspension support for the weight /size of this load but will be looking for a comfort level that is similar. Have been looking at the Granite Gear packs. All the weights listed are as close as I can get thru web sites. Will be altering some to drop weight. Thanks in advance J





Shelter
-Henry Shires Contrail 1lbs 5oz
-MSR Ground Hog Stakes 3oz
-Tyvek Ground Cloth ?oz
Sleeping
-Montbell Down Hugger #3 1lbs 9oz
-Thermarest NeoAir 14oz
-Sea To Summit Thermolite Liner 9oz
Cooking
-Evernew Titanium DX Alcohol Stove 3oz
-Evernew Aluminum/Ceramic Pot and Pan Set # 8oz
-Sea To Summit Titanium Spoon Long .4oz
-Paracord 50’ 2.5oz
-plastic fuel bottle 1oz
-Bic Mini Lighter .5oz
-Light My Fire Starter Cube and Magnesium Stricker 3oz
-GSI Coffee Filter 1.8oz
-Nalgene 32oz. Water Bottle 6.2oz
Water
-MSR Water Works Filter * 1lbs
-Aqua Mira Drops(backup) 4oz
-MSR Dromedary Bag 6L 8oz
-MSR Hydromedary Bladder 2.5L 7oz
-
Hygiene
-MSR Nano and Paclite Towels 3.5oz
-bandana 1oz
-toothbrush 1oz
-Tom’s Of Maine Tooth Paste (in smaller tubes) .7oz
-Dr. Bonners Soap 2oz
-toilet paper in Zip-lock Bag 2oz
-floss .5oz
Navigation
-trail guide pages 2oz
-map(sectional) 3oz
-compass small 3oz
-#2 pencil(half length) and small note pad in Zip-lock bag 3.5oz
-Casio PathFinder Watch 2.1oz
Luxury
-Blackberry Curve in Otter Box and extra battery* 6oz
-Motarola S9HD Headset* 1oz
-Olympus 8010 Camera and extra battery* 8.1oz
-Duricell Portable battery charger with USB cables* 4.3oz
-Jobi TriPod* 1.6oz


Clothing
Rain Gear
-REI Shuskan Jacket 1lbs 2oz
-REI Shuskan Pant 1lbs 10oz
In Pack-Warm Weather
-SmartWool Socks 1oz
-base layer bottom ?oz
-Under Armor underwear .8oz
-base layer top ?oz
-Mountain Laurel Designs eVent LiteSnow Short Gaitors 2.5oz
-convertible pants ?oz
In Pack-Cold Weather
-Patagonia Capalene3 bottom 7oz
-insulated top baselayer ?oz
-Montbell Permafrost Down Jacket 1lbs 1.5oz
-baclava ?oz
-NorthFace Apex Gloves 3.8oz
-Mountain Laurel Designs eVent Mitten Shells 1.2oz
-REI Thermo Fleece 15oz
-Mountain Hardwear Perigon Hat 2.5oz
-convertible pants ?oz
Accessories
-Sunglasses .4oz
-Petzl Tikka XP Headlamp 2oz
-REI peak U.L. Trekking Poles 16oz
-Sea To Summit Mosquito Head Net 1oz
Footwear
-Montrail Torre GTX Boots (winter) 1lbs 13oz
-trail runners ?oz
-crocs ?oz
Tools
-SOG-2 Knife 8oz
-Victronix Multi-Tool Card 1oz
-REI Key Chain Whistle .5oz
Sacks
-Sea To Summit eVent Compression Dry Sack 4oz
-Sea To Summit eVent Dry Sack 8L 2oz
-Sea To Summit eVent Dry Sack 13L 2.4oz
-miscellaneous silnylon bags
Miscellaneous Gear
First Aid Kit 8oz
-bug repellant
-lip balm
-hand sanitizer
-Neosporin small tube
-Band-Aids
-moleskin
-antiseptic wipes
-sun screen
Repair Kit 3oz
-duct tape
-sewing needle and thread
-safety pins
-zip tie
Optional Gear (originally thought of winter/summer gear or backups)
-Montbell Spiral Down Hugger #0 3lbs
-ThermoRest Prolight Plus Sleeping Pad 1lbs 8oz
-Arc Teryx-Alpha Sidewinder Rain Jacket 1lbs 3oz
-Black Diamond Orbit Lantern 4oz
-Optimus Nova Stove and Fuel Bottle (empty) 1lbs 3oz
-Sea To Summit Silk Traveler Liner 6oz

Mountain Wildman
06-20-2010, 18:40
You could probably get by without the Ground Cloth, Thermolite Liner, MSR 6 Liter Drom., REI ThermoFleece, and all the Optional Gear. Check your tent site for sharp rocks, sticks etc... before setting up Contrail, you can layer up with your baselayers and down jacket instead of the Thermolite, The 2.5liter and 32 oz. Nalgene would suffice, Don't need the fleece, you have plenty of layering options listed to keep warm, And you shouldn't need any of the optional gear. If you wan't water capacity for camp a Nalgene 96oz. Cantene weighs about 2 ounces and cost around 10 bucks.
I bought 2 but may bring just one.
Looks like a very thorough list.:)

Mountain Wildman
06-20-2010, 18:44
Also: Only need one pair of convertible pants and either trail runners or crocs for camp shoes, Shouldn't need both.

Ranc0r
06-20-2010, 19:32
-SOG-2 Knife 8oz
-Victronix Multi-Tool Card 1oz

Really need both? I'd go with my Victorinox Swiss Army Climber at 2 oz., or the smaller 2 layer pocket knife at 1.2 oz. There's even one at 2.4 oz that has a whistle built in. I think you have too much steel for a thru hike, and should think about other options there.

I just weighed my BlackBerry Tour in OtterBox Communter skin/armor, no extra battery, and it weighed in at 5.7 oz. Are you sure that weight is accurate? Also, I weighed my smallest Otter Box waterproof case (just big enough for my Droid, the Berry, and USB accoutremonts) and it was 8.7 oz dry and empty. That's news to me, how heavy it was, but them I leave the electronics at home and use the phone in town. Calling card weighs a lot less, and works in some surprising places that a cell signal won't reach.

You may want to think about the weight of the electronics PLUS paper and pencil, vs. how much use you're going to get out of them when NOT in town. I'm thinking there's some extra weight that could be trimmed. Luxury items are just that, so chose them wisely, or just leave them at home.

I'm not ultralight, just getting older.

Ranc0r
.

Blissful
06-20-2010, 20:26
I liked having crocs to slip into in camp and allowed my trail runners and insoles to dry out.
Forget the lantern, imo
Doubt you'll need firestarter
your cookpot is rather heavy for one person, imo
I'd just use Aqua mira and leave filter at home
soap is optional but I only used it twice my entire hike
I'd bounce the charger
your rain gear is way too heavy
I sent my gaiters home, but its optional. SOme love them. I think they made my feet too hot and contribute to blisters
one knife
a good quality duct tape works good for first aid rather than moleskin, imo
you're gonna need some meds, like vitamin I
You have a lot of dry sacks and all those ounces add up. See if you can eliminate one or two of them.
Not sure on your optional gear, why you need two different liners? Just take one. I used silk the whole hike.
I feel sunglasses are unnessary unless you are in snow a lot.

turtle fast
06-20-2010, 22:56
Do yourself a favor and check out the ULA packs. Lightweight and extremely comfortable with features favored by long distance hikers. They are made in the USA by folks that KNOW long distance hiking.

Appalachian Tater
06-20-2010, 23:26
Sleeping bag seems a little heavy.

Instead of the silk bag liner, consider carrying silk or poly or wool long underwear. Does the same thing in your sleeping bag but you can wear them so it's more versatile. ( I like a liner, though, because I don't like sleeping in long underwear.)

You don't need the 3 ounce firestarter--throw in a lightweight book of waterproof matches or another mini Bic. Usually there will be someone around to borrow a light from if your Bic runs out or you lose it.

Not many people use a pan for anything on a thru-hike but you may have certain food preferences while hiking that require it. You probably just need a lightweight pot to heat water and make Knorr meals and mac & cheese.

Forget the heavy Nalgene, just go buy a widemouth bottle of Gatorade or Aquafina for $1. When it gets dirty, buy another one. You don't need the big bladder thing, either, it's really heavy. If you need another container for water in camp, just get a heavy duty ziplock. Some people just carry 2-3 bottles and no bladder. I am starting to lean that way because bladders are a lot of trouble. They can leak and you can't tell how full they are when in your pack and they tip over and are hard to clean. They can also get damaged easily.

Crocs are heavy. Knock-offs are lighter and cheaper or go with the $0.99 beach flip flops to really save weight.

Baby butt wipes and ear plugs come in handy. (Not for the same things though.) Pour a little rubbing alcohol in the baby butt wipes and they clean better and you don't need antiseptic wipes. With practice, one baby butt wipe can clean your face, hands, armpits, feet, crotch, and back end, in approximately that order. You won't quite feel clean but you won't feel quite so filthy, either.

All that heavy knife stuff, you don't need. What will come in handy is a very small knife for cutting line or cheese or sausage, fingernail clippers, tweezers for splinters and ticks, and maybe little scissors which are perhaps more useful than a knife while hiking. You can get most all of that on a little Swiss Army knife or mini multi-tool.

The zip ties are a great idea. I am going to start carrying some. I already use them when flying to "lock" my suitcase to keep the zipper from coming apart and to easily see if it has been tampered with.

Consider carrying a knit hat even in the summer. It easily helps you maintain comfort without stopping or when you are on breaks or at night when sleeping and wake up chilly which can happen up on mountains even in the summer. Pro tip: you can also pull it down over your eyes to block out the sunlight when the sun comes up way too early during the summer and streams through your silnylon tarptent.

Basically, go through everything you have on your list and if you don't absolutely need it or it is a spare or if you can make do with something else until you go into town then ditch it. If you can't ditch it, try to find something lighter. If you aren't ruthless now, you will be after lugging everything up and down mountains all day. Your list is pretty good on the basics but you have some fluff.

Appalachian Tater
06-20-2010, 23:28
Sorry for the double post. I don't use zip ties but the cable ties that have to be cut to remove them, maybe that is what you are talking about.

Undershaft
06-21-2010, 08:28
I think your list is pretty good, but you can drop some weight. Obviously you won't be carrying all the gear listed for the entire hike. I assume you will be switching from the boots to the trail runners when warmer weather hits. Let's see:

Shelter - I would drop the ground cloth. Like Mountain Wildman said, don't pitch you tent in an area with a lot of rocks and roots. Try to pitch it on a grassy area or pine needles if possible, but not in a depression where water will collect. Just be careful and the tent floor should hold up. I haven't used a ground cloth in six years and my tent floor is none the worse for it.

Sleeping - You could drop the liner and just sleep in long underwear plus one layer, but that doesn't work for everyone. I find that my liner twists up inside my bag and makes using both uncomfortable. I carry a bag in the cooler weather and switch to just a liner for the warmer months. By the time you reach Maryland (assuming late May or early June) you will only need the liner and can pick your bag up again in Vermont or New Hampshire.

Cooking - You don't need the firestarters. Replace them with a single pack of waterproof matches in a small ziplock and save 2oz. I assume you will use the Nalgene for hot liquids like coffee, and thats fine. I just use a 2oz. camp mug, but the Nalgene's are more versatile and are more rugged than a gatorade bottle (which you don't want to fill with boiling hot liquid). You can drop the pan unless you really intend to cook with it, if it's just a lid for the pot then replace it with tinfoil. The coffee filter can be replaced with coffee singles(like tea bags, but coffee) but they might not be to your liking.

Water - I would not take both a filter and aqua mira. Only use one or the other. I would also drop the Dromedary bag. You really don't need 6 liters of water in camp.

Hygiene and Navigation - Looks good, maybe drop the soap. I never used it much in my section hikes, but it was nice to have when I did have occasion to use it.

Luxury - It's entirely personal. You can always send items home if you don't need or want them anymore.

Rain Gear - Seems awfully heavy: 2 pounds 12 ounces just for rain gear? I would drop the pants at least, maybe look into a lighter jacket?

Clothing - It's pretty personal too. Some folks run hot, others run cold. I assume it's the same pair of convertable pants summer and winter. You probably don't need the mitten shells. The fleece and down jacket may be overkill, I would drop one or the other. You never mentioned when you would be starting. There is a big difference between starting in February and starting in April. You may need the extra warm items if you are starting early in the year. Sunglasses are a personal thing, I never used mine. I think the Tikka XP is more than 2oz. I'm holding mine in my hand right now and it's probably 5 or 6oz. with the batteries in it. Great headlamp though!

Tools - Get a lighter weight knife. Half a pound for just the knife is a lot of weight. I carry a cheap 2oz. knife and it's totally adequate.

Sacks - Probably overkill, but it depends on how you organize your gear. I carry four stuff sacks. The largest is for food, next size down is for clothing, next size down is misc. stuff all in ziplocks (first aid, toiletries, book, etc.), and a small sack that I take in my hammock with me containing camera, radio, journal, wallet, etc. This doesn't include the stuff sacks for my sleeping bag, hammock, liner, and pack cover. I carry too many stuff sacks, I think :rolleyes:!

Misc. Gear - Drop the moleskin. Use duct tape and blister block. You won't need bug repellant at the start of your hike, bounce it ahead until the warm weather brings out the 'skeeters.

Optional - I'm not familiar with some of the specific gear listed, but you won't need the lantern. Use your alcohol stove and not the optimus nova (too heavy). Go with the neoair instead of the prolite to save weight.

I know this post is very long. I hope it has been a little helpful or at least given you food for thought. To answer your question, I think your list will get you through the adventure just fine, but can be improved to reduce weight and maybe eliminate unnecessary items. I spent a summer section hiking on the trail a few years ago and learned a lot about reducing weight and what I did and didn't need.

Bear Cables
06-21-2010, 18:51
I agree with the gatorade bottle instead of nalgene. Saves about 4 oz per bottle. I carry one gatorade quart and one quart wide mouth collaspible nalgene. Recommend at least 2 spare pair of socks. I have a contrail and would keep the tyvek. After using zip ties to hold my hiking boot soles on last spring, I won't hike without them!

Lil Drummer Boy
06-22-2010, 10:33
Thanks to all of you and those yet to come. I totally appreciate your time and effort in helping me in this endeavor. I was expecting the inevitable slash and hack and comments from the peanut gallery wishing to be the top dog of class clowns. But, to the contrary, you guys and gals have given me some great ideas that I had overlooked in these areas. I will try to address each of your suggestions. But please read each one because with the size of my list, the amount of suggestions I received, there were bound to be duplicates and your answers or response might be lodged within someone else’s reply.
Mtn. Wildman- I have just placed an order for those canteens. Good call! I actually saw them in the store and the next time I came back they were gone and only available on-line. Glad you mentioned them and made me look again for them as I now remember why I wanted them. I know my filter is way too darn heavy but I have sentimental reasons(gift) and a desire for the best filtering I can get. I think this unit does just that for me. Yes it is slow and will require me to have “pythons” to get all the water I need but who is in a hurry, were camping/hiking for ____’s sake.
As far as convertible pants, yes I will only have one set.
RancOr- Sir Dude, you had me bustin a gut with “you have too much steel”, that should have been in “Rambo 4”. But anyways, you and everyone else picked it up right away and I agree, that knife is heavy and I knew it putting it on here as I didn’t want to be without and figured you guys would come up with an alternative. I wish I could stick to it like Mick Dundee. “that’s not a knife, this… is a knife”. Still looking, for now.
The phone is a Curve 8330 and the Otter Box is the Defender version, the one up of your Commuter. It’s as close to waterproof as I can get with the trackball. I could not find a weight on a single spare battery and eyeballed it. So, like I said my accuracy might be a little off here and there. I would love to be free of societies bondage and forego the whole electronics thing but it serves way too many purposes for its weight and of course even though I’m 40 years old ,Mom still worries. Besides with about four 16gb memory cards with audio books, lots and lots of movies and more music than most people can afford, plus sky charts and the accompanying mythologyS, list of manufacturers and mail drops, zip codes, places to see(reminders), back up camera and the list goes on and on. Could I live without it, sure. But I have heard about the “Virginia Mumbles”, and hell, I’d rather be singing and tapping my feet.
The paper and pencil is definitely not going. I should have taken that off but when I copied and pasted it, I missed the grouping.
Blissful-Yes, that lantern is not going to make the grade. I’m still going to buy it for it is a sweet lil thang. The fire starter is definitely not going. But it has this really coool spark. The “wow” factor, would work if I started to hear banjos, sorta like an icebreaker. Ahh, the cook set, yes it is heavy but I do prefer the ceramic type of inert enamel verses the Teflon poisons. I had a set and gave them away to someone I really didn’t like. The lid was mentioned later and follow me there. The soap was a recommended idea and the ruling is still out. I am considering it. The charger will stay.
Rain Gear? I think everyone hit me with this one. That’s good though, right? The bad part is I have this(pretty apparent) love of this eVent fabric. I am considering an alternative for the pants but the jacket is going to stay.
I have tried a multi-vitamin and there is something in them that gives me something like an acid reflex thing. I hear people talk about it and the only thing that does anything near what they describe is when I eat too much sauce on an Italian dish or apples.
I am curious about what is a good bear bag, waterproof, I would think? These might not be the right bag for the job, so please advise. The compression bag works too good and will stay.
Sunglasses are a go. If I loose them then it is cheapys for the rest of the way.
Anyone want to take a break, ok let’s all do ten jumping jack and contemplate the universe and converse back here in five.
Turtle Fast-USA Knows Long Distance Hiking Packs, got it! I now see the error of my ways. I think it is going in that direction. It is funny to look at all this gear and see that even my heavy arse knife and raingear are still around 3lbs lighter. This will be an undertaking of unprecedented proportions as I will have to order them and ship them back if they do not work or fit. But it is on my plate and Mom always told me to finish everything on your plate or you won’t get dessert.
A-Tater- You have brought up something very funny. I have a 8 year old niece who asked me if I will need pajamas to sleep in. Bless her lil heart! Can I get an Amen? I can’t very well tell her that her Uncle sleeps in the raw so I fibbed and said yes, like a good uncle should. So, the truth of the matter is you have brought up the point that I had not thought of and that is that middle of the night piddle. I realize, for the most part of the hike early on it, will be cold and more people around so your idea/suggestion is very valid. I am a hot sleeper. But I also don’t like to take chances with mother nature, especially when it is cold. Thus the sleeping bag which nobody has said anything about directly. It is a zero degree bag and probably overkill but I can always send it home to.
Croc-Knock Offs or flip flops has my girls at home voting for the crocs(niece gets more votes for her age) as my niece wants to decorate them with some kind of button type things. Anyone know what these are? I know they will never make the trail but she doesn’t need to know that. My luck she will want a picture for proof.
I’m skipping the butt area, I’m a guy, but thanks! Won’t need the ear plugs, even though I have a pair of custom molded pair that drop the loudness but not the frequencies, that were for another facet in my life, that run around $160 per pair. For sleeping, I will not need them. I have heard this is quite the problem. That’s why I brought a tent.
“All that heavy knife stuff”, another line from a movie. I think this was quoted in Platoon when William DeFoe was rootin through Charlie Sheen’s backpack before going out on patrol.
Undershaft- The liner only might just work for me, but I am not so sure. If it seems like a good idea at that time, I will surely do just that. Coffee, yes sir, good morning to ya! I have found that using the reverse method on this filter has a pleasant supprise. I have taken (handful) the coffee beans(whole or unground) and slightly crushed them so that the bean more or less cracks open. Place them in the Nalgene bottle and add filter and then the boiling water. Drink or consume and leave the beans in the bottle. Repeat for about four days as stated. The cracked beans will slowly leach out rather than loose its strength or taste. The only down side is you will probably hear me coming about a mile away.
The pan/lid, you guys are all over my _hit. Yes, good point, well taken.
Please understand that I am joking around here but, man…the “maybe drop the soap” was in too many movies to count. I am in no way trying to insinuate a riot or label you any different way but that was seriously funny.
But, alas, you have asked a very important question. When am I leaving? I am looking a February to alot for my fat arse to take it slow and easy. I am not trying to break the land speed record here, it’s already been done.
I thought about having more sacks for the lack of pockets.
Bear Cables- I think I will keep the Tyvek paper. All other suggestions are valid and well taken and will adhere to those suggestions.
Well, I really appreciate it! I tried to make you laugh a little because if you could understand how pent up my concerns were/are, you would probably have me committed by now. I thought I was way off. I guess I didn’t do too bad. So, I am relieved with this outcome although I have some work to do but it will all pay off in the end! Interesting note is that, for as far as I can see, we are all in and about the same age group, give or take a few. Thank you for your time and I apologize for any immaturity I may have shown.

Elder
06-22-2010, 10:52
Have I missed this? Trekking Poles!

Lil Drummer Boy
06-22-2010, 11:22
Elder-I have seen that you are very experienced with these hiking poles or trekking poles and I have a pair of REI's(listed above). I have no knowledge of these. I bought a video to kinda dispell the hype while researching gear. Have walked with them for several miles. I purchased this pair in large part for their weight but, I hate them. The locking mech is horrible. I will be switching to a clamp type. You seem to have the most expertise in this area.School me on this, if you have the time. Suggest a pair that clamp and are light weight,plz!:-?

Elder
06-22-2010, 11:38
First, the disclaimer..I am the Leki rep...
Leki's are the best. If you prefer the external lock, our Speedlock is easiest, and strongest.
And a lifetime warranty.
Corklites are great, Carbonlites are lighter, but pricey!

Funny, NObody complains about our price after they Own them!

Lil Drummer Boy
06-22-2010, 12:11
Elder- Thanks, I have been looking at the Leki's and must say they are nice. Price is not the issue. You have to have the right tool(s) for the job. First off, what are the differences in advantages/disadvantages tween cork and foams. I'm new to using these and was contemplating wether or not to get the straight or ergonomic grips. I am not sure if carbon fiber is a better choice and if the shock absorber is recommended. I probabably will have the death grippng pound at first, however I am learning a lot from this video.
I usually try out gear at REI and they have Leki's, Black Diamond and their own. They do not have the whole selection of Leki's at the store. I'm sorry for this online tutorial request but if you could, suggest some good ones;)

Undershaft
06-22-2010, 15:46
Undershaft- The liner only might just work for me, but I am not so sure. If it seems like a good idea at that time, I will surely do just that. Coffee, yes sir, good morning to ya! I have found that using the reverse method on this filter has a pleasant supprise. I have taken (handful) the coffee beans(whole or unground) and slightly crushed them so that the bean more or less cracks open. Place them in the Nalgene bottle and add filter and then the boiling water. Drink or consume and leave the beans in the bottle. Repeat for about four days as stated. The cracked beans will slowly leach out rather than loose its strength or taste. The only down side is you will probably hear me coming about a mile away.
The pan/lid, you guys are all over my _hit. Yes, good point, well taken.
Please understand that I am joking around here but, man…the “maybe drop the soap” was in too many movies to count. I am in no way trying to insinuate a riot or label you any different way but that was seriously funny.
But, alas, you have asked a very important question. When am I leaving? I am looking a February to alot for my fat arse to take it slow and easy. I am not trying to break the land speed record here, it’s already been done.
I thought about having more sacks for the lack of pockets.


I was checking out the thermolite liners from sea to summit at the store the other day and they seem much warmer than my campmor microfleece bag liner. I may upgrade to one if I can justify the price. In summer I wear a pair of nylon convertible pants, dry socks, and a thin, long-sleeve polypro shirt to bed with my microfleece liner and a pad underneath in a hammock and I can count on three fingers the number of nights I was cold, and those were unusual nights with temps in the low 40's.

The coffee thing: Dude, I have never heard of that! Sounds pretty interesting though. Does the coffee really come out as strong as it would with the normal filtering method? How long does it take to "Brew"? I was (until a month ago) a manager at Dunkin' Donuts, so I know how important the right cup of coffee is to people.

"Drop the Soap" That's funny! I never even thought of that connotation of the phrase, totally "prison movie cliche".

The lack of pockets depends on your choice of pack. Have you decided yet? An ounce or two in extra stuff sacks won't kill you, that's for sure. I'm leaning towards the Osprey Atmos 65, plenty of pockets.

I, too, am planning to Thru-Hike next year. I'm likewise going through my gear and deciding what I need and what needs to be replaced. I hope to post my gear list in a couple weeks to get feedback and recommendations from other, more experienced hikers.

Starting in February....more power to 'ya! Too cold for me, I'm looking to start last week of March or the first week in April. See you out there!

Snowleopard
06-23-2010, 18:15
I didn't see anything about your experience level.
With a February start, be sure to have cold weather camping and hiking experience with your gear before you leave. In upstate NY it should be easy to find cold weather. :)
For warm weather, you could go much lighter than the Event parka and pants; try Frogg Toggs and driducks.
For cold weather at the beginning (Feb.) and through the white mountains, I'd definitely take the Event parka and pants if I had them.

Spokes
06-23-2010, 19:20
All you really need is listed here (http://www.backpacker.com/november_08_pack_man_/articles/12659?page=4).