View Full Version : Gear help
Hey everyone im new to the forums(been lurking for awhile)and need some advice. A friend and I are hiking through the Georgia section of the AT in mid December, What temp rating of sleeping bag would you all recomend thats relatively light weight? Also what type of other winter gear would you recomend? Im a Florida cracker so im a little out of my league when it comes to winter clothing etc so some expert input would be great! If anyone has anything other usefull infromation to add please feel free and thanks.
western mountain versalite.
western mountain versalite.
lol...western mountaineering!!
4eyedbuzzard
09-30-2010, 15:52
At a reasonable price?
20 degree Campmor bag
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/SubCategory___40000000226_200368355?ip_navtype=Adv ancedSearch&catFilter=&ip_sortBy=&catType=&searchCategory=browsefilter&manNameFilter=&priceFilter=&filters=Manufacturer+Name%7ECampmor%7ECampmor+%288 %29&searchKeywords=200368355
At a reasonable price?
20 degree Campmor bag
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/SubCategory___40000000226_200368355?ip_navtype=Adv ancedSearch&catFilter=&ip_sortBy=&catType=&searchCategory=browsefilter&manNameFilter=&priceFilter=&filters=Manufacturer+Name%7ECampmor%7ECampmor+%288 %29&searchKeywords=200368355
second this.
for clothes, i would say you need to think about both hiking and camping clothes.
a light baselayer such as cap 1's for hiking or just a pair of decent hiking pants, unless you tend to stop alot. i usually wear a cap 1 top under a poly tshirt and have either my rainjacket or a lightweight down jacket handy for breaks. remember, it's easier to stay warm than get warm. once you stop moving, your core temp can drop faster than you would think.
for camp, i usually take my cap 4's (expedition weight) and my rain pants for bottoms and then a cap 4 top over my tshirt (so it will dry out) with a rainjacket on top. you're carrying it anyway, you might as well use it. sometimes depending on the forecast, i'll take my lightweight down jacket.
take some fleece gloves and something for your head (where most heat loss occurs). i have a fleece beanie thingie for camp. i also take an extra thick pair of "camp socks" for when i stop. and i'm spoiled so i have my fleece Acorn slippers for camp too. that's about as much as you would need. if you get cold, you can always pony up and put your cap 1's on then your cap 4's then your rain gear. or just get in your sleeping bag.
IronGutsTommy
09-30-2010, 16:41
yeah for winter i have a sweat wicking base layer, underarmor colgear mock turtle neck and UA coldgear tight leggings. then just a decent hiking pant, fleece midlayer hoodie and a proper down jacket. definitely a knit cap or beanie. the ones that fit the head snug without needing to roll them up numorous times seem to keep heat in better. gloves or mittens.
if you can keep your sleeping bag dry, down bags are usually lighter than synthetic material bags, though a tad more expensive. a 20 degree bag should be fine for winter. hand/foot or bag warmers can make a big difference too.. a cheap alternative is to heat water to boiling and put some in a nalgene bottle and throw that in your bag with you.. but the warmers are relatively cheap, considering heating water uses stove fuel
Thanks everyone for the input so far i really aprecaite it. I could also use some help picking a backpack, i plan on carying 5-7 days worth of food on me for the trip so i dont have to re supply i prefer external frame packs but internal is ok also. I was thinking i would need a 4000+ cubic inch capacity pack anyone have any sugestions? bigger or smaller pack?
Rocket Jones
09-30-2010, 20:44
It's not mentioned often here on WB, but I really like my REI Flash 65. Good price for good quality.
At a reasonable price?
20 degree Campmor bag
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/...ords=200368355 (http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/SubCategory___40000000226_200368355?ip_navtype=Adv ancedSearch&catFilter=&ip_sortBy=&catType=&searchCategory=browsefilter&manNameFilter=&priceFilter=&filters=Manufacturer+Name%7ECampmor%7ECampmor+%288 %29&searchKeywords=200368355)
I 3rd this. A 20 degree down bag should be fine but make sure you also bring some good insulating layers. I agree with kanga about the the types of clothes to bring. 65 liters should be a plenty large and I love my Deuter Act Lite 65. I have only use it on 5 trips so far but it is by far my favorite pack that I have owned
Thanks for the continual advice, i was looking at an Alps mountaneering Zion pack on REI its a 64 Liter external frame pack for only $80.00 anyone had experience with this pack? I am a college student so im trying so save where i can.
Here's Winton Porter's complete winter thru-hike gear list (http://www.backpacker.com/november_08_pack_man_/articles/12659?page=4). The total base weight comes in at around 18 lbs.
Anything else you add to it is just fluffy feel good stuff.
Cheers!
. . . .i plan on carying 5-7 days worth of food on me for the trip so i dont have to re supply. . . .To each their own/hike your own hike, but you'll be lightening up your pack quite a bit by resupplying at Mountain Crossings. Start out with 3 days food, get to Mountain Crossings and resupply for the rest of the trip. No need in carrying a ton of food from the start, especially if you don't have to. MTX is a great place to resupply, has fair prices and a pretty good selection of chow.
To each their own/hike your own hike, but you'll be lightening up your pack quite a bit by resupplying at Mountain Crossings. Start out with 3 days food, get to Mountain Crossings and resupply for the rest of the trip. No need in carrying a ton of food from the start, especially if you don't have to. MTX is a great place to resupply, has fair prices and a pretty good selection of chow.
and your wallet...:rolleyes:
Thanks for the continual advice, i was looking at an Alps mountaneering Zion pack on REI its a 64 Liter external frame pack for only $80.00 anyone had experience with this pack? I am a college student so im trying so save where i can.
That's a good price on a decent pack. Fill it up good and walk around with it as much you can, and REI makes it easy to return and get something else, even if its after your December trip.
Blissful
10-01-2010, 16:29
I'd think a 20 degree bag will be cold in Dec, esp coming from FL. I'd go with a 10-15 degree personally
And if you want lightweight gear, its gonna be heavy.
You'll eat a ton more food when its cold. Recommend you rethink resupplying more frequently. 5-7 days of food, unconditioned, in the GA mtns is tough going.
I was thinking that i could make it through georgia in 5-7 days but this may be unrealistic... oponions?? Ive been hiking 10 miles with a 40 lb pack every saturday and sunday(and feel fine after) to help prepare and i plan on increasing my milage to 15 miles a day in the next month to help prepare. Im a pretty athletic guy 6' 225 pretty solid build, I run 3 days a week aswell as my hiking and lifting weights. I understand that florida is completly flat lol but i was thinking between 12-15 miles a day am I setting myself up for failure?
To each their own/hike your own hike, but you'll be lightening up your pack quite a bit by resupplying at Mountain Crossings. Start out with 3 days food, get to Mountain Crossings and resupply for the rest of the trip. No need in carrying a ton of food from the start, especially if you don't have to. MTX is a great place to resupply, has fair prices and a pretty good selection of chow.
Hooch speaks the truth!!!!!!!
greentick
10-01-2010, 17:44
What part of FL are you from?
I live just across the border in GA now, exit 6 on I-95, and it is flat (not sure if we have even a single contour line here). Having good cardio and being young will definately make your trip better in general but there is a huge difference between hiking on flat ground and the mountains. It is almost one of those things you need to experience to fully understand.
If you are building a kit from scratch and are on a budget I would suggest hitting a military surplus store for some of your clothing needs. A set of midweight polypro and field jacket liner (and maybe the pants) will go a long way towards being comfortable if its cold and only set you back about $30. Not too heavy either. I think there is a "dirt-bag hiking" article here. Mags has a good article on his site as well. If you decide to keep hiking you can replace stuff piecemeal, takes some of the ouch out.
Get zip off pants. If it's above freezing and not raining I like hiking in shorts. YMMV. It might be sub freezing when you start moving in the AM and you start with the poly-p under your zip-offs. As it warms up, you can take the pants down easy without forcing an entire wardrobe change.
Second what hooch said regarding your food. Use MtnXings. Hey you gotta stop in anyhow. You can always send a food drop there if you are particular.
Warning: you will probably become addicted to the mountains. Just sayin.
I live about a hour south of tampa in sarasota, im already addicted to hiking around here im sure the mountians are going to be amazing. I went to bass pro shop today and got some good cold weather gear on sale columbia hiking pants that wich away moisture for $10! I also tried on a Kelty slider 65 internal frame pack and let me say... soooooo comfortable it felt amazing! i found it online on sale for 145$ only con i can see is that it weighs almost 6lbs... anyone use this pack before?
I have a buddy that has the REI Flash 50. He is really happy with his...
Wise Old Owl
10-02-2010, 23:56
lol...western mountaineering!!
go easy .... explain your opinion.
or pants, I love my Columbia Silver Ridge Convertible Pants. Right off the bat though for me was how did they fit? These fit better than any others I tried on, and the price was the lowest of them all. Here is a review I wrote up on them:
http://stick13.wordpress.com/clothing/pants/columbia-silver-ridge-convertible-pants/
I would reccomend you checking out the REI Flash 65 if you want something around that size. Heard good things about them, and they are not as pricey as some of the other well known packs. Plus, at REI, I hear they have a pretty good return policy...
I use a Kelty Red Cloud 5600. Plenty big enough. Good overall pack, good quality, good price, rugged and durable, but also a little heavy. 5 lbs 10 oz... Here is a review I submitted on mine:
http://stick13.wordpress.com/gear/my-current-gear/backpack/kelty-red-cloud-5600/
I would also suggest checking out Campmor if you haven't already. They have really good affordable Campmor brand items. From fleeces to sleeping bags. For long underwear bottom and tops check out the Terramar items at Campmor. Affordable and nice quality.
Have fun!
"go easy .... explain your opinion."
no explanation needed if you read post N 2
Franco