View Full Version : Gear question: buy it now or...
I'm a complete newbie to the AT and to hiking and live in Germany.
Since I watched a TV program about the AT a few month ago I have a dream... I want to thruhike! Today I finished the final examinations of my apprenticeship as a bookseller and decided to start planning. A will not be able to start for the next about five or six years because my children are six and ten years old and I would not stand leaving them with their dad for half a year.
I do not have any piece of gear yet and therefore I would like to know wether it is wise to start buying gear now and complete the gear over the next years whenever I have money left or to just save the money and buy the gear just before the departure to have the newest, lightest things.
First option is a lot more fun... And I'm pretty sure I will get a hammock as a birthday present (was dreaming very loud with husband around). :banana
I hope my english isn't too bad - didn't practice since I left school.
Since your thru-hike is so far in advance, what I would do is purchase gear for hiking now in Germany. Then spend your holidays doing backpack trips in Germany. Let the future take care of itself.
88BlueGT
05-04-2011, 16:16
I wouldn't suggest buying gear now for a trip thats so far ahead. If you want to buy gear now that you can use while you are in Germany, than thats another story. I would get out there and see how you like backpacking first (assuming you have never been). It is like a dream to thru-hike but it can also be a nightmare for ALOT of people who don't really get a good feel for what its like.
Buy some gear now and go out, take a little adventure! A half of year with your husband watching the kids is a long time but I'm sure he can handle a few days :)
Also, your English is fantastic.
bulldog49
05-04-2011, 18:02
I'm a complete newbie to the AT and to hiking and live in Germany.
Since I watched a TV program about the AT a few month ago I have a dream... I want to thruhike! Today I finished the final examinations of my apprenticeship as a bookseller and decided to start planning. A will not be able to start for the next about five or six years because my children are six and ten years old and I would not stand leaving them with their dad for half a year.
I do not have any piece of gear yet and therefore I would like to know wether it is wise to start buying gear now and complete the gear over the next years whenever I have money left or to just save the money and buy the gear just before the departure to have the newest, lightest things.
First option is a lot more fun... And I'm pretty sure I will get a hammock as a birthday present (was dreaming very loud with husband around). :banana
I hope my english isn't too bad - didn't practice since I left school.
Your English is much better than my German. In fact it's better than the English of many Americans. :sun
Buy "test gear" to take on hikes in Germany: get some experience. In several years when you can hike the AT, re-purchase any gear you liked and replace any gear you didn't.
I don't suggest buying now either. Although I have pretty much all the gear I'd need for an extended hike, I'm always learning about new gear and wishing I had spent more time researching before I had bought the gear I have now. In some cases I've spent extra money to replace gear with better options. Your best bet is to continue to read whiteblaze and research/plan your trip. Make a gear wishlist which you can continually update until you finally are able to achieve your dream.
Good luck!
Khalidur
05-04-2011, 19:08
We have some pretty good trails in Europe.
e.g., http://www.via-alpina.org/
Might be helpful to buy some equipment and use them for hikes during the weekend/holidays until you're ready for a long hike.
I say buy it now, then do some backpacking around where you live to find what works for you. Sell the stuff that doesn't work and replace it with stuff that does. You can always tweak it later before your thru-hike.
Wait to purchase your gear. What it top of the line today will be at discount prices tomorrow, and what is available as top of the line then may be far superior to what is now. :)
Walkintom
05-04-2011, 21:17
It really depends on whether you intend to hike between now and then.
I would say buy some gear now and do some hiking close to home. You may find that you don't like hiking, in which case you will have saved yourself much grief later. You also may find that you DO like hiking and can enjoy your time doing it while developing some skills for later use on the thruhike.
Jonnycat
05-04-2011, 21:29
The best gear in the world pales in comparison to experience.
Buy what you can right now, and go on some trips. Extend those trips up to a week or two and you will have a good idea of what works for you.
Absolutely research gear and buy what you think you will need and then test it in the field. Keep what works for you and sell/replace what does not.
Corva, here's a couple good articles that appeared in Backpacker Magazine several years ago for you to read and perhaps print out for reference. I used both when I planned my AT thru hike. Ignore the pop-up screens if you get any.
Hiking an American Classic- The Appalachian Trail (http://www.backpacker.com/november_2008_american_classic_hiking_the_appalach ian_trail/destinations/12530)- This is a 10 page article with tons of great information about planning and what to expect in each section.
The Mountain Crossings Method (http://www.backpacker.com/november_08_pack_man_/articles/12659?page=4)- Really the only gear list you need for the AT. It's from Winton Porter, the famous pack guru. Tried and true. Tweak it for summer to reduce your weight even more.
I hope this is helpful. By the way, your English is just fine.
Cheers!
Trailbender
05-05-2011, 10:29
You can dirtbag(make your own) a lot of the gear you need hiking. I would buy a good tent, pack, and sleeping bag and dirtbag the rest. The more I have gone hiking, and doing gear research, the more I have found I can make myself or repair.
Winton is a great guy, but his gear list doesn't work at all for me. Everyone is gonna be different.
Thank you all for your advice!
it's amazing, how much a dream can change a life... Since I learned about the AT, I have developed strange attitudes: A lot more everyday walking, starting kayaking again after many,many years for fitness and outdoor experience, and surfing whiteblaze all night...
I now decided, that I buy/get gear for hiking in the nearer future in Germany and test things for the great adventure by just starting. Even in Germany there might be wilderness...
Beachcomber
05-05-2011, 14:45
Thank you all for your advice!
it's amazing, how much a dream can change a life... Since I learned about the AT, I have developed strange attitudes: A lot more everyday walking, starting kayaking again after many,many years for fitness and outdoor experience, and surfing whiteblaze all night...
I now decided, that I buy/get gear for hiking in the nearer future in Germany and test things for the great adventure by just starting. Even in Germany there might be wilderness...
There are some wonderful wilderness areas not far from you, in many ways like the Appalachians. I spent a few days in the Carpathians a couple of years ago, and the terrain reminded me of the mountains here. Lots of interesting trails, old military roads, etc., in the mountains of Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine.
skinewmexico
05-05-2011, 15:04
We have some pretty good trails in Europe.
e.g., http://www.via-alpina.org/
Might be helpful to buy some equipment and use them for hikes during the weekend/holidays until you're ready for a long hike.
I was going to say, I'd be hard pressed to come over and do the AT until I had done the Via Alpina. Looks epic. Might ruin you for the AT though.
http://www.backpacker.com/life_list_via_alpina/destinations/14224
Buffalo Skipper
05-05-2011, 15:37
Wow! Just checked out the Via Alpina site. That looks...wunderbar! What a way to find some warm up trails for the AT. Or for us yanks, what a way to experience the Alpina. I visited Bayern and Switzerland 25 years but I never had the opportunity to do anything more than day hike.
Good luck on your AT quest.
Bootstrap
05-05-2011, 16:04
I'd focus on hiking, backpacking, and camping, get the skills down, get in shape, get tough mentally, and don't worry as much about the gear.
Simple, cheap gear works fine. Look at the gear lists here and see what people are using, where it's worth paying a little more, where it doesn't matter. Don't go to Alles für Tramper and buy everything on the shelf.
I don't use most of the gear I bought when I first started out, and most of what I've replaced it with is cheaper than what I started with. My sleeping bag and backpack are more expensive, and I've added a hammock, almost everything else is simpler and cheaper. I now use a tarp instead of a tent. Instead of a fancy blow-up pad, I use a closed cell foam pad. I ditched the hiking boots and now use trail runners. I buy cheaper wool socks. I wear swim trunks with pockets instead of shorts. I don't carry the big fancy knife with fork and spoon, I carry a very simple knife and a lexan spoon. The compass I really use most of the time is a cheap-o Suunto that clips on my watch band. I no longer use the Whisperlite I bought at Alles für Tramper, I use a simple and cheap alcohol stove.
I now need a pot in a size I don't have. I might spring for a Titanium pot, but the cheaper grease pots are looking inviting, and so are the one liter aluminum IMUSA mugs.
And don't think of your equipment as an investment. You can buy equipment as you need it.
When you do come over to the States to hike, learn about poison ivy. It's a rude awakening ;->
Khalidur
05-06-2011, 00:18
I was going to say, I'd be hard pressed to come over and do the AT until I had done the Via Alpina. Looks epic. Might ruin you for the AT though.
http://www.backpacker.com/life_list_via_alpina/destinations/14224
Yeah, the infrastructure is supposed to be really good also. Have a look at the official website, you can tell it what sections you wanna hike and it'll create a pdf guidebook specific for your trip with all relevant info.
Rocketman
05-06-2011, 09:23
You might want to consider your family as a part of your backpacking team.
The first thought is would you and some or all of your family like to backpack?
What about "Car Camping" as a warmup or trial to answer the first question?
Eventually, there might be a decision that some or all of the family would participate in the hike, provided that there is a preliminary week or two long European hike that will serve as a filter -- including your own dream. Be good fun and conditioning/practice anyway.
There are probably a lot of wonderful old German and European sewing machines (all metal, study and make wonderful straight and zig-zag stitches for tents, tarps, packs, etc. Clothing may require stretch stitches or a serger) and the family, or parts of the family, could make some of their own gear, or modify gear commercially bought.
You have a long time before the trip, so you can make many mistakes and not upset the goal at all. You have lots of time to correct, modify and improve.
One way for a family group to hike together is to actually walk side by side. Another way is for the individuals to hike their own pace each day but you will meet at the next stop for dinner every evening/afternoon.
All, or a few, of the family may have an even greater life experience if it works out this way.
There could even be some school science projects that come out of the process of getting ready to hike.
Nutrition, lightweight foods, energetics of walking - climbing - hiking pole use ...., Mosquito avoidance, lightweight materials and lightweight designs, ....keeping warm when wet, ....
Please keep on dreaming.
Rocketman
05-06-2011, 09:34
There have been some excellent books written by people who have thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail. These mostly focus on the Experience of it, the people and conditions you meet, what you learn, what you think, why you did it ....... and so on.
There may be some in German, and there may be some on DVD's or CD's.
These may be a way to share your dream with family, or just for yourself.
Maybe you could even get funding or assistance from equipment manufacturers or tourist agencies or who knows where.
It's just a dream now. But dream big, not little.
I did the same thing 10 years ago, but I purchased a lot of gear, which I am selling now. Excellent gear that is still good today, but the new stuff is better and lighter.
So wait.
Keep dreaming, I did.
John
flemdawg1
05-13-2011, 11:57
Why wait to do the AT there's lots of great hiking there in Europe for you to try out. In fact you might find out that backpacking just isn't for you. And wouldn't you prefer to find out on a weekend trip close to home instead of a continent away and with a major life disruption in planning the trip, and thousands of $$ invested?