Gear List~~looking for comments

[thepokerkid227]

I have started a gear list and so far have the essentials that I would like to take just looking for anyones .02. . .http://www.geargrams.com/list?id=4235

[4shot]

a pie chart?! seriously. no further comment other than, as is oftentimes said here, it's just walking. That pretty much sums it up. If you have food, shelter and clothing, regardless of how little or how much you can make it - if you set your mind to it. Best wishes.

[thepokerkid227]

Edit: wasnt too sure on the sleeping bag, since price really isnt a factor and I dont have a budget any lighter and better suggestions would be great

Also I dont know why there is a pie chart I am not concerned about that, thats how geargrams.com works im just asking for advice on my gear selection and weight so far

[Raul Perez]

Some open items you seem to be missing:

Cooking pot? Freezer Bag cooking?

camp clothes?

Stuff sacks, dry sacks, bag liner

rain gear?

med kit?

Misc items such as camera, notebook, headlamp, maps, guidebook, etc.

[thepokerkid227]

Some open items you seem to be missing:

Cooking pot? Freezer Bag cooking?

camp clothes?

Stuff sacks, dry sacks, bag liner

rain gear?

med kit?

Misc items such as camera, notebook, headlamp, maps, guidebook, etc.

Havent decided on clothing, cookware, utensils, stuff sacks, etc

[BigHodag]

By weighing your gear you're off to a good start at hiking a lighter pack.

Consider using a 1 liter Gatorade or water bottle versus the Nalgene as they're lighter and easily replaced along the trail.

Do you really need a heavy water filter versus Aqua Mira or iodine?

As you're still putting together your gear, you might check out Sgt Rock's dirtbag gear list (http://hikinghq.net/dirtbag.html) advice.

"Your pack weight is directly proportional to the sum of your fears."
- Warren Doyle, 9-time AT thru hiker

[4eyedbuzzard]

Tent footprint isn't really needed. They won't prevent a puncture most times, and the tent can be washed. (10 oz savings).
Water filter at 19.4 oz is very heavy. Try a cheap light cheesecloth filter with chlorine dioxide, a steripen at 4 oz, or much lighter filter (aqua mira/chlorine dioxide or steripen at 3 oz to 4oz saves a full pound).
Nalgene bottles are 7 oz each, 14oz total, gatorade bottles 1.8 oz ea, and a 2 liter platypus 3 oz (8 oz saved + double water capacity when needed).
Pillow not needed - use Dreamsack or similar nice stuff sack with clothing (4 oz saved).
That's 10+16+8+4 = 2 lbs 6 oz lighter.

Apply similar discipline to every single item in you pack. Do I need it or just want it? How badly? What is the convenience vs weight penalty? Does it serve dual purpose?

You may want to consider an alcohol stove as well, at least during the summer, and you can propbably switch out to a lighter sleeping bag, quilt, or fleece blanket during warm summer months in the mid-Atlantic.

Every single little thing adds up, and it's very easy to wind up carrying 5, 7, or even 10 pounds more than what is needed. That's a lot of extra weight to carry up and down every hill from GA to ME. Just MHO, YMMV, HYOH, etc.

[thepokerkid227]

Tent footprint isn't really needed. They won't prevent a puncture most times, and the tent can be washed. (10 oz savings).
Water filter at 19.4 oz is very heavy. Try a cheap light cheesecloth filter with chlorine dioxide, a steripen at 4 oz, or much lighter filter (aqua mira/chlorine dioxide or steripen at 3 oz to 4oz saves a full pound).
Nalgene bottles are 7 oz each, 14oz total, gatorade bottles 1.8 oz ea, and a 2 liter platypus 3 oz (8 oz saved + double water capacity when needed).
Pillow not needed - use Dreamsack or similar nice stuff sack with clothing (4 oz saved).
That's 10+16+8+4 = 2 lbs 6 oz lighter.

Apply similar discipline to every single item in you pack. Do I need it or just want it? How badly? What is the convenience vs weight penalty? Does it serve dual purpose?

You may want to consider an alcohol stove as well, at least during the summer, and you can propbably switch out to a lighter sleeping bag, quilt, or fleece blanket during warm summer months in the mid-Atlantic.

Every single little thing adds up, and it's very easy to wind up carrying 5, 7, or even 10 pounds more than what is needed. That's a lot of extra weight to carry up and down every hill from GA to ME. Just MHO, YMMV, HYOH, etc.

Will try and refine my list even further on a note with the nalgenes, they weigh 3.5 oz each I added both together

[4eyedbuzzard]

Will try and refine my list even further on a note with the nalgenes, they weigh 3.5 oz each I added both together
You must have the polyethylene version of the typical wide mouth bottles then. Sorry for confusion. When I hear nalgene I automatically think of the hard plastic bottles.

[Blissful]

I like to use Tyvek under my tent. Been glad I had it. I also like my pillow too. It was my luxury item. Using a stuff sack with clothes makes my head ache at night, but that's me. I look at it this way - if you don't sleep at night, you stumble and fall on your hike, you can't go on, does the miniscule weight of comfort matter that much then if you are off trail anyway? But then again,you're young you can probbly go without one. :) I cut weight in other areas. Like using Aqua Mira for my water, which I have used on two hikes and has worked well.

[ScottP]

nifty website

I'd:

ditch the filter
get a bigger pot that has a standard lid instead of one that doubles as a frying pan

gatorade bottles are better than those nalgene thingies, even the soft ones. they're cheap and lighter

if you don't have a budget for sleeping bags, check out these: http://www.nunatakusa.com (http://www.nunatakusa.com/) they're awesome

You'll need spare socks, a hat, and a rainjacket at a minimum. Probably want 1 warm layer

Are you cool with your base weight? around 15 pounds with clothing---it's =reasonable, but if you'd like you can go a lot lighter.

[Raul Perez]

Pokerkid,If you want some ideas on the other items you haven't decided on you can check out my blog in my sig I put my gearlist in a video series.

[gearfreak]

Tent footprint isn't really needed. They won't prevent a puncture most times, and the tent can be washed. (10 oz savings).

I've gone back and forth on this myself, but I do like being able to setup my BA Seedhouse in the rain with the footprint and fly, tossing the dry tent body under the fly and attaching it under cover. Worth the 4.5 oz.

[4eyedbuzzard]

I like to use Tyvek under my tent. Been glad I had it. I also like my pillow too. It was my luxury item. Using a stuff sack with clothes makes my head ache at night, but that's me. I look at it this way - if you don't sleep at night, you stumble and fall on your hike, you can't go on, does the miniscule weight of comfort matter that much then if you are off trail anyway? But then again,you're young you can probbly go without one. :) I cut weight in other areas. Like using Aqua Mira for my water, which I have used on two hikes and has worked well.


I've gone back and forth on this myself, but I do like being able to setup my BA Seedhouse in the rain with the footprint and fly, tossing the dry tent body under the fly and attaching it under cover. Worth the 4.5 oz.

Yeah, it's all a matter of personal choice, and we probably all carry some things other hikers wouldn't choose to. I carry a spoon and a fork. I like forks and hate sporks. Not a biggie. Sometimes I even carry a Black Diamond mini lantern and a 6 oz chair sleeve for my sleeping pad. Or a frying pan if I'm going to fish which is a different type of trip. But you have to limit yourself at some point on those "nice to have" items, which can be difficult., 'cause well, they're nice, and some gear is just really cool. It's good to lay it all out and second guess a lot of it, keeping in mind carrying all of it up and down them thar hills.

[mountain squid]

Your 'essentials' don't look too bad, except Nalgenes and water filter as already noted. WM bags are very good. Pay close attention to all the misc stuff you still have to add. That stuff can add weight very quickly. When are you starting?

See you on the trail,
mt squid

how to hike (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?73587-how-to-hike)

[lemon b]

Do not worry. Hike your hike and adjust as necessary for You.

[thepokerkid227]

You're 'essentials' don't look too bad, except Nalgenes and water filter as already noted. WM bags are very good. Pay close attention to all the misc stuff you still have to add. That stuff can add weight very quickly. When are you starting?

See you on the trail,
mt squid

how to hike (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?73587-how-to-hike)

Planning on the first week of March 2012

[MuddyWaters]

like others said, you are missing lots of gear that is weight. clothing and miscl stuff.

ditch the nalgenes, use emty 1L water bottles, 0.75 oz each. A 2L platypus holds 2.5L and weighs 1.25 oz.
ditch the water filter, use aqua mira for questionable water, nothing at all for good water (no camping or animals above it, comes out ground)
consider a shaped tarp/bivy instead of the easton tent. Half the weight and you can use the bivy in shelters to keep the mice off of you.
catalyst is a good pack, but if you go light enough you can use an even lighter pack like the circuit or mariposa or vapor trail
consider an alcohol stove. For 4-5 days at a time it will be lighter, and you can find fuel easier when needed at any gas station,etc.

[thepokerkid227]

like others said, you are missing lots of gear that is weight. clothing and miscl stuff.

ditch the nalgenes, use emty 1L water bottles, 0.75 oz each. A 2L platypus holds 2.5L and weighs 1.25 oz.
ditch the water filter, use aqua mira for questionable water, nothing at all for good water (no camping or animals above it, comes out ground)
consider a shaped tarp/bivy instead of the easton tent. Half the weight and you can use the bivy in shelters to keep the mice off of you.
catalyst is a good pack, but if you go light enough you can use an even lighter pack like the circuit or mariposa or vapor trail
consider an alcohol stove. For 4-5 days at a time it will be lighter, and you can find fuel easier when needed at any gas station,etc.

I want the security and comfort of a tent, I will probably go with the platypus bottles, and for the water I want to be filtering all of it just a personal thing I do not want to get sick so I will be filtering.

[Snowleopard]

If you don't already have a tent, a tarptent contrail is half the weight and cheaper. http://tarptent.com/contrail.html If you already have it, it looks like a good tent. A MYOG gravity filter using a sawyer filter would be lighter and cheaper.

Your list looks OK. Now, try it out while it's still summer. Then when it gets as cold in NJ as March in the Smokies, try it all out in your backyard. You'll have to figure out what clothing system works for you in the cold. Patagonia has a sale going on now; I just got a nanopuff pullover (light synthetic jacket) for $59.

[Snowleopard]

"If you already have it, it looks like a good tent." I meant to say that the Easton Kilo is a good tent also.

[MuddyWaters]

the water filter is the first thing many hikers ship home. It is 1 lb of weight. Filters are slow, they clog, they break, they freeze. Aqua Mira DROPS are the best chemical treatment, takes 15 minutes and is effective even against viruses, which most filters are not.

Sometimes you need to get water out of a very shallow trickle that your filter cannot even pick up. Just use a ziplock bag and pour into bottle and treat and be on way.

You can easily treat ALL your water if desired, so that sickness isnt issue. A weeks worth of Aqua Mira when repackaged in little bottles is about 1 ounce. But all water doesnt need to be treated. Clean water is generally coming from high up, there is no camping above it, no grazing livestock, doesnt come from lake outflow or stagnant water sources. Especially if you can trace a stream back to where it is coming out of the ground and its high up on mountain, its probably safe. Water that you will boil for cooking doesnt need to be treated either.