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Dainon
02-15-2005, 14:23
I'm leaving from Amicalola on May 14 and will go as far north as I can in 31 days. I'm guessing Hot Springs or Erwin. That said, this will be my first long-distance hike and I'd appreciate any comments, criticisms, or suggestions that you may have. I put in the weight where I knew what it was.

Big Four
Shires Squall tarptent, with beak, netting, floor; less the front pole (approx. 34oz)
Osprey Aether 60 (3 lbs. 6oz)
ThermaZrest 3/4 (12oz)
Western Mountaineering 20-deg. Ultralight (1 lbs. 10oz)

Cooking stuff
Brasslite Turbo II F (1.4oz)
8-oz bottle for alcohol (1.5oz)
Antigravity gear pot cozy (1.3oz)
Windscreen (2.4oz)
1.3L Evernew Ti pot (5.8oz)
Polar Pur (2oz)
Para. cord, 40' (3oz)
Lexan spoon (0.2oz)
Bic lighter (0.8oz)
1 scrub pad
Dr. Bronners soap
2.4L Platypus (1.4oz)
Gatorade bottle
10X21 silnylon stuff sack (1.2oz)

Clothes(includes what I'll wear)
2 Underarmour underwear
2 pair SmartWool socks
2 pair sockliners
1 Underarmour longsleeve t-shirt
1 short sleeve shirt
1 pair convertible long pants
1 pair short pants
1 med. weight fleece
1 bandana
campshoes (undecided)
Vasque boots or Adidas trailrunners (undecided which)
FroggTogg raingear
8X18 silnylon sack

Misc. junk
Travel size toothbrush and paste
toilet paper
4oz waterless hand sanitizer
10 Advil, 10 Aleve, 4 pepto pills
mole skin patch
DEET
ear plugs (I don't wanna hear people snore)
small pack towel
disposable Kodak camera
single-edge razor blade
3" ultralight Buck knife (2.5oz)

Where/who am I
ATC maps from Springer to Erwin
appropriate pages from Wingfoot's book
Timex Expedition watch (with digital compass)
Petzel headlamp
notebook and Sharpie
Driver's license, credit card, ATM, phone card, insurance card, $50 cash

Entertainment
Sony CFD-SW755 Portable CD/Cassette/Radio Boombox with Detachable MegaBass Speakers and Shrill Tweeters (19 lbs. 9 oz). In case I meet any ladies who want to boogie.

hikerjohnd
02-15-2005, 14:32
Ditch everything but the radio - with you supplying the tunes - everyone else should supply the gear! :D

kncats
02-15-2005, 15:08
My 2 cents worth:
Scrub pad - ditch it. They're almost impossible to keep clean.
Liner Socks - I usually hear that liner socks are not desired with wool socks like SmartWool. My experience has been that when I wear liners with SmartWool I get blisters.
Campshoes - My wife and I both carry Crocs and love them. If you end up with the Vasque boots I'd say bring camp shoes. If you're wearing trailrunners a lot of people forego the campshoes. Personally, I still bring and wear them.
Convertible pants and shorts - Duplication?
Bandana - Make it two and skip the pack towel.
Disposable camera - Only one? Or are you planning on resupplying that?
Razor blade and Buck Knife? Why the duplication?
Sharpie - They don't write well on damp paper (as in sweaty or rained upon)
Entertainment - I didn't notice any CD's or cassettes to go with that. You can't always count on good radio reception in the mountains. How many spare "D" Cell batteries are you planning on carrying?


They may have just not been worthy of mentioning, but don't forget to add tent stakes, pack cover or liner, sleeping bag stuff sack and waterproof bag. I also like to add to my ATM/Credit card, phone card, etc. a list of emergency phone numbers. Both so you can remember who to call or if some one providing emergency services needs to contact some one they know who.

Looks like a good, well thought out list.

bulldog49
02-15-2005, 15:49
I wear liners with smart wool socks and have not had blister problems with that combunation.

I always take a pack towel, they are handy for more than just drying yourself off. If I have wet socks or a shirt I want to dry overnite, roll them up in the pack towel and place it under you head or feet while you sleep, will be dry by morning. If your tent floor get wet setting it up in a rainstorm, use it to dry it.

The Solemates
02-15-2005, 16:27
That sure is a lot of clothes for mid-May.

I would only take the items in red.

Clothes(includes what I'll wear)
2 Underarmour underwear
2 pair SmartWool socks
2 pair sockliners
1 Underarmour longsleeve t-shirt
1 short sleeve shirt
1 pair convertible long pants
1 pair short pants
1 med. weight fleece
1 bandana
campshoes (undecided)
Vasque boots or Adidas trailrunners (undecided which)
FroggTogg raingear
8X18 silnylon sack

BookBurner
02-15-2005, 17:09
Other than perhaps too much clothing (see The Solemmates comments), you have a great gear list! My only suggestion would be to shed some weight from the backpack itself. You gear is light enough that you could very easily get by with a much lighter, frameless backpack and I promise you, you would never notice a decline in comfort. In fact, shedding 2 plus pounds from your pack alone is only going to make the load feel that much better!

-- BookBurner

www.enlightenedthruhiker.com

MileMonster
02-15-2005, 17:27
Nice and light gear list. Personally, I'd ditch the pack towel, but you've explained that. I'd lose some of the clothes. I'd take 1 pr shorts, 1 ss shirt, and a thermal top and bottom (patagonia capilene, silkweight, lightweight or midweight). I wear the bottoms under shorts when I need pants. I'd ditch the fleece top/jacket for a lighter/more compressable top - Mont Bell Thermawrap or Patagonia Puffball Pullover. Mid may, You may wind up not needing the thicker layer at all. It might wind up being warm enough that you could use your thermal base under your frog toggs if it's cooler. Good list. You should be very comfortable carrying that.

Kerosene
02-15-2005, 18:22
I also wear liners (Fox River) with Smartwools. Since my feet sweat so much, I bring extra liners and change 2-3 times a day, ringing out my Smartwools (ugh!) during the change, which makes my feet think that they're a lot more comfy.

The Solemates
02-15-2005, 19:06
[QUOTE=BookBurner]Other than perhaps too much clothing (see The Solemmates comments), you have a great gear list! My only suggestion would be to shed some weight from the backpack itself. You gear is light enough that you could very easily get by with a much lighter, frameless backpack and I promise you, you would never notice a decline in comfort. In fact, shedding 2 plus pounds from your pack alone is only going to make the load feel that much better!

-- BookBurner

I second that. Id look at taking the GG Vapor Trail or perhaps the ULA P1. Of course Six Moons is selling their closeout 04 model Starlite for a nice price ($100). tough decisions.

I carried a Gregory Z Pack on my thru, but if I was starting in May (instead of Feb 1), I would go much lighter.

bulldog49
02-16-2005, 09:49
Solemate, would you recommend the Z-Pack? I'm thinking of getting either a GG Nimbus O-Zone or the Z. I want something that can comfortably carry around 35 lbs.

The Solemates
02-16-2005, 10:32
Solemate, would you recommend the Z-Pack? I'm thinking of getting either a GG Nimbus O-Zone or the Z. I want something that can comfortably carry around 35 lbs.

For 4 season hiking, absolutely. It is the best all-around pack Ive ever had. My load is usually around 30-35 lbs (winter), but it will carry up to 45lbs relatively comfortably. I own a size L, which is 3900 cu in. Ive never had a GG pack so I cannot comment on the Z-Pack compared to them.

However, for warmer weather camping, I would shave an extra 1-1.5lbs off and get a lighter pack. In fact, Im looking at getting either the GG Vapor Trail, ULA P1 or Six Moons Starlite. Leaning towards the Vapor Trail.

Dainon
02-16-2005, 10:54
Thanks for all the comments.

I agree 100% that the Osprey is too heavy, but I spent $190 for it, it's only been used for practice hikes, and I'm far too cheap to buy another. But that's the kind of decision that is made when a newbie goes to a gear store. If I knew then what I know now, I'd definitely get a Go-Lite or ULA or something similar.

I have a Leatherman Mirca and I don't really care for it, mainly because I'm used to carrying a standard knife with a 4" blade. I found an ultralight knife with a standard blade that weighs the same (2.5oz), so that's what I'm taking. But I'm adding a single-edge razor blade in case I need to trim moleskin or require something with an ultrasharp edge. A single-edge razor blade is almost too light to measure, so I don't mind the possible duplication.

I agree that my clothes list needs a bit of tweaking. Other than picking out what kind of shelter to use, oddly enough putting together a clothing list has been the most difficult. Maybe I'm a momma's boy, but I like the idea of having dry clothes to wear in the evening, thus some of the duplication.

And I'm really sick of spending money, so I'm pretty much not going to add anything.

Edited to say that I probably shouldn't complain on the amount I've spent. I got the tarptent on sale at $160; I bought my WM sleeping bag, used but in good shape, for $205; I got my ThermaZrest used for $15, and I got Leki Super Mal. used but in great shape for $55 (my knees are shot so the poles are a necessity and not a luxury for me).

Still, I'm sick of spending money and that's it for me for buying gear unless something breaks or wears out.

Frosty
02-16-2005, 11:02
Thanks for all the comments.

I agree 100% that the Osprey is too heavy, but I spent $190 for it, it's only been used for practice hikes, and I'm far too cheap to buy another. But that's the kind of decision that is made when a newbie goes to a gear store. If I knew then what I know now, I'd definitely get a Go-Lite or ULA or something similar.Dn't worry about it. Your pack is fine. It'll be lighter that the packs of a lot of people that finish.

There comes a point where agonizing over whether to carry a 1 ounce pack towel or a .5 ounce bandana just gets absurd.

For some the purpose of a hike is to get the pack as light as possible. Great. That isn't you or you'd already have bought the lightest, then dumped it when an even lighter pack hit the market. You've done a great job on you list. Your gear is good. Now it's up to your legs and your atttitude.

Good luck!

hungryhowie
02-16-2005, 11:58
Maybe I'm a momma's boy, but I like the idea of having dry clothes to wear in the evening, thus some of the duplication.

Mama's boy! :jump :clap :clap

Your starting list looks great! I agree with thinning the duplication in the clothing, but that's something I'd recommend you walk a while with before making any decisions.

I applaud you for buying used gear. Always feels good to save a little money, and thanks for helping conserve the planet. RECYCLE.

Have a GREAT hike.

-howie

The Weasel
02-16-2005, 13:04
Add a hat. Best (and lightest overall) is a military style 'boonie' hat. Remove cord. Spray with silicone - not to keep your hair dry, which is a waste of time in rain, but to keep it from quickly getting sodden with water (which, for such a hat, and I've tested it, honest, adds about 4 oz when soaked!).

Avoid the cutesey OR huge brim hat, to avoid being mistaken for Bill Bryson.

The Weasel

The Old Fhart
02-16-2005, 14:01
You have obviously put a lot of thought into your gear list and I'm sure that you will tweak it as you hike and you find things you don't need or add things you didn't imagine you needed.

One thing you didn't mention specifically but is obvious from your "entertainment" choice, is a sense of humor, even when it involves poking fun at yourself. I really believe humor is one of the key factors in a successful hike. Have a great hike.