Cold weather gear for thru hike

[yotarunner77]

Thought I would ask yuins on here...I am looking for advice one what for winter gear and such I should take on my nobo thru hike in early march 2012. Right now I just use military surplus gear but it is too bulky and heavy to take along. I am a little overwhelmed with all the options out there and don't know where to start.....any ideas???

[Chummin' for Bear]

I can only tell you about my experiences. I have had good luck with a Smart Wool base layer, Montbell Thermawrap jacket, Western Mountaineering down vest, Marmot Precip rain jacket, booney rain hat, and balaclava for sleeping. This combination has a lot of flexibility and gets me down to about 10 degrees. If it gets colder than that, and it could be in early March, you will be in your sleeping bag. You could replace the down vest and Thermawrap with a single garment (down parka) but I like having the option of mixing and matching the layers as the temps dictate. I have only done about 300 miles of the AT, so you might get a different opinion from the thru hikers out there. Hope this helps. Good luck.

[swjohnsey]

Something like Marmot Precip for outer layer. It is waterproof/windproof and light/compact. Fleece watchcap and gloves. Fleece top, 1/4 zip 100 weight about 20 bucks from Lands End. Fleece pants, again 100 weight, a little harder to find.

You only need alot of cold weather gear where you aren't moving which is at the beginning and end of the day and for breaks.

Put everything on and you are comfortable into the twenties. You're really cold temps will be at night when you are in your bag and when you get up in the morning. Get up and get moving to warm up. A pair of down booties to sleep in are nice.

[Papa D]

You need a good (non-military) down bag - protected by a bombproof waterproof bag (Granite Gear or Sea to Summit) - you might want to double up with a trash bag too. You will also need a fleece or wool sweater, cap, long johns (non-cotton) and a good rain shell. This is the basic formula for keeping warm when its cold on the trail in March -May and again when you hit New Hampshire and S. Maine depending on when that happens (by then, you'll know what's up anyway). I don't see a high rate of success with people using military surplus stuff - (if Panzer sees this post, he'll disagree) - it's just not designed for backpacking in the modern sense. Look around (maybe on craigslist) for some used gear and keep checking out whiteblaze. You'll strike a balance between what you have and what is perhaps considered "ideal."

[Sensei]

I started on Feb. 20 and this is what I carried:

EMS Mountain Light 20-degree down bag
Merino Wool baselayer top and bottom (bottoms for sleeping only, the top was also my hiking shirt)
Montbell ex-light down vest
North Face primaloft jacket (this was a bit heavy but I already owned it)
balaclava
Dri-ducks rain jacket

This combination got me through the winter weather, but I wasn't always comfortable. I wished I had brought gloves on several occasions. Also, there were maybe three or four nights when I was not "comfortably warm" in my bag even with all my clothes on, but I survived and was able to sleep more or less.

One thing to consider: hiking in "puffy" insulators is not advisable because you will sweat them out. Most of the time your body heat will keep you warm while hiking (especially w/ a rain jacket), but on those really cold days I sure wish I had brought a micro fleece for some extra warmth while hiking. On a few of those days I was downright miserable.

I consider the balaclava ESSENTIAL and carry it on almost every trip. It is probably the most efficient piece of gear you can carry in terms of warmth-to-weight.

If I did it again next year, I would definitely carry gloves through the first week of April, I would have bought a 15-degree bag instead, and I would have traded my down vest for a microfleece.

[Ironbelly]

Some military surplus stuff is just fine to use, and I used plenty of it before i bought newer, lighter, and nicer gear. However, i still use some surplus stuff to this day. I do lots and lots of winter backpacking, and have found the following mil surplus gear perfectly fine for winter use. Heavyweight polypro top and bottom long johns(can get a set for like $6 at most surplus stores), Wool glove liners(less than $10 and amazing, beats the hell out of the dinky smartwool glove liners), ECWCS goretex parka and pants(awesome, prices vary widely but with a little patience you can find a set for under $100. These are tough as nails, and perfect for bushwhacking. These are my go to shells for winter), Poncho liner(around $20 and super warm for it's weight-20ishoz is memory serves, and has lots of uses), Poncho(mil-spec ponchos are very tough, though also a tad heavy at about 16oz, if your a fan of ponchos this one should deserve a good hard look, especially if you do any bushwhacking.) ECWCS goretex bivy (albeit heavier, it is once again very tough and is a very nice bivy for the price $30ish)

I am sure there are some other surplus items that are commonly used, but i can't think of any at the moment. If your on a budget then using surplus is perfectly fine, even though I am not on a budget i still use some of it because i value the durability of the gear(ecwcs stuff,poncho liner, and wool liners).

The surplus gear i would not really recommend is the military sleeping bags, including the newer modular sleep system. They are ok, but IMO your better off buying a quality bag.