Backpack base weight & gear list needing reviews

[Thruhiker2012]

So I've got 3 weeks til I start (March 17) my NOBO thru from Springer. After going through my pack numerous times, this is where I currently stand on gear. There are a few things I'm still deciding on whether to take or leave out, which are under optional. Also, please keep in mind I am taking a dog & plan to use shelters very little, so I have a 2-person tent & xtra sleeping pad for my dog. My base weight (without food & water) is 25.5 lbs. So I'm roughly estimating 4.4 lbs for water (2L resorvoir) & 8 lbs for food (4 day supply avg), bringing me to a total weight of 37.5 lbs starting the hike.

The Basics:
Backpack (Osprey Aura 62L)
Osprey Aura Packcover (for rain)
Tent (REI Quarter Dome)
Sleeping Bag (Marmot Angel Fire 15 degree down bag)
Sleeping Bag Liner (Sea to Summit--+ 14 degrees warmth to bag)
Sleeping pad (Therm-a-rest Prolite Plus Women's self-inflating pad)
Sleeping pad (Therm-a-rest Prolite XS/36in)-to insulate dog from ground

Food Preparation:
Jetboil Personal Cooking System & fuel canister
2x2 cut Scotch scrub pad (for cleaning it)
Collapsible spork
Salt/pepper dispenser (small)
Lighter
Collapsible dog food bowl

Water Purification:
Sawyer Bag to Bag Gravity Flow water purification system (includes filter & water reservoirs)
Potable Aqua water purification tablets (backup in case filter breaks)

Toiletries/Medicine:
Camp Suds or Dr Bronner's (2 oz multipurpose cleaner)
Toothpaste (travel size)
Toothbrush (collapsible)
Hand sanitizer (travel size)
Toilet paper (1/2 roll)
Tampons (10)
Sani Fem Freshette Urinary Director (hehe)
Wetwipes (10 wipe pk)
Hairbrush (small collapsible)
Carmex
Advil
Imodium
Moleskin

Clothes (extras carried in pack, not worn):
Balaclava
Gloves (Seirus Hyperlite All-Weather--light wind & waterproof gloves)
Smartwool socks-2 pr
Sockliners-1 pr
Sportsbra
Lightweight shorts/short-sleeve shirt (to sleep in and/or to wear doing laundry)
Long underwear-(REI Midweight Polartec Power Dry)
Long sleeve shirt (Smartwool Microweight Crew)
Pants (Royal Robbin Discovery)
Midlayer jacket (REI Revelcloud Jacket)
Outerlayer/rain jacket (Marmot Precip)
Handkerchief
Crocs (camp shoes)

Miscellaneous:
Headlamp (Petzl Tikka XP 2 LED)
AAA batteries (3)
550 cord (50 feet)
Leatherman multitool
Safety pins (lg)
Matches (backup to lighter in cold weather)
Duct tape (for everything :)
Journal/pen
Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker's Companion
Dog food/water bowl (collapsible)
Lg garbage bag
Gallon zip lock
2 quart-sized zip locks

Electronics:
Cell phone & charger (Motorola Electrify)
Digital Camera & charger (Fujifilm FinePix XP20 14.2 megapixel--water/shock/dust/freeze proof :D)

Optional (all but "Spot" counted in pack weight):
Eagle Creek neck wallet (to keep camera very accessible, so I don't get too tired/lazy to fish it out & take pics)
Fishing line/lg needle
Space blanket
Footprint (for tent)
Rain poncho
Kindle & charger (wifi 6" ink display)
Spot (personal GPS tracking device--not bought yet, but several people want me to take one)

Dog Gear (to be carried by Jada, my German Short-haired Pointer Mix):
REI Ultra Dog Pack
Wind/water resistant jacket (D-Fa Arma-Doggo Super Tough Activity Jacket)
Poop Bags

Looking for some suggestions and constructive criticism. And.....GO....let the bludgeoning begin. lol :sun

[TOMP]

Good list and you'll be ok to start as is I am sure but....if it was me this is what I would do:

SPOT- Do you want to bring it or do other people? Are these other people gonna carry it for you? If they wanted you to bring a gun would you bring that (both items are about equally useful (or useless) on the AT). You have a cell phone use that for emergencies.

Dog sleeping pad- I would only bring when it is cold out, and send home when it warms up. The ground is soft enough when its warm for pouchie.

Salt and Pepper dispensers- go to McDonalds, Burger King, Wendys or fast food of choice and get a handful of the pepper, salt, and maybe even ketchup packets. You can refill your supply this way to.

Leatherman- if its not a micro its not worth the weight.

Filter- Never used one before and I dont think I ever will. Plus too many people have said it isnt necessary for the AT for me to justify it.

Kindle- No dont bring, I just dont see you using it on a thru. Also it will probably breakdown from condensation on week 3.

TP roll- I would bring something else like napkins or tissues. Because a roll always gets wet from condensation and grows mold super quick. Last time I brought an actual TP roll I was only able to use half because of the mold issue. If a tissue gets wet/moldy you just dont use that one but if a roll gets moldy most of the roll is wasted.

Poop bags- are you gonna carry your poo? then why carry the dog's poo. Just bury them both and move it with a stick or flat rock. Just make the hole close to the poo site.

Crocs- I know people love thier crocs but its just too heavy for a camp shoe and not useable as a hiking shoe, so I would get a lighter camp shoe.

will your dog's nails rip your tent floor? or will he/she stay in the vestibule?

[swjohnsey]

So I've got 3 weeks til I start (March 17) my NOBO thru from Springer. After going through my pack numerous times, this is where I currently stand on gear. There are a few things I'm still deciding on whether to take or leave out, which are under optional. Also, please keep in mind I am taking a dog & plan to use shelters very little, so I have a 2-person tent & xtra sleeping pad for my dog. My base weight (without food & water) is 25.5 lbs. So I'm roughly estimating 4.4 lbs for water (2L resorvoir) & 8 lbs for food (4 day supply avg), bringing me to a total weight of 37.5 lbs starting the hike.

The Basics:
Backpack (Osprey Aura 62L)
Osprey Aura Packcover (for rain)
Tent (REI Quarter Dome)
Sleeping Bag (Marmot Angel Fire 15 degree down bag)
Sleeping Bag Liner (Sea to Summit--+ 14 degrees warmth to bag)
Sleeping pad (Therm-a-rest Prolite Plus Women's self-inflating pad)
Sleeping pad (Therm-a-rest Prolite XS/36in)-to insulate dog from ground

Food Preparation:
Jetboil Personal Cooking System & fuel canister
2x2 cut Scotch scrub pad (for cleaning it)
Collapsible spork
Salt/pepper dispenser (small)
Lighter
Collapsible dog food bowl

Water Purification:
Sawyer Bag to Bag Gravity Flow water purification system (includes filter & water reservoirs)
Potable Aqua water purification tablets (backup in case filter breaks)

Toiletries/Medicine:
Camp Suds or Dr Bronner's (2 oz multipurpose cleaner)
Toothpaste (travel size)
Toothbrush (collapsible)
Hand sanitizer (travel size)
Toilet paper (1/2 roll)
Tampons (10)
Sani Fem Freshette Urinary Director (hehe)
Wetwipes (10 wipe pk)
Hairbrush (small collapsible)
Carmex
Advil
Imodium
Moleskin

Clothes (extras carried in pack, not worn):
Balaclava
Gloves (Seirus Hyperlite All-Weather--light wind & waterproof gloves)
Smartwool socks-2 pr
Sockliners-1 pr
Sportsbra
Lightweight shorts/short-sleeve shirt (to sleep in and/or to wear doing laundry)
Long underwear-(REI Midweight Polartec Power Dry)
Long sleeve shirt (Smartwool Microweight Crew)
Pants (Royal Robbin Discovery)
Midlayer jacket (REI Revelcloud Jacket)
Outerlayer/rain jacket (Marmot Precip)
Handkerchief
Crocs (camp shoes)

Miscellaneous:
Headlamp (Petzl Tikka XP 2 LED)
AAA batteries (3)
550 cord (50 feet)
Leatherman multitool
Safety pins (lg)
Matches (backup to lighter in cold weather)
Duct tape (for everything :)
Journal/pen
Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker's Companion
Dog food/water bowl (collapsible)
Lg garbage bag
Gallon zip lock
2 quart-sized zip locks

Electronics:
Cell phone & charger (Motorola Electrify)
Digital Camera & charger (Fujifilm FinePix XP20 14.2 megapixel--water/shock/dust/freeze proof :D)

Optional (all but "Spot" counted in pack weight):
Eagle Creek neck wallet (to keep camera very accessible, so I don't get too tired/lazy to fish it out & take pics)
Fishing line/lg needle
Space blanket
Footprint (for tent)
Rain poncho
Kindle & charger (wifi 6" ink display)
Spot (personal GPS tracking device--not bought yet, but several people want me to take one)

Dog Gear (to be carried by Jada, my German Short-haired Pointer Mix):
REI Ultra Dog Pack
Wind/water resistant jacket (D-Fa Arma-Doggo Super Tough Activity Jacket)
Poop Bags

Looking for some suggestions and constructive criticism. And.....GO....let the bludgeoning begin. lol :sun

Ditch:
Bag liner
Sani Fem Freshette Urinary Director (hehe) Right up there with the bright orange pooper scoopers
550 cord (use something lighter like mason twine)
Leatherman
Space blanket
Foot print
Rain poncho
Crocs
Kindle
Spot


You probably don't need to carry more than a quart or so of water most places
I am a little dubious of you food weight. Two pounds/day is pretty conservative even without a dog.

[Thruhiker2012]

TOMP, thanks for the input. I probably will leave the SPOT & kindle (maybe to ship later if needed to fill time in camp? if needed) & good suggestion about salt & pepper, so I'll leave that too. Will be shipping dog pad home in warmer temps & possibly pup's rain jacket too (she's very short-haired, so I need to see how she acclimates to the elements). The leatherman is very micro (<1 oz). A couple of poop bags were just for towns in case she poops somewhere "inappropriately." A filter I can't live without :) I like the assurance of knowing my water is clean & clear (& I love the additional gravity flow bag in case I get to areas (further north) & need to pack extra water for filtration later) & the crocs I'm bringing because I already owned them & thought they'd be better than flops for walking up/down hills for water in camp? That could be something I swap out later if needed. Dogs Nails-I've hiked often with dogs in tents & have never had them puncture the bottom. Not saying they wont though. I do try to keep them short enough so they don't break while she hike's though too. Very good suggestions, thank you!

swjohnsey-i haven't backpacked "a lot" in rainy conditions (lots of backpacking experience tho). Without a bag liner, are the regular sil-nylon/compression sacks enough for preventing gear from getting soaked in major downpours? I have a down bag, so I am a little worried about it getting wet. Maybe I could just wrap it & clothes in extra garbage bag & leave backpack uncovered? Also, I do plan to carry only as much water as I think I'll need for a specific stretch. I just estimated 4.4 lbs as the max I will probably carry at one time. Food weight is just a general avg, & will probably fluctuate from town to town (based on how much nutella I choose to carry :)...mmmm. My dog will be carrying all of her own food. Thanks for your help too!

[Thruhiker2012]

Oh, and the Sani Fem Freshette Urinary Director is mostly for ****s and giggles; however, I thought it might be handy for the those "Peeing 1st thing in the morning moments" when it's raining or I'm freezing my butt off and don't wont to get out of my tent, I can just pee in a bottle like a man. lol. If nothing else, it's a good conversation piece :eek:

[swjohnsey]

No personal experience with the Freshette thingy although I did see a couple discarded along the trail. You probably need a drysack to store sleeping bag. You probably don't need a bag liner. Didn't think about the dog carrying his/her own food.

[4shot]

after looking at your list, it's clear that you have the gear to make it. If you have a pack cover and a garbage bag to line your pack with (or a waterproof compression sack) your sleeping bag will not get wet. The hard part is over (i.e the planning and worrying)! Now go and have fun. enjoy it and best wishes.It is an incredible journey.

[Thruhiker2012]

Thanks 4shot! I have been talking about doing this for 13 yrs & still can't believe it's gonna happen in only 3 wks! It's really hard to describe how nervous, giddy, excited I am right now!!! Cant wait to get started!!!

[TOMP]

Bring the pack liner, garbage bag, at less than an ounce you will never regret bringing it. Nothing to lose and a dryer pack is what you have to potentially gain. Plus you can make a temporary wind breaker, rain poncho, rain skirt, holds dirty clothes, and I always put my wet pack inside it after a day of rain hiking when its time to get into my solo tent. I dont like a wet pack as a spooning partner.

[Firefighter503]

List looks pretty good. All good suggestions above, so I won't add anything in that sense. I will say though, that if I was hiking this year, and ran into you with that SFFUD, that would be your trail name... :)

[swjohnsey]

How do you say that?

[Paisley1985]

You could switch the crocs to a pair of barefoot running shoes - like Merrels Trail Glove - the wiegh 4oz. lighter then crocs and better for your feet. I agree with ditching the gps and kindle. Otherwise I am basically going to copy and paste your list to a google doc and keep it around :) It looks very well thought out and I think it will help me a lot with my own planning :) For dog food are you using dry kibble or dehydrated? I also hike with my dog - currently stick to dry kibble but am thinking about switching to make the weight easier on the pup. Also - have you adjusted your first aid kit for the pooch?

[ScottP]

My hiking motto: "it takes a lot to kill you"
keep that in mind while reading my input

The Basics:
Backpack (Osprey Aura 62L) : way too big/heavy
Osprey Aura Packcover (for rain) : i've never found pack covers to be useful
Tent (REI Quarter Dome): way too big/heavy,
Sleeping Bag (Marmot Angel Fire 15 degree down bag): Good
Sleeping Bag Liner (Sea to Summit--+ 14 degrees warmth to bag): not needed, especially with a 15 degree bag.
Sleeping pad (Therm-a-rest Prolite Plus Women's self-inflating pad): OK. Maybe think about swapping for the short size
Sleeping pad (Therm-a-rest Prolite XS/36in)-to insulate dog from ground: not needed, or at least replace with a foam one.

Food Preparation:
Jetboil Personal Cooking System & fuel canister: silly piece of gear. Heavier by than a lightweight stove+pot
2x2 cut Scotch scrub pad (for cleaning it)
Collapsible spork
Salt/pepper dispenser (small): if you think you need it
Lighter
Collapsible dog food bowl: These things aren't as good as 'free' options. Heavier and more prone to growing mold/mildew. I use the bottom of 1L bulk yogurt containers. the bottom of 2L sodas (cut off) work great too

Water Purification:
Sawyer Bag to Bag Gravity Flow water purification system (includes filter & water reservoirs): not practical on a hike due to wait time, nor does much of the water on the AT need filtration. Leave this at home and just use the tablets if you feel like you need them
Potable Aqua water purification tablets (backup in case filter breaks)

Toiletries/Medicine:
Camp Suds or Dr Bronner's (2 oz multipurpose cleaner): leave this at home
Toothpaste (travel size)
Toothbrush (collapsible)
Hand sanitizer (travel size)
Toilet paper (1/2 roll)
Tampons (10)
Sani Fem Freshette Urinary Director (hehe): learn to squat and not carry something that'll be gross
Wetwipes (10 wipe pk)
Hairbrush (small collapsible)
Carmex
Advil
Imodium
Moleskin: useless. Duct tape is much better

Clothes (extras carried in pack, not worn): you can probably leave a lot of this stuff at home
Balaclava
Gloves (Seirus Hyperlite All-Weather--light wind & waterproof gloves)
Smartwool socks-2 pr
Sockliners-1 pr
Sportsbra
Lightweight shorts/short-sleeve shirt (to sleep in and/or to wear doing laundry)
Long underwear-(REI Midweight Polartec Power Dry)
Long sleeve shirt (Smartwool Microweight Crew)
Pants (Royal Robbin Discovery)
Midlayer jacket (REI Revelcloud Jacket)
Outerlayer/rain jacket (Marmot Precip)
Handkerchief
Crocs (camp shoes): if your hiking shoes are so uncomfortable that you don't want to even sit down while wearing them, then you need new hiking shoes

Miscellaneous:
Headlamp (Petzl Tikka XP 2 LED)
AAA batteries (3)
550 cord (50 feet)
Leatherman multitool: not useful
Safety pins (lg)
Matches (backup to lighter in cold weather)
Duct tape (for everything :)
Journal/pen
Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker's Companion
Dog food/water bowl (collapsible): see above
Lg garbage bag
Gallon zip lock
2 quart-sized zip locks

Electronics:
Cell phone & charger (Motorola Electrify)
Digital Camera & charger (Fujifilm FinePix XP20 14.2 megapixel--water/shock/dust/freeze proof :D)

Optional (all but "Spot" counted in pack weight): If it's optional do you want to carry it 2000 miles? no, leave it at home.
Eagle Creek neck wallet (to keep camera very accessible, so I don't get too tired/lazy to fish it out & take pics)
Fishing line/lg needle
Space blanket
Footprint (for tent)
Rain poncho
Kindle & charger (wifi 6" ink display)
Spot (personal GPS tracking device--not bought yet, but several people want me to take one)

Dog Gear (to be carried by Jada, my German Short-haired Pointer Mix):
REI Ultra Dog Pack
Wind/water resistant jacket (D-Fa Arma-Doggo Super Tough Activity Jacket)
Poop Bags

Looking for some suggestions and constructive criticism. And.....GO....let the bludgeoning begin. lol :sun

[Firefighter503]

How do you say that?

Like Elmer Fudd, but with an S in front of it.

[Thruhiker2012]

Hi Paisley, thanks for the idea about the Merrels Trail Glove. Never heard of them before, but have since seen them a few times mentioned on WB. For dogfood, I'm planning on just buying as I go, most likely Purina brand (or better brands if they have them). My cousin did 1600 mi of the AT last year and she said this brand is easily accessible at most resupply areas. Also discussed brands/amounts with vet & she said this brand would be adequate nutritionally, but would need to feed at least 6 cups per day for my 55 lb dog (and adjust if she looks like she gaining/losing). Calculated this as about 24 cups averaging 4 days between stops which totals 7 lbs weight my dog will have to carry (including pack). I have an appt on Mon to discuss first aid for pooch, so we'll see how it goes. We're thinking taking a few days supply of tramadol (like morphine) and remadyl (like an NSAID, but for dogs) mostly for pain management in case of injury & maybe a small stash of cling wrap for brace/pressure bandage. Haven't decided on this yet & is not included in pack weight.

[Drybones]

I will starting the AT about the same as you and have gone thru the same gear prep and questions. I'm not an old pro like some of the guys giving you input but the following are my comments:

The Basics:
Backpack (Osprey Aura 62L) - I bought the new Granite Gear Crown 60...weighs 2lb 2oz
Osprey Aura Packcover (for rain) - I have one but will not take
Tent (REI Quarter Dome) - I have this tent but it's too small for me and heavy...got a Tarptent Notch...weighs 29oz
Sleeping Bag (Marmot Angel Fire 15 degree down bag) - good bag, a little heavy...I added down to an REI Subkilo to get a reliable rating...2lb 2oz
Sleeping Bag Liner (Sea to Summit--+ 14 degrees warmth to bag) - do not need with a the bag you have
Sleeping pad (Therm-a-rest Prolite Plus Women's self-inflating pad) - ok
Sleeping pad (Therm-a-rest Prolite XS/36in)-to insulate dog from ground - what breed dog, may not be needed depending on hair. I use a fleece pull over for my doberman

Food Preparation:
Jetboil Personal Cooking System & fuel canister - too heavy for me, converted to a beer can and homemade stove that together weigh about an ounce
2x2 cut Scotch scrub pad (for cleaning it) - I put one in and took it out...dont plan on cooking anything in the pot that will not rinse out
Collapsible spork - I have one of these but got a long titanium spoon for durablity
Salt/pepper dispenser (small) - I'll start with a small bottle of Texas Pete and after that use whatever McD has.
Lighter - I also have a small number of waterproof matches
Collapsible dog food bowl

Water Purification:
Sawyer Bag to Bag Gravity Flow water purification system (includes filter & water reservoirs)
Potable Aqua water purification tablets (backup in case filter breaks) - I'll use Aquamira until its gone then use bleech

Toiletries/Medicine:
Camp Suds or Dr Bronner's (2 oz multipurpose cleaner)
Toothpaste (travel size)
Toothbrush (collapsible)
Hand sanitizer (travel size)
Toilet paper (1/2 roll)
Tampons (10)
Sani Fem Freshette Urinary Director (hehe)
Wetwipes (10 wipe pk)
Hairbrush (small collapsible)
Carmex
Advil
Imodium
Moleskin

Clothes (extras carried in pack, not worn):
Balaclava
Gloves (Seirus Hyperlite All-Weather--light wind & waterproof gloves)
Smartwool socks-2 pr
Sockliners-1 pr
Sportsbra
Lightweight shorts/short-sleeve shirt (to sleep in and/or to wear doing laundry)
Long underwear-(REI Midweight Polartec Power Dry)
Long sleeve shirt (Smartwool Microweight Crew)
Pants (Royal Robbin Discovery)
Midlayer jacket (REI Revelcloud Jacket)
Outerlayer/rain jacket (Marmot Precip) - rain jacket & pants were too heavy for me, I'll take a poncho that covers pack...weight 9.6 oz
Handkerchief
Crocs (camp shoes) - with a size 12 foot Crocs were too heavy, I'll use Nike slides to start but I'm guessing they'll be trashed within 2 weeks

Miscellaneous:
Headlamp (Petzl Tikka XP 2 LED)
AAA batteries (3)
550 cord (50 feet)
Leatherman multitool - nice but too heavy for me...1.8 oz pocket knife instead for me.
Safety pins (lg)
Matches (backup to lighter in cold weather)
Duct tape (for everything :)
Journal/pen - I got a small notebook and pen but doubt I'll carry the notebook...I'll use pages from the Companion to make grocery list
Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker's Companion - I cut this in half and will have the 2nd half mailed to Pearisburg with gear swap
Dog food/water bowl (collapsible)
Lg garbage bag
Gallon zip lock
2 quart-sized zip locks - I normall use freezer bags to cook in so I'll take extras. The freeze dried meals normally come as two servings so I split them and put in a zip freezer bag. They fit in your pack much easier also.

Electronics:
Cell phone & charger (Motorola Electrify) -
Digital Camera & charger (Fujifilm FinePix XP20 14.2 megapixel--water/shock/dust/freeze proof :D) - I got an extra battery rather than taking charger

Optional (all but "Spot" counted in pack weight):
Eagle Creek neck wallet (to keep camera very accessible, so I don't get too tired/lazy to fish it out & take pics)
Fishing line/lg needle
Space blanket
Footprint (for tent)
Rain poncho - looks like you've doubles up on rain gear?
Kindle & charger (wifi 6" ink display) - I bet this goes home quickly
Spot (personal GPS tracking device--not bought yet, but several people want me to take one) - my wife has been on my case to take a spot but I dont see it happening, its not like I'll be in the Weminuche Wilderness.

Dog Gear (to be carried by Jada, my German Short-haired Pointer Mix):
REI Ultra Dog Pack
Wind/water resistant jacket (D-Fa Arma-Doggo Super Tough Activity Jacket)
Poop Bags - dont even consider taking these...if a bear can crap in the woods so can Jada

FYI - what I have found works well for my little (108 lbs) 4-legged buddy Ruger is a fleece pull over I got at a thift store for pocket change. I cut a section of a cheap, very lightweight ground pad I got at Walmart to use as a pad...very light but bulky. He also has a childs sleeping bag for when it's really cold.

Hope to see you and Jada on the trail in a few weeks.

Happy trails!