Feedback on In-Progress Gear List for 2013

[nickamante]

Hey everyone! I've recently decided to attempt a thru-hike in 2013 and in my excitement I've been reading over articles and forum posts trying to flesh out a gear list. I'd really appreciate it if you guys could give me a bit of feedback on what I've got so far, including personal experiences with anything I've listed or alternate gear suggestions. I'm aiming for light and practical; I know some of my choices aren't the lightest option, and I'm ok with not falling officially into the 'ultra-light' category, so long as I've done my homework on other options.

I've created a spreadsheet which lists all of the gear I'm considering for each category. I'm sure half the formatting will only ever make sense to me, but basically unless otherwise noted I'm only considering one item from each category. Gear I own is in green, gear I'm considering is in yellow (and bold if I'm pretty confident about it), and other items are listed for comparison.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AoM1X-iCj-HxdG5MS1hNSWliWGtEM2lHaktMN2MxV1E

Thanks in advance!

[Drybones]

Gear I used that I was satisfied with:

Tent- Tarptent Notch, 26 Oz
Water purification - bleach in a 1 oz Clear eyes bottle, enough to carry me to ME...3 drops/24 oz bottle
Jacket - Marmot Zeus, tried several others before finding one that fit well, $112
Pack - Granite Gear Crown 60, love it!
Ground cloth - cant beat tyvek.
Water bottle - 24 oz Smartwater bottle
Stove/pot - homemade, 24 oz Foster beer can for pot, bottom section of aerosol can for stove. Stove/pot/screen 3 oz.
Rain gear - UL poncho, 9.6 oz
Underwear - Exofficio
Camp shoe - Nike Solarsoft slides treated with seam sealer to repel water...I will most likely use trail runners and no camp shoes next time out.

Enjoy the journey!

[RED-DOG]

I thru-hiked three times and this is the gear i used this year.
Tent- Mormot EOS 1 person with Tyvek ground sheet.
Mountain Hardwear Dissimer 46 Back Pack ( Dissimer might be spelled wrong ).
Mountain Hardwear Lamina 35 Sleeping Bag ( Kept it the entire trip ).
Katahdin Hiker-Pro water filter.
2, 32oz Gatoride Bottles.
North face light weight rain jacket / Pants.
capoline 3 Thermals top and bottom.
Pocket Rocket stove with 2, 4oz cannisters.( I was able to find the Cannisters with no problem on trail).
Bic lighter.
North Face Midweight Fleece.
North Face Fleece Gloves with Beenie.
3 Pair Smart Wool socks.
2 Pair Polyester T-Shirts.
Columbia Synthetic Long Pants.( 1 Pair ).
Duct Tape for blister treatment.
A very Small First Aid kit.
6 Days of food ( at every Resupply ).
1 Pair of Scarpa Ridge Runners.
25-30lbs 0f gear.
And on my 06 Thru-Hike i basically used the same gear Except i used a Kelty Tornado 32 Pack and a 10' by 10' light weight Etowa Tarp ( the tarp was'nt any good in rain or in the Hoards of Bugs go with tent that has bug netting.
and in 96 i basically used any thing i could get my hands on but on all three of my Thru's my pack never weighed more than 30lbs.

[RED-DOG]

Bro i appoligize my spelling is bad but i went and got my pack out and looked its spelled ( Mountain Hardwear " Direttissima " 46 and its a 2800 cu in) and it is absolutly the most comfortable pack i have ever owned but its a little costly at 250 dollars

[Moose2001]

I see you're doing the same thing that all of us do....trying to decide which selection works best for you. By the way...nice spreadsheet with all your choices. My feedback would be (1) on pack selection, it's not all about the weight of the pack. IMHO, fit is the bigger issue. You can have a light pack but if it doesn't fit you right or you're carrying too much weight in it, you'll be miserable. Make sure it fits you well and all your stuff fits inside. (2) Sleeping bag - you've got some good ones listed. I'm partial toward Western Mountaineering bags. I've got over 8000 hiking miles and three trans-am bike trips on my Ultralite. Wouldn't trade it for all the world. My second choice would be one of the Marmots. (3) Looks like you've got a good handle on clothes except, you don't need town clothes. Just extra weight. If you need something to wear while doing laundry, put your rain gear on. Another good reason for rain pants! Everything should have more than one use!

Enjoy your trip.

[Deacon]

Regarding packs, you have a good range in which to choose from. Consider adding to your pack list one of the Z-Pack packs. They are expensive but are half the weight of any you already have listed.

Rain pants - consider replacing those with a 1.4 oz. Cuben rain kilt. Much cooler and easy to put on and take off. Dont have to pull over your muddy shoes.

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[Bucho]

Looks like you've done your homework the biggest thing that I can add is that I doubt you'll need that much summer bag. This was the sort of thing I used: http://www.rei.com/product/830841/lafuma-manor-extreme-600-45-sleeping-bag-2012-special-buy ($50). For a while I was hiking with a girl who just had a spiderman blanket she picked up at good will. It really doesn't take much. You could either spend less money or less weight on your summer sleeping option.

[Don H]

I see you have listed for a pack the Granite Gear AC60. I used the GG Nimbus Ozone, theAC60s predecessor. It has well over 3,000 miles on it and is still going strong. I have not had frame crack issues, nor have I heard of any. I don't see any reason why that pack wouldn't work for you.
I just bought a GG VC60 but haven't tried it yet.
I also have a ULA Circuit which my son uses. I didn't like the minimal padding on the shoulder straps.
I'm a big fan of the Mont Bell UL Spiral bags, I own a 3 and 5. Used them both on my thru along with a silk liner.
I recommend the Pat. Down sweater.
You only need 1 bandana.
Recommend the AT Guide, NOBO edition, unbound. Carry sections as needed.
Dump the cathole trowel, carry the nail clippers.
Dump the pack towel or cut a sham wow down to 1/4 size.
You won't need an umbrella if you're using rain gear.

My biggest concern was over choosing what clothes to take. I settled on this and it worked well for me starting on March 13.
3 Smartwool socks (1 for sleeping)
2 pr. Exofficio boxer briefs
1 North Face Paramount Convertable pants
1 synthetic T shirt
1 Smartwool long sleeve mid-weight
1 set Patagonia Capaline mid weight tops and bottoms. (for sleeping)
1 Patagonia Down Sweater
1 set DriDucks rain gear
1 pr light gloves
1 knit hat, wool
1 ball cap

[yellowsirocco]

Since you don't already own the rain coat I am going to recommend the Packa, it is really the only thing that actually works and has a built in pack cover to boot. On the rain pants side of things just use a rain skirt, it is a heck of a lot easier to put on and you won't get sweaty. With a packa and rain wrap you get good coverage with good ventilation.

Also Return the Lamina and just use the Hummingbird. I mean it weighs less, so what if it is too warm you can always unzip and use it as a quilt. When it gets real actual summer you can just use a liner and skip the not really that cold sleeping bag.

Ditch the blow up pad and use ccf. It weighs less and is a lot more reliable. You are young, you don't need a blow up pad.

Headlamp I like the Petzl E+ lite. It is less than half the weight of what you have now.

[Don H]

You don't say when you're leaving but if it's April or earlier you'll want a rain jacket to keep the warmth in. I don't think it would be much fun in a poncho crossing a wind swept bald in the snow. And when you're up north it's even more important.

I used a Neo and it held up well. You just need to be careful with it. No worries with leaks with a foam pad but the Neo is far more comfortable.

[nickamante]

Thanks so much for the advice everyone... lots of stuff to consider... but I have to say that Packa is an awesome idea! I'm definitely putting it on my list!

[nickamante]

You don't say when you're leaving but if it's April or earlier you'll want a rain jacket to keep the warmth in.

I'll probably be leaving Early March, so warmth is a consideration. I'm thinking that from the look of the Packa I should be ok with the Patagonia Down Jacket for warmth and can just pull the packa over it for rain or snow.

[Deacon]

Thanks so much for the advice everyone... lots of stuff to consider... but I have to say that Packa is an awesome idea! I'm definitely putting it on my list!

I own an eVent Packa. Strangely, it's not listed on Cedartree's site. It is nice, but keep in mind it is also the heaviest rain gear you can buy, 17 oz.

I've decided the weight is too much to carry, especially since you'll use it so seldom.


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[Don H]

You probably won't want to hike in the down jacket.

[nickamante]

You probably won't want to hike in the down jacket.

Yah I was thinking more when stopped or dealing with extreme cold/wind

[Don H]

Looks like for upper body clothes you have a light wool short sleeve T shirt, a thermal top and a down jacket.

What's your clothing plan for hiking during cold windy days? (and you'll get plenty of them!)