Gear Info from my 2012 Thru

[rowan]

I'm going to be continuing to craft this, attempting to put it into an article, but for now here is some raw data on the gear I used and the food I ate on my thru-hike earlier this year. I'm hoping that as folks read this, they will feel open to ask questions and inspire me to get a bit more specific on what really worked for me and what didn't. It was a hell of a time-

Gear Used
Pack – Deuter ACT Zero 50+15
Tent – Tarptent Contrail
Poles – REI made by Komperdell
Bag – Campmor 20 Degree down, switched for La Fuma 60 degree synthetic at Trail Days
Sleeping Pad – Thermarest ProPlus, switched to Z-Light at Trail Days
Shoes – Started with Brooks Cascadia, switched to Montrail Mountain Massochist
Socks – Darn Toughs/Smartwool PHD midlength
Shorts – Synthetic thrift store shorts with side pockets
Shirt – Smartwool Microweight, replaced with Ibex Merino in Great Barrington, MA
Stove – Started with Snowpeak canister stove, switched to a home-made alcohol stove in NC, usually powered by HEET Yellow
Water Purification – started with aquamira, got tired of the wait time and switched to the Sawyer Squeeze filter. The white rubber gasket quickly dry-rotted, but I replaced it easily with a garden hose gasket from a hardware store for about 20 cents. Also, the Sawyer bags popped quickly but I replaced them w/ Platy bags, which fit when using the new gasket.

CLOTHING
I carried lightweight synthetic long-john bottoms, a mid-weight smartwool long sleeve, a microweight merino T-shirt, synthetic shorts, the REI revelcloud primaloft jacket, and a mountain hardware windblock fleece beanie. I carried two pair of socks, and would interchange daily. If my clothing got wet, and it was raining the next day, I would always put my wet clothing back on. This way I always had dry camp clothes at the end of the day.
FOOD
I typically carried around 3 days of food. My normal grocery run consisted of – a bag of bagels or English muffins, a block of good cheese (smoked gouda or gruyere keep for up to a week), an apple, a box of pop tarts, a box of oatmeal, pasta sides for dinner (my favorites were teriyaki noodles, chipotle rosa, broc and cheese macaroni, or annie’s white mac and cheese, and sometimes ramen), and cheese crackers for crunching up into my pasta sides (adds flavor and calories). I would also carry a small bottle of olive oil to beef up the calories of meals. I’d always try to go to the grocery with hiking buddies so that we could split the cost of a bottle of olive oil. I carried a small bottle of hot sauce as well. Everyone has different cravings, but I would usually pick up a half gallon of chocolate milk that I’d drink in the grocery parking lot too. Granola bars, power bars, etc. were really important too as I liked to munch as I hiked to keep my energy levels up. Those were the basics though, and I usually stayed hungry enough that I really didn’t tire of those foods. I would eat my oatmeal (3 or 4 packs at a time) cold in the mornings to save fuel, and I really got pretty used to it. My favorite flavor was maple brown sugar. I would eat a bagel sandwich with cheese and apple slices, and spicy mustard if I could snag a pack of it.

Please let me know if this info helps you in an upcoming thru-hike, and ask questions if you would like to know more. 'SONSHINE' 2012

[SCRUB HIKER]

I think it's good that you put this all in one place. I can see something like this--a lot of the basic information, succinctly put--being more useful to a potential thru-hiker than if he/she posted a question in a forum and got a few dozen conflicting and/or tangential responses. I can personally vouch for the accuracy of the food section--that's a perfect amalgamation of the diets of pretty much every single person I knew on the trail. I saw all of those strategies, including the half-gal of chocolate milk in the grocery store parking lot, employed consistently up and down the trail in 2011. If I wanted to create a few thru-hiker-setup archetypes, yours would be the Typical Young Guy.

[Cro-Mag]

Thanks for posting!

Great info on the Sawyer Squeeze. Did you find the need to back flush it or clean it often?

What did you use for a cook pot or did you use the freezer bag method?

Thanks again!

[Starchild]

How did your switch from the snowpeak stove to alcohol effect your cooking habits and food selection if at all?

Did you cook less, about the same or more after? If you cooking habits changed how did that effect your food selection? Also how did this switch effect your total time cooking and any frustrations with backcountry cooking with either method?

Thanks great idea posting this.

:)

[sgt easy]

Your food list has me salivating!!

[rowan]

Hey ya'll, glad to see there is some interest here and I am happy to answer. I forgot to mention my cook kit, which consisted of the snowpeak mini solo (.9L pot, small mug) and a trusty long-handled titanium spoon (perhaps my favorite piece of gear). Its great to always have your spoon handy (I clipped mine to my pack), that way its easy to access when a generous hiker offers you a bite of their goodies! Inside my cook pot, I nestled my beercan stove, as well as a koozie I made out of reflectix that I scored in a hiker box.

As far as the stove switch, I really didn't change my cooking/eating habits up at all. Most of my food selection only required boiling water, and I found that my boil times w/ the alcohol stove were ALMOST as quick as w/ the snowpeak. That, of course, is dependent on the quality of your alcohol stove. I took an entire afternoon out of a TRIPLEZEROOOOO to construct mine, and that gave me the chance to test out different configurations and see what worked best. My main objective in switching stoves was to eliminate the guessing game of "should I buy more fuel for the next three days?" and more importantly, to quick throwing away those damned canisters. Its next to impossible to recycle those things, unless you run into a really responsible outfitter.

I forgot to mention, I would often bring a garlic clove and some broccoli/spinach/kale/etc w/ me into the backcountry. Sautee that garlic in a bit of olive oil, then add water, then add the pasta, then add the greens and let it chill in the koozie. Gotta get some real food somehow, and I found that a mix of real food and processed lightweight junk did me well. It was always nice to share a slice of red pepper with hungry hikers too. People eat total crap in the woods. I did too - but I would attempt to at least have SOMETHING with color with me at all times. And a hunny bun.

[rowan]

as far as the squeeze filter - I picked it up in PA, and flushed it ONCE between there and Maine... where I flushed it again right before heading into the 100mile. In my opinion, the need to flush the filter is WAY more dependent on the clarity of the water than it is on the actual amount of water. If you are only filtering out of clean streams/springs, you'll hardly ever need to flush. If you happen to have the need to filter out of a silty rushing torrent after a huge downpour, you're going to need to back flush pretty quick. I was risky and didn't pack my flushing syringe, and really lucked out by finding others that folks had ditched in hiker boxes. If hiking again, I would definitely carry the extra ounce in order to be able to flush when the need arose.

[Praha4]

thanx for sharing your list. what rain gear did you use on your hike?

[rowan]

I started with a marmot precip jacket (no pants), but found it to get sticky and wet after prolonged rain. In NC I switched out to a cheap set of frog toggs, and I would recommend. They are only 20 bucks, they are very simple and therefore very light weight. They kept me just as dry if not more dry than the precip, and I found them to be less "sticky" because of the fuzzy interior lining. I never once wore the rain pants in the rain, but I'd add them for extra insulation on cold nights and wore them when I was doing laundry in towns.

[cliffdiver]

What did your cold weather clothing consist of and when did you begin your thru?

[rowan]

I began my hike march 27, and my cold weather gear consisted of:

lightweight baselayer bottoms (marmot, picked them up cheap from Marshalls)
zipoff pants ($5 outlet sale)
lightweight smartwool T
midweight smartwool longsleeve (snagged from an REI outlet sale)
REI revelcloud, synthetic puffy coat
marmot precip rain jacket, later replaced by dryducks (the cheap, thinner kind)
cheap fleece balaclava
mnt hardware windbreaker beanie
thin, cheap, "mechanix" gloves, moreso for keeping my hands clean while collecting firewood than the actual warmth

Pretty sure that covers it... I would typically "freeball" hike, and had a pair of synthetic boxer briefs for sleeping in. Let me know if you have any questions on specifics or items that you are not sure about bringing/leaving at home. I really stayed fairly warm in this, but would sometimes be sleeping in all my clothes + my 20 degree bag. Its amazing how warm you stay while hiking, in pretty much any weather above 40 degrees I was hiking in shorts and a T.
-sonshine

[cliffdiver]

Yeah, I'm thinking on February 24th as my start day. I sleep pretty warm as it is, so I'm hoping I won't need to sleep in all my clothes. You didn't use a liner for your sleeping bag? The gloves concern me, cold hands did not bother you during the colder days?

I do have a question about knee problems. I have a bad knee and plan on wearing a brace,(possibly lugging a backup brace also) and wondered what if anything you noticed about knee issues on other hikers or yourself and the corrective actions taken.

Thanks again for posting this and replying. I look forward to your completed article.

[polechar]

Thanks for all the info rowen, How did you like your pack, I just checked it out and I like it but I didn't see any recommended max load numbers, How much were you fully loaded and how did the pack feel with that weight? My base weight is 26 lbs, heavy I know but I have a dog so that means more gear, do you think this pack can handle that and 6 days food? I have a EMS longtrail now and handles it fine but its 5lbs!

[rowan]

You'll be facing some colder conditions than I did with a February start. In fact, I didn't even see snow once during my thru. I would suggest some fleece gloves, a puffy coat w/ a hood if you're still in the market, and mid-weight baselayer bottoms. Not sure what your sleeping bag is - but as you know, keeping warm in the backcountry is all about versatile layers. You'd be wise to get out in the mountains and test out your cold-weather gear to make sure it stands up to the cold before embarking on your journey.

I'm young and blessed with the vitality that comes with it, and had no knee issues going into my hike or finishing it. There were plenty of folks who had issues, though. One girl in particular got her trail name "Roboticus" from the knee brace that she wore. She told me that she was facing such pain that before she got the knee brace, she considering dropping the hike altogether. Apparently it was very effective though, and she was able to continue hiking. I don't see much use in carrying a backup brace, those things seem to be pretty sturdy and if it were to fail, you wouldn't have too much trouble finding a replacement in a town. If you're using a specialized brace, maybe you could have one pre-packaged and ready to ship with someone that you trust on the home front.

Last thing I will say is that PREVENTION is the key when it comes to the knees... at times going into a town with a light pack (eaten all the food weight) many hikers are tempted to move quickly or even run down hills. Maaaan what a mistake that is. I had some minor knee issues after downhill speed hiking and swore it off early enough that I didn't have major problems, but in general, the impact that comes from downhills is the part you have to be concerned with. In the Whites especially, many of the STEEP downhills require you to almost jump from step to step, with a lot of impact going onto straight rock. My knees were not happy after that, and I did not zero in Gorham afterwards. This was a mistake, and I ended up double-zeroing in Andover to make up for it. The best advice I can give is to listen to your body, and good luck! I'm originally from Salisbury, so its cool to see another Piedmont NC'er hittin' the trail. Best of luck and don't hesitate to reply or shoot me a PM if you have any more questions.

[rowan]

Polechar - I loved my pack. The recommended max load is 45 lbs, but I would say you probably wouldn't want to carry more than 40 if you're looking for comfort. Personally I started out with a max load of about 32lbs, including food, but by the end I had my base weight down to about 17 lbs and wasn't carrying more than 27lbs fully loaded. The dueter was tough, comfortable, and versatile. The only other pack in the same class that I would look at is a Granite Gear, their "Crown 60" was a big hit with hikers this year and I had a bit of gear envy at the genius simplicity of it. The BLAZE 60 is also a great pack and would probably be better suited to heavier loads. I would say that the comfort of a pack is about 50% HOW MUCH you carry and about 50% HOW you carry it/load distribution. Personally, I would load my pack in this config:
sleeping bag at the bottom (no compression sack) with my clothes sack mashed on top, all in a trash contractor bag
food bag on top of that
cook set and ditty bag on top of my food bag
and I would carry snacks in my hip belt, side pocket, etc so that I didn't have to dig out my food bag mid-hiking

I would then have my tent (TT contrail), groundcloth (tyvek), and pack cover in the outside sleeve of the pack (kind of unique to the dueter), and my sleeping pad strapped to the outside. Worked like a charm.

[polechar]

why did you have those things on the outside? was it because of a room issue or is that just where you liked to put it?

[tjkenney67]

Great info!! Thanks....

[Capt Nat]

Mr. Rowan, Thanks for such an informative and interesting post. You've helped me and I'm sure many others. This, and the drama, are why I keep coming back to this site.

[cliffdiver]

Mr. Rowan, Thanks for such an informative and interesting post. You've helped me and I'm sure many others. This, and the drama, are why I keep coming back to this site.

There's drama on Whiteblaze? I had no idea...

[Mountain Mike]

Awesome to see a post on what worked & why/how.

[RCBear]

Good stuff! Thanks!

[10-K]

Yeah, I'm thinking on February 24th as my start day. I sleep pretty warm as it is, so I'm hoping I won't need to sleep in all my clothes. You didn't use a liner for your sleeping bag? The gloves concern me, cold hands did not bother you during the colder days?

I do have a question about knee problems. I have a bad knee and plan on wearing a brace,(possibly lugging a backup brace also) and wondered what if anything you noticed about knee issues on other hikers or yourself and the corrective actions taken.

Thanks again for posting this and replying. I look forward to your completed article.

Not my thread but if you start on February 24th without gloves..... well.. you're going go have some mighty cold hands. I particularly hate it when my hands are so cold my fingers won't work and there's no way to get them warm.

Grab you a pair of lightweight marino wool glove liners and a pair of OR PL-400 mittens - if you can afford it get some eVent mitten shells too. Mittens will keep your hands warmer much better than gloves.

Sorry Rowan - didn't mean to intrude. Nice list and congrats on your thru!

[Praha4]

Rowan, great choices.

I use the Deuter ACT Zero 50+15 backpack, great choice for a thru hike or any AT section hike. I've tried Gregory and Osprey packs before, and this Deuter pack is my favorite by far.

Second the motion on avoiding downhill runs/fastpacking... to avoid knee, leg or feet problems on the AT. I've gone thru 2 episodes of foot/leg injuries from doing that. As far as knee braces, the Cho-pat dual action knee brace is the best one on the market.

also second the motion on taking gloves for a Feb start date. If this winter continues to resemble the winter of 2009-10, it will be very cold, and more snow and ice are on the way thru March and early April on the east coast.

thanks for sharing your experiences.

[Chevy]

This helps me out a lot. Thank you.

One question. Why did you store your sleeping bag in your pack without the compression sack? Sorry if it is a stupid question.

[rowan]

In my opinion there is no need for a compression sack if you have a decent sleeping bag that naturally compresses...

Once you pile all your other belongings on top of your sleeping bag, it will compress into all the nooks and crannies of the bottom of your bag, rather than being a hard ball-shaped lump that doesn't effectively use that space. I actually talked with a couple backpackers from Europe (Holland and Germany to be specific) and they said that its the norm to forgo compression sacks where they came from. No one uses them, they just pack their backpacks logically and let gravity do the compression, saving a little weight while at it. It made logical sense and definitely worked for me.

[Chevy]

That makes a lot of sense and I will probably be doing that from now on. Thanks for the tip.