View Full Version : Two month gear check. Your input is appreciated.
This will be a NOBO hike beginning late April or early May.
Backpack
Ohm 2.0 (29oz)
Shelter
Warbonnet Black Bird DL 1.1 (28oz)
Warbonnet Superfly Tarp (19oz)
Warbonnet 20 degree Underquilt (12.5oz)
Warbonnet 20 degree Topquilt (19oz)
MSR Groundhog Stakes x 8 (4oz)
100ft Guyline (3oz?)
100ft Shock Cord (3oz?)
Kitchen
Titanium Snowpeak 0.7L Cup with Lid (4.5oz)
Aluminum Alpha Lite Long Spoon (1oz)
Venom Alcohol Stove (2oz)
Ultralight Knife (0.5oz)
Sawyer Squeeze Filter + bags (3oz)
Campsuds Soap (2oz)
32oz Gatorade bottle (2oz)
Mini bic lighter (1oz)
Clothing
Darn Tough Socks x 3 (6oz)
Synth Tee (5oz)
Synth Longsleeve shirt (8.5oz)
Synth Running Shorts (5.5oz)
Ex-Officio Boxer Briefs (4oz)
Terramar Silk pajama bottom (3oz)
Terramar Silk pajama top (2oz)
Rain Poncho (6oz)
Bandana x 2 (2oz)
JC Penney Down Puffer Jacket (9oz)
Hygiene First Aid
First aid kit (3oz)
Toilet Paper (4oz)
Purell (1oz)
Tic Twister Pro (1oz)
Electronics
Dollar store Tracphone (2oz)
Kindle Paperwhite (8 oz)
GoPro 3 Black, Case, Ultrapod, 2 extra Wasabi batteries, 2x64gb Memory Cards (9oz)
Petzl XP Core 2 rechargeable headlamp (3oz)
Joos Orange Solar Charger (24oz)
Digital Compass/barometer/altimiter/temperature (2oz)
Misc
A few Sea to Summit drysacks (down gear, food, bear bag), a stuffsac (clothes), Trash Compactor bag (liner), Leki poles (38oz).
This clocks in around 15lbs before food, fuel and water. I'd rather err on the side of bringing too much and having to mail stuff back. I'm not wed to any of this stuff: I hope I've made good selections but if not, I guess Walasi-Yi will get some business out of me. I plan on picking up a freezer bag cozy for cooking.
Any gaping holes?
Thanks for looking it over!
Odd Man Out
02-15-2013, 16:37
sun hat?....
sun hat?....
Excellent, I'll keep my eyes open for one.
I wouldnt worry about a sun hat, especially starting late april/early may. by that point the "green canopy" will be protecting you. Rarely if ever would you find yourself using that.
Which brings me to the solar charger, ditch it. if you want a backup charger check out something like the itorch. I just ordered one that weighs 4.8 oz and charges an iphone 3 times when fully charged.
Phone/kindle/ camera can be consolidated with a smartphone
warm hat/gloves for the first several weeks are necessary. at least til you get past the smokies.
Rock Lobster
02-16-2013, 13:40
When you get into Virginia and PA through NY, you may want to consider a pump filter. Water is often scarce for long stretches, and sometimes comes from muddy puddles. The Sawyer's not designed for that, or so say reviews I've read. I'll be taking the Sawyer from Maine to Vermont this year to try it out myself. I've used MSR pumps (Miniworks and Hyperflow) for most of my hikes, and there have been many times when I happily pumped away at questionable sources while others without pumps looked and passed. The alternative, of course, is to carry several liters of water at a time - but I'll take the one pound or half pound pump and camel up, thanks.
Which brings me to the solar charger, ditch it. if you want a backup charger check out something like the itorch. I just ordered one that weighs 4.8 oz and charges an iphone 3 times when fully charged.
If it doesn't prove itself, I'll be sending it home, no question. But I'm curious enough to know to lug the 24 ounces for a few days.
Phone/kindle/ camera can be consolidated with a smartphone
I concur but I don't want to sacrifice the quality for the convenience just yet. I'm a filmmaker, so I'm very picky when it comes to visual quality. But again, if I change my mind, the switch will be easy.
warm hat/gloves for the first several weeks are necessary. at least til you get past the smokies.
Good catch. I forgot to list my windstopper beanie and pair of glove liners.
I'll probably also add one or two more clothing items so I have something to wear while doing laundry.
When you get into Virginia and PA through NY, you may want to consider a pump filter. Water is often scarce for long stretches, and sometimes comes from muddy puddles. The Sawyer's not designed for that, or so say reviews I've read. I'll be taking the Sawyer from Maine to Vermont this year to try it out myself. I've used MSR pumps (Miniworks and Hyperflow) for most of my hikes, and there have been many times when I happily pumped away at questionable sources while others without pumps looked and passed. The alternative, of course, is to carry several liters of water at a time - but I'll take the one pound or half pound pump and camel up, thanks.
That's good to know. Would filtering through a bandana help the Sawyer with those muddy sources? Would aqua mira be more suitable?
Are you using the bags that came with the Sawyer filter? I've never used them personally, but there have been a LOT of complaints about these bags failing quickly. Most people seem to have switched to Evernew bags because they are more durable and the Sawyer filter fits them perfectly (not so for Platys). I do remember hearing recently that Sawyer is working to fix the problem.
Everyone I knew who brought a solar charger ditched it once the overhead canopy filled in. For the same reason, I never needed sunscreen, sunglasses or a hat before I got above treeline in NH and ME (and I'm a ginger, for what it's worth). I would personally feel uncomfortable with a rechargeable headlamp on a thru-hike unless I had a backup. Go w/ battery powered if you can.
Firefighter503
02-17-2013, 00:52
Overall a well thought out list. I would generally say go with the camera/phone combo as well, but now that I have a Hero3 I will definitely be taking it as well. How do you like the Ultrapod? Comparison with the Gorillapod (seems like the Gorillapod would be more versatile)? I was thinking of bringing a chestie, or putting a mount on my shoulder strap (I also have a GoScope which could be cool I guess). It helps that your base weight is fairly light. Enjoy your hike.
That's good to know. Would filtering through a bandana help the Sawyer with those muddy sources? Would aqua mira be more suitable?
Just scoop the water with your cookpot and put a bandana over whatever you're pouring the water into. No need to get a completely different filter for one section...
Overall a well thought out list. I would generally say go with the camera/phone combo as well, but now that I have a Hero3 I will definitely be taking it as well. How do you like the Ultrapod? Comparison with the Gorillapod (seems like the Gorillapod would be more versatile)?
The Ultrapod is great so far. Very lightweight, and the velcro strap means you can secure it to some odd surfaces. It's probably not as versatile as the gorillapod, but it's only 2 ounces, and it should be fine for timelapses and talking head stuff.
I was thinking of bringing a chestie, or putting a mount on my shoulder strap (I also have a GoScope which could be cool I guess).
One thing I do have to test out is securing the ultrapod to the end of my hiking pole. I will probably have to wrap something around the bottom of the pole to increase it's diameter and improve the velcro strap's grip. Or maybe I should just use velcro.
It helps that your base weight is fairly light. Enjoy your hike.
Thank you. One more thing I'm considering is drilling holes in the GoPro case near the microphone holes and then covering the holes with tape from the inside. I'd like to preserve some water resistance while being able to get audio.
TheYoungOne
02-19-2013, 17:43
I'm from PA, and I use the Sawyer just fine. If its bad in the summer, you can use a freezer bag, or a bandana to scoop up low hanging water. I do agree though that the bags are not long term reliable. They are Ok, but I would not trust them for a Thru hike. I would take one as a backup but I would use either a Evernew, a compatable knockoff bladder, or if you get stuck a soda bottle, a Dasani (which is bottled water made in a Pepsi plant) or Glaceau Smart Water bottle. I don't know why but most bottled water threads are not soda bottle compatable. I'm not like other AT hikers, I actually prefer a used 24oz Smart Water bottles over a Gatorade bottle. For me its more useful.
I would also dump the solar charger, not a lot of sun under the trees.
Have fun and good luck
I actually use a cheap knockoff of a Platypus softbottle. An easy way to tell if its compatable is bring a cap for a soda bottle, if it fits, it will work. I though some of the Platypus soft bottles were compatable, while some are not, so you may want to double check.
You will need pants to hike in once you get up to northern New England, by that time, (Sept/Oct), it is fall, and especially above treeline, it can get whicked cold, frosts at night and even snow are not uncommon. If you have someone at the home base to support, you can get them mailed to you, as it sounds like you won't really need them before then, starting when you are, unless it's a really rainy summer, then it might not be a bad idea, but you will need them by the end.
You will need pants to hike in once you get up to northern New England, by that time, (Sept/Oct), it is fall, and especially above treeline, it can get whicked cold, frosts at night and even snow are not uncommon. If you have someone at the home base to support, you can get them mailed to you, as it sounds like you won't really need them before then, starting when you are, unless it's a really rainy summer, then it might not be a bad idea, but you will need them by the end.
Yeah I assume I'll have to do a little bit of gear swapping by the time I reach NE.