View Full Version : Attemping NOBO Thru Hike in 2014 (Gaer, Conditioning)
lebowhunter14
09-08-2013, 21:19
I was just wondering if any of you with a good bit of experience can point me in the right direction on good, light-weight gear?
Also, what are some things i can do to get myself physically prepared for the hike?
Thanks!
Do you have any gear already? Do you want to replace everything? How light do you want to go? And how much are you willing to spend? Are you willing to make some gear yourself? (An alcohol stove is pretty easy to make) If we know more about you. We can give better advice! :)
And as for training, the best way to train for something is to do that thing! So if you're able to do some long day or weekend hikes, that would be ideal.
lebowhunter14
09-08-2013, 22:59
Basically I'm looking for a decent sleeping bag and pad, cold weather clothing, and a durable tent.. I have pretty much everything else in mind as I've done some warm weather hiking/camping..
Thank you!
levibarry
09-09-2013, 00:54
Start by looking in forums, for sleeping gear, tents, and other on ideas on clothing. Look at packs last.
I have an Enlightment quilt RevX 20, exped pad reg size, BA Copper spur Ul1, and a ULA Catalyst for the big 4.
Everything else is/should be a personal choice. What works for one may not work for you. HYOH
levibarry
Heres some personal recommendations based on gear that I've used. My go to pack is my ULA CDT stripped down to 18oz. But my Granite Gear Crown V comes in a close 2nd. I perfer the suspension on it.
As for shelter I hammock camp most of the time and when I don't I use a Henry Shire Tarp Tent Notch which is 27oz but 9 times out of 10 I'll be in one of my hammocks. Hammock is a Darien UL from Dream Hammocks @ 13.8oz with suspension and I use a Hammock Gear Cuban fiber tarp with lines and TI hardwear that comes out to 6.7oz. Hammock and tarp total weight is 20.5oz or almost half a pound lighter than my tarp tent.
I switch between 2 UQs. Hammock Gear Phoniex 3/4 length that is rated 40 at 11.7oz while my -10 is around 21oz. For my sleeping bag I use a Hammock Gear Borrow 40 and a 0. The 40 comes in around 13oz and the 0 around 21oz. Way lighter than just about any sleeping bag on the market. I carry a Gassamer Gear Nitelite pad that weights 4.6oz that I use for my legs in colder weather, to structure my pack, and as a pad if I have to go to ground or decide I'd rather stay in a shelter. Needless to say my hammock set-up for my 3 season and 4 season is way lighter than my tarptent and 10x more comfortable.
If you plan on doing a bounce box this adds a lot more versatility in how you choose to use your systems. Not to mention you can have someone at home keep you packaged gear ready to send it to you when you need it and send what you don't need either ahead or back home.
For my clothing system I carry 2 outfits. My hiking and my sleeping. Hiking Railriders convertible pants. I like the convience of being able to have pants that can be used for shorts or pants when needed. I rarely hike with the leggs attached but its nice to know I have them if I need them. Golite sleveless moisture wicking shirt. Base layer Patagonia Capeliene 3 top and bottom to sleep in. Also helps to add extra warmth so I can take my TQ to lower temps. 2 pair of darn tough socks mid weight weight hickers. One pair of crew and the other is the shorter version. One to hike in and another to sleep in. Also I carry a pair of darn tough running no seem em socks for back up. For 1.2oz I like knowing I have another pair to keep my feet dry and as an added layer if it gets cold or I need something to help with friction.
1 pair of Exoficio boxer briefs. They are antibacterial so you can wear them a few days invetween washings if needed and can serve as double duty to swim in if your desperate. Usually if its really hot outside ill just sleep in those and no shirt.
Insalating layer I use a Mont Bell UL that serves as my jacket, extra layer if I need to take my TQ down to lower temps and as a pillow when I'm not wearing it. I also carry a Patagonia down shirt in colder temps for more versatility. Marmot Mica rain jacket for my outer shell and for rain gear along with a Zpacks Cuban rain kilt.
Mont Bell balaclava to wear and sleep in as needed and a black rock special edition down beanie which ill sleep in over my balaclava if temps get cold. For gloves I use Outdoor Research Versaliners. They have a fleece liner that can be warn and a shell liner that packs in the glove that can be used for wet and snowing conditions. I've also found that hand warmers fit perfect in the shell compartment which helps when temps get really cold.
As for shoes I've never been a fan of boots. They take forever to dry and weight almost twice as much as light weight trail runners. So I use Salomon Speedcross 3s with climashield. Best shoes IMO for backpacking. I dont carry camp shoes also beacuse my shoes are really light already, have speedlocks, and dry really fast. But a lot of people i hike with do. Some have come up with some creative ways of making them light like just taking a pair of shoe insoles and converting them into flip flops. Also make sure you take a pair of sunglasses which are great for protecting your eyes from gnats and the sun. I also consider a bandanna an invaluable piece of clothing and equipment. So many uses and light weight I never leave without taking two. One I keep inside my pack and the other around my head. Hope this helps and points you in the right direction. If you have any questions feel free to HMU.
As for conditioning two recommendations. The first was already stated which is do some hikes on the AT. There is no better training than the real deal. Weekend hikes and work your way into a few week long hikes if you can swing it. If not find a place that has a lot of stairs and put on a full pack and spend a few hours a day going up and down it. Also increasing your leg muscles doing leg presses. Believe it or not that's what I had my daughter do before I took her on her first section hike for two weeks. She was 10 years old and thanked me for preparing her before we hit the trail while we were on it. Within two weeks she put in over 350 miles carrying a 16lbs pack. There is no way she could have handeled it if she hadnt been prepared. I remember people telling me when they saw her that she was one of the youngest hikers they has seen on the AT. In the end strength will only carry you 25% of the way. Knowing what your up against, preparing accordingly, and willpower will get you the rest of the way. Also the longer your on the trail your body will naturally adjust and condition itself. I've met people who had no hiking experience and never trained that were putting in 5-6 miles a day when they started but gradualy moved up to 19+ miles.
Slo-go'en
09-09-2013, 10:14
Just do a lot of walking, doesn't have to be up and down hills or with a pack, although that helps if you can. If your at all over weight, try to slim down a bit before hand.
The "links" page has links to many outfitters who specialize in light weight gear. Hikelite has some good info on selecting gear on thier site.
Basically I'm looking for a decent sleeping bag and pad, cold weather clothing, and a durable tent.. I have pretty much everything else in mind as I've done some warm weather hiking/camping..
Thank you!
If you want a nice down sleeping bag, you can really drop some serious $$. If you can afford $350-400, you can get very good quality, very light bags. Here are some options in that category. (also both are made in the USA)
Western Mountaineering has a great reputation and I use their Ultralite myself
http://www.westernmountaineering.com/index.cfm?section=products
Feathered Friends
http://featheredfriends.com/sleeping-bags/sleeping-bags/three-season.html
For $150, you can get a similar down bag that weighs 1-2 lbs more. Kelty makes a 20 degree down bag called the Cosmic that you can find online for $120!!!
Sleeping pad, that's easy! You can just go to Walmart and get a blue foam pad from the camping section for less than $10. It will be lightweight and practically bomb proof. Some people don't like foam pads and want more cushioning, but you're a young guy so you should be fine. :)
For a tent, some popular lightweight brands are Tarptent, Six Moon Designs, and Mountain Laurel Designs.
http://tarptent.com/
http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/
http://mountainlaureldesigns.com/
Check out this list for a bunch more options, I just posted a few so you wouldn't be so overwhelmed!!
http://blackwoodspress.com/blog/12378/cottage-backpacking-gear-directory/
stranger
09-09-2013, 18:07
Gear is the easy part, so is getting fit... take a 2-3 day walk in the rain...that will give you an idea of the mental aspect of long-distance hiking
Cash. Lots of it. Don't leave home without it. Leave it in the bank. Withdraw as needed with a debit card.
Good luck!
Wayne
frogmonkey
09-12-2013, 21:13
Heres some personal recommendations based on gear that I've used. My go to pack is my ULA CDT stripped down to 18oz. But my Granite Gear Crown V comes in a close 2nd. I perfer the suspension on it.
As for shelter I hammock camp most of the time and when I don't I use a Henry Shire Tarp Tent Notch which is 27oz but 9 times out of 10 I'll be in one of my hammocks. Hammock is a Darien UL from Dream Hammocks @ 13.8oz with suspension and I use a Hammock Gear Cuban fiber tarp with lines and TI hardwear that comes out to 6.7oz. Hammock and tarp total weight is 20.5oz or almost half a pound lighter than my tarp tent.
I switch between 2 UQs. Hammock Gear Phoniex 3/4 length that is rated 40 at 11.7oz while my -10 is around 21oz. For my sleeping bag I use a Hammock Gear Borrow 40 and a 0. The 40 comes in around 13oz and the 0 around 21oz. Way lighter than just about any sleeping bag on the market. I carry a Gassamer Gear Nitelite pad that weights 4.6oz that I use for my legs in colder weather, to structure my pack, and as a pad if I have to go to ground or decide I'd rather stay in a shelter. Needless to say my hammock set-up for my 3 season and 4 season is way lighter than my tarptent and 10x more comfortable.
If you plan on doing a bounce box this adds a lot more versatility in how you choose to use your systems. Not to mention you can have someone at home keep you packaged gear ready to send it to you when you need it and send what you don't need either ahead or back home.
For my clothing system I carry 2 outfits. My hiking and my sleeping. Hiking Railriders convertible pants. I like the convience of being able to have pants that can be used for shorts or pants when needed. I rarely hike with the leggs attached but its nice to know I have them if I need them. Golite sleveless moisture wicking shirt. Base layer Patagonia Capeliene 3 top and bottom to sleep in. Also helps to add extra warmth so I can take my TQ to lower temps. 2 pair of darn tough socks mid weight weight hickers. One pair of crew and the other is the shorter version. One to hike in and another to sleep in. Also I carry a pair of darn tough running no seem em socks for back up. For 1.2oz I like knowing I have another pair to keep my feet dry and as an added layer if it gets cold or I need something to help with friction.
1 pair of Exoficio boxer briefs. They are antibacterial so you can wear them a few days invetween washings if needed and can serve as double duty to swim in if your desperate. Usually if its really hot outside ill just sleep in those and no shirt.
Insalating layer I use a Mont Bell UL that serves as my jacket, extra layer if I need to take my TQ down to lower temps and as a pillow when I'm not wearing it. I also carry a Patagonia down shirt in colder temps for more versatility. Marmot Mica rain jacket for my outer shell and for rain gear along with a Zpacks Cuban rain kilt.
Mont Bell balaclava to wear and sleep in as needed and a black rock special edition down beanie which ill sleep in over my balaclava if temps get cold. For gloves I use Outdoor Research Versaliners. They have a fleece liner that can be warn and a shell liner that packs in the glove that can be used for wet and snowing conditions. I've also found that hand warmers fit perfect in the shell compartment which helps when temps get really cold.
As for shoes I've never been a fan of boots. They take forever to dry and weight almost twice as much as light weight trail runners. So I use Salomon Speedcross 3s with climashield. Best shoes IMO for backpacking. I dont carry camp shoes also beacuse my shoes are really light already, have speedlocks, and dry really fast. But a lot of people i hike with do. Some have come up with some creative ways of making them light like just taking a pair of shoe insoles and converting them into flip flops. Also make sure you take a pair of sunglasses which are great for protecting your eyes from gnats and the sun. I also consider a bandanna an invaluable piece of clothing and equipment. So many uses and light weight I never leave without taking two. One I keep inside my pack and the other around my head. Hope this helps and points you in the right direction. If you have any questions feel free to HMU.
How do the Salomon's hold up in wet conditions? I'm going to be starting early next year and my biggest concern when it comes to footwear is cold, wet feet.
ChinMusic
09-12-2013, 21:24
Gear is the easy part, so is getting fit... take a 2-3 day walk in the rain...that will give you an idea of the mental aspect of long-distance hiking
This
Throw in some hot weather with mosquitoes for the full effect.
Basically I'm looking for a decent sleeping bag and pad, cold weather clothing, and a durable tent..
Sleeping Bag -- just get a 20*F or 15* F Western Mountaineering sleeping bag. Best brand you can buy if you don't have a slim budget. Note that when Western Mountaineering says "20*F" for their rating, it's actually good to that temperature for many people. Plus, the sleeping bags are made very well and hold up well to the rigors of an AT thru-hike. A slightly less expensive make/model would be to look at the Marmot Helium line of sleeping bag.
Sleeping Pad -- You'll likely work your way into a Ridgerest as an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker but in the beginning, if you haven't already been out hiking for weeks at a time while preparing for your AT thru-hike, you'll likely not be comfortable out of the gate with a Ridgerest. You could get a Neo-air sleeping pad (assuming cost is not a problem -- very comfy but not as rugged so you'll need to be careful with it) for the beginning of your thru-hike and then when you begin later thinkin' thru-hiker think, you'll likely begin looking at the Ridgerest to save weight. Once you get into Trail Shape (I'm guessing, probably by Damascus, VA or Waynesboro, VA for a northbounder) weight is not as much of a concern as it is in the beginning of an AT thru-hike when you're out of shape and traipsing up the rugged mountains of Georgia and North Carolina in the pouring rain all day long).
Cold Weather Clothing -- You may want to consider a man-made fiber insulating coat (Patagonia Puffball is what I used on my AT thru-hike) and then put a raincoat over that when it's raining as well as cold. The man-made insulation will continue to keep you warm when the coat gets wet from all the rain you'll experience on the AT and the condensation from wearing a raincoat over-top of the insulating coat. Note that when you're hiking, you'll likely be pretty warm even down as low as 40*F in a T-shirt -- carrying that backpack up hill and dale you'll remain relatively warm. It's when you stop (say, to talk to a pretty girl, admire a view, or both) that's when you get cold really fast.
Tent -- To save weight, consider carrying a tarp instead of a tent. If you must have a tent, look at Henry Shires' Tarptent models. Note that if you're an AT thru-hiker, you'll likely be sleeping in shelters for many nights in order to save time getting out the next morning when it's raining overnight and in the morning. The further north you go on your AT thru-hike, it's likely you'll be so acclimated to the Trail that you'll not need the AT shelters much and will prefer to sleep in your tarp or tent. In the beginning of your AT thru-hike though, there is great social camaraderie between AT thru-hikers in the shelters every night. On my AT thru-hike I used a Wanderlust Gear Nomad one-person tent which I found to be the perfect AT tent -- someone is currently making those Nomad model tents again so you might look for those tents as a choice in addition to using a tarp as a shelter (I used a tarp for much of my Pacific Crest Trail long-distance hike and got used to using a tarp there instead of having to have a tent).
Budget -- make sure you have at least $5,000 available to use for your AT thru-hike from the point where you leave your front door on the way to start your AT thru-hike until you return to your front door after your thru-hike. Also note that if you're a northbounder, you'll need half of your money still available when you reach Connecticut (the northeastern states are very expensive during an AT thru-hike).
Datto
I have extensive gear lists for U/L-lightweight , food lists and training program, PM me if interested............
stranger
09-15-2013, 10:12
Cash. Lots of it. Don't leave home without it. Leave it in the bank. Withdraw as needed with a debit card.
Good luck!
Wayne
Yup...can't hike without money, so many hikers start worrying about money very early into their hikes, bring a good amount, for me that would be around $5000, not including gear or transport.