What can i leave behind?

[tsommers]

I started my thru in mid march and got to rockfish gap before i had to hop off for two weeks (college graduation ceremony and my sister had a baby), so in the on-going quest to lighten my load around which is currently around 30lbs with 5 days of food, what can or should i leave out to be lighter? I am considering swapping out my 30 degree sleeping bag for my 55 degree, would i regret this as i head north? Also i want to ditch my gloves and cold weather hat, as i haven't worn them in the past 125 miles leading into rockfish gap. Another item that has gotten almost no use since Watauga Lake in Tenn is my long under wear/thermal base layer pants and LS t-shirt, any thoughts on ditching these too? I learned a lot about my pack and certain things i need/want and have already made changes to suit this new information, such as only one change of clothes and adding one more pair of socks. Any input and opinions on leaving these listed items at home is greatly appreciated.

Thanks WB

[Slo-go'en]

You already figured it out. What ever you haven't used in a while can go by-by. It's only going to get hotter before it gets colder, so a lighter bag and less clothes is okay. Depending on when you arrive in NH or Maine, you'll want your warm stuff back, but you can think about that when the time comes.

[HooKooDooKu]

If you ditch the thermal layer, I would suggest you keep the cold weather hat (I'm assuming toboggan or something similar). It doesn't add much weight... but it sure can add a lot of warmth (for its weight) if the nights turn a little chilly while you're still in the mountains.

Now my main hiking area is GSMNP, where many trails are at an elevation of 5,000' to 6,000'. So even in summer, I carry a toboggan. (Keep in mind, in a worst case scenario, like wet gear and wet you, temperatures in the fifties can still lead to hypothermia.)

[Patrickjd9]

You could probably swap the sleeping bag and get rid of either the long john shirt or the long sleeve t-shirt. Keep the t-shirt over the long john shirt only if the t-shirt is not cotton, though. I'd keep the long john pants and one of the long sleeve uppers to supplement the sleeping bag. You may need them with the light sleeping bag. Agree with HooKoo on keeping the hat.

You will need the heavier gear (including the gloves) back before the White Mountains in NH, but you'll have hundreds of miles of not carrying it before then.

[tsommers]

Thanks guys, thats the exact input i was looking for.

[jdc5294]

30 pounds fully loaded isn't horrible, not fantastic you're probably right around average for all the hikers out there.

[tsommers]

30 pounds fully loaded isn't horrible

Ill agree with this, i just reweighed my pack with 5 days food and i came in at 27.5 lbs. Im pleased with the new weight considering i usually only carry 3-4 days of food tops. Now i just have to get my graduation ceremony over with on saturday and get back on the trail ASAP. Sitting still is killing me.