Hello all, this is my first post; been lurking the forums for a while but I just made an account

Background: I'm hoping to be able to do a SOBO next year (if I can convince the powers that be to let me take a year off from college ). I plan to average about 20 miles/day (I hike reasonably fast, and I can hike all day), so I'm looking at doing early July to late October (hopefully missing bug season in the NE ). While my main long-distance backpacking experience is limited to my trek at Philmont last year (trek 25, ~90 miles; Comanche Peak, Mt. Phillips, Tooth of Time), I have many years of experience 4-season camping in the midwest. That said, I'm looking for advice on gear specifically, and on doing the AT in general, being relatively new to all this.
Any and all criticism is welcome

Gear List (google spreadsheet):
http://bit.ly/1KSxmHk

Comments on the list:
  1. Marmot Cloudbreak 30 - warm enough/too warm for the whole trek? (It's really only good to upper 30s, being such a light synthetic bag)
  2. Spoon - is 9g too heavy?
  3. Bowl, Pot, Stove - what do you all recommend? (I'm a fairly good cook, so I'd like to try more than just freeze-dried stuff)
  4. Hydration - is 5L too much/too little capacity for the AT?
  5. Clothing - is a button-down outdoors shirt and a pair of nylon zip-offs appropriate everyday wear for the AT?
  6. Clothing - how warm of a jacket do you need? I just planned on a thin rayon fleece and a balaclava...
  7. Sleep shirt - I like to wear shorts and a t-shirt in my sleeping bag, any recommendations for a light, breathable, no-odor shirt?
  8. Contact Lenses - should I just suck it up and carry 4 boxes (3 pairs to a box, two weeks to a pair) or try to mail some ahead?
  9. Hand Sanitizer - what is typically available as resupply on the AT?
  10. Knife - is there anything in a comparable size/ability "class" of the Mora FireKnife that is lighter-weight? (before the argument starts, I want a real knife, not a little swiss-army knife, so don't argue about it)
  11. First-Aid Kit - what should I include? I'm well-trained in first-aid, if it matters...
  12. Phone Charger - is some sort of solar charger (or something to that effect) necessary for the AT, if I plan on taking some pictures with my phone?
  13. Compass - any recommendations on something large enough to use easily but not too heavy?
  14. Repair Kit - what do you include in a repair kit? Needle and thread, duct tape, etc.? Need advice.


Feel free to comment on anything else on the list, either