Most popular gear for AT Thruhike

[orthofingers]

What are your opinions based on posts here, YouTube videos, trail journals etc.

For instance, in my opinion, the Sawyer Squeeze (not the mini) is the most popular water treatment item. I know, some use Aqua Mira, some use bleach, some Potable Aqua and some use nothing but, again, I think the majority use the Sawyer.

What do you think is the most popular;

headlamp?
raingear?
stove? (Ugh! There's a million of 'em)
trekking poles?
tent?
hammock?
baselayers?
footwear?
cookpot?
sleeping bag?
puffy jacket?
anything I missed?

[colorado_rob]

My opinions are based not on YouTubes, forum posts or trail journals, but having hiked the entire AT in person.

I'll go with:

Osprey packs (I betcha maybe 50% of the packs on the AT are Osprey's)
Big Agnes tents (lots of other tents too, just seems like some form of BA tents are at least a plurality)

(two for two in CO companies!)

and Western Mountaineering sleeping bags.

Honorable mention to pretty much anything Zpacks makes, though because of their prices, this limits the amount of their items seen.

[orthofingers]

Good point . . . I should have added, "based on what you saw on the trail.".

[nsherry61]

This blog post and several links there-in provide some interesting and useful insight.

Of course, every survey runs into the issue of what question is being asked.
- If Osprey packs are the most popular, is one Osprey model the most popular, or is one ULA pack the most popular, while that one ULA pack isn't as popular as the top 3 Osprey packs combined? . . . the above survey does address that issue.
- If a snowpeak 700 is the most popular pot, is it the snowpeak line of pots in their various sizes that is most important/popular, or is it the 700 ml size, or is it a titanium vs. aluminum question?
- Finally, and obviously, most popular doesn't mean most loved, most appreciated, or best for the purpose. It just means the most people have been either educated or suckered into using the product of note.

[Sarcasm the elf]

This question comes up periodically. While it's an interesting discussion, it is important to remember that a great many thru hikers have little to no experience prior to attempting their hike. The lists of what is popular with thru hikers is often merely a list of what the employees at REI recommended from their store shelves or what cottage gear that people on the Internet (like me! ) told them to buy sight unseen. It should not be mistaken as a list of what gear is necessarily "best."

That said, I will agree that Rob's estimation of 50% using osprey packs was fairly accurate in the last couple years.

[HooKooDooKu]

You left Back Pack of the list.

I've not thru hiked the AT, but I have thru hiked the JMT.
On that thru hike, the most popular name brand of back pack by far was Osprey. It's been a while, so I can't recall numbers, but it's possible that as many as half the back packs were Osprey.
On that thru hike, the most popular tent was the Big Agnes Copper Spur. Somewhere between 7%-15% of the tents on the trail were Copper Spurs.

Everything else seemed to vary so much, I couldn't even begin to estimate what was a common thing everyone was using (or they were out-of-site, like sleeping pads and sleeping bags).

[hyperslug]

This is from 2015 and not quite scientific in nature but will give you an ideal.

https://thetrek.co/backpacks-on-the-...5-thru-hikers/

I am a firm believer that the most popular is seldom the best. We are social animals and tend to often follow like sheep. But you should be safe with the most popular and it requires a lot less effort.

[Cheyou]

http://www.halfwayanywhere.com/trail...r-survey-2016/

[Cheyou]

http://www.halfwayanywhere.com/trail...r-survey-2016/

Thats is on on the left coast but lots of good info .

[nsherry61]

Since surveys have come out for both the PCT and the AT, it kinda fun to compare them.

AT: https://thetrek.co/appalachian-trail...-hiker-survey/
PCT: http://www.halfway anywhere.com/trails/pacific-crest-trail/pct-2016-survey-gear-guide/

In general, PCT hikers use smaller lighter packs and carry (or wish they carried) warmer sleeping gear.

[Gambit McCrae]

IMO

headlamp?Black Diamond
raingear?OR Helium ii
stove? Fanceefeest cat can alc stove
trekking poles? komperdell
tent? Tarptent/ zpacks
hammock? no-at least not for me, only for the experienced hanger
baselayers? smartwool running leggings/ wool longsleeve
footwear? altra lone peaks
cookpot? evernew pasta pot(1)
sleeping bag? Montbell 0-15* till summer, then a WM Highlight
puffy jacket? WM or OR down puffy

anything I missed- -
Pack- - ULA or Zpacks
filter - sawyer squeeze
bottles-smart water bottles
tent stakes - vargo needle stakes
utensil- campmor composite melt resistant for/spoon your choice
pad - Exped of your choice
beanie - black rock down beanie
gloves - OR running gloves, if heavier gloves are needed hestra mitts
ground sheet - tyvek cut to size
butt pad - 2 sections of a zlite pad
whiskey - Jack Daniels

[rocketsocks]

There's another reason the osprey pack and copper spurs are popular...ospreys are darn comfortable! And the copper spur is light weight and "free standing" often the simplest answer is the right one.

[Sarcasm the elf]

There's another reason the osprey pack and copper spurs are popular...ospreys are darn comfortable! And the copper spur is light weight and "free standing" often the simplest answer is the right one.

The Smaller Osprey packs and the BA copper spur are effectively the only UL tent and backpack options that are sold at REI and other nationwide retailers. It's all about their supply and distribution chains.

That's not to say anything bad about either, but the reason they are so popular is that in many areas they are the only game in town unless you're willing to buy something sight unseen off the internet.

[rocketsocks]

The Smaller Osprey packs and the BA copper spur are effectively the only UL tent and backpack options that are sold at REI and other nationwide retailers. It's all about their supply and distribution chains.

That's not to say anything bad about either, but the reason they are so popular is that in many areas they are the only game in town unless you're willing to buy something sight unseen off the internet.

Yes, and then there's that...one might call it a monopoly, and still another might say, conspiracy...all would be correct.

[Slo-go'en]

Osprey packs definitely dominate the market. I'd say 8 out of 10 AT hikers have an Osprey. But for everything else, there is a wide variation between hikers. Clothes are all over the place with no specific brand. Large variation amongst types of tents and sleeping bags. Lots of NeoAir pads. There are only a couple of burners for canisters to choose from, so those are pretty much all alike. Jet boils are common, but not pervasive as they are expensive, bulky and a little heavy.

[colorado_rob]

There's another reason the osprey pack and copper spurs are popular...ospreys are darn comfortable! And the copper spur is light weight and "free standing" often the simplest answer is the right one.

Yeah, that's a perfect example of "Occam's Razor".

Sure, folks "follow the herd" a bit, but if those packs and tents weren't excellent, the word would get out and so forth. I'm not saying all stuff at REI is excellent, far from it, but they do try to keep inventory of pretty decent stuff. They realize there is a niche market out there for the REALLY good stuff (zpacks, ULA, etc), but they do have a business model to attend to.

[bamboo bob]

I think most well know modern gear from out door stores or from "cottage makers" are fine these days. It really doesn't matter as much as it once did. I keep using my MLD pack and Lightheart tent and Montbell bag because I have them and don't much like shopping. I go stoveless on the AT. On the AT you are rarely far from resupply .

[nsherry61]

The Smaller Osprey packs and the BA copper spur are effectively the only UL tent and backpack options that are sold at REI and other nationwide retailers. It's all about their supply and distribution chains. . .

I beg to differ in part:
REI also sells sells Granite Gear's bags, some of which are lighter than the Ospreys. They also sell a few other brands that have less well-known light weight pack versions like maybe the Gregory Z-series, etc. But none have market share like Osprey. Partly due to marketing, partly due to Osprey's ability to give the market what it is asking for.

As for tents, REI sells other ultra-light and ultra-lighter BA tents (Scout series, Fly Creek series, etc) as well as the REI quarterdome series that is similar to the Copper Spur. Nemo and others also makes light tents sold by REI.

Both BA and Osprey have great reputations for being innovative, well designed and backed with great customer service. And, both are available in large enough quantities to meet industry demand.

What REI sells is what they can get in adequate quality and quantities to be reasonably reliable and to meet their rather substantial customer demand. It would be quite frustrating for REI customers to see listings of gear from cottage manufacturers, and then not be able to get the product because the supply was so limited. If REI started selling EE quilts, EE would be years behind in production or they would have to start manufacturing at significantly larger industrial levels and facilities, probably overseas. EE is probably finds their current business model adequate for their needs and that model does not work with large retail distribution like REI.

This is neither conspiratorial nor monopolistic. In fact, most of the outdoor industry seems to operation pretty effectively without heavy handed business practices. . . cheers to us!

[Mags]

Tis often merely a list of what the employees at REI recommended from their store shelves or what cottage gear that people on the Internet (like me! ) told them to buy sight unsee

No surprise that Rob's observations and The Trek poll both seems to have this as fact.

Most people shop at REI for their gear. BA and Osprey are two big items sold there.

I'd be curious as to what gear Triple Crowners used overall from 2012-present year. Bet there would be more cottage gear used. Not saying gear that triple crowners is used is better, just that is mainly optimized for thru-hiking on well-maintained trails. And cottage gear tends to be optimized for this niche versus more robust/heavier/over engineered (use your phrase of choice) gear from more mainstream manufacturers. This is a just a generalization, but a reasonably accurate one I think.

[rocketsocks]

I beg to differ in part:
REI also sells sells Granite Gear's bags, some of which are lighter than the Ospreys. They also sell a few other brands that have less well-known light weight pack versions like maybe the Gregory Z-series, etc. But none have market share like Osprey. Partly due to marketing, partly due to Osprey's ability to give the market what it is asking for.

As for tents, REI sells other ultra-light and ultra-lighter BA tents (Scout series, Fly Creek series, etc) as well as the REI quarterdome series that is similar to the Copper Spur. Nemo and others also makes light tents sold by REI.

Both BA and Osprey have great reputations for being innovative, well designed and backed with great customer service. And, both are available in large enough quantities to meet industry demand.

What REI sells is what they can get in adequate quality and quantities to be reasonably reliable and to meet their rather substantial customer demand. It would be quite frustrating for REI customers to see listings of gear from cottage manufacturers, and then not be able to get the product because the supply was so limited. If REI started selling EE quilts, EE would be years behind in production or they would have to start manufacturing at significantly larger industrial levels and facilities, probably overseas. EE is probably finds their current business model adequate for their needs and that model does not work with large retail distribution like REI.

This is neither conspiratorial nor monopolistic. In fact, most of the outdoor industry seems to operation pretty effectively without heavy handed business practices. . . cheers to us!

now that makes sense, having enough inventory to supply...I'll buy that, pun intended.