Tentative Gear List May 17

[Sandy of PA]

Overmountain shelter May 24, 2013, low temp. was 25 degrees inside my tent. Frost on everything, was real glad I was carrying my 20 degree bag and my Xtherm pad. Your mileage may vary. It is easier to remove covers than to go without sleep from shivering to me.

[CalebJ]

Well, every hiker has a slightly different gear strategy. In my case, I wear my puffy to bed to supplement a marginal sleeping bag more often than anything else. I might wear it in the evening once per month, but in some cases, I'll sleep in it two or three times per month when the sky is clear and the night promises to be cold.

Now, turning to OP's gearlist, he's indicated that he'll be rocking a 40-degree quilt. Without more information about the manufacturer, it's hard to say what 40-degrees really means, but in my experience, if a bag is quoted as 40-degrees, then it's probably only comfortable down to 46 or 48 degrees. During the month of May, there's a good chance he'll hit a night or two in that range. By bringing a puffy, his 40-degree quilt will actually be good down to 35 or 38 degrees. But, who knows, maybe it'll stay warm for his trip, or maybe his quilt is truly a 40-degree quilt.

That's fair. I use a 32* bag for nearly all 3 season use, and it's one that I've actually tested to below freezing a handful of times. If I were anticipating a trip that might be close to freezing, I'd certainly wear my main insulating layer (be it fleece, wool, or down) when sleeping. That said, if the system was cutting it close then I'd also be seeking out campsites that weren't at higher elevations when possible. Just seems like an unnecessary layer to me (down is great for standing around camp/sleeping, but not particularly useful for activity). I'd rather have a thin wool or synthetic insulating layer this time of year. It's worth mentioning that my perspective tends to be biased towards limited time standing around in camp. I prefer to spend most of my day on the trail. If you tend to spend more hours in camp, the gear mix is going to necessarily change to balance that out.

[wperrott92]

I spend much more time hiking. I have changed my shelter from a TT protrail to a mld solomid xl. My 10 degree enigma only weighs a few ounces more than my cheap summer quilt so that's also a viable option. Basically paring down my gear kit to a single pack, shelter etc...for all trips.

[cmoulder]

I like the 6oz puffy, obviously, but you can also wrap the quilt/sleeping bag around the shoulders like a shawl and it is surprisingly effective.

[Dogwood]

I spend much more time hiking. I have changed my shelter from a TT protrail to a mld solomid xl. My 10 degree enigma only weighs a few ounces more than my cheap summer quilt so that's also a viable option. Basically paring down my gear kit to a single pack, shelter etc...for all trips.

You will not need an accurately rated 10* quilt on all your trips if your trips include summer in the mid atlantic states. It will be overkill despite the versatility.

You're asking several questions that should be separated to avoid confusion.

1) for the late May AT trip you'll get more use out of a light wt vest and light to med wt LS shirt(w/ 1/2 zip)/tee than you will with a puffy taking into context you said you spend more time hiking than camping. An UL/light wt synthetic vest is a good alternative to a fleece vest. It's not about a single piece approach for you! It's about versatility to get the greatest usage as you amend your multi 3-4 layering system during the 24 hrs/day.

End of May there are other assets in your kit that you can use to get warm. It can be centered around a puffy to sleep and hang out in camp but it doesn't have to be approached that way! BUT that should not be the end of the it! If you're able to tweak through knowledge, technique, and skills while also bringing all your gear to bear on what you experience you'll have far greater ability adjusting your sleeping and in camp and on the go desires than just relying on gear. Thinking gear will always address all the changing situations you might experience backs you into relying too much on gear to solve changing conditions. Caleb and Moulder already posted some info on this. This is most important for you to grasp considering you're seeking to pare down to one main kit.

If you were able to spend time camping/hiking on the OHT in winter with this posted kit you can rock the same on the AT on your 150 mile segment. i.e., drape your shelter over you in camp then set it up to sleep under at bed time(personally I use my Solomid as an extra layering piece under my shell when it's not needed for sheltering protection), drape your quilt over you in camp, amend the in the quilt warmth by wearing all that is dry to sleep/dropping the MLS Solomid sides to the ground to trap warmed air on the coldest nights IF you experience that in the last 2 wks of May/incorporate lean-to's sleeping in a protected corner to get a 2-3* warmth boost using the Solomid also as insulation/sleep at a lower elev/not sleeping in a depression or ravine or down in a cut on the coldest nights since that's where cold air accumulates/finding a less exposed warmer location to sleep, light a small warming campfire in front of a large boulder or thick trunked dense group of leafed out trees letting the embers reflect the heat aka Jeremy Renner in The Bourne Legacy in Alaska, ...

2) rollin with one kit as your core kit, you should a. define your trips, sometimes trips are so diverse in nature it's hard to go with the same kit b. know how to amend the core kit through not only gear tweaks but broadening knowledge, technique and skills

[StubbleJumper]

You will not need an accurately rated 10* quilt on all your trips if your trips include summer in the mid atlantic states. It will be overkill despite the versatility.

You're asking several questions that should be separated to avoid confusion.

1) for the late May AT trip you'll get more use out of a light wt vest and light to med wt LS shirt(w/ 1/2 zip)/tee than you will with a puffy taking into context you said you spend more time hiking than camping. An UL/light wt synthetic vest is a good alternative to a fleece vest. It's not about a single piece approach for you! It's about versatility to get the greatest usage as you amend your multi 3-4 layering system during the 24 hrs/day.

End of May there are other assets in your kit that you can use to get warm. It can be centered around a puffy to sleep and hang out in camp but it doesn't have to be approached that way! BUT that should not be the end of the it! If you're able to tweak through knowledge, technique, and skills while also bringing all your gear to bear on what you experience you'll have far greater ability adjusting your sleeping and in camp and on the go desires than just relying on gear. Thinking gear will always address all the changing situations you might experience backs you into relying too much on gear to solve changing conditions. Caleb and Moulder already posted some info on this. This is most important for you to grasp considering you're seeking to pare down to one main kit.

If you were able to spend time camping/hiking on the OHT in winter with this posted kit you can rock the same on the AT on your 150 mile segment. i.e., drape your shelter over you in camp then set it up to sleep under at bed time(personally I use my Solomid as an extra layering piece under my shell when it's not needed for sheltering protection), drape your quilt over you in camp, amend the in the quilt warmth by wearing all that is dry to sleep/dropping the MLS Solomid sides to the ground to trap warmed air on the coldest nights IF you experience that in the last 2 wks of May/incorporate lean-to's sleeping in a protected corner to get a 2-3* warmth boost using the Solomid also as insulation/sleep at a lower elev/not sleeping in a depression or ravine or down in a cut on the coldest nights since that's where cold air accumulates/finding a less exposed warmer location to sleep, light a small warming campfire in front of a large boulder or thick trunked dense group of leafed out trees letting the embers reflect the heat aka Jeremy Renner in The Bourne Legacy in Alaska, ...

2) rollin with one kit as your core kit, you should a. define your trips, sometimes trips are so diverse in nature it's hard to go with the same kit b. know how to amend the core kit through not only gear tweaks but broadening knowledge, technique and skills

You sure do seem to be willing to go to a lot of trouble to avoid carrying a 8 or 9 oz puffing jacket.

For me, during the month of May, I'll skip your 5 oz vest and just carry my puffy for a weight penalty of an incremental 3 or 4 oz (ie, 8 oz vs 5 oz). I won't fuss with draping a quilt over myself in camp, I won't stop hiking at an inconvenient time of day because I need to camp in a special location due to my gear being inadequate to spend a chilly night, and I won't bugger around starting a fire or setting up a tent in a shelter because I don't have appropriate insulation.

Look at the historical weather record for where you will be hiking. If you see that it historically gets down into the 30s or low 40s at the time of year that you are planning to hike, then a puffy jacket offers excellent insulating value for a relatively minimal weight penalty. I would never recommend that people begin a hike with temps in 30s or low-40s under the assumption that they can offset marginal gear for knowledge and ingenuity. IMO, it's not worth the weight savings.

So, turning to OP's hike. A quick glance at the historical weather record for Ashevi

[StubbleJumper]

So, turning to OP's hike. A quick glance at the historical weather record for Asheville, it looks like he should expect at least one night in the high-30s or low-40s during the second half of May. At a higher altitude, we should probably shave a couple of degrees off the Asheville temps. My advice is to bring appropriate gear for those temps.

[Dogwood]

No, not trying to avoid a puffy. Not even trying to necessarily avoid a wt penalty. Trying to avoid redundancy by using and multi employing what's already been said is in the OP's kit. If he's bringing along Frogg Toggs jacket and pants, LS synthetic shirt, fleece cap, extra socks, and if not setting up his SoloMid and having an empty pack shouldn't he seek to employ them in the warmth equation? He said he was bringing a BIC and fire starter. Should he just carry those items not making use of them to get warm if need be? He said he's including an emergency blanket which could be used as below or added above insulation or if aluminized mylar reflect heat back to his sleep site. Should he not make use of these gear pieces? Since when should applying knowledge, techniques, and skills to organize a hike be thought of as measures of inconvenience rather than significantly useful tools?

He also said he's bringing an extra pr of socks, shorts, shirt, and hat(baseball hat).

No one said anything about setting up a tent in a lean to. What I referred to was using the Solomid as added warmth either setting it up, in a heat trapping config, or as under or over insulation. Who says it can't be slept on with the ridge rest on top while also using the emergency blanket. The emergency blanket at 2-3 ozs was a thoughtful inclusion IMO to increase warmth for the wt. her's quite a bit at the OP's disposal just as far as gear that can be used to add sleep warmth. As a refresher this is for the last two wks of May on the AT.

Who's says a dry "rain jacket" and "rain pants" can't also multitask for other uses when it's not raining?

And, who says he'd have to or it was recommended he should stop hiking at an inconvenient time to find a "special" CS on the CS rich AT? Why is it that when CS selection be suggested to consider all of a sudden there's push back? We consider CS selection regularly. Why not add some wider consideration to it to sleep warmer? It might make us better campers and hikers instead of just turning our minds off according to the cookie cutter AT status quo convenience of slithering into lean to's as a matter of routine.

[wperrott92]

I appreciate all the input. I may not have all the experience/skills to get away with being borderline stupid light but I certainly have physical abilities far beyond the norm to bail me out i.e. no excuse for me ever winding up in an exposed position after dark. That being said I will save any potential misery for Ranger school because I'm sure there will be plenty. One of our guys who just commissioned is going to Alaska so we swapped EE quilts. I will be taking a 20 degree enigma and c9 fleece plus raingear, less than a pound isn't worth having a bad hike. I will add the puffy and possibly down pants for December/January in Arkansas, but I live twenty minutes from the Ozark Highlands so I should be pretty familiar with the conditions by then.

[cmoulder]

Even so, do a test hike with the proposed gear in the crappiest weather possible—multiple days in a cool/cold rain.

I am personally all-synthetic (apex quilt, EE 40°F, and Cumulus puffy) for this scenario, and it works for me. Apex (climashield) will still provide a lot of warmth long after down has collapsed from moisture... consider condensation misting inside that Solomid during an extended cool rain. I've done trips where a down quilt would have been rendered useless in a few hours with no hope of drying out for days to come.

[wperrott92]

I can find a cheap synthetic vest/jacket so no reason not to try that. Spending money on a quilt that won't last as long doesn't really make sense for me at this point.

[cmoulder]

Good enuf—at least you're putting some thought into it and making an informed decision.

[ScareBear]

I'd say leave the puffy. Even if the bag isn't a full-on 40 degree, you can always put on your rain jacket. Same with around camp. Just put on the rain jacket. Don't get me wrong, I love my MH GhostWhisperer. I just don't see packing in in late May, June, July, and August. I didn't peruse too closely, but do NOT omit some type of lightweight hat you can sleep in and wear around camp for added warmth.

Here's a quick tip....don't forget eye drops. It's the one thing I've needed and didn't have and nobody else had either. If weight is an issue, just dump out 1/2 the contents...

[theory]

Cold windy rainy in Hot Springs right now. Expect rain multiple times a week, learn how to keep your shelter dry and have super fast drying clothes. You don't need a razor I haven't shaved once while out here. 69 miles for your next resupply after Hot Springs. Figure out your daily mileage so you don't have to carry extra food. Over 4 days is too much in my opinion unless you are doing only 8 miles a day or less. Shoot for at least 10 or more a day but if that's too much then I wouldn't start at this part of the trail.


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[wperrott92]

Non stop rain and flooding in northwest Arkansas so I'm testing my gear out this weekend. I am aiming for 20 miles a day.

[cmoulder]

Non stop rain and flooding in northwest Arkansas so I'm testing my gear out this weekend. I am aiming for 20 miles a day.

Perfect!

[wperrott92]

My overnighter on the OHT went well, and I covered 34 miles on Saturday before leaving early this morning. I had planned on making it a weekend but was surprised how much miles I got. My gear volume is already very low, and if I keep close to this pace the most food I would ever have to carry would be 3-4 days. I am new to frameless packs, is their a big advantage to changing to a smaller pack besides the few ounces? Would I actually be better served by compressing the Exodus and utilizing the extra space to resupply less often, I'm thinking the time wasted resupplying would be more than the extra speed from cutting out a few more ounces.

[Rmcpeak]

FRIENDLY feedback/questions from a fellow ULer. My warm weather base is down to about 5 lbs. You could get there if you wanted to.

I'd be hot in a long sleeve shirt. I almost always go with a tank. If it's going to be cool, I pack a cap 3 long underwear top which comes off about 3 miles into the day's walk.
I'd swap the duck tap for a length of leuko tape. I have never needed duck tape in 600 miles now.
The compression shorts would kill me. Instant monkey ass.
I don't carry extra anything. So, I'd take out the extra shorts and shirt. My "extra" shirt is the cap 3 top (if it's cool weather) or my Houdini.
Why do you have a compass? Follow the white blazes. Does your phone have a compass? You don't need a compass on the AT in my experience.
I don't carry rain pants. I'd sweat to death in them. If it's cold hard rain I might wear my tarp as a skirt.
I might leave the puffy and go with a mid-weight fleece. If you're cold, wear your sleeping bag. You could sleep in your rain jacket if you had to, probably would want to unzip it though. Frogg Toggs might get clammy.
I'm ditching the ball cap. It gets annoying after a day or two on the trail. I've been going with a buff. I'd swap the fleece cap and ball cap for a buff.
No stove? Awesome! I don't carry one anymore. Why carry a firestarter? Isn't that what the bic lighter is for?

Be brave! Don't carry you fears! Enjoy your hike!

[wperrott92]

Around noon yesterday I heard a grunt behind me and soon discovered two brown bears about ten feet away so don't really have any more fears to carry.

[cmoulder]

Maybe brown-colored black bears, but not likely brown (grizzly) bears.

Congrats on the long day... pretty impressive mileage! I was looking at the weather and it didn't appear you got any rain.

If the Exodus was totally comfortable, why mess with a good thing?

RMC I appreciate your minimalism but that would be cutting it pretty close to the bone for me, and probably for all but a very few.