Base Weight

[DownEaster]

I'm glad you labeled this as tentative, because I think there's room for improvement on both budget and weight. Budget is important because you're going to need to reserve money for replacements due to wear (3 more pairs of trail shoes, for example), breakage, and things that just don't work out for you.

This is my tentative shopping list for my thru-hike next April.

REI Co-op Flash 45 Pack - 2lb14oz;

Note that my pack is the same price, more capacity (which I put to use for my not-so-compressible synthetic insulation), and 12 oz. lighter.

Rab Silk Bag Liner - 4.5oz;

$69.95 for the mummy version at backcountry.com, but you can find a no-name equivalent here for $28.99.

3 pr Darn Tough Socks - 1.6lbs;

You can probably do with 2 pair of these (I got my 2 from Massdrop) and a cheaper pair of ragg wool socks for sleeping.

1ea Under Armor Base Layer Shirt and pants - No clue as to weight;

I went with random sales finds: Duofold Thermamatrix shirt for which I paid $6.75, and Weatherproof Thermafleece pants costing $12.74. You're going to sleep in these, so the name brand isn't going to matter.

Black Diamond ProShock Poles - 1lb4oz;

I bought Yukon Charlie's Trek Lite Series Trekking Poles for $20.50 including tax. Each pole is 8.5 oz., so 3 oz. lighter and much cheaper than your tentative name brand choice. I wrote a short review here.

Zpacks 14L Bear Bagging Kit

I got an 8L dry bag for $2.63 (shipped from China) on eBay; you could buy two. The mesh bag to put a rock in came free with some California mandarin oranges. Reflective guy line (Coghlan's) was $3.99. Mini carabiner was $.17 (got a 10-pack for $1.68).

That took a fair amount of research to put this list together and it comes in every bit of $2,000.

I'm afraid your research (if you're serious about gearing up on a budget) is just beginning.

[Slo-go'en]

I hate to tell you this, but the cards are seriously stacked against you. First, if you only have $3,500 and spend $2000 on gear, you only have $1500 left and you'll blow through that really quick. Realistically you need a minimum of $4,000 in your pocket when you hit the trail. If your a young kid, good at scrounging off of others and can hike 20-30 miles a day, then you can go cheap but for most people, you need a sizeable budget. Of course, that also assumes you have no other expenses to cover at home while your gone and your drugs are all paid for by someone else.

As an older hiker, with apparently a lot of medical issues (and overweight?) your not going to be hiking very far in a day. Because your moving so slowly, you'll have to carry that 5-8 days of food and still have to go to every town along the way to buy more. Diabetics don't seem to do well on extended hikes. It's very hard to manage your insulin and sugar levels.

With all those issues, you would be best to forget about a thru hike. Scale back your trip to something a bit more manageable like a 3-4 week section hike. Pick a time of year when you don't need a lot of cold weather stuff and a section which isn't too hard.

[lonehiker]

This is my tentative shopping list for my thru-hike next April.

REI Co-op Flash 45 Pack - 2lb14oz; Marmot Eos 1P Tent - 2lb7oz; Marmot Sawtooth 15* Sleeping Bag - 2lb7.5oz; NeoAir XLite Sleeping Pad - 1lb; Rab Silk Bag Liner - 4.5oz; Cooking Setup - 1lb; 3 pr Darn Tough Socks - 1.6lbs; 1ea Under Armor Base Layer Shirt and pants - No clue as to weight; Brooks Ghost 9 Shoes - 10.6 oz; Thermarest MiniPump - 2.3oz; MEDS - 1lb; Black Diamond ProShock Poles - 1lb4oz; Headlamp 3oz; Sawyer Squeeze - 3oz; Tyvek 36x87 Footprint - No clue as to weight; Dry Sack for clothes - 2oz; FroggTogg Ultra Lite Poncho - 8.8oz; Zpacks 14L Bear Bagging Kit - 3.4oz; Z-Seat - 2 oz; NiteCore LA10 Lantern (for inside tent) - 2.3oz; Buff - No clue as to weight; Montbell Down Jacket - 6.2oz; Misc (incl portable phone charger) - 3lb. Plus food for 5-8 days and water. That took a fair amount of research to put this list together and it comes in every bit of $2,000.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

So you have answered your own questions. Your refusal to take advice reference how many days of food to carry is noteworthy. That attitude will probably change after your first resupply which is fine as a long hike is all about adaptability.

[swjohnsey]

Ebay is your friend for cheap high end camping gear.

[kestral]

You mentioned your insulin needles are heavy. I hope you are including a glucometer as your insulin needs will likely change drastically (reduce) as you excercise and alter your eating habits. Please consult a medical professional who is comfortable with managing your soon to be changing requirements via phone or texts . I expect your need for insulin , oral hypoglycemics, BP management and cholesterol management will all greatly deminish. Taking too much meds can cause great harm and be lethal. Check your BP frequently. A bounce bag with BP cuff would be useful. Regular blood checks for cholesterol and A1c levels are doable while in trail towns and the info can be sent to you HCP.

With neuropathy foot foot sensations are altered and you may not notice the warning of pain as easily as others. Be vigilant about checking and caring for feet.

You can absolutly pursue you dreams. Lots of prep including shakedown hikes with less weights and seeing how your body copes is key for you, along with getting a health care professional who will work with you. I think hiking will improve you medical conditions and is great for your soul.

No shame in short and long sections- don't have to start with a thu hike goal. that's what I do!

best of luck. HYOH

[DownEaster]

I hate to tell you this, but the cards are seriously stacked against you. First, if you only have $3,500 and spend $2000 on gear, you only have $1500 left and you'll blow through that really quick.

You can get good-quality gear for just $1000, and I'd recommend doing so. I agree that having a greater money reserve is a good idea, and will reduce the odds of you having to call an abrupt end to your adventure.

[zig-zag man]

I'm glad you labeled this as tentative, because I think there's room for improvement on both budget and weight. Budget is important because you're going to need to reserve money for replacements due to wear (3 more pairs of trail shoes, for example), breakage, and things that just don't work out for you.
Note that my pack is the same price, more capacity (which I put to use for my not-so-compressible synthetic insulation), and 12 oz. lighter.

$69.95 for the mummy version at backcountry.com, but you can find a no-name equivalent here for $28.99.

You can probably do with 2 pair of these (I got my 2 from Massdrop) and a cheaper pair of ragg wool socks for sleeping.

I went with random sales finds: Duofold Thermamatrix shirt for which I paid $6.75, and Weatherproof Thermafleece pants costing $12.74. You're going to sleep in these, so the name brand isn't going to matter.

I bought Yukon Charlie's Trek Lite Series Trekking Poles for $20.50 including tax. Each pole is 8.5 oz., so 3 oz. lighter and much cheaper than your tentative name brand choice. I wrote a short review here.

I got an 8L dry bag for $2.63 (shipped from China) on eBay; you could buy two. The mesh bag to put a rock in came free with some California mandarin oranges. Reflective guy line (Coghlan's) was $3.99. Mini carabiner was $.17 (got a 10-pack for $1.68).

I'm afraid your research (if you're serious about gearing up on a budget) is just beginning.

Thanks for the advice. What pack do you have?

[zig-zag man]

So you have answered your own questions. Your refusal to take advice reference how many days of food to carry is noteworthy. That attitude will probably change after your first resupply which is fine as a long hike is all about adaptability.

I haven't refused anything. And yes, maybe I am initially planning to stay out of town as much as possible. It certainly isn't because I don't value your, or anyone else's opinion, but rather because I know me. If I'm in town and smell a steakhouse, I may go into dog mode and have to have some. Can't spend money in the woods. Furthermore, I am not a spring chicken. The 2,189 miles is going to be tough enough. At this point I am not particularly keen on hitching into town every 72 hours to resupply. That just eats up time and, in the long run, excess money that I don't have. You're right. That may all change once I get started. I learned long ago that if I let someone else set my goals for me I will never be satisfied. I figure if others much older than me have done it. Why can't I? And like you said, it's all about adaptability. Thanks for your advice.

[zig-zag man]

Ebay is your friend for cheap high end camping gear.

I have seen some nice prices on ebay. Thanks for the advice.

[zig-zag man]

You mentioned your insulin needles are heavy. I hope you are including a glucometer as your insulin needs will likely change drastically (reduce) as you excercise and alter your eating habits. Please consult a medical professional who is comfortable with managing your soon to be changing requirements via phone or texts . I expect your need for insulin , oral hypoglycemics, BP management and cholesterol management will all greatly deminish. Taking too much meds can cause great harm and be lethal. Check your BP frequently. A bounce bag with BP cuff would be useful. Regular blood checks for cholesterol and A1c levels are doable while in trail towns and the info can be sent to you HCP.

With neuropathy foot foot sensations are altered and you may not notice the warning of pain as easily as others. Be vigilant about checking and caring for feet.

You can absolutly pursue you dreams. Lots of prep including shakedown hikes with less weights and seeing how your body copes is key for you, along with getting a health care professional who will work with you. I think hiking will improve you medical conditions and is great for your soul.

No shame in short and long sections- don't have to start with a thu hike goal. that's what I do!

best of luck. HYOH

I will certainly be keeping my doctor aware of what's going on while I'm on the trail. And I agree that a long walk in the woods may be exactly what I need to greatly improve my health. And if it kills me, then I won't have died watching Last Man Standing reruns, but rather on an epic adventure. If I honestly didn't believe I could do it, I wouldn't waste my time and money preparing. Thank you for your advice and encouraging words.

[Click]

I'm glad to see a definition of base weight!
Prior to that, my 'base weight' was 195# - naked on a scale: I'm trying to keep the 'pack weight' reasonable - I read reasonable is 1/4 of your weight??
VERY useful thread
[planning a 2020 NOBO]

[DownEaster]

I got my Granite Gear Crown 2 pack a couple months ago for $159.49 total cost (no tax, free delivery). It's 37 oz. including the removable lid, and I could pare it down to 34 oz.

Thanks for the advice. What pack do you have?

Buried in quite a lot of text there, so here's the excerpt for you. Amazon says I placed the order on June 9. It's back up to full list price ($199.95) everywhere now, but there are bound to be sales again. (There have already been two sales on the Crown V.C. 60 this year, each time for $50 off.) Just search Google for the item you're interested in ("Granite Gear Crown 2" in this case) and the first (sponsored) result will be "Shop for Granite Gear Crown 2 on Google". That's how I stumbled on the first Crown 2 sale. Searching once a week is probably enough, but I search twice a week just so I can be sure to jump on a sale before the inventory runs out.

Here are pictures:
Crown2FrontORIG.jpg Crown2BackORIG.jpg

[DownEaster]

I'm trying to keep the 'pack weight' reasonable - I read reasonable is 1/4 of your weight??

20% (1/5th) of your weight is probably the limit of what most people find reasonable to carry all day, every day. 25% is an OK figure for a short (1 week or less) trip where your body will have time to recover afterward.

[TTT]

I don't think those figures tell the whole story as they exclude age and health. A young fit person can safely lug much more, and recover much faster, than an overweight person in reclining years.

[CarlZ993]

Good luck on your gear choices. Ask some gear questions and you'll get a lot of suggestions. If you can spring for a digital scale, buy one & start weighing what you already have. Create a spreadsheet or online gear spreadsheet to determine your base packweight (everything in your pack except food, fuel, or water; don't count what you wear or carry). If you resupply more frequently, you'll carry less weight in your pack. You just have to watch out that you don't excessively splurge while you're in town. People on a strict budget will 'nero' to a town, buy food, eat something, wash stuff, and then leave.

Anyway, good luck on your hike.

[zig-zag man]

I'm glad you labeled this as tentative, because I think there's room for improvement on both budget and weight. Budget is important because you're going to need to reserve money for replacements due to wear (3 more pairs of trail shoes, for example), breakage, and things that just don't work out for you.
Note that my pack is the same price, more capacity (which I put to use for my not-so-compressible synthetic insulation), and 12 oz. lighter.

$69.95 for the mummy version at backcountry.com, but you can find a no-name equivalent here for $28.99.

You can probably do with 2 pair of these (I got my 2 from Massdrop) and a cheaper pair of ragg wool socks for sleeping.

I went with random sales finds: Duofold Thermamatrix shirt for which I paid $6.75, and Weatherproof Thermafleece pants costing $12.74. You're going to sleep in these, so the name brand isn't going to matter.

I bought Yukon Charlie's Trek Lite Series Trekking Poles for $20.50 including tax. Each pole is 8.5 oz., so 3 oz. lighter and much cheaper than your tentative name brand choice. I wrote a short review here.

I got an 8L dry bag for $2.63 (shipped from China) on eBay; you could buy two. The mesh bag to put a rock in came free with some California mandarin oranges. Reflective guy line (Coghlan's) was $3.99. Mini carabiner was $.17 (got a 10-pack for $1.68).

I'm afraid your research (if you're serious about gearing up on a budget) is just beginning.

You really hooked me up. Knocked $300+ off my gear budget, and I think I have my base weight down to just a hair over 20 lbs. I'm going to watch for sales, including that Granite Gear Crown 60. Nice looking pack. I truly appreciate your help. I could trim a little more weight if I go with that BRS 3000T rather than the Pocket Rocket, but I like the stability of the Pocket Rocket over the little China job. I watched one review and the guy said he has had his mug fall off the 3000T more than once. Thoughts? Again, many thanks for your help.

[egilbe]

I have a BRS 3000T. I use it with a 1.4 liter snowpeak pot and have yet to dump it over. I wouldn't use anything less than a 220gm canister with it, though. Just make sure your pot is centered and don't turn it on full blast so the water comes to a roiling boil. Low flame and a slow boil for a second is all you need.

[DownEaster]

I'm afraid I'd disappoint you in the kitchen gear. That's the one area I splurged on, because nothing motivates me to hike better than actual cooked food. I got a Primus OmniLite Ti stove via Massdrop, and a larger (750 ml) BSR fuel bottle on eBay. My cook kit is a GSI Extreme Mess Kit (just this past week, from SunnySports). When I get the (back-ordered) silencer add-on for the OmniLite Ti (very nice stove, but sounds like a jet engine) I'll have spent over $200 in this category. I'm using the same shopping approach here as for other backpacking items, but my aim is quite a bit higher than the usual hiker's. I need a nonstick frying pan.

We all have our individual luxury items on the trail for whatever reason, and I'm going to enjoy my fettucini with fresh Alfredo sauce for dinner, and morning pancakes with fresh cocoa to give me some get-up-and-go.


One thing you might consider is a collapsible silicone mug or bowl so you can have a hot beverage and a pot meal (oatmeal, ramen, Knorr sides, or whatever) at the same time. There are some bargains here, such as the Ozark Trails 16 oz. collapsible cup at Walmart for $1.42. Also note that the same dish in the pet category costs 1/4 as much as in the backpacker category. A Sea to Summit X-Bowl is a nice 22 oz. bowl but costs $16. My 24 oz. pet bowl cost me $4.35 with tax; it's a compromise between a bowl for oatmeal or soup, and a jumbo mug for cocoa or tea.

[Slo-go'en]

I'm glad to see a definition of base weight!
Prior to that, my 'base weight' was 195# - naked on a scale: I'm trying to keep the 'pack weight' reasonable - I read reasonable is 1/4 of your weight??
VERY useful thread
[planning a 2020 NOBO]

If you weigh in at 200 pounds, 25% is 50 pounds. No way your going to want to lug 50 pounds for any length of time! 30 pounds, fully loaded, hiking out of town, is about the heaviest you want to go, regardless of your body weight. That means you want to shoot for a pack "base weight" of 20 pounds or less. And the older you are and the less spring you have in the knees, the lighter the base weight the better.

[Venchka]

Hypothetically speaking:
Cross reference National drug chains with the AT. You might be able to refill your prescriptions along the trail. I only have 3 prescriptions and I get them in 90 day increments. A whole lot less hassle and cheaper too.
Have a great hike.
Wayne


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