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Thread: gear list

  1. #1
    Registered User nightshaded's Avatar
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    i've been lurking for months now, but with less than 50 days to go 'till i hit springer, i figured i should start posting more...so here goes:

    leaving springer with a 8# food bag.
    two 1 liter water bottles, each weighing 1# 4 oz when full. one is on a carbiner and has duct tape wrapped around it. this adds another 2 oz. to the weight (may end up carrying more water).


    BIG FOUR:

    pack: old gregory pack, circa 1970's. removed head pouch and side packs. trimmed down some of the unnecessary hardware. weight: 4# 7 oz. (yeah...it's a behemoth...but it's functional.)

    pad: closed cell foam. 1# 3 oz.

    sleeping bag: 20 degree quest synthetic fill. with the home-made bivy, i've used this bag in single digit temps, so i should be comfortable. weight (with bivy): 4# 5 oz.

    tarp: self-made. weighs 1# 5 oz with the stakes.
    -------------
    total: 22# 10 oz. incl. food and water

    MISC:
    rope: 4 oz.
    headlamp: 3.7 oz.
    pot/spoon: 4.5 oz.
    stove: 2 oz.
    fuel: 10 oz.
    knife/lighter/chapsick on 'biner: 2.7 oz.
    purell: 3.6 oz.
    soap: 3 oz.
    bag with: tp, paper, pencil, guidebook pages/map: 1.5 oz.

    FIRST AID:
    1 set of extra headlamp batteries
    2 saftey pins
    needle/floss
    baking soda (for tooth brushing and foot powder)
    child's toothbrush, cut off
    earplugs
    water purifying tablets
    ibuprofin
    benadryl
    epi pen
    calcium enhanced vitamin supplements
    weight: 9 oz
    ____________
    total: 2# 7 oz.


    CLOTHING:

    bandana: 1.5 oz.
    hat/scarf: 3.85 oz.
    gloves: 1.2 oz.
    2 pr. wigwam merino wool socks: 6.4 oz
    silk skirt: 4 oz.
    thermal shirt: 6.1 oz.
    under armor long sleeve tee: 6.1 oz.
    long johns: 5.4 oz. or fleece pants 7.5 oz. (may bring both so i have something dry and clean-ish in which to sleep)
    jacket: 11.6 oz.
    fleece vest: 10.1 oz.
    rain jacket/pants: 10 oz.
    -----------------
    total: 4# 10 oz.



    TOTAL: 29# 11 oz.
    this gives me some leeway as to how much water and food i can actually carry, which is my main concern, obviously.


    any feedback's much appreciated.

  2. #2
    Registered User hopefulhiker's Avatar
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    Unless you are really attached to it you might go with a lighter cheap used pack... Also I would carry an extra platypus or water bottle or something.. There has been a drought and you might want the ability to carry extra water...

  3. #3
    AT 4000+, LT, FHT, ALT Blissful's Avatar
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    Your sleep system is pretty heavy. Not sure why you need both a bivy and a tarp shelter. But if it works for you and you want to carry it, go for it.

    I take it you are allergic to bee stings? (we also carried an epi pen because my son was)

    Are you going commando? Saw no undies. Camp shoes? What are you hiking in? I never heard of a silk skirt (?) You will need shorts (unless you meant a silk skirt?) and one t-shirt. We hit 70s in March. You never know.

    I would skip the headlamp batteries. Plenty of time and towns along the way you can get them and headlamps last a long time.

    Also - Pack cover, garbage bag liner (?) - not sure how waterproof a pack like that is, sunscreen
    Last edited by Blissful; 02-12-2008 at 15:35.







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    29 lbs. is fine if that includes food and water. Not UL or SUL, but well within reason.

    As to specifics -- I've never carried "jackets" of any type on the trail. I have carried thin outer shells, and this last go-round I carried a Frogg Toggs rain suit.

    Needless to say, your pack and sleeping bag are on the heavy side. But you already knew that.

  5. #5
    Registered User nightshaded's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by _terrapin_ View Post
    Needless to say, your pack and sleeping bag are on the heavy side. But you already knew that.
    i make no claims to being ul...and i've taken all sorts of grief about the pack/bag weight...but it works for me, so i'm not too worried about it.

    i do have a rainsuit...so i may scrap the jacket....i've been doing so much camping lately in the freezing cold that i've almost forgotten what it's like to be warm!

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by nightshaded View Post
    i make no claims to being ul...and i've taken all sorts of grief about the pack/bag weight...but it works for me, so i'm not too worried about it.

    i do have a rainsuit...so i may scrap the jacket....i've been doing so much camping lately in the freezing cold that i've almost forgotten what it's like to be warm!
    If the system works for you, stick with it.

  7. #7
    Registered User nightshaded's Avatar
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    blissful--

    i'm still up in the air about the logistics of the sleep system...there's going to be a bit of trial and error, but i'm willing to be flexible. the tarp can be used as a pack cover, and the bivy's just a glorified contractor's garbage bag, so i'm covered (literally )
    the garbage bag's in my food bag, and is included in that weight.

    i am allergic only to yellow jackets, but i am VERY allergic to them, so that's the justification for that.

    i thought i included my tee shirt: it's silk, weighs 3 oz. i can't imagine it being warm right now: we've had a foot of snow so far this afternoon and it's still coming down. i'm looking forward to hiking in more moderate temperatures so very much!

    that was, indeed, a SKIRT made from silk, it's very light, but warm, and more comfy than shorts (no chafing).
    i don't hike with underwear. as to camp shoes, when it's warm outside, i rarely wear shoes anyhow, so i intend on going barefoot when it's warm enough. just can't justify carrying another pair of shoes. my boots are men's columbia tigertooths...weigh just under a pound, the most comfortable shoes i've ever owned.

    hm...i think that's everything...i'm going to get rid of the batteries now. thanks for the input!

    bone lady

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    Registered User nightshaded's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by taildragger View Post
    If the system works for you, stick with it.
    i intend on doing so...i'm rather a stubborn little cuss

  9. #9

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    Take a real adult-sized toothbrush. You're going to be on the trail for months. Good oral hygiene is important, especially since you'll be snacking all day long. The weight is negligible. You can offset that by not taking the extra batteries, unless you're planning on night hiking a lot.

    You have an odd combination of really light stuff along with a clunker of a backpack and sleeping bag. if you can afford to replace them with something lighter, do. I suspect you will figure out a way to replace your backpack once you start hiking regardless.

    You might want to look for a Platypus or other collapsible lightweight container for carrying more water, or a 2 liter soda bottle, if the water situation is bad like it was in 2007. It's shaping up that way.

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    Registered User troglobil's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by nightshaded View Post
    two 1 liter water bottles, each weighing 1# 4 oz when full.
    Where did you find this light weight water? Mine weighs 2 lbs/ liter.

  11. #11
    Registered User nightshaded's Avatar
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    i should think i'll replace my toothbrush at least once, too!

    You have an odd combination of really light stuff along with a clunker of a backpack and sleeping bag. if you can afford to replace them with something lighter, do. I suspect you will figure out a way to replace your backpack once you start hiking regardless.

    when it comes down to it, i'm a ridiculously frugal person...if i can avoid spending money, i will...even if it leaves me with outdated gear. i have had someone offer to loan me a newer gregory, so i'm going to play around with it a bit this month and see if it suits me.

  12. #12
    Registered User nightshaded's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by troglobil View Post
    Where did you find this light weight water? Mine weighs 2 lbs/ liter.
    the bottles might not hold a full liter...i'll let you know if i do stumble across any UL water, though.

  13. #13
    LT '79; AT '73-'14 in sections; Donating Member Kerosene's Avatar
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    You should be fine on the AT with 2 liters of carrying capacity unless it's the height of a drought. Many hikers only carry a liter at a time, but after running out once and having to walk for 4 miles on a humid day, I tend to carry more than I'm likely to need (2 to 2.5 liters).

    Hard to believe that you're going to need 8 pounds of food to get you from Springer to Neels Gap. The appetites of most hikers starting out tends to be depressed for the first 7-10 days of intense exercise. Think about carrying 1.5 pounds per day initially to get you to Neels Gap for re-supply (if you stay at the Blood Mountain Cabins then you can have them hold a box for you). If that amount of food turns out to be insufficient for you needs, then you can always head down into Suches from Woody Gap.
    GA←↕→ME: 1973 to 2014

  14. #14
    Registered User GGS2's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by troglobil View Post
    Where did you find this light weight water? Mine weighs 2 lbs/ liter.
    2.2lbs without the bottle, but who's checking

  15. #15
    Registered User nightshaded's Avatar
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    the food bag actually weighs 6# at the moment....i've done some tweaking. i'd rather have a little left over than not enough, and i don't think that's prohibitively heavy. i'm guessing mountain crossings' food isn't all that cheap, so it's also more cost-effective to have an extra day's food upon arriving at neels gap.
    i hear blueberry patch hostel's closed...is this the case? and, if so, what's the best alternative for a maildrop location in hiawasee? PO?

    Hard to believe that you're going to need 8 pounds of food to get you from Springer to Neels Gap. [/quote]

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    Registered User troglobil's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GGS2 View Post
    2.2lbs without the bottle, but who's checking
    I tried weighing mine without the bottle. Just poured it out onto the scale, turns out it didn't weigh anything at all.

  17. #17
    Springer - Front Royal Lilred's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by troglobil View Post
    I tried weighing mine without the bottle. Just poured it out onto the scale, turns out it didn't weigh anything at all.
    LOLOL that's funny......
    "It was on the first of May, in the year 1769, that I resigned my domestic happiness for a time, and left my family and peaceable habitation on the Yadkin River, in North Carolina, to wander through the wilderness of America." - Daniel Boone

  18. #18
    mountain squid's Avatar
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    Some observations:

    1.5 oz for tp, paper, pencil, guidebook pages/map
    whistle
    radio/mp3 player
    sunscreen (no leaves on the trees)
    consider switching water tablets for Aquamira (aquamira is good for 30 gl and is readily avail on the AT)

    And, of course, don't forget ID/atm/credit cards and if no cell phone, phone card and important phone #s.

    If the Blueberry Patch is closed, check out Cloud9.

    See you on the trail,
    mt squid

  19. #19
    Registered User GGS2's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by troglobil View Post
    I tried weighing mine without the bottle. Just poured it out onto the scale, turns out it didn't weigh anything at all.
    Should try that trick with a baby scale. Or one of those old hardware scales they used for weighing nails.

  20. #20
    ME => GA 19AT3 rickb's Avatar
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    A couple thoughts'...

    A) A couple garbage bags to keep your stuff dry and/or your wet tarp in.

    B) An extra pair of socks to keep in reserve for when your feet really need some lovin'.

    C) Moleskin (unless you are the duct tape type)

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