Gear List Help Wanted - New to long distance hiking

[Matty427]

I was hoping some of you could share your expertise with me and help critique/build my gear list. I'll be heading to AFSP in early June and hiking north for about 3 weeks to Clingmans Dome/Newfound Gap. This will be my first long distance hiking trip - with the bulk of my experience being a day or two max. This is what I've come up with so far. What am I missing or what is unnecessary/dumb or what would you swap out?

Thanks in advance!

Clothing:
REI Sahara Convertible Pants x 2
REI OXT Short Sleeved Shirt x 2
REI OXT Long Sleeved Shirt x 1
Marmot Precip Rain Jacket
Fleece (undecided)
?

Shelter/Sleeping
Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1 & Footprint
Big Agnes Lost Ranger & Insulated Sleeping Pad & Waterproof Stuff Sack
?

Food/Water
Katadyn Hiker Pro Water Filter
Aqua Mira Drops Backup (may become primary by Neels Gap)
70 oz Water Bladder
Various Powerade bottles
Jetboil Flash PCS
Spork
?

Footwear
Vasque Breeze 11.5 wide OR Keen Voyageur Low Shoe (Undecided)
Superfeet Green Wide
Wool Socks - 3 Pair & Silk Liners (REI brand or Smartwool)
Crocs or Vibram 5 Finger Camp Shoes (undecided)

Misc.
Petzl Tikka XP 2 LED Headlamp
Blue Diamond Contour Elliptical Trekking Poles
Pocketknife
First Aid Kit
Contact Lens Care Kit
Journal/Trail Guide
Sham-Wow
Rope for Hanging Food
Fire Starter?/Matches

Pack (Undecided)
Osprey Aether 60
ULA Catalyst
Osprey Atmos (for the ventilation during the summer in GA)

[Feral Bill]

Add a sweator or fleece.

[Matty427]

Thank you! I had that in mind, just forgot to include on the list. I was considering the MH Windstopper (http://www.rei.com/product/646599)

[garlic08]

I don't carry two whole sets of clothes (any more). A wise saying I've seen here is that if you can't wear all your clothes at the same time in a good layering system, you're carrying too much. You definitely should have a warmer layer, at least heavy long underwear if not a fleece. Not sure about June in GA--is a fleece (the one you picked weighs 21 oz) really necessary?

[bigcranky]

If you like to hike in pants, bring one pair, and maybe a very light pair of shorts for camp or town. I hike in shorts, and bring a spare pair of running shorts with a liner (you can get really light running shorts.)

I'd bring my lightest fleece hat and maybe some light gloves. We did that section the same time of year and had frost the first night, and nights in the upper 30s the rest of the trip. (The next year we had nights in the 60s, so check the long term forecast.)

I would not bring my wind block (or windstopper) fleece on a long hike, even in the winter. It's not very warm for the weight, and takes up a lot of room in my pack. A simple 200 weight fleece pullover is plenty. You can put on your rain shell over it for a lot more warmth.

For this hike I'd bring my Marmot Driclime jacket as my warm layer, and I might toss in my Montbell down vest. Total weight is about 15 ounces for both pieces, and I get a lot of versatility out of them. (And they pack down to nothing.)

Have fun -- this is a nice section.

[grayfox]

Matty, looks to me like you are on the right track with your gear list. I like all my Big Agnes gear. If you look at new stuff, try to go with the lightest thing that will work for you.

I just wanted to say that I think you will find that two day trips and two week trips are not very different when you have a chance to resupply fairly often. For me the difference is in not getting back to home base as often and not being able to pack only perfectly appropriate things. The longer I am out the more chance I will be bothered by little things that I would probaly forget about after a short trip. Like zip off pant legs--I call these pants shorts because usually only one leg, at most, can be found at a time. The zipper starts to annoy me after a few days. In the summer I usually just take a pair of shorts and use my rain pants if I'm cold. If I want to take long pants I do in addition to shorts. Just me though.

I also get bugged by, broken fingernails, knives that can't cut, dirty hands--so I take a real nail file, a tiny sharpener, and hand cleaner--these thing are not always in an overnight kit for me.

Sometimes I want stuff that is comforting to have. A trusty metal spoon that actually holds some food in it. A separate cup with a lid for coffee.

The longer the hike the less focus I have on camping gear and the more I look to things like foot care, like washing socks, and quick camp set up.

[mtnkngxt]

[QUOTE=Matty427;994364]


Clothing:
REI Sahara Convertible Pants x 1
REI OXT Short Sleeved Shirt x 1
Patagonia Cap 3 Top
Marmot Precip Rain Jacket
Fleece Marmot Wind Shirt
Montbell down vest or WM Down Vest
Some type of beanie to keep your head warm
2 pair hiking sock
1 pair sleeping sock
A hat possibly?
Shelter/Sleeping
Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1 & Footprint
Big Agnes Lost Ranger & Insulated Sleeping Pad & Waterproof Stuff Sack
This looks good. Could go much lighter, but if you already have these not a bad setup.

If looking for lighter. A Henry Shires Tarp Tent Moment could be an easy weight reduction. And a Montbell #4 or #5 could cut off some weight

Food/Water
Katadyn Hiker Pro Water Filter drop the filter just use the drops and a bandanna
Aqua Mira Drops Backup (may become primary by Neels Gap)
70 oz Water Bladder
Various Powerade bottles
Jetboil Flash PCS
Spork
Salt or Pepper? Olive Oil? If you're cooking in the pot a small piece of green scrubber

Footwear
Vasque Breeze 11.5 wide OR Keen Voyageur Low Shoe Check out the Montrail AT Plus shoe. About $115, but I love mine like nothing else.
Superfeet Green Wide
Wool Socks - 3 Pair & Silk Liners (REI brand or Smartwool)
Crocs or Vibram 5 Finger Camp Shoes (undecided)

Misc.
Petzl Tikka XP 2 LED Headlamp
Blue Diamond Contour Elliptical Trekking Poles
Pocketknife
First Aid Kit
Contact Lens Care Kit
Journal/Trail Guide
Sham-Wow
Rope for Hanging Food
Fire Starter?/Matches

Pack Get all your gear, and if you can find someone who has the ULA Circuit and a ULA Catalyst and see if you can get your gear into the Circuit instead. Either of the ULA packs are great.

QUOTE]

[Matty427]

Thanks for the advice everyone! Especially on the clothing end. I know I needed something warmer but wasn't sure what kind of weather to dress for. June in GA makes me think stupid hot, but in the mountains, I know it can change wildly. I'll definitely be checking out the Patagonia Cap3 tops soon.

I know the sleeping bag/pad is a tad on the heavy side but worth it for me given the comfort level, and the fact that I have a hard time sleeping in mummy bags. The tent is under 3lbs, and don't know if the tartpent moment weight reduction would be significant enough to warrant the extra money spent.

I think I'll pick up some lighter items until it gets closer and I can get a better idea of what temps to expect. If needed, there is an REI about 4 miles from my house, so I can make some last-minute purchases.

[Dialeight44]

Your sleeping bag is one area where you can save a lot of weight if you are willing to spend some extra money. I used a Lafuma mummy bag (30 degree) for my entire thru-hike and I was only cold one night. Trust me, you will be able to sleep in a mummy bag when you are thru-hiking because you will be tired at the end of the day.