Hi All,
My wife and I are coming off a 10 year backpacking hiatus and are looking to re-do our gear from what we used in the Colorado high country during the 1990's to hiking on the AT in Virginia where we now live. We'll mostly be doing 30 to 60 mile chunks of the AT with the slight possibility of a thru-hike in a couple years or so. We'll be using the gear from April through late September. The goal is to be out hiking with a total pack weight of about 30lbs for me and 25lbs for her including food and fuel.
I'm 45, 6'2", and 215lbs. My wife is 5'10" and weighs a lot less. Both in good shape. We tend to do most of our hiking together. With all the post Christmas sales and coupons going on, here's some of the major gear we're thinking about replacing.
1. Switching out our Sierra Designs Stretch Dome 4 season tent for a Tarptent Rainshadow 2. 9lbs to about 2.5lbs.
2. Replace our old Peak 1 Feather 442 dual fuel stove and pot for a Caldera Cone keg alcohol stove and pot. 2.5lbs to about 8oz.
3. We use a Marmot Moraine semi-retangular Dryloft shelled sleeping bag and a cloth coupler. Total weight with stuff sack is 4lbs 14oz. I think we'll keep using this as it's only 2.5 lbs each and is very warm, roomy, and comfortable. Long sized bag by itself is 3lbs 7oz.
4. Switch our packs from a pair of large sized Dana Design's Terraplanes to one ULA Circuit ( for me ) and one ULA OHM ( for her ). A weight drop from 8lbs each to about 3lbs each. NOTE: Final pack types will be based on actual purchased gear weight and volume but the ULA's should work if I meet my goals.
5. Switch our old orange Thermarests for new NeoAir's. 2.5lbs each to about 1 pound each.
and my favorite one of all...
6. Drop heavy leather boots, crampons, ice ax, etc for a single pairs of 14oz. trail runners and some Leki corklite trekking poles!!!
Let me know what you think -- especially as it relates to a couple hiking together in somewhat warm weather on the southern AT.
There is a bunch of other gear related stuff ( clothing etc. ) I need to check on but I'll do that in separate posts.
Thanks,
George