Pack List Check NOBO Feb.

[ferdEggmont]

Hey all, did a pack shakedown with a friend last night that's thru hiked before, feel like getting further insight couldn't hurt. My list is actually pretty similar to Fireneck's, but I'd appreciate any additional tips or advice. I'm thinking about dropping the trowel and camp towel and going with two bandannas. Thanks! - Mike

Pack
– Arcteryx Axios 50 with trash compactor bag liner

Shelter/Sleep
- MSR Hubba 1 (picking up in Neels Gap, shelter hopping for couple days)
- Homemade waterproofed tarp footprint
- Marmot Couloir 0 degree bag (a little heavier but I’ll deal)
- Thermarest Z-Lite cut to ¾ length
- Sea to Summit eVent compression sack
- Coleman poncho (to double as pack cover)

Clothes
- Patagonia Down Sweater Jacket
- Patagonia Cap 2 top/bottom
- UA shorts
- Fleece gloves
- Hiking Socks x1
- Camp Socks x2
- Wool beanie
- North Face wind/waterproof outershell
- Walmart brand crocs
- 2 silnylon stuff sacs

Kitchen
- Minibulldesigns mini atomic #2 w/ homemade cozy, windscreen, pot stand
- 8 oz. HEET in two 4 oz. dropper bottles
- Snow Peak 700 w/ homemade lid
- Snow Peak spork
- Aqua Mira
- Platypus 2 L bladder
- 1 quart powerade bottle
- OR dry sack for food

Misc
- Mini Bic lighter
- Book of matches (backup fire)
- First aid kit
- Journal/pen/novel
- Blistex
- AT guide book
- Cell phone/charger
- Ipod shuffle
- Point and shoot camera/charger
- Money/id/cards
- Small pack of wet wipes
- 60 ft. utility cord
- Petzl Tikka2
- Toothbrush/paste
- Several each of immodium, ibuprofen
- Small super glue
- Carabiner
- Ear plugs
- Pocket knife
- Plastic trowel
- 2 oz. camp soap
- Medium camp towel
- BD trekking poles with couple feet of duct tape wrapped on one

Hiking Clothes
- Synthetic baselayer
- UA t-shirt
- Water/windproof quarter zip
- Compression shorts
- Convertible pants
- Merrel Moab shoes

[MJW155]

You have duct tape. I'd get rid of the glue. Get rid of trowel. If that's for the bathroom, use your foot. I hate bandanas but I'd use a smaller/thinner towel if you can. What are the ear plugs for? Pretty sure you have too much clothes. When are you leaving? What about a knife?

[ferdEggmont]

yea the trowel was for the bathroom and good call with the glue, ear plugs are for noisy nights at shelters/hostels- they were highly recommended, pocket knife is on the list. clothes-wise i may just end up sending some back if needed. Plan is to head out this Tuesday. Thanks.

[TOMP]

This looks solid, and I agree with your choices to ditch the towel and trowel. There are just too many things in your pack you can use as a trowel and towel without bringing them. Unless the ground is frozen I dont find an official trowel useful. I would also switch the crocs for a lighter flip flop. If you dont plan to walk any distance in them then flip flops will do the job and only weigh a few ounces. To put it in perspective I own a pair of running shoes that only weigh about 5 oz more than the average croc in my shoe size.

So what did you find out in your shake down hike? I like to pretend that I am survivor man and setup hypothetical scenarios that cause me to use all of my gear. It keeps me entertained because I usually have too much camp time during a shakedown.

Also protect your electronics from condensation, otherwise they will break on you. Most people carry them in zip locks to protect them from water only to find they get wet from condensation, so maybe wrap them in some absorbant cloth or paper towel before placing in a zip lock to reduce this issue.

[ferdEggmont]

great tip with the electronics. my initial plan was to use a regular ziploc for the phone and put that with the chargers/camera in a freezer bag & i just might have to go back with the flip flops.

haha from the shakedown, i learned that my friend and i have pretty different styles of hiking- he is more on the side of being more comfortable/having some luxuries despite the extra weight. i decided against his recommendations to take additional layers for camp, hiking, wind/waterproof gloves, non-mesh shoes/boots, etc seeing as it's been a pretty mild winter and i've been keeping up with most of the weather reports for the first stretch of the trail. he gave me some good tips on food and which ones are the most calorie dense. on a side note he did a SOBO. it's funny because i was hoping to cut some pack weight after meeting up with him, but instead ended up adding a little!

[ferdEggmont]

oops- i meant my friend did a pack check - not a shakedown hike lol my bad

[Don H]

You do "shakedown hikes" before you go to Philmont.

[Don H]

Just some thoughts and some personal experience:

I ditched the alky stove for a simpler Pocket Rocket and never regretted it. It was just easier to screw the burner on and light.
Kept money, credit and ID cards in a fishing license holder tethered to my belt loop along with my mini Swiss Army knife. Don't want to loose that stuff!
Poncho, I just lined my pack with a garbage bag and never covered it. It will pick up weight when it rains though. I might go with a light weight cover but really didn't miss not having one.
AT Guide, I tore mine up into about a months worth and had it sent as needed.
Hiking socks, I carried 3 pr. all the same and rotated them. 2 hiking, one for camp/sleeping.
I liked my Crocs and wouldn't trade them for flip flops, I liked the increased foot protection.
Didn't carry soap or towel, did carry a bandana.
Didn't carry duct tape on my poles. Did carry some a few inches of Tenacious Tape for repairs and used it on my tent and stuff sacks.

What's your pack dry weight?
Some of the stuff I started with I ditched because I wasn't using it or could do without it.
Good Luck!

[takethisbread]

With the adjustments suggested above, looks like a good feb list. Good luck.

[4eyedbuzzard]

The glue is debatable. It weighs what - a couple of grams? I suffer from cracked cuticles and finger skin though and it's always in my first aid kit.
Consider one of those shamwows (accept no cheap imitations like Coughlan's camp towels - they are junk) as a "towel". Suckers absorb like no tomorrow and wring out really dry. A piece cut from it makes good headbands, and the whole thing can double as a scarf. Definitely ditch the plastic trowel - worthless. Hand sanitizer (1 oz size in your pocket) will actually get used more than soap and might just kill off some of the nasty buggies on your grubby paws. Seriously, hikers probably get more illnesses from dirty hands than anything actually found in the food or water they ingest. Anything you can do to help keep your hands clean is a big plus.

[ferdEggmont]

Hey Don, thanks for the tips! i believe my pack weight w/ 4-5 days worth of food + 1.5 L water is right around 31 lbs. plus the tent I'm picking up is 3 lbs. and some change, so should be in the 34-35 lbs. For the poncho I figure I can always give it to someone or throw it away if I decide it's pointless- was only 5 bucks or so.

[takethisbread]

Hey Don, thanks for the tips! i believe my pack weight w/ 4-5 days worth of food + 1.5 L water is right around 31 lbs. plus the tent I'm picking up is 3 lbs. and some change, so should be in the 34-35 lbs. For the poncho I figure I can always give it to someone or throw it away if I decide it's pointless- was only 5 bucks or so.

Why 4-5 days of food? When Neels Gap is about a day an half to two days away?

Then 2 and a half days to Hiawasee. Then two days to Franklin then two days to the NOC. Then the pickins get slim! (Fontana offers little in Feb)

Save your heavy food packs till you need them.

[1azarus]

...not sure what the difference is between your hiking socks and your camp socks, but i would suggest you go with two pair of hiking socks and one pair of camp socks if you are carrying three pair... further, i'd suggest that they all be usable for hiking. nice to be able to wear your camp socks the day before a big wash. the lighter the socks that work for your feet, generally, the better. dry faster! it doesn't hurt to have two different types of socks -- sometimes your feet will get unhappy with the texture of one, and you can switch to the other. have a wonderful hike.

[Blissful]

...not sure what the difference is between your hiking socks and your camp socks, but i would suggest you go with two pair of hiking socks and one pair of camp socks if you are carrying three pair... further, i'd suggest that they all be usable for hiking. nice to be able to wear your camp socks the day before a big wash. the lighter the socks that work for your feet, generally, the better. dry faster! it doesn't hurt to have two different types of socks -- sometimes your feet will get unhappy with the texture of one, and you can switch to the other. have a wonderful hike.

This is great advice sock-wise. Happy feet makes for a happy hike and hiker. Take three pairs of good hiking socks.

[Blissful]

Why 4-5 days of food? When Neels Gap is about a day an half to two days away?

Then 2 and a half days to Hiawasee. Then two days to Franklin then two days to the NOC. T.

Huh?

Sure if you're trail running...

golly

It takes an average hiker four days from Amicalola parking lot to Neel Gap. I think its wise to put in one extra day of food. I've been stuck at a shelter unable to get out b/c of weather and needed it.

[Blissful]

Hey Don, thanks for the tips! i believe my pack weight w/ 4-5 days worth of food + 1.5 L water is right around 31 lbs. plus the tent I'm picking up is 3 lbs. and some change, so should be in the 34-35 lbs. For the poncho I figure I can always give it to someone or throw it away if I decide it's pointless- was only 5 bucks or so.

31 lbs is a good weight for a Feb start, imo

[Blissful]

Just some thoughts and some personal experience:

I ditched the alky stove for a simpler Pocket Rocket and never regretted it. It was just easier to screw the burner on and light.
Kept money, credit and ID cards in a fishing license holder tethered to my belt loop along with my mini Swiss Army knife. Don't want to loose that stuff!
Poncho, I just lined my pack with a garbage bag and never covered it. It will pick up weight when it rains though. I might go with a light weight cover but really didn't miss not having one.
AT Guide, I tore mine up into about a months worth and had it sent as needed.
Hiking socks, I carried 3 pr. all the same and rotated them. 2 hiking, one for camp/sleeping.
I liked my Crocs and wouldn't trade them for flip flops, I liked the increased foot protection.
Didn't carry soap or towel, did carry a bandana.
Didn't carry duct tape on my poles. Did carry some a few inches of Tenacious Tape for repairs and used it on my tent and stuff sacks.

What's your pack dry weight?
Some of the stuff I started with I ditched because I wasn't using it or could do without it.
Good Luck!

Great suggestions!

[ferdEggmont]

Thanks for the responses- I'm taking 4-5 days worth because I'm planning on getting to Neels Gap on the morning of the 4th day; just like Blissful said that extra food is just in case something were to happen. As for socks, two of the pairs are identical midcalf socks made of slightly thicker wool, while the third pair is slightly longer, thinner smart wool. Currently, thinking about dropping the synthetic baselayer that I was going to use for hiking and packing it.