What gear to buy first?

[Wildflower_90]

I am attempting my first thru-hike for this march/April! Going NOBO. What is the pieces of gear that is most important to buy first? I've researched a lot and I've seen females have trouble finding good fitting backpacks, what are some suggestions?

[Drybones]

You have plenty of time to shop for deals. I'd try to determine what gear I wanted and then buy as good deals come available. Ideally, if you had all your other gear first you could better select a pack.

[Hill Ape]

buy your pack last, when you've worked out how much volume you'll require for all your gear to go into it, and you know how heavy it will be. an ultralight pack isn't designed for loads over say 30 lb. my girlfriend swears by osprey, they are known for making comfortable womens packs. results vary, yours will too. even if you buy a pack online, try to find it at a store, load it up (they usually have sandbags or something) with the weight you'll carry. buy a pack that is comfortable for you, and get help on sizing it. most manfacturers have three sizes for each model.

you have to start somewhere with buying stuff. buy a spoon. lexan or titanium. $2 vs $15. both work just fine, so does a spork from KFC, for free. i don't say that to be sarcastic, let it be an example in the cost/benefit analysis of everything you look at. you don't have to get the lastest titanium and cuben, but you've been bit by the bug, and you'll start to covet them.

[FarmerChef]

buy your pack last, when you've worked out how much volume you'll require for all your gear to go into it, and you know how heavy it will be. an ultralight pack isn't designed for loads over say 30 lb. my girlfriend swears by osprey, they are known for making comfortable womens packs. results vary, yours will too. even if you buy a pack online, try to find it at a store, load it up (they usually have sandbags or something) with the weight you'll carry. buy a pack that is comfortable for you, and get help on sizing it. most manfacturers have three sizes for each model.

you have to start somewhere with buying stuff. buy a spoon. lexan or titanium. $2 vs $15. both work just fine, so does a spork from KFC, for free. i don't say that to be sarcastic, let it be an example in the cost/benefit analysis of everything you look at. you don't have to get the lastest titanium and cuben, but you've been bit by the bug, and you'll start to covet them.

I use that spork from KFC and have for years. Check out "dirt bagging" for other tips on how to use found items for multiple purposes while hiking. For instance, I use Gladware soup bowls with lids for our mess kit. Snap on the lid and they seal quite nicely. Use the lid as a plate or small food prep surface. Put in pudding mix and nido + water, snap on the lid and shake, etc.

Figure out what exactly you want and wait for it to be on Craigslist, Ebay, REI outlet sale, yard sale, etc. When you've got everything BUT the pack, then buy the pack that holds it all AND fit's comfortably. Buying the pack to soon in the process is a mistake that will cost you $$ when you realize that the stuff you have is too heavy/light for the pack or those straps that felt good at 10lbs feel like an albatross at 30.

Oh and once you've been bit by the bug, as Hill Ape points out, there's no going back . Have fun!

[Sunshine82]

Yes defiantly buy the pack last!i bought that first and am now wrestling with everything,everything I repack.

[bobp]

The cheeky answer is "Don't buy anything. Rent and borrow stuff until you know what you like and what works for you." A slightly more practical version is "Buy underwear. You don't want to borrow that, and nobody rents it." If you learn anything by reading these pages, you will learn that most people turn their gear over a couple of times before hitting their preferred configuration.

Borrowing is often easy. Find someone who bought gear for a once-in-a-lifetime trip and only used the gear once.

[Mags]

My only advice is not sweat the gear choices too much. BUT, buy a good quality sleeping bag. If on a budget, the Kelty Cosmic Down 20 is only about $110. Anything much less than that in price and it is probably going to be bulky, heavy and not true to its temp rating.

[capehiker]

I'd recommend looking over gear lists (and the critique) in this forum to get an idea of what you'll need. I started from the small things to the "Big 4" (pack, shelter, sleeping bag, sleeping pad) last. The reason being, the big 4 tend to be the most expensive and I researched the heck out of them while I pieced together my accessories. Lastly, check out YouTube vids of "AT gear lists" from the previous few years to see what's being taken on the trail.

I echo everyone above with regards to buying a pack last. I took the advice from someone on here and assembled my pack contents in a box and took it to the outfitter and tried different sizes. The thing with sandbags and weights that outfitters use is it doesn't give you a good representation of weight distribution and how everything fits in the pack. While I ended up buying my pack online, trying one several at an outfitter gave me an idea of weight and volume I needed.

I began my checklist by creating groups:

Shelter system
Sleep system
Cook system
Water purification system
Clothing system
Sundries (first aid, battery charger, guide books, etc)

[JustaTouron]

"Buy underwear.

Of all the items one needs for a hike, underwear is one of the many items almost every non-hiker already owns.

On the same vein as the earlier poster, you already own much of the gear you will need it is just a matter of deciding if you want to spend the money to upgraded to be a better quality/lighter/etc.

You already own underwear, a sweater, a spoon, a cup, probably also have a rain jacket and cooking pot. The question becomes what is worth using and what is worth spending extra money on.

[bert304]

One thing I learned is to buy your shoes while wearing your fully loaded pack to check for comfort and fit.

[Hill Ape]

one warning about all the endless youtube videos of peoples gear. most of them are pre hike. what you're not seeing is what did they drop as dead weight, replaced, sent home. look for post hike gear videos, look for gear lists of what worked for people, not what they started with.

[moldy]

Buy your pack, your cold weather sleeping bag and your tent/tarp or hammock all at the same time so you can make sure they fit inside the pack. Not all cold weather (20deg) bags and hammock systems will fit in all backpacks.

[bobp]

Of all the items one needs for a hike, underwear is one of the many items almost every non-hiker already owns.

Not to pound this into the ground, but you probably don't already own the right underwear, unless you engage in other athletic activities. If you are hiking in cotton briefs/boxers/panties/etc., I feel for you. Try wicking synthetics, and you won't ever go back. Compression garments can be a wonder. I am completely serious. Yes, one can hike in tighty whities, but the experience is much more enjoyable (especially over the course of weeks) in proper clothing. There are those who forsake underwear altogether in favor of lined running shorts or kilts/skirts. Something to consider.

[Ground Control]

Not to pound this into the ground, but you probably don't already own the right underwear, unless you engage in other athletic activities. If you are hiking in cotton briefs/boxers/panties/etc., I feel for you. Try wicking synthetics, and you won't ever go back. Compression garments can be a wonder. I am completely serious. Yes, one can hike in tighty whities, but the experience is much more enjoyable (especially over the course of weeks) in proper clothing. There are those who forsake underwear altogether in favor of lined running shorts or kilts/skirts. Something to consider.

I was going to make a similarly impassioned plea about socks...fabric really, really matters.

[Just Bill]

The first thing you should buy is a spreadsheet, which you may not have to pay for. Make paper lists of all your gear. Swap choices as you research and substitute items as your budget dictates. Cheaper, easier, and foolproof. Once you have your perfect list- spend the most on sleep. Good pad, good bag, good shelter. Keep you list handy and start shopping deals. As you find something good, then cross it off your list. Once you have it all ready to go- buy your pack last. Contents before the container. That's all a pack is.

[Another Kevin]

Uhm. Do some shorter trips to make sure you like backpacking? Try them with rented gear to see what works for you?

The "best" of anything really depends on your hiking style, your body type, whether you run warm or cold, whether you like to cook or prefer to keep things as simple as possble, and so on. What works for me may be horrible for you. And the order to buy your gear is: when it comes on sale, shows up at the yard sale or the Salvation Army, or something like that.

Most of the advice I see in this thread is sound. But don't take even Triple Crowner Mags's advice as gospel. (For instance, in another thread he recommends a 3/4 length sleeping pad. I carry a full length one because I always get cold feet with a 3/4. I'm at least half a foot taller than Mags, which is probably what makes the difference.) And he'd be the first to agree that I need to carry what works for me, even if that makes me look like a clueless weekender.

[MuddyWaters]

Develop your whole gear list first.
Especially when you try to lighten up, gear works as "systems".
Gear complements each other, nothing needs to be redundant.

You have lots of time, take it.
I know its exciting, and you cant wait to buy something, but take the time to do research, figure out the BEST item in your price range for the function, and you will be more satisfied.

[Mags]

Most of the advice I see in this thread is sound. But don't take even Triple Crowner Mags's advice as gospel. (For instance, in another thread he recommends a 3/4 length sleeping pad. I carry a full length one because I always get cold feet with a 3/4. I'm at least half a foot taller than Mags, which is probably what makes the difference.) And he'd be the first to agree that I need to carry what works for me, even if that makes me look like a clueless weekender.

Hey..I'll be the first to admit I'm a short Eye-Talian. I readily tell people that caveat.

[Malto]

one warning about all the endless youtube videos of peoples gear. most of them are pre hike. what you're not seeing is what did they drop as dead weight, replaced, sent home. look for post hike gear videos, look for gear lists of what worked for people, not what they started with.

Amen brother. I believe this is the single biggest reason that Mountain Crossings makes a mint off of every years thru hikers. They keep making the mistakes of previous years hikers by following the pages and pages of prehike advise, often written by folks with little to no experience.

[fredmugs]

Nothing specific needs to be bought first. Like everyone has stated buy your pack last. Also, if you can afford it, buy your stuff from REI because of their return policy. If you can't or don't want to pay REI prices check out GoLite. I have a lot of their gear including my current pack, rain jacket, and tarp/poncho. Don't skimp on footwear.