Thru-Hiker Question: What Gear Did You Immediately Send Home?

[jvreeland]

I am curious as to what piece (or pieces) of gear you send home almost immediately as you knew you would not use it or it was just to big/heavy for the hike?

[Old Hiker]

Keep in mind: 2012 was very warm. Sent my thermal pants, top, heavy gloves home. Bought lighter gloves at Mountain Crossings - a light top at Erwin.

[Symba]

My 'U-Dig-It' cat hole shovel that had a case to hold it. Used a good stick instead.

[The Solemates]

I've never sent anything home, but growing up I spent every Spring hiking Southbound in GA in late March or early April. I picked up half my gear this way.

Some of the most common things I got were:

Nalgene bottles
other types of canteens
extra cooking utensils
extra cooking pots
extra clothing - all types - shirts, jackets, gloves, bandanas
AT related books
AT guidebooks
leisure books
AT maps
water filter
other water treatment types
unused toilet paper still in packaging
trowel
lighters
pack towel
camp shoes (sandals)
camp pillows
whole unused regular sized toothpastes
and even a only slightly used pair of boots that were my size!

[Bati]

Keep in mind: 2012 was very warm. Sent my thermal pants, top, heavy gloves home. Bought lighter gloves at Mountain Crossings - a light top at Erwin.

And for me, I sent home a pair of shorts and a cheap water bottle holder, after buying a wet ribs and very nice mittens to go over my glove liners. I didn't wear shorts till I'd been out 15 days (on March 25), and then only briefly. It was a cold year and I wore my gore-tex side zip pants a lot, unzipping the tops down the the gaiters to stay cool while keeping the snow off my legs.

So to answer your real question- some things are just not needed; but for others it just depends on the weather.

[snifur]

Nothing. I finished my hike with what i started with. If you are properly prepared and fully know your gear and capabilities there is no reason to send anything home. take a walk up Springer from the approach trail anytime between march and april. you will see where the losers just throw their heavy items. losers suck.

[Another Kevin]

Nothing. I finished my hike with what i started with. If you are properly prepared and fully know your gear and capabilities there is no reason to send anything home. take a walk up Springer from the approach trail anytime between march and april. you will see where the losers just throw their heavy items. losers suck.

A bit of an overstatement. Even prepared and experienced hikers who start the A-T early in the season are likely to want to swap winter gear for summer at some point.

Yes, people who litter the trail with discarded gear are indeed losers. And I thoroughly resent cleaning up after them.

[Drybones]

2012 - sent down jacket, gloves, beany home at Fontana....very hot year.

2013 - wish I'd brought down underwear and heavy boots, heavier gloves, hand warmers.... froze my butt off.....and other appendages.

You never know about the weather, plan the best you can and adjust if possible.

[Starchild]

Sleeping bag went back pretty soon in favor of a quilt like bag at 1/2 the weight.

[turtle fast]

I had an Estwing hatchet that I sent back, along with a set of extra clothes and an extra pot with my sleeping pad as I upgraded at Mountain Crossings. Its amazing what you find on the Approach trail. While not on the trail when I got to Georgia at the AT Hikers Hostel I had discovered that I had 3 extra pairs of socks and 2 extra liners in my pack.....apparently I had packed my reserve socks into the pack...I shipped those home too before I even got on the trail.

[capehiker]

A bit of an overstatement. Even prepared and experienced hikers who start the A-T early in the season are likely to want to swap winter gear for summer at some point.

My interpretation was not what gear got swapped out for seasons but what got sent home because it was determined to be useless.

[Mr Breeze]

Same here. I finished last year with all the gear i set out with in March.

[RED-DOG]

None on all three of my thru-Hikes i kept every thing i started with, and i started in february.

[Last Call]

Welp....I'm just a lowly section hiker, never sent anything home, but I did walk off & forget my 3-legged stool midway up the approach trail....I didn't realize it until I was at the shelter on Springer. No, I didn't go back to get it as I'm sure it would have already "walked off". Dang I still miss that stool!

[handlebar]

Sent the zip off bottoms of my pants home right away---never used. Switched to a kilt at Partnership Shelter. Also, on the AT only, my Tilley Hat---used a bandana tied over my noggin'.

[Dogwood]

I am curious as to what piece (or pieces) of gear you send home almost immediately as you knew you would not use it or it was just to big/heavy for the hike?

Confessions of an idiot or in other words someone who is evolving as a long distance hiker. Did this not as a result of changing seasons. Started with a 6 lb Osprey Aether 70L(about 4300 cubic inches) backpack, 4 lb 2 oz SlumberJack 20* synthetic sleeping bag(this bag would now fill up the volume of my entire backpack I currently thru-hike with), 4.5 lb tent(this wt rivals the wt of my current 2 man mountaineering tents), and way too much clothing, food, and fuel(I carried 3 8 oz cans of isobutane at the start). I started with four different hats alone. By the time I huffed and puffed my arse up Blood Mt in 90* temps I knew a lot had to change, including my gear. I watched. I asked questions. I learned. I pondered long and hard. By the time I got to VA I had mailed back or given away more than 1/2 my apparel, went with a 2 lb 3600 cubic inches Granite Gear Vapor Trail(this was 2006, in the early 21 century Vapor Trails were one of the hottest UL thru-hiking packs available), Mont Bell SS 30* 1lb 6 oz down bag( it was also less than half the volume of the Slumberjack), reduced my shelter wt by 10 oz(while still maintaining the same shelter), resupplied more often needing to haul less food wt between resupplies, carried just one 4 oz can of iso at a time, etc. I'm still watching, learning, and often pondering! Evolution never ends. Don't beat yourself up. We are ALL evolving . We need to evolve. Every day is a winding road.

What I knew I wasn't going to do was go home without giving my planned on AT thru-hike 100% of myself. Have never looked back. Broke that quitter mentality I had in those 5 long months. It wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done but certainly was one of the most fulfilling.

[AngryGerman]

I sent a Katadyn water filter home in favor of Aqua Mira as well as incorporating the "I am not going to treat my water" attitude. Secondly, I traded out my camelback bladder for a 1L Smart water bottle. Third, my Osprey Atmos 50 lasted until Gorham than I switched to my coveted Granite Gear Blaze AC 60; the construction on the Osprey was filled with flaws. Lastly, when the seasons changed I swapped out my UL summer bag to a UL 0 degree bag. None of these changes were made from the inexperienced to the experienced, they were simply made to go from light to UL. More miles with less weight for this guy!

[Datto]

I am curious as to what piece (or pieces) of gear you send home almost immediately as you knew you would not use it or it was just to big/heavy for the hike?

I received chocolate breasts in the mail at the Blueberry Patch in north Georgia on my AT thru-hike.

Boy, that was some kind of tough decision I had to make to send those home. Wow.


Datto