the things i will carry
18 February 2020 — 3 min read
i might as well start off with the obligatory gear post. the more i look into planning my 2020 through hike, the more i realize it’s going to go out the window minutes after i depart. currently my plan is to show up at springer mountain with my gear and 4 days of food. (i ran this plan by “bus driver” who thought the plan was good, except she advised that i only needed 3 days of food, and no rain pants.)
i’m used to carrying a 65-70# mountaineering style pack. in the middle of alaska or wyoming if your boots wear out, you’re not getting another pair easily. in those instances choosing more durable (read: heavier) gear makes some sense. since resupply is infrequent you must carry a lot more days of food. you also tend to carry a lot more in the way of first aid and repair. the AT is a very different type of hike. being able to resupply every 3-5 days or get new gear in a couple days has it’s perks. additionally, my prior back country experiences topped out at 6 weeks. 6 weeks at any weight doesn’t take the same toll on your joints and ligaments as 4-6 months of relatively high daily mileage.
2020 appalachian trail gear list (pre-hike)
backpack
shelter
- zpacks triplex
- zpacks carbon fiber tent poles (since i’m not using trekking poles, yet.)
- titanium tent stakes (12)
- zpacks stake sack
sleep system
- feathered friends flicker ul 20
- nemo tensor ultralight sleeping pad (non-insulated)
- sea to summit aeros premium pillow
- patagonia capilene light weight base layer long sleeve zip-neck shirt
- patagonia capilene light weight base layer tights
- alpaca wool socks
- zpacks medium-plus dry bag for sleeping bag (& clothes)
cook system
- brs stove
- lighter
- zpacks bear bagging kit (large food bag with mini carabiner, rock sack, and 50’ of 2.0mm z-line)
- 1 gallon ziplock (for trash)
- toaks titanium 750ml pot
- mt knives genesis (worn)
- spoon (nothing special)
- bandanna
water system
- sawyer squeeze water filter
- cnoc vecto 2 liter dirty water container
- (2) 1 liter smart water bottles
- sawyer water filter coupler
clothes (packed)
- zpacks vertice jacket
- enlightened equipment torrid apex jacket
- zpacks vertice pants
- defeet duraglove
clothes (worn)
- shorts
- icebreaker tech lite t shirt
- patagonia capilene light weight base layer long sleeve zip-neck shirt
- patagonia capilene light weight base layer tights
- buff lightweight merino wool
- mesh back cap
- beanie (hand knit)
- darn tough hiker 1/4 cushion sock
- altra king mt 2
- julbo explorer
toiletries
- miswak (toothbrush)
- tentlab deuce of spades 0.6oz trowel
- tp
- hand sanitizer
- ear plugs
- nail clippers
first aid / repair
- alcohol wipes
- leuko tape
- ibuprofen
- pen
- sewing kit (curved needle, thread)
- zpacks cuben fiber tape
- lighter
other
- uco air headlamp (modified)
- ass pad (included w/ zpacks nero)
- umbrella
- bug net
- zpacks small dry bag
electronics
- phone (w/ case and guthooks app)
- headphones
- anker powerport mini dual port wall charger
- anker powercore 13000 external battery (w/ cable)
- mini usb to lightning adapter
- zpacks shoulder pouch
photography
- olympus om-d e-m10 mark ii
- sandisk extreme pro 64gb sdxc uhs-i memory card
- olympus m.zuiko 17mm f1.8 lens (34mm equivalent) (w/ protective uv filter)
- olympus m.zuiko 12mm f2.0 lens (24mm equivalent) (w/ protective uv filter)
- peak design capture clip (with plate)
- olympus bls-50 battery
- usb charger for bls-50 (w/ cable)
- pedco ultrapod II lightweight camera tripod
- quick release clamp with arca-swiss
- waymark zipp pack
not including food, fuel, water, or worn items, my gear weighs in at right around 14#.