I've decided to change my trail name from "Thumper" to "The G-Town Colonel" or "G-Town" for short. Thumper was a name from my past whereas The G-Town Colonel is more descriptive of who I am today. And I am a live in the present sort of a person, so it feels more right to me to use this handle.
G-Town
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Gear, Gear, Gear!
Everyone who has ever entertained an overnight hike, much less an AT thru-hike, has given a great deal of thought to his/her gear, and so have I. Below you will see my planned equipment list for the start of my thru hike. Of course this list will change with my experience, the season, and with what I learn from others on the trail.
My wife (aka "Squeaky") suggests that I should share some of the thinking that went into getting the list to where it is today. So, here goes - Most of it comes from my (relatively limited, but informative) experience, second from one particular book I've read several times, and lastly from simply doing research over the internet and in outfitter stores. First the book; it is "Walking the Appalachian Trail" by Larry Luxenberg a wonderful collection of stories of people who have thru-hiked the AT over the years. Among the many pearls of wisdom I gained by reading and re-reading this book is that you must keep your pack weight down. Next my experience. For my 'shake-down' hike in November 2007 (which doubled as the approach trail and 1st 31 miles of the AT) I purposely 'went heavy'. I started with a pack-weight of 50 lbs knowing that this was more than I intended to carry for the main event and that I'd have to pare down. Boy, was I right! Leaving out of Amicalola State Park in Georgia the AT approach trail is one of the steepest portions of the entire trail and I was suffering immediately. The good news is you start eating and drinking right away and everything you put in your mouth is one less thing you are carrying on your back.
The upshot of it all is that I was able to reduce my pack weight from 50 lbs to 42 lbs. How? I shaved almost a pound and a half by going from a North Face Vector 22 to a Big Agnes SL1 tent. I cut another pound by going from a regular Therma Rest to a ProLite 3 Therma Rest. About another pound came from switching to the North Face DIAD rain jack (amazingly only 8.5 ounces!). I cut from two of some things to one: long johns, long sleeve t-shirts. I substituted a lightweight, small buck knife for my beloved Leatherman multi-tool. And I rationed out the food very carefully (I had carried way more than I needed for the 4-day shake-down). With experience and warmer weather I expect to be able to drop the weight even further down the road.
A few other comments before I present the list. One: This stuff is NOT cheap. Good gear, light gear is very pricey. But, as always, you get what you pay for. Two: You'll see a lot of North Face on the list; no, they are not sponsoring my trip, I've just found over the years that their gear generally works well and holds up to the demands of the wilderness. Three: No doubt there are many 'luxury' items on the list that could be cut - who knows, they may yet be after a week or two! Four: Why no i-pod? I thought long and hard about this. Ultimately I decided that I do not want to block out any of my senses. Five: I will do a separate post with a detailed list and discussion of food and first aid/personal comfort items.
Here is my list ...
STEVE’S
A.T. PACK LIST – Late Winter/Early Spring
As Of February 21, 2008
1. The North Face Crestone 60 Pack. 3650 cubic inch capacity. 6lbs 3 oz
2. The North Face Beeline 30 degree sleeping bag with stuff sack and dry sack (Flight Series). 1 lb 3 oz
3. ThermaRest ProLite 3 sleeping pad w/stuff sack. 1 lb 4 oz
4. Big Agnes SeedHouse SL1 tent, footprint, stuff sack. 3 lbs 2 oz
5. The North Face DIAD rain jacket (Flight Series). 8.5 oz
6. The North Face Venture rain pants (HyVent DT).
7. Jockey classic boxer briefs, 2 pair.
8. Polar Edge 100% polyester long johns, 1 pair.
9. The North Face Aurora zip neck fleece pullover, Polartec 100 (Flight Series).
10. Under Armor long sleeve t-shirt x 1.
11. Under Armor short sleeve t-shirt x 2.
12. The North Face lightweight hiking pants w/ zip-off legs, 1 pair.
13. The North Face Apex wind pants (Flight Series), 1 pair.
14. Brooks mesh baseball cap.
15. Under Armor Heat Gear watch cap.
16. The North Face thinsulate gloves.
17. Smartwool medium hiking socks, 2 pair.
18. Smartwool ankle-high running socks, 1 pair.
19. Cotton bandanas x 2.
20. Jet Boil stove.
21. Jet Boil coffee press.
22. Jet Boil fuel can x 2.
23. Lexan 12 oz cup w/ handle.
24. Lexan fork.
25. Lexan spoon.
26. Buck knife, 2.5” blade.
27. Small aluminum whistle.
28. HighGear AltiTech 2 watch/altimeter/thermometer/barometer/digital compass.
29. D-rings x 2 (one to clip knife and whistle to pack and one to clip watch/altimeter to pack).
30. Platypus 6.0 liter collapsible water bag.
31. Katadyn Hiker water filter.
32. Nalgene 1.0 liter water bottle x 2.
33. Chamois cloth 12” x 18” (for bathing).
34. Coughlin plastic trowel.
35. Toilet paper 1 x double roll.
36. 50’ nylon cord.
37. Large waterproof backpack, blaze orange.
38. Nomad Adventure Journal w/ waterproof nylon zip case and pen.
39. Paperback book x 1. (My plan is to read or reread stories of epic adventures, both real and fictitious. I’m starting with “The Hobbit” and in the queue I have “On the Road” and “Atlas Shrugged”. I welcome your suggestions!)
40. Large kitchen trash bag x 2.
41. Prescription sunglasses w/ unbreakable case.
42. Kodak Easy Share C743 digital camera w/ 3 memory cards (one in camera, one in mail to me, one in mail home at all times).
43. Kyocera XV1 cellphone w/ charger.
44. Garrity headlamp, 3-LED, adjustable.
45. Seal Line heavy duty waterproof bag, large (for my food).
46. Appalachian trail maps (average of 2).
47. Appalachian trail guide x 1.
49. Appalachian trail Thru Hiker’s Companion.
50. Stan Sport Sojourn trekking pole x 1.
51. First Aid / Personal Comfort Kit.
52. Food.
53. Mizuno Wave Rider 9 running shoes (camp shoes).
54. LL Bean Air 8000 Gore Tex medium weight hiking boots.
My wife (aka "Squeaky") suggests that I should share some of the thinking that went into getting the list to where it is today. So, here goes - Most of it comes from my (relatively limited, but informative) experience, second from one particular book I've read several times, and lastly from simply doing research over the internet and in outfitter stores. First the book; it is "Walking the Appalachian Trail" by Larry Luxenberg a wonderful collection of stories of people who have thru-hiked the AT over the years. Among the many pearls of wisdom I gained by reading and re-reading this book is that you must keep your pack weight down. Next my experience. For my 'shake-down' hike in November 2007 (which doubled as the approach trail and 1st 31 miles of the AT) I purposely 'went heavy'. I started with a pack-weight of 50 lbs knowing that this was more than I intended to carry for the main event and that I'd have to pare down. Boy, was I right! Leaving out of Amicalola State Park in Georgia the AT approach trail is one of the steepest portions of the entire trail and I was suffering immediately. The good news is you start eating and drinking right away and everything you put in your mouth is one less thing you are carrying on your back.
The upshot of it all is that I was able to reduce my pack weight from 50 lbs to 42 lbs. How? I shaved almost a pound and a half by going from a North Face Vector 22 to a Big Agnes SL1 tent. I cut another pound by going from a regular Therma Rest to a ProLite 3 Therma Rest. About another pound came from switching to the North Face DIAD rain jack (amazingly only 8.5 ounces!). I cut from two of some things to one: long johns, long sleeve t-shirts. I substituted a lightweight, small buck knife for my beloved Leatherman multi-tool. And I rationed out the food very carefully (I had carried way more than I needed for the 4-day shake-down). With experience and warmer weather I expect to be able to drop the weight even further down the road.
A few other comments before I present the list. One: This stuff is NOT cheap. Good gear, light gear is very pricey. But, as always, you get what you pay for. Two: You'll see a lot of North Face on the list; no, they are not sponsoring my trip, I've just found over the years that their gear generally works well and holds up to the demands of the wilderness. Three: No doubt there are many 'luxury' items on the list that could be cut - who knows, they may yet be after a week or two! Four: Why no i-pod? I thought long and hard about this. Ultimately I decided that I do not want to block out any of my senses. Five: I will do a separate post with a detailed list and discussion of food and first aid/personal comfort items.
Here is my list ...
STEVE’S
A.T. PACK LIST – Late Winter/Early Spring
As Of February 21, 2008
1. The North Face Crestone 60 Pack. 3650 cubic inch capacity. 6lbs 3 oz
2. The North Face Beeline 30 degree sleeping bag with stuff sack and dry sack (Flight Series). 1 lb 3 oz
3. ThermaRest ProLite 3 sleeping pad w/stuff sack. 1 lb 4 oz
4. Big Agnes SeedHouse SL1 tent, footprint, stuff sack. 3 lbs 2 oz
5. The North Face DIAD rain jacket (Flight Series). 8.5 oz
6. The North Face Venture rain pants (HyVent DT).
7. Jockey classic boxer briefs, 2 pair.
8. Polar Edge 100% polyester long johns, 1 pair.
9. The North Face Aurora zip neck fleece pullover, Polartec 100 (Flight Series).
10. Under Armor long sleeve t-shirt x 1.
11. Under Armor short sleeve t-shirt x 2.
12. The North Face lightweight hiking pants w/ zip-off legs, 1 pair.
13. The North Face Apex wind pants (Flight Series), 1 pair.
14. Brooks mesh baseball cap.
15. Under Armor Heat Gear watch cap.
16. The North Face thinsulate gloves.
17. Smartwool medium hiking socks, 2 pair.
18. Smartwool ankle-high running socks, 1 pair.
19. Cotton bandanas x 2.
20. Jet Boil stove.
21. Jet Boil coffee press.
22. Jet Boil fuel can x 2.
23. Lexan 12 oz cup w/ handle.
24. Lexan fork.
25. Lexan spoon.
26. Buck knife, 2.5” blade.
27. Small aluminum whistle.
28. HighGear AltiTech 2 watch/altimeter/thermometer/barometer/digital compass.
29. D-rings x 2 (one to clip knife and whistle to pack and one to clip watch/altimeter to pack).
30. Platypus 6.0 liter collapsible water bag.
31. Katadyn Hiker water filter.
32. Nalgene 1.0 liter water bottle x 2.
33. Chamois cloth 12” x 18” (for bathing).
34. Coughlin plastic trowel.
35. Toilet paper 1 x double roll.
36. 50’ nylon cord.
37. Large waterproof backpack, blaze orange.
38. Nomad Adventure Journal w/ waterproof nylon zip case and pen.
39. Paperback book x 1. (My plan is to read or reread stories of epic adventures, both real and fictitious. I’m starting with “The Hobbit” and in the queue I have “On the Road” and “Atlas Shrugged”. I welcome your suggestions!)
40. Large kitchen trash bag x 2.
41. Prescription sunglasses w/ unbreakable case.
42. Kodak Easy Share C743 digital camera w/ 3 memory cards (one in camera, one in mail to me, one in mail home at all times).
43. Kyocera XV1 cellphone w/ charger.
44. Garrity headlamp, 3-LED, adjustable.
45. Seal Line heavy duty waterproof bag, large (for my food).
46. Appalachian trail maps (average of 2).
47. Appalachian trail guide x 1.
49. Appalachian trail Thru Hiker’s Companion.
50. Stan Sport Sojourn trekking pole x 1.
51. First Aid / Personal Comfort Kit.
52. Food.
53. Mizuno Wave Rider 9 running shoes (camp shoes).
54. LL Bean Air 8000 Gore Tex medium weight hiking boots.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)