AT — VA thru ME, April start

[Ed Barkowski]

GEAR LIST

Appalachian Trail section: Daleville, Virginia to Northern terminus (1,425 miles).

Modified last year's carry.

PLEASE CHOP IT UP. Redundancies, superfluities, etc.

*Orange = uncertain (unmeasured or not convinced of necessity)

[b s]

I'd say too many tops. I'd go with the Columbia, the Cap 1, MB Down, and Driducks. Those should cover you for 99% of the conditions you'll see. Sure, there might be one night or one climb where the Cap 4 or MB Wind Shirt would have been nice, but IMO it wouldn't be worth it to carry them.

Also, you probably won't need the hat/gloves/MB down jacket for MD -> MA so you could send those home or ahead if possible.

My TT survived the AT and beyond without a ground cloth. I tried one but just found it wasn't worth the hassle for me. Ymmv.

Otherwise, looks like a great list. Have fun.

[Eugene Smith]

Hey dude, looks great, just a few little things:

MSR Pot grip (-1.1oz.)- Seems you could just let the pot cool for a couple seconds and use your bandana.

Timex watch (- ? oz.)- You have a smartphone and a watch, seems like the watch becomes a duplicate item possibly? If you're going to bring it you might as well wear it (you mentioned w/o strap) I think instead of possibly losing it or having it somewhere in/on the pack.

Darn Tough socks (-2.5oz.)- Could you do with only 2 pairs of socks and cycle them daily?

Journal/Pen (-4.4oz.)- I've never done the AT and have no idea how frequent your resupply/town stops will be along your chosen section but could you possibly use your Motorola smartphone to log your journal entries in the evenings?

Brooks Running shorts (-3.16oz.)- Sorta redundant having 2 pairs, as one pair of running shorts will dry out in a matter of minutes if they get saturated and really don't hold any moisture, although I'm very familiar with how stinky they get but to each his own.

Hefty Compactor Sac (-1.3oz.)- I completely understand not wanting to get your quilt wet, however, you already have most your gear inside a Hefty Compactor bag INSIDE another bag, your pack. I would think using caution and not storing your alcohol inside your pack and placing all drinking water in your side pockets or shoulder strap would eliminate most risk for compromising your quilt. My vote is don't bring the extra Hefty bag for just your quilt. If you do decide to bring the extra Hefty bag for your quilt you might as get rid of a stuff sac (- 1.1 oz.) and just throw all your carried clothes inside the Hefty bag w/ the quilt.

Good luck with your AT section. Cheers.

[Scott S]

You probably already know this, but by the time you get to Harper's Ferry, you should be able to mail all of your insulating clothes ahead to somewhere between Bennington and Glencliff depending on how early you plan on getting to New England. If I had to do it again, I'd pick up one insulating top for wearing around camp in Bennington and the rest in Glencliff. For mid-summer in the mid-Atlantic, my only packed clothes were a rain jacket, town shirt, and spare socks.

As for the sun shirt and sunglasses, once the trees have leafed out, you'll be in the shade almost 100% of the time. The only time I ever got much sun on the AT was above treeline in the Whites and while walking around town.

I didn't see any guidebook or maps or anything on your list.

Don't forget DEET and a headnet! The mosquitoes on the AT in NJ were the worst I've ever seen anywhere (and I've been some incredibly buggy places).

[Ed Barkowski]

These are the types of comments I was looking for.

Simplification.

Thanks guys — any more, let me know. I'll be revising the list tonight and reposting…

[JM Addleman]

It's obviously up to you, but if you end up cutting a couple pounds from that list, your Gorilla might be fine stayless (-4oz) and hipbeltless (-3oz). Of course, depends how often you're resupplying. And personally, I don't favor trekking shirts. If you're not usually wearing it, that's a half pound off your back…

But if you went with that list I'm sure you'd have a good time. You seem to be a big guy so I'm sure you could handle what I couldn't.

Best of luck!

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