Long Trail Early Fall

Dave. Any way to make this available for those without a google account to view? The link you posted takes me to a login page. I'm interested in a fall Long Trail through this year too and would like to see what you're packing. Thanks.

Clothing Worn……………………………………54.87

Synthetic t……………………………………..5
Nylon Shorts w/mesh liner…………………………3.6
Smartwoo Phd…………………………………….2.75
New Balance 840………………………………….23.5
BD Trail Treking Poles……………………………18
Highgear Altitech ……………………………….2

Clothing Carried…………………………………54.3
Patagonia R1 Hoody……………………………….12.8
OR Celestrial Rain Jacket…………………………10
Feathered Friends Hyperion Vest in SeaToSummit Drysack.9.375
REI MTS Mid Weight Bottoms………………………..7.25
Go-lite Reed Rain Pants…………………………..5.87
2 Pair Extra Socks……………………………….5.5
Ice Breaker Liner Gloves………………………….0.75
MLD E-Vent Rain Mits……………………………..1
Mountain Hardware Cap Liner……………………….0.87
ULA 8 Liter Stuff Sack……………………………0.87

Packing…………………………………………39.4
ULA Circuit……………………………………..36
Pack Cover………………………………………2.4
Interior Stash Pocket…………………………….1

Sleeping………………………………………..39.4
WM Summerlite in Sea-To-Summit Drysack……………..22.8
NeoAir Small…………………………………….9

Shelter…………………………………………31.8
6 Moon Desighns Lunar Solo………………………..31.5
Gossamer Gear Polycro…………………………….1.5

Hydration……………………………………….5.12
2 2 Liter Platy………………………………….2.25
Platy Drink Tube…………………………………2.37
Aqua Mira……………………………………….0.5

Cooking…………………………………………11.8
MSR Pocket Rocket………………………………..4.12
Evernew 1.3 non stick pot…………………………6.37
Ti Folding Spork…………………………………0.6
Bic Mini lighter…………………………………0.37
1/4 Sponge………………………………………0
1 oz Bio Soap……………………………………0.37

Toiletries/Medical……………………………….9
tp in alosack w/hand sanitizer…………………….1.87
wet wipes in alosack……………………………..1.37
First Aid/Repair in alosack……………………….5.5

Misc……………………………………………14.5
Petzel Tika Plus…………………………………2.62
Priceton Tech Pulsar 2……………………………0.25
MSR Wltralight Pack Towel…………………………1.75
MLD Pro Bear Bagging System……………………….2.45
Camera………………………………………….6
MP3…………………………………………….
Map/Guidebook……………………………………
id/Credit Card/Cash………………………………

Total Skin Out 16lbs
Total Base 12lbs 9.2oz

Looks good Dave. I don't see any obvious omissions or holes in what you're packing. I like the MLD rain mitt idea – likely to run into some cold rain at some point in that trip. Thanks for posting your list.

Good list: Some suggestions: There are quite a few posts at this website about hand sanitizers such as this one:
From a March 21, 2006 article in the New York Times –

"Since 2002, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended that health care workers routinely use high quality alcohol-based gels instead of soap and water on their hands when moving from patient to patient — as long the worker's hands aren't visibly soiled.

“Alcohol doesn't cut through grime well, so dirt, blood, [crap] or other body fluids or soil must be wiped or washed away first, if the alcohol in the sanitizer is to be effective. In such cases, hand washing with soap and water is advised.

“How much goop should you use? Vigorously rub all sides of your hands with enough gel or foam to get them wet, and rub them together until they are dry. If your hands are dry within 10 or 15 seconds, according to the C.D.C. guidelines for health care workers, you haven't used enough.”

Also noted was the fact that there are sanitizers out there that are less the 60% alcohol –

"I used to work in a virology lab," Dr. Aiello said, "and we knew — it has been known for decades — that an alcohol concentration under 60 percent won't kill the microbes. It's really frightening to think that there are products out there that contain levels lower than that."

So, just in case a critical point was missed –
Wash with soap and water. Rinse. Then use a good sanitizer.

There are many varieties of small bars of soap, some biodegradseable that you might consider adding to your pack.

I like the long handled spork rather than the folding one to reach into the bottom and corners of food bags I eat out of. I like having long johns in the NE fall hikes.(REI MTS Mid weights?) I like the Golite driMove t-shirt because it does not smell as bad as other polypro stuff after several days of hiking! The only hat I get to stay on during the night is the peruvian style that has under the chin ties. I have a fleeces hat made in the peruvian style.
http://www.peruhat.com/

Thanks for the suggestions; I do carry a small amount of bio soap but admittedly rarely use it on my hands, as for the Peruvian style hat the R1 hoody has a balaclava style hood so that will do. I am glad to see that no one so far thinks that I am going to freeze at night, I was afraid that I might be underestimating northern vt in October.

I initially had that thought Dave, that a warmer bag might be necessary. I pulled out my LT E2E guide and it lists the average lows for September/October at 42/31F respectively. Granted, the record lows for those months are listed as 20/11F so there's the chance you could see some colder temps. But if you carry the clothing that you have listed plus your Lunar Solo, that should help push the 32F of the Summerlite.

I'll have a similar choice to make if I can make my trip work. I've got a 20F and a 35F bag though. Right now I'm leaning toward the 20F because it's only a few ounce penalty in my case.

I have no personal experience with northern Vermont in October so I'm only going by what I've read. I'd be interested to hear from someone who might have some firsthand knowledge of that area in early fall.

I hiked 200 miles of the LT from North to South last October (5th through the 16th) before an injury forced me off the trail. I took similar clothing with the exception that I carried a windshirt (houdini) and used it alot. Also, I couldn't decided between a WM Caribou (20 ounces, 35 degrees) and a Marmot bag (44 ounces, 15 degrees). I started with the Caribou but switched to the Marmot after running into hail on the top of Jay peak. I was hiking with a friend for the first 2 days, so I was able to leave one bag in his car and switch after one night. Also, the Caribou was new so I didn't have enough experience to be comfortable with it. Looking back, I would have been fine with the Caribou.

A couple of other thoughts/suggestions. If your planning on staying in the shelters then you could get away with a lighter shelter. I took a 16 ounce tarp and only used it once. I also just hung my food in the shelters.

Have fun, it's a great time of year to hike to the LT.

The other option I have is to bring a Marmot Helium. The problem is that I would like to avoid switching out the 2 bags. During September in Ny/Ct the helium would be way to warm especially since it only has a 1/2 zip.

I know you don't want to get down wet, but what about dumping the dry sacks for a trash compactor bag liner. That paired with the pack cover would seem like enough to keep your down items dry.

Not to put you in a risky situation, but it seems like the summerlite + your worn/carried clothes would be enough to keep okay unless the temperatures hit record lows. And then you wouldn't die, you'd just be cold that night.

edited redunancy

some one mentioned that they found a wind shirt to be extremely useful on the LT. I was planing on having my rain jacket serve this purpose. Does anyone think that it is worth the 3oz or just redundancy? If so which one would you suggest; Patagonia, Mont Bell, or Go lite?

I would carry both. A wind shirt is light and stows in a pocket for easy access. It can be comfortably worn in your bag at night, too. I use the Golite Wisp year round. I, too, believe the 32 degree bag will be fine.
NB in your guide that the shelter near Mt. Ellen as well as the ski patrol house at the top of the ski lift are enclosed as are the shelters just south of the Camel's Hump, before and just north of Mt.Mansfield and some others are totally enclosed shelters.

For those of you who might not know, Dave can take a weekend train out of NYC that will stop at a station the consists of a bench that sits two feet from the AT just north of Pawling, NY.! Fall hiking in NE is hard to beat.

My insights.
__________

Clothing Carried…………………………………54.3
THis must be wrong!?!? It's way too high.

Pack Cover………………………………………2.4
A simple plastic COMPACTOR bag is a TRUE form of waterproofing. Use it to LINE your pack. The pack cover doesn't "cover" the entire backpack.

Interior Stash Pocket…………………………….1 – – – – Nix.

2 2 Liter Platy………………………………….2.25
One 2-liter bottle is fine. You'll NEVER need 4 liters capacity in cool weather.

Aqua Mira……………………………………….0.5
Repackage into smaller bottles.

Cooking…………………………………………11.8
MSR Pocket Rocket………………………………..4.12
Evernew 1.3 non stick pot…………………………6.37
Are you hiking solo? If so, no need for a BIG 1.3 liter pot, a simple mug will do.

Ti Folding Spork…………………………………0.6
Bic Mini lighter…………………………………0.37
1/4 Sponge………………………………………0
A sponge? No way, NIX.

1 oz Bio Soap……………………………………0.37
tp in alosack w/hand sanitizer…………………….1.87
wet wipes in alosack……………………………..1.37
Huh? Wet wipes AND toilet paper? Nix both.
Keep the soap and the hand sany, repackage both into tiny dropper bottles.

Misc……………………………………………14.5
Almost a pound of extra "misc" stuff? That's too much.

Petzel Tika Plus…………………………………2.62
Priceton Tech Pulsar 2……………………………0.25
Two headlamps? NIX one of 'em.

MSR Wltralight Pack Towel…………………………1.75
Nix, replace with a bandana trimmed down. A superior multi use item.

MP3…………………………………………….
NIX and you won't need to worry about how to recharge!

Why all the extra Sea-To-Summit Drysacks? You have 2 of them? Nix both, and just use the lone plastic COMPACTOR bag as a pack liner.

And, a lightweight windshirt is a good and useful layer.

I used to carry both a wind shirt (Patagonia Houdini) and a rain jacket. However, after reading several threads on this forum on this topic, I started leaving the wind shirt behind as an experiment.

I found that so long as I was wearing an appropriate base layer, (Pat R1 hoody + microweight base-layer while snowshoeing, mid-to-lightweight merino top in spring/fall) I was comfortable while moving, and in fact more comfortable because even the best wind shirt inhibits breathability. During stops/around camp, it's no difference whether I throw on my rain jacket or wind shirt, as breathability isn't an issue.

For really chilly/breezy days, a wind shirt might be useful even when moving. For example, while XC skiing in the low 40s, I found myself wishing occasionally for a wind shirt while moving downhill at speed. The wind cut through that R1 and chilled me. But I was never cold or in any danger of hypothermia. And when exerting myself on a climb, the wind shirt would only make me sweat more, and possibly lead to me being colder through evaporative moisture when at rest.

Really, it's up to you. It is only 3-4oz extra. For me, it was a case of BPL causing me to rethink something I had just always done, experiment with an alternative, find the alternative more to my liking, and ending up with one fewer piece of gear in my kit. Which in the end is more appealing on an simplicity level than any noticeable comfort gained from saving 3.5oz.