NOBO AT list, Late Feb start

[Brian Lewis]

Ah, super — thanks for the clarification! I'm travelling just now, but will think through this carefully once I'm home again.
You're right, there are a lot of bags there. I'm definitely open to changing things if I see a better approach; it might be that in this case I will change some stuff, I just want to think through the trade-offs.
This stuff is also somewhat situational; I understand the AT to be fairly wet, I'd trim back some on sacks on the dryer PCT for example.

In that context, the garbage bags are for handling rain (use partly tied to not using a true tent), and I reckon the bread bags to be essentially clothing. I didn't consider the "waist pouch" a bag any more than I did the backpack itself. OP sack plus Ursack work together as a food bag. It really depends on how this stuff is categorized, but at the same time it's also weight that I'm carrying no matter what category it's in — it's just a matter of (re)questioning whether the utility of each item merits the weight.

So if I understand you correctly, all of your various first aid contents are just loose in your misc bag? If you carry a little paper and pencil/pen, those are separate/loose in their. If you carry two ear plugs (one per ear) you have to separately sort through the misc bag to find each earplug? Surely if you carry any sort of pills (vitamins, ibuprofin, whatever) you don't have all of them loose in the overall misc bag??
I'm not criticizing or anything, just looking for the more extreme cases to ensure that I understand what you're suggesting. For example, maybe you carry your first aid kit in the case it came in and don't consider that a 'bag', while I ditched the yellow carry case in favor of a ziplock, etc.

Travelling, so won't be responding for a while (FYI).

[Brad Groves]

my kit:
1 dry bag, food
1 dry bag, clothes/sleep bag
1 dry bag, layers, randomness
1 organizer bag/pouch

The organizer pouch is a MYOG affair out of cuben and spinntex, but I used to use an Equinox Monarch Tripper bag. Either way, there are 6 (Tripper) to 9 (MYOG) individual "compartments" in the organizer. First aid stuff gets organized in a couple of compartments. Compass, flint, whistle in another compartment. Headlamp and headnet in another compartment. Earplugs, sani, dental in another. Packtowel in another. Sometimes meds just go in one of the compartments, but it's easier to have them in a baggie, so I usually re-appropriate a baggie from my food a day or two out. I love using this system! I can reach into my pack, pull out the pouch, open it up, and have all my little stuff right at my fingertips… all in one bag! Really easy to find things, and light. It's awesome. Generally, it gets stashed somewhere readily accessible. If the day looks like (or starts with) rain, then I put the organizer pouch in the extra dry bag along with my "camp" midlayer.

Have fun with your travels!

[Sunny Waller]

Brian… don't think you will have to worry about water on the start of the trail. We had a severe drought when the guide book was written. Now it rains so much you can have trouble getting to work because the water on the road is deeper that your car. Good Luck on your journey

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