Absolutely use Aqua Mira or bleach instead of a filter. If you start your thru with a filter, you will ditch it at some point, guaranteed. I dont know a single person who had a filter by the time they made it to maine. Not to mention, filters can (and do!) break! Aqua mira is pretty hard to mess up. Aqua Mira is in essence the same thing they use to treat tap water, so you should not be concerned about it not treating your water well enough. When people get sick on the AT, it is usually a matter of personal hygeine and not bad water. Using hand sanitizer after every privy visit is the real key to keeping healthy on the trail. Hikers are eating ALL the time. Forget the water – What kind of bacteria is on your hands? If you are diligent about using aqua mira/bleach and hand sanitizer, you will be fine.
Honestly, carrying a full length pad is just silly IMO. dont get me wrong, hike your own hike and do what makes you happy, but there is no reason to carry that, especially if you are using an enclosed tent. I used a thermarest z-lite pad (the yellow one) for my thru. You can easily cut it down to whatever length you enjoy, one square at a time. They are pretty cheap, light, durable, and recommended.
The person who said that comfort has more to do with trail comfort than camp comfort is absolutely correct! This is what a lot of people do not consider when planning for a thru hike. You will be spending all of your time HIKING, not camping. All you want to do when you get to camp is eat and sleep. You wake up, visit the privy, eat, and hit the trail again. You will not have much free time. Although simultaneously, you have all the free time in the world! Thruhiking is a glorious thing and an exercise in duality. At least, it was for me. Im not sure if this makes any sense. My body felt miserable yet invigorated at the same time. I was equally fatigued and full of energy. I was free to do whatever I wanted, but also driven by this goal, and that drive makes you savor each bit of daylight to do nothing but hike hike hike! After all, that is what you came out here to do, right?
In the end, dont stress too much about your gear list. Hike your own hike and carry whatever you want. You will end up making changes along the way regardless of how much time you spend now perfecting your gear list and counting ounces. On the AT there are always options to replace your gear, especially if budget is no issue. My thru hike was an amazing experience. My base weight was 19# and I had some luxury items, such as a 2 person hammock that I slept in alone. Carry whatever makes you comfortable. But remember that carrying less is the quickest route to comfort. Good luck!
