AT Section Hike, Late October

[Jon Michaels]

Would love to get some input on my gear list for an upcoming section starting at Springer and heading north for about 5 days.

It'll be pretty clear I haven't mastered lightweight backpacking. Right now I'd like to strike a balance between light weight and comfort so I'm not going for ultralight, especially since I'm still a novice backpacker.

All replies are greatly appreciated!

http://www.geargrams.com/list?id=4697

[Ryan Elsey]

do you need camp shoes, they weigh

---

11 oz.
Ditch an extra pair of socks

---

3.4 oz
do you need shorts and pants, probably just paints

---

8 oz guesstimate
The R1, might be nice to hike in, so you may want to keep it
the Jet Boil will double as your bowl, ditch the bowl

---

3 oz
Do you need bugspray in October?

---

1.1 oz
ditch the water bladder, use to smart water bottles

---

saves around 6 oz
you only need 50 feet of rope max.

---

1 oz
do you need a compass. this is the AT after all…

---

1.10 oz
Ditch the Filter, Use Aquamira

---

12 ounces saved guestimate
Ditch the Drybags, just use a trash bag liner inside your whole pack—8.7 ounces saved
You don't need spare batteries for 5 days

---

1.30 ounces
thats a lot of caribiners at 4 ounces…
you also probably don't need a cup either.

saves you around 56 ounces, without sacrificing really any comforts…
you may also consider just using the nano puff as a pillow and could save another 10 ounces…

You need a trash compactor pack liner still…

[Jon Michaels]

Very helpful, thank you!

[Andy Schill]

Here are some suggestions, probably mostly the same as Ryan. To get a lot lower, you would need to purchase a lot of new items.

– Ditch the Teva's 11oz
– Ditch the extra pairs of hiking socks, find a simply lightweight sleeping sock, like a dress sock. -About 5 oz of savings (or just take one extra pair)
– Ditch the spare underwear -3.15oz
– Ditch the fleece pullover, you already have the nano-puff. If you get cold hiking, put on your rain jacket and/or nano puff. -11.9oz
– Grab a dryducks rain jacket, very cheap and much lighter. -5oz of savings
– Don't need shorts, you have convertible pants
– Ditch the cup -2.3 oz
– Ditch the bowl -3oz (your jetboil does it all)
– Ditch the bug spray, you won't need it 1.1oz
– Ditch the pillow, research different options for pillows, or use your spare clothing that you are not wearing in a stuffsack. -10.8oz
– Ditch all of those stuff sacks and just use a trash compactor bag. -save 7.4oz
– Ditch the carabiners, what do you need them for? -4oz
– Ditch Osprey water bladder. Use two plastic bottles. -save 7oz
– Your first aid kit is pretty heavy. Most people here don't have FAK's that weigh over 2oz. Perhaps list what is included in your FAK? -save 2oz.

This will save you around 68oz, and you won't need to spend much money at all.

[Ryan Elsey]

You took away his fleece too… I was tempted, but thought I would be nice. I just got my nano puff and haven't figured out what kind of temps its good for yet, so I wasn't sure what springer would be like in october.

Best of luck on your hike

[Eric Lundquist]

It wouldn't be that expensive to switch over to aqua-mira for your water treatment. Not sure their trail weight but your current filter is heavy at 15.5oz.

[Patrick Matte]

Keep the bug dope.You will encounter gnats and so forth in the evening around here,even in October.

[Author]

Posts