AT 2016 list

[Haiku]

Also I killed the camp shoes from my list.  I’m going to diy something, but not sure what yet.  Luckily going to SE Asia end of the month, hopefully all sorts of cheap and dinky weight stuff in the markets there.

[chris “John GoodMan” arnold]

Heading out for a northbound AT hike Feb 25th–July 31st.

I have both a Patagonia thermal weight base layer (men’s xs, 5.7oz.) and a Patagonia R2 fleece (men’s xs, 11oz.) I can tell you for certain that the fleece is much, much warmer and even blocks wind. The warmth to weight ratio of the R2 fleece is said to be the best out there.

I’m taking both pieces of gear; I won’t likely hike in the thermal base as it’s too hot for walking, but wear it at night when I need a dry shirt. A lightweight base paired with the R2 is a great combo for chilly days, easy to shed the fleece or add a rain shell or down jacket.

I got my R2 on eBay for around $24; women’s versions are much more common/cheaper.

[Dale Wambaugh]

I landed on a Mountain Hardwear Monkey Man Grid jacket with gridded high loft fleece and it was fantastic when snow shoeing in 16f weather with a Cap 3-ish base layer and a Houdini for a shell. Think R2 with R1 grid. We did a steep climb (1500′ in 1/2 mile) and I had to unzip to vent and stayed dry and warm. I was the little steam engine that did ;)

All these fleecy mid layers give lots of insulation while transferring moisture. Not as light nor as warm is down, but great for active use in below freezing conditions. I would still need a puffy for long stops or camp. I would take it for shoulder season stuff with no hesitation.

[Sunny Waller]

I sleep very cold and someone on this site told me to get a better pad. OMG the difference was amazing. Now I use the EXPED Synmat Hyperlite M-wide. 14.6 oz… 25 inches wide.. 72 inches long.

[Haiku]

Thanks, I’m still tweaking the list, but basically the main thing I still need to buy is that fleece.  I’m down to 8.36 (including 8oz for fleece) so if I have something an oz or two heavier, that’s cool.  With that and MYOG camp sandals hopefully will be close to 8.5.

[Haiku]

@Sunny yeah I’m hoping the pad makes a huge difference.  I’ve been using a thin foam pad with reflectrix, so looking forward to the Women’s NeoAir.  Shouldn’t be too bad for most of it (late March start) fingers crossed.

[Richard Knight]

One thought (sorry for my delay!). Consider the Sawyer Squeeze, not the Mini. It’s a 1 ounce difference, but with the amount of water you’ll be filtering, the flow rate on the Mini will suffer. Personally, I used Aquamira during my thru-hike, but everyone I met who used a Mini wished they had the regular. Have an awesome trip!

-French Press, SOBO ’15

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