My AT Gear List: 10 Pounds That’ll Take Me To Maine

After spending godknowshowlong going through every gear list video, blog post, and forum that the internet has to offer –

here I am.

 

Appalachian Trail Gear List

In the spirit of “Hike Your Own Hike”, I’m going to start by saying that it doesn’t matter if your base weight falls on the ultralight or the traditional side of the spectrum. When preparing for a thru-hike, we all do our best to curtail our gear to meet our individual needs. I’ve got a 5-foot frame with joints that reflect an overactive childhood, so one of my main concerns is keeping my pack’s weight low.

Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s get to the good stuff.

The Big Three

Pack

Gossamer Gear Kumo – 18.5 oz

Gossamer Gear Kumo

Easily my favorite piece of gear. Gossamer Gear recently released this updated version of the Kumo with all the bells and a literal whistle. It’s a 36L pack with a 20 to 25 pound recommended max load. I was originally planning to take the Gossamer Gear Mariposa, which has a capacity of 60L, but I made the rookie mistake of getting my pack before the rest of my gear was dialed in. After getting the rest of this list together, the Mariposa left me with a little too much room. I’ll be using a trash compactor bag as a liner.

Tent

Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 2 – 23.1 oz

(Conner’s carrying the other half.) 

Considering how simple the rest of our setup is, I’ll admit that this tent does feel a little over the top, but we’re super excited to be living in this thing. We got a sweet deal on it and are able to split the weight pretty evenly between us. Not to mention that we have the ability to go full Skymall if we want to.

Sleep System

Enlightened Equipment Revelation Quilt – 19.3 oz

 850DT/ 20F / short length / regular width / straps and EE stuff sack included.

NeoAir XLite – 7.4 oz

Small / no case / sounds like you’re sleeping on a bag of chips / perfect if you’re a side-sleeper.

Big Sky Inflatable Pillow – 1.53 oz

Lightest camp pillow I’ve found / comfier than the pillow I use at home.

Enlightened Equipment Sidekicks – 1.24 oz

Medium / 30-45F / I’m one of those people with perpetually cold feet.

Reusable Earplugs – .05 oz

Both the lightest and most cherished item.

Clothing System

Worn

Apparently, adventure underwear opens the door to a whole new way of living.

  • My glasses – .89 oz

Jinkies.

Because we’re the weirdos with the toe shoes and I spent the last four years working barefoot.

If we end up having problems with blisters, we’ll look into getting some Injinji Liners.

Packed

Broo.

A little redundant to have fleece and a puffy, but the fleece will stay warm when wet.

Food And Water

So cheap / so light / so effective.

Thanks for the spork, Momma.

Plus Ziploc = Bear Bag.

  • Zpacks small stuff sack – .13 oz

Throw bag.

  • Mountain Light Gear The Griz – 1.15 oz

Bear line.

  • Biner from the Sea to Summit Spork – .1 oz

Bear clip.

Hygiene

  • QiWiz Original Cat Hole – .43 oz
  • Moon Menstrual Cup – .52 oz
  • Lightload Pack Towel – .29 oz
  • First aid kit (Joe Brewer Style) – 2 oz

Baggie of Neosporin, Benadryl (6), anti-diarrhea (6), Ibuprofen (12), two alcohol wipes.

  • ZPacks Ultralight Travel Toothbrush – .34 oz

Misc.

  • Mini Stapled Rite in the Rain Journal – .76 oz
  • Rite in the Rain Pen Refill – .1 oz
  • ID and debit card – .37 oz
  • Leatherman Style CS – 1.45 oz

Electronics

  • iPhone 6s with case – 6.3 oz
  • Anker PowerCore II 10000mAh – 6.8 oz
  • Apple headphones – .43 oz
  • ZiBay Short Lightning Cable 4″ – .18 oz

iPhone Cord

  • StarTech Micro USB Cable 6″ – .47 oz

Anker cord

  • Petzl e+Lite – .88 oz

No case / trimmed headband.

Camera Stuff

A photographer by profession, and passion, things got difficult when deciding what camera I’d be bringing on the trail. I considered taking  DSLR, or the Sony RX100 iv, but eventually decided that I’m just going to bring iPhone lenses. Limitations breed creativity, after all.

Moment Lens

  • Moment Wide Lens – 1.72 oz
  • Moment Macro Lens – 1.46 oz
  • Moment Telephoto Lens – 1.85 oz

Currently, my base weight is right around 10lbs, while Conner’s is just under 12lbs. After a couple of shakedowns, we’ve prepared for what we can, and we’ll adapt when we need to.

Let us know what’s in your pack and how your experience has been putting your list together!

Thanks for reading, and we’ll see ya later.

Update:

We’re officially walking for water. Check out our campaign over at Charity: Water.

 

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Comments 15

  • Brandon : Jan 10th

    Nice list! Still tweaking mine almost daily – it never ends!

    Reply
    • Kelsy Filler : Jan 10th

      Thanks man! Really looking forward to seeing what you pick to get you through your 100 day journey. 🙂

      Reply
  • tj : Jan 10th

    When I saw the Merrells I was like “Yes!!”. I have 4 pair of Trail Glove 4’s put away for my 2019 hike!! I’m also using the Injinji toe socks, OTC for those colder nights, and very colorful…lol!

    Great list. Thanks for sharing!! I’ll be following you on your hike!!

    Reply
    • Kelsy Filler : Jan 10th

      Merrell for life! That sounds like a super solid (and festive) set up. 🙂

      Thanks so much man, I look forward to doing the same for your 2019 thru!

      Reply
  • Rob : Jan 14th

    You are going to make it. I am in a similar situation physically. Just a recommendation. I have used the e lite a lot. its a bit weak to night hike. How ever I still use it because I am trying to cut that weight like you lol. Slaughter this trail !!!!!!!!!

    Reply
    • Kelsy Filler : Jan 15th

      Thank you for the kind words Rob!
      I totally agree with you. Luckily, Conner has decided to take a 500 lumen (and only 1.7oz!) headlamp, so I’m hoping the e-lite will be enough to just follow his lead on night hikes and rummage through my pack when it’s dark out.

      Reply
  • Jeff smith : Jan 15th

    I really like your gear list. However, I have the possumdown gloves and I was disappointed with them. They are ok in cool weather, but not cold weather. When wearing rain mitts over top they do pretty well, but by themselves I found them very breezy. Happy trails!

    Reply
    • Kelsy Filler : Jan 15th

      Thanks Jeff!
      I’ve definitely been thinking about adding some rain mitts or liners to help with warmth, as well as durability. I’ve heard that some people have trouble with holes being worn through when wearing them and using trekking poles on a regular basis.

      Reply
  • Danny : Jan 15th

    What charger do you guys have for electronics?

    Reply
    • Kelsy Filler : Jan 16th

      Conner is going to be carrying a 4 port Anker charger (5oz) that we’ll share, as well as his own 10,000mAh battery.

      Reply
  • david : Jan 19th

    I have your gaiters at my office! Can’t wait to read about the adventure!

    Reply
  • Josh Johnson : Jan 30th

    You have a fantastic gear list! May I make one humble suggestion: I also have a BRS stove exactly like you listed and wind prevented my mini bic from lighting one night on the AT in Georgia… but I brought a small fire steel and striker that did the trick. At ultralight weight, it kept me from having to skip my mac-n-cheese hot meal (which I had waited two days to eat!) – I highly recommend carrying one with that stove since it doesn’t self light.

    Reply
    • Kelsy Filler : Jan 31st

      Thanks for the advice Josh! We actually have a little striker at home. 🙂 We’ll be sure to have it ready to ship to us incase we need it.

      Reply

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