A Different Kind of Big 3

Backpackers define the Big 3 as shelter, sleeping bag, and pack. As I’ve spent the last year reading thru-hiker blogs, I see an alternate Big 3 that is impossible to ignore: Food, Rain, and Poop.

Without exception, every blogger talks about food, rain, and poop in varying degrees. In the interest of belonging with this crowd, I’ll give you my take on these things in the context of gear choices I’m making for my thru-hike, then I will aim to focus on other topics going forward. 

Food – No joy whatsoever

Most hikers revel in trips to town, which bring burgers, pizza, beer, ice cream, and other joy-inducing goodies.

Because we are becoming friends, I’ll let you inside my brain a bit and confide in you.  My deepest, darkest fear about this journey is … food. Hypothermia, Lyme disease, too-tall climbs, bears, humans, snakes, Norovirus, injury, loneliness, dehydration – nope, none of them are as top-of-mind for me as FOOD. My husband always says that my margin of error for food is razor-thin, with the wrong amount of calorie intake resulting in this glassy-eyed, irrational state that requires immediate attention. (Yes, I’ve been tested for indications of diabetes and have none.) I also have a host of food issues that I won’t bore you with. Suffice it to say that I can’t get the gluten-free, no-red-meat, low dairy, soy-free food I need from a random Dollar General. Food is also heavy and my obsession with pack weight is leading me down the path of dehydrated home recipes.

• Food is just fuel for me, so I’ll cold-soak and skip the weight, hassle, and environmental impact of a stove. 
• There is an amazing array of great, lightweight food. Shout out to Virginia-based Mother Earth Products for their dehydrated veggies, fruit, hummus, and beans.

Hash Brown Casserole, anyone?

Rain – Surprisingly difficult decisions

Pack cover, pack liner, rain skirt, umbrella, rain pants, poncho, rain mitts, “waterproof” socks – there is a dizzying array of options to protect a hiker from that essential thing for human existence. Everyone seems to agree that all the options suck, in varying degrees. And being wet sucks. Of all the gear choices, my rain protection was one of the most difficult. I landed on the following approach and will keep you updated on how this works.

• My feet will get wet – I’m choosing shoes that will drain and dry as quickly as possible. 
• On the humid AT, ventilation is my top priority – I’m going with the The Packa, a Frankenstein invention that lives somewhere between poncho and raincoat.
• My sleep system must stay dry – I’m layering waterproof stuff sack, a Nylofoam liner, and Dan Durston’s genius Kakwa pack in Ultra 200 fabric. This is probably overkill, or maybe not. We’ll see how the weather turns out. 
• I hate being cold – I threw in some Zpacks rain mitts because they are super lightweight and will make a huge difference on cold, wet days. I’m hoping they stay in my pack 99% of the time!

Poop – Bear with me, here

I’ll keep this brief. I’m going to try and limit my environmental impact as much as possible and be an A+ LNT steward. 

• Trowel – Needs no explanation. 
• Bidet – Gonna need to practice this one at home, first …
• Anti-microbial Cloth – Hopefully, after the *refreshing* bidet treatment, this will just be a pat, pat, pat to dry off.
• Coin Wipes – For only the most dire needs when the above two items just aren’t enough, I’m in love with this product – so tiny and lightweight!
• Summit Suds – Never neglect basic hygiene.
  

  Yep, that little white dot is a dehydrated wipe and the black screw top is a bidet! Gotta love the creative solutions for poop.

The Usual Big 3

I’d be remiss if I published a gear blog without covering the usual definition of this term alongside my quirky version above.

Shelter

If you’ve made it this far with me, we really are becoming friends and I can make another confession. I abandoned my dreams of joining the hammock club for this thru-hike. Although I am in complete love with my hammock and have spent glorious hours suspended above the wet, cold ground in its snuggling embrace, it just wasn’t practical for me. So, after combing through lots of reviews, I settled on the Durston X-mid Pro 1 – Woven. Did I mention that Dan Durston is a genius? I pulled this gorgeous product out of its bag and had it set up within about two minutes the first time. To baby my sleeping pad, I’ll have a Tyvek footprint and a Gossamer Gear Thinlight Foam Pad 1/8″ that will double as a yoga mat.

LOVE this tent!

Sleeping Bag

No news here – I went with the tide and picked the wildly-popular Enlightened Equipment Revelation. The short version saves me a few ounces – BONUS!

Pack

By now you are suspecting that I’m a full-on fangirl of Durston products. Nope, I’m not sponsored, and don’t need to be. I love a beautiful product and the Kakwa 40 is my new best friend.

So there it is – some of the things I’ve chosen to carry for 5,000,000 steps.