FINAL PREPARATIONS

Disclaimer: I purchased all of the gear you see in the picture and which I list. I’m not sponsored by anyone or any company.

Gear List

  • Osprey 65L backpack
  • Zpacks Triplex tent
  • Big Agnes insulated tent floor SLX 50×87 tapered
  • REI Men’s Magma 15 sleeping bag
  • Nemo Fillo Elite pillow
  • Sea to Summit 100% Premium Silk sleeping bag liner
  • Ursack Allmitey Bear & Critter  food bag with 50 ft paracord
  • Njord stove, Toaks Titanium 750 ml pot, Antigravity pot coozie, Sea to Summit collapsible cup, folding spork, lighter
  • Six Moons Designs carbon umbrella
  • Camp shoes
  • Carbon trekking poles from REI
  • AWOL AT Guide book, notebook and pen, AT Passport
  • Coghlans Lightweight Poncho and bug suit (jacket and pants)
  • Sawyer Squeeze
  • Deuce of Spades trowel
  • REI mini microfiber towel
  • Electronics: Anker 20k battery pack and port, Garmin inReach Mini 2, Nitecore rechargeable headlamp, Flextail Hear rechargeable air pump
  • Genesis 2 knife
  • Rudy Project sunglasses
  • Clothes: 2 VUORI shorts, 1 Kuhn convertible pants, 1 Smartwool long sleeve 150 base layer shirt, 1 short and 1 sleeveless polyester shirts, 3 pair Darn Tough socks, 1 INJINJI toed sock liner, 1 pair ExOfficio underwear, Minus 33 100% merino wool beanie, buff, 1 pair possum down gloves, 1 pair Showa Temres 281 gloves, Tilley broad rim hat and HOKA ONE ONE Challenger ATR6 hiking shoes
  • Medical Kit: Ibuprofen, Tylenol, Benadryl tablets, Imodium tablets, cortisone cream, Neosporin, Carmex, Zatidor eye drops, tweezers, band-aids, alcohol wipes, gauze pads, K-Tape, and Luekotape.
  • Toiletries: toothbrush and toothpaste, floss, wet ones, hand sanitizer, and Dr. Bonners peppermint soap

Why I Chose These Items

  • Backpack: This was the one that fit me the best and felt most comfortable.
  • Tent: I started with my two-person tent (five lbs 8 oz). It was good for training but too heavy for day-to-day backpacking. I tried another two-person tent but wasn’t comfortable on a single sleeping pad. Then I tried a one-person tent. Again, I wasn’t comfortable and kept hitting the sides whenever I rolled over. Finally, I decided on the Zpacks Triplex tent. It fit my sleeping pad, gave me plenty of room to roll over, and still had enough room for my backpack.
  • Sleeping pad: As I noted above, a singles sleeping pad was not big enough for me. I kept rolling off and my sleeping bag kept sliding off. Since the dimensions of the sleeping pad fit the triplex tent, that was the reason for getting that tent. Plus the tent is only 1 lb 8 oz.
  • Sleeping bag: It is rated at comfortable above 17 degrees Fahrenheit, transition from 17 to 3 degrees Fahrenheit, and risk below three degrees Fahrenheit. I believe this temperature range will encompass all of the weather I might see.
  • Sleeping bag liner: After watching many YouTube videos, it was recommended that a sleeping bag liner be used to keep the sleeping bag cleaner. The liner can be washed easier than a sleeping bag.
  • Rain gear: I chose to go with a poncho and umbrella instead of a rain jacket. Everything I read said that the rain jacket will eventually soak through.
  • Hiking shoes: These were the most comfortable and best-fitting. After putting 200 miles on them, they still had great support.
  • Bug Suit: Since I’m allergic to mosquitoes and they seem to love me, I decided to carry one for protection instead of always using DEET  Insect Repellant.
  • Battery pack: I tried to get all of my electronics rechargeable. Therefore, I wouldn’t need to carry extra batteries of multiple kinds. Nor would I run out of battery power.
  • Clothes: These were just what I liked. The Showa Temres gloves are waterproof. As everyone has heard, the AT can be very rainy. These will help keep my possum down gloves dry and help me grip my trekking poles when wet.
  • All other gear is pretty self-explanatory. Again, these are my choices. We will see once on the trail whether I keep what I have, replace it, or ditch it altogether.

My next post will be from Amicalola Falls State Park.

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Comments 2

  • Greg W : Mar 16th

    Galen,

    Thanks for sharing your gear list. I’ve been on the fence regarding carrying a pillow and was able to add one without adding weight after trading out my old trowel with the deuce!

    I’ll be SOBO from Maine in August and we might cross paths there. My trail name is Pilgrim.

    Reply
  • Kris : Mar 16th

    Galen,

    Thank you for this! I hiked the AT and used REI’s microfiber towel as well. I’d love to send you some alpaca x bamboo socks from my brand Paka that I started while living in Peru. Reach out via email and I’ll get you a package shipped!

    Alpaca hugs,

    Kris

    Reply

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