My AT Gear List
While I’m sure this list will change somewhat during my hike, I wanted to make an initial record, as I found looking at other hikers’ gear useful in my preparations. Also, when people I know ask me what I’m bringing, I can divert them here — I find that once I write something, I dislike regurgitating the same opinions. I’ll likely make another post when I’m done hiking detailing what I like and don’t like after being used for months.
I just graduated from college and am now making the final preparations for my thru-hike as I unpack and sort through all my stuff at my Mom’s house. Moving is one of my least favorite things, and it is made especially hard because I’ll never move back into my college dorm or be an undergraduate student again.
Big Four
For my tent, I chose the Nemo Osmo Hornet 2-person. This is partially because I talked to a lady at REI who used one for a PCT thru-hike, but it’s also a good tent. It’s roomy enough for me and all my stuff, a nice color, and made of a fabric that doesn’t have forever chemicals. Additionally, as a semi-freestanding tent, it is straightforward to set up, has a lot of stability, and doesn’t rely on trekking poles to stay up — I do use poles, I just wouldn’t put it past myself to forget them somewhere and be SOL in the middle of the woods. In my tests, my only complaint is that the zippers could be more fluid. As for the cost, girl math tells me that I only have to sleep in it for a few more nights than a hotel or hostel than I would with a cheaper one for me to start making money.
While I initially bought an inflatable Nemo Tensor pad, I will start the trail with a foam one I got for free — a Therm-a-Rest Ridgerest. I don’t have the patience to blow up a pad every night and don’t want to worry about getting a hole and, again, being SOL in the middle of the woods. It does make my figure a little wider when slipping through narrow openings between trees and rocks, but it’s a lot cheaper if I need to replace it and is more usable when damaged.
Like many other hikers, my sleeping quilt is from Enlightened Equipment. It’s a 40-degree down Revelation quilt. I mean, it’s a quilt; there’s not much to say here. I’m also bringing a lightweight liner from Cocoon, as I imagine many nights it will be much too warm to sleep in a quilt.
For a pack, I went with the Osprey Eja 58 – though, since it’s a small, it is only 55 liters big. I wanted to have a pack that had room between my back and the back of the pack to prevent chafing and mitigate sweating. It does a nice job of weight distribution and has a good amount of straps and zippered pockets. My one qualm is how small the hip belt pockets are, but I plan to pick up a phone pouch at REI to attach to the strap to help with this.
Clothing
As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m wearing Altra Lone Peaks for shoes and will pack a pair of Crocs for camp shoes. For socks, I’m bringing three pairs of Darn Toughs and a pair of Injinji toe liners to prevent blisters. Yes, toe socks are silly, but I’d rather be silly than in pain.
My shorts are the Patagonia Baggies, and I also have an old pair of L.L. Bean hiking pants. These are both fine and normal; you don’t need me to tell you why they work. My shirt is a breathable Champion short-sleeve.
It took me a while to pick a bra since I often suffer from chafing when I run with a vest on, and I wanted to mitigate this. I settled on the Lululemon Envital bra, which is high enough support to keep the girls in check but doesn’t have chafe-inducing clips. It also comes in various combinations of cup and band size — which is surprisingly rare for sports bras — so it actually is tight enough around my rib cage while having enough space for my chest.
I’m bringing a sun hoodie from REI — it’s the kid’s Sahara style — and a Columbia raincoat. I also have a Patagonia puffy coat — I think it’s the synthetic Nano Puff, but it was a gift from my company, so I’m not 100% sure.
A pair of bright pink Goodrs, an Adidas running hat, and a sleep shirt and shorts will round out the stuff I’ll put on my body. My trekking poles are the REI Tarns — hey, if I’m short enough to buy kids’ versions of gear, I’m going to take the cost savings! Seriously, I saved like $90 buying the kid poles.
Food + Water
I’m highly debating getting a bear can rather than doing food hangs, but that is, as they say, up in the air right now. I’ve been very frustrated with hanging my food on my shakedown hikes and think, like with the foam pad, making choices that minimize my frustration at night will help me sleep better.
My stove is the MSR PocketRocket 2, but I don’t really like it. I don’t know if it’s an issue with the stove or with me, so I’ll wait and see whether I replace it with something else. I have a titanium Toaks 900 ml pot, Sea to Summit spork, and a Bic lighter—these are fine.
I have a Sawer Squeeze — obviously — and will store water in a 1 L Platypus and a 2.5 L Osprey bladder in my pack. Sorry, but I refuse to consume the chemicals created when the sun beats down on Smart Water bottles. I’ll carry the couple of extra ounces happily. I’ll likely add a couple of tablets for a backup water sanitizing method if something happens to the filter.
Electronics
While I dearly love my laptop and iPad, I’m going to have to dial in and go a little off the grid—and by off the grid, I mean only having access to my iPhone — a 15 so that I can have SOS satellite capability in case of emergency. Well, I’ll also bring my watch — a Coros Apex 2 Pro—a GoPro, and AirPods along with the necessary cords and charging mechanisms. After learning and working as a programmer for the past four years, I think it will feel weird not to have access to a large electronic device for four months. Well, at least I’ll have a headlamp.
Toiletries
I’m a twenty-something woman — I’m not giving up skincare entirely even though I will be living in the woods. Yes, my toiletries weigh over a pound; no, I will not cut weight here. I will obviously bring a toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss along with my regular Cerave cleanser and lotion, plus Dr. Bronner’s soap. I’ll carry wipes for pseudo-showers each night and a small washcloth, along with retinol for the evenings and a morning face cream.
Sunscreen is incredibly important to me, and I’ll start the trail with a Neutrogena body stick — I hate the feeling of cream on my hands when I can’t properly wash them — and the Trader Joe’s Supergoop dupe for my face. I’m also bringing Sun Bum SPF lip balm to leave no exposed skin uncovered.
I’m carrying a birth control pill with the intention of taking it continuously for the whole time on trail so that I do not have to deal with periods. I will also bring Zyrtec since I have seasonal allergies, but I will probably wean myself off of it once the pollen levels abate.
A comb, hair ties, and panty liners will round out this section.
First Aid
This should be pretty run-of-the-mill; I’m bringing Deet, Tylenol, Melatonin, Band-Aids, Neosporin, Leuko Tape, and a condom. This is subject to change depending on the maladies that may afflict me in the coming months.
Miscellaneous
I was gifted a tick key that I hope won’t get a lot of use. I also have a Swiss Army knife that I imagine will mostly be used for filing my nails. A random bandana will surely prove useful for some type of liquid or other. I have to bring hypoallergenic laundry sheets because I have an allergic reaction to scented detergents and don’t want to have to deal with a rash on the trail. For bathroom needs, I’m carrying a Kula Cloth for pee and a 3D-printed poop trowel with toilet paper. I got a Gossamer Gear ultralight umbrella because I think I’d die if I had to wear a rainsuit in 80-degree weather.
And that’s it! My current base weight is around 17 pounds, and I’ll pick up a couple of other last-minute things before my thru-hike starts later this week.
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