My AT Gear List

I have obsessively researched all of my gear for the past 14 months when I committed to myself I would thru hike the AT. Prior to that I typically used what I had available or found interesting.  I had a lot of gear but most of it was the flashy bulky car camping or gear nerd variety.  Stuff good enough for car camping and weekend hikes.  But not exactly what I would prefer to carry for 2,190 miles.

I will note that since I had so much time to plan my thru hike I have found amazing deals on all of my gear.  I honestly didn’t pay retail prices for anything that comes to mind.  I also received free, or discounted gear from some awesome and overly generous companies named below.  Without their generosity I wouldn’t have been able to have many of the items you’ll see below.

Each one of the items listed below are hyperlinked to help you decide if it’s the right product for you.  I also threw in some of my gear reviews as well for more insight on that product and why I chose it.  Holy hyperlinks Batman….

 

Pack

ZPacks Arc Blast 52L(w/rain cover) 23.1 oz

Sleep system

Enlightened Equipment Revelation Quilt 22 oz

Packed inside Osprey Ultralight 6L Dry Sack 1.1 oz

Thermarest NeoAir XLite 12.6 oz

Sea to Summit Aero Pillow 2.1 oz

Sea to Summit Reactor Thermolite Mummy bag 8.1 oz(unlikely to take)

Shelter

Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 2 50 oz (option 1)

Packed inside Sea to Summit 8L Ultra-Sil Nano Dry Sack 1 oz.

Copper Spur Fast Fly 41 oz (option 2)

Custom hammock set up 31.3 oz (option 3)

Eno Sub 7, Arrowhead Equip Shangra La Tarp, Marlin spike w/whoopies slings, 1/2 bug net

Big 3 Summary – max weight under 7 lbs

I love my Arc Blast more than my coveted GoLite Jam 50.  Unlike most other ultra light packs it creates air space between your back and the pack reducing swampy back syndrome.  This is the main reason for not using a completely frameless pack.  It’s simply amazing, go buy one.  Unfortunately even now I’m still undecided on my shelter.  I can save some weight and space by going with my hammock but I’m such a self supporting tent person its hard to commit.  I’m notorious for staying in shelters too though so most likely I’ll switch to a hammock mid hike and just stay in shelters once I pass the Norovirus prone areas.  My NeoAir has some miles on it and it has treated me very well.  As for my EE Rev Quilt it’s as close to sleeping inside a cloud as any mortal will ever get.  Now that my start date has been pushed back I don’t see a need to take my bag liner.  Having spilled water from a bladder inside my pack in early March, everything now goes in UL dry sacks.  This also helps reduce my total volume, bonus.

Clothing packed

Icebreakers 260 Base layer top & bottom 18.5 oz (cold weather only)

Terramar silk top and bottom 6 oz (warm weather only)

Montbell EX Light Down Anaorak 6.2 oz

My gear review

Montbell Torrent Flyer rain jacket 8.6 oz

My gear review

Darn Tough hiker Micro Crew 2.7 oz

Mountain Hardwear Power stretch glove 1.6 oz

Icebreakers Merino Beanie 1.8 oz

Montbell convertible Rain Pants 6.1 oz

Clothing Packed summary

My Icebreakers Merino base layers will eventually be switched out for the light weight Terramar silk base layers once the temps warm up. I intend to cling to my Montbell Down Anorak like it is my first born son. For the record, I have no sons or daughters. There is nothing like putting on a hoodie at the end of a long day.  The same goes for my Torrent Flyer jacket.  I’m going to carry an extra pair or two of the ExOfficio boxer briefs below instead.

Worn/Carried

Leki Corklite Trekking poles 19 oz

ExOfficio Men’s Give-n-Go Boxer Brief  2.6 oz

MJ Soffe Men’s Running Shorts 3.1 oz

Darn Tough hiker Micro Crew 2.7 oz

DeYoung Brown Trout Buff 1.4 oz

Icebreakers T shirt 4.8 oz

Cooking & Drinking

 Vargo BOT & Cozy 5.8 oz

My gear review is here

Vargo Long handle Spoon 0.5 oz

Vargo Pot lifter 0.8 oz

Vargo Triad 1 oz (warm weather)

Vargo Windscreen 0.3 oz (warm weather)

Vargo Fuel bottle 1 oz (warm weather)

Sawyer Squeeze  3.5 oz

Custom hiker spice kit (consumables not included in BPW) 8 oz.

Vargo Titanium Flask 3.7 oz

Fakon bits(now in a Ziplock Snack bag), Sriracha, dehydrated onions, beer can chicken spice, Olive Oil, Italian herbs, black pepper, Old Bay

 

spices 1

 Cooking & Drinking Summary

I seriously love my Vargo BOT, along with anything else the great guys at Vargo are cranking out.  I’m a fan boy, and damn proud of it.  I use my BOT for cooking, eating and storing my 8 oz custom spice kit in while hiking.  Having a bottle of olive oil or Sriracha spill inside my pack is not something I’m very interested in.

Survival

Custom first aid kit 3 oz

Vargo Ti-Carbon folding knife 1 oz

Bic mini lighter 0.4 oz

Black Diamond Storm headlamp 4.1 oz

Repel lemon eucalyptus bug spray 2.1 oz

Hygiene

1/4 ShamWow .5

Toiletries 6 oz

Sea to summit wilderness wash 1.3 oz

Tooth brush and paste

Purell hand sanitizer

Baby wipes

Gadgets

Iphone 6 w/Lifeproof case 5.8 oz

Fujifilm XP200 Camera 8.2 oz

Electronic chargers & cords 3 oz

pickle

By the numbers

For the most part my base pack weight will be around 12-13 lbs.  I am really excited that to say the least.  For the past few years I had been carrying 35+ lbs for one or two night hikes.  Those days are thankfully long gone after getting all of the gear mentioned above.

 

Conclusion

I’m really happy with how all of my gear is fitting and performing.  I have used all of it at different times and have had no issues getting things tuned in where I need them to be.  I wouldn’t have been able to compile this much amazing gear without the help of several fantastic companies.  Special thanks go out to everyone at Vargo, Icebreaker, Montbell, Enlightened Equipment and ZPacks for all of their guidance and generosity.  Please do yourself a favor and check out all of their amazing products.

Affiliate Disclosure

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price as they would otherwise, and your purchase helps to support The Trek's ongoing goal to serve you quality backpacking advice and information. Thanks for your support!

To learn more, please visit the About This Site page.

Comments 11

  • Jill Roeting : Apr 4th

    Dylan,

    This is going to be an exciting time in your journey called life. I was always wowed by you as a child and now I am awed by you as an adult. Your strength and perseverance is amazing. I wish you the best on this journey and will be eager to see you change as a person. Have fun and enjoy yourself!!

    Reply
  • Jeremy Morris : Apr 4th

    That pack looks SWEET. 12-13 pounds is damn good! #goals

    Reply
    • Dylan Niknot : Jan 5th

      Great meeting you brotha!

      Reply
  • Dylan Childers : Apr 4th

    Looks awesome. I wanted to try the arc blast, but I could never justify the cost. Ended up buying a zero, and I love it. Just my two cents, but if you’re gonna go with a hammock, I would go with something longer. That sub 7 looks pretty small. Good luck!

    Reply
    • Dylan Niknot : Jan 5th

      I carried a hammock for all of from Damascus to NJ. It didn’t take me long to switch the sub 7 for my grand trunk hammock!

      Reply
  • Miroslav : Apr 5th

    Hi there, great choice of gear, the base weight is amazing. I dare to have one suggestion. Your tent does not need to be stored in drybag for several reasons.

    Reply
    • Dylan Niknot : Jan 5th

      I ended up keeping my tent in the dry bag for most of my hike. I made sure it was dry and would put it on top of my resupply food.

      Reply
  • Kevin Neal : Apr 13th

    Rockin for sure. I have/had a lot of the same items on my 1900 miles I did last year. The EE quilts are the bomb so I bought one for my wife for this years trek from Monson to Kathadin starting 6/20.

    Good luck and happy trails…..

    Reply
  • Dylan Niknot : Jan 5th

    I loved my EE quilt! It made most of the trip with me.

    Reply

What Do You Think?