My Big 3

Like most, I researched before purchasing my first bag, pack, and tent when I got the urge to backpack again many years after being removed from my Boy Scout days. Following my research, off to REI I went with the best of intentions. After being fitted, I ended up with a Gregory Zulu 65L pack and a Marmot Never Winter Bag. As for my tent, I saw the announcement of the Drop X-Mid 2P from Dan Durston. Yes, my X-mid is one of the originals through Drop and Drop is printed on the side of the tent. I did one overnight on a local trail with this gear. Once I decided to attempt a thru-hike in March 2023, I started doing more research on these items. For my AT attempt in March of 2023 which is now my Long Ass Shakedown Hike, I kept the X-Mid tent and changed the bag and pack. My Gear List is also available if you are curious about my other choices for hiking 2197.4 miles.

Disclaimer

I purchased all gear named in this writing and I am in no way affiliated with the companies mentioned. These are the items that worked for me and your experience could very well be different. I am attempting another thru-hike in 2024 starting in February and will be carrying the same gear I used in my first attempt with a few small changes. Your mileage may vary.

Adjustments are being made for my 2024 attempt

I learned a few things from doing 636 miles last year from Springer to Pearisburg. The basic thoughts are the same but I have swapped a few pieces of gear and kept one the same. These changes are below under each item and are as follows.

Sleep System – Enlightened Equipment Enigma (2), Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite, 1/8″ Foam Pad

My sleep system worked well. The 20-degree EE quilt on top of my Therm-a-Rest mattress on top of my GG 1/8″ foam pad kept me warm most nights without much help other than sleeping in some extra clothing layers mostly due to the draft that would sneak in around my shoulders. I did add in a Sea to Summit bag liner when the forecast called for overnight temps in the teens. For this attempt, I am dumping the bag liner and adding another EE quilt rated at 50 degrees, which brings my total rating down to 0 degrees. Why? I found using the liner to be very constricting which is why I chose a quilt over a bag in the first place. Using the liner is like wrestling plastic wrap after a meal and to me is more difficult to sleep in as it clings to me as I flop around all night and lose sleep attempting to loosen the constriction that creeps in more than the cold I am fighting. I read a blog Sleep System provided on the manufacturer’s website for any tips on using this setup.

I am employing the same air mattress for this attempt as well because I still have it saving that cost and it seems to be less crunchy after the amount of use from my first walk.  A shorter version was also considered to save weight but the ounce saved was too negligible to justify the cost of replacing my current one. If something happens to this one, I will take another look at my decision tree. A 1/8″ foam pad makes up the foundation more to protect the air mattress from shelter floors and jabby things under my tent floor plus it doubles duty as a sit pad and can be pulled out for a quick nap mid-day.

Backpack – Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra

Last year I started my hike using a Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra 70L mostly for carrying my BV500 bear can inside the pack. My thinking was that with as much rain as we are predicted to get on the trail, some could get in around the lid and that would be less likely to happen buried in the pack. Tip: If you do this, wrap something around the can. As I walked, the can rubbed the inside of the pack wearing off the lining. Seam Tape was able to cover this area for a quick repair.

I decided to go with the same pack in a 60L size for this attempt. I probably would not have switched packs if the torso length I used with the 70L pack worked better than it did. My torso is around 19″ and fell between S and M on the Zpacks size chart. Their site suggests going with the larger size in this case but I found I ran out of shoulder strap adjustment before I ran into comfort. It never felt quite right while I was hiking. I also switched to a bear bag instead of the bear can during my last thru attempt so for this one there would be no can to shove inside the pack. If I decide at the last minute to switch the can, I will strap it to the top of my pack with the Y-strap I purchased to add to my current pack set-up.

This pack is rated to 40 lbs, but as pointed out by a hiker with much more time on the trail than myself, you’ll love it at 20lbs and hate it at 40lbs. He wasn’t wrong. The pack has an external frame for load transfer to your hips and this works well. Narrow straps allow for more movement than the ones on my Gregory and need to be adjusted more often. The carry strap broke very early during my thru attempt. I sent an email ready to go to battle and figured it would be a pain to deal with this while on trail if they even answered. I had a reply the next day with a repair option which would involve me meeting a loaner pack, sending mine in for repair, and then scheduling another swap to send the loaner back. Not a fan of this option or the second option which was to send mine back after my hike for repair. By the third day, another staff member reached out with the best solution. They would send a new pack to me and I would send my damaged pack back. The pack was waiting for me in Hot Springs, NC and the swap was made.

Tent – Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2

For the start of my walk last year, I used the Durston X-mid 2P. It is a great tent. It’s light and very good in bad weather. During one particularly rainy and windy night, everyone at the site was wet at some level except me. River, I think that was her name, asked if anyone had stayed dry through the night and I was the only one to comment yes. She asked what I was using and I told her. Doing well in bad weather comes at a price. At another site, a hiker asked if I had parachuted in because these tents are known for a fairly large footprint. Also, being a trekking pole tent and needing to stake the corners, the fourth peg would invariably hit an unseen rock and to properly pitch this tent you need 90-degree corners. When you are tired and just want to crawl inside and pass out, fighting with a pitch is a pain.

In Franklin, I decided to switch to a BA Copper Spur UL 2 which is a little heavier but because it is a free-standing tent, it is much easier to move if you start poking rocks or roots. It is spacious enough for me and my gear and I love being able to unpack and repack inside under a roof when it is raining. It has very convenient pockets is simple to pitch and has held up in the weather I have experienced so far.

Questions

If you have any questions regarding any of these choices for my 2024 thru attempt, give me a shout. I will give you my unvarnished thoughts about this gear.

Happy Hiking!