My Living List (Gear)
Whether you are a past, present, or aspiring thru hiker we all have two things in common, our love for the outdoors and our obsession with gear. Last year I started hiking the Appalachian trail and I knew my base weight had to stay relatively low, but in all honesty wasn’t even entirely sure what a base weight was. I was a long distance newbie. I weighed in at about 16-18 lbs (no food and water) which isn’t bad but I felt like if my pack had been lighter I would have had a more enjoyable experience. I have spent the past several months selling and buying new gear in an attempt to lighten my base weight. Excluding consumables, I have managed to get down to 12.21lbs. This weight will be changing as I won’t be needing some of my cold weather items until I get further north. I could be lighter, but I love my pillow, camera, and battery charger a little too much. Here is a list of what I’ll be bringing out with me when I leave on June 4th. the pic above is before my latest revision so not all items will be listed below as I have abandoned them. Some of this stuff I used from GA to PA so if you have any questions regarding items please feel free to ask below.
Pack
Osprey exos 58L = 2.4lbs
Shelter
Zpacks Duplex – 21oz
Vargo titanium Shepard (8)= 64g
Sleeping
Pad- Thermarest Neoair xlite reg=12oz
Quilt- Golite Ultra 20deg=19oz
Pillow= Naturehike Aeros= 2.8oz
Packed clothing
Jacket- 32 degrees(brand) down= 11oz
Base layer- Terramar= 11.9oz
Town shirt- Synthetic= 4.9oz
Sleep socks- Generic comfy= 1.9oz
Extra socks- Darn tough= 2.2oz
Extra sock liner- Injinji= 1.2oz
Beanie- Chaos fleece= 32g
Bandana- generic (2)= 50g
Raincoat- Coleman cheapo= 5.9oz
Rainskirt- Ula (doubles as laundry wear)= 2oz
Cooking and drinking
Stove- Supercat alcohol= 6g
Fuel- 4oz of heet= 4oz
Pot- Toaks 700ml= 3.1oz
Spoon- Sea to summit anodized long= 13g
Mug- REI plastic= 1.8oz
Firemaker- mini Bic= 11g
Cozy- homemade (for ziploc)=32g
Windscreen- Homemade caldera= 26g
Water filter- Sawyer mini (dry)= 1.9oz
Water bottle- Smartwater= 2.6oz
Extra water capacity- (2) 1L smartwater pouches= 57g
Electronics
Phone- Samsung galaxy S6 active=5.9oz
Camera – Sony rx100 m1= 12.1oz
Charger- Samsung= 60g
Mini tripod- Generic= 32g
Battery Charger- Auker 10000mah quickcharge= 10.2oz
Tools
Headlamp- Vitchelo ultra mini= 32g
Knife- Mini Swiss=22g
First Aid- athletic tape/Band Aids= 17g
Cordage/Bear line- Spectra 50ft=28g
Sacks
All of my stuff sacks are generic brands and weigh in around .32 oz
I did not include my toiletries/hygiene items because most of the weight is consumable and the weights will be dropping with use. My Zpacks Duplex is not included in the above picture because it won’t be here for another 2 weeks.
My complete gear list can be seen at www.lighterpack.com/r/8ivqu7
Thanks for checking out my list. If you’d like to know how I feel about any of these items, please fee free to ask.
My next post will be about getting sponsorships. I’ll be thanking and reviewing some wonderful items that I have been fortunate enough acquire from some pretty AMAZING companies. I am so blessed.
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Comments 1
Hey Adam,
Thanks for the great article. I am planning to do the NC portion of the AT in 2018 (to celebrate turning 50) I have never hiked like this before and will not be doing it all at once.. but rather over several 3 day trips… I am spending this time preparing with day hikes and occasional overnighters with the family.. I call my pack Lola in reference to the kinks song, specifically the lines “Well I’m not the world’s most physical guy But when she squeezed me tight she nearly broke my spine Oh my Lola la-la-la-la Lola” and “I walked to the door I fell to the floor I got down on my knees Then I looked at her and she at me”
So I think you may be getting my drift.. I am not looking forward to a heavy pack. I have practiced with 30lbs (not of gear, but of sandbags and pillows to simulate gear). and it was hard… so hearing you got yours down to 12.21 sans food and other consumables, I am thinking there is hope. I hope to continue to follow your progress and perhaps ask questions .. Take care