That Gear List I’ve Been Promising…and Some Updates

Obligatory hiking photo despite this being a gear post, Cairn atop Mt. Major from a hike a while back

Wow Appalachian Trials readers, it’s been a while since my intro post this is in part because I am not that interesting and also because I wasn’t sure if I was going to be hiking. Regardless I finally have for you my Gear List and some updates about my hike. First, I’ll cover the fact that I had a terrible backslide where I wasn’t really sure if I was going to be hiking. There’s something that can be said about the intimidating nature of a thru-hike attempt, and before I had someone really challenge what months I was going to need off from my military obligations, it truly felt as though I was never intending to push off from Springer this Spring.

I really thought about it and figured the best way to make sure I would be able to make it to Springer and have ample time and money to finish would be to adjust my start date to Feb 29 to Mar 2 give or take. I still have a few preparations to make, but all of the equipment is here packed and ready to go. I need to pay for the subscription for my GPS Spot Beacon, I have code named this little piece of weight ‘The Mother Pleaser’ as it is the sole reason it exists in my pack, though having a live tracking map on my personal blog is kind of a cool feature.

The next big preparation is how to get to Georgia and then to the Trailhead. I am strongly considering utilizing Amtrak services to Gainesville and then utilizing a shuttle to the USFS 42 Parking Area at Springer. I am considering this mostly because I am deathly afraid of my gear getting lost in the airport luggage process or getting the infamous TSA tape treatment with pieces of my gear removed. Plus long distance train rides are cool right?

Right…so we’ll see what happens on the transportation front.

   I made a pie chart…

Pack: Gregory Baltoro 65 Backpack – 3967cu in
Shelter: Big Agnes Fly Creek UL 1 Tent
Poles: Leki Corklite Anti-Shock
Shirt: Under Armor Synthetic Shirt
Pants: Triple Aught Design Recon AC Pants
Shoes: Saloman Speedcross CS w/ Superfeet Insoles
Sleeping Bag: NEMO Rhythm 25 Long
Water Bladder: Source 3L Low Profile
Water Bottle: Nalgene 1L Wide Mouth
Water Purification: Aquamira Drops
Sleep Pad: Therma Rest NeoAir Trekker
Bag Liner: Sea to Summit Reactor Extreme Thermolite Liner
Pillow: Sea to Summit Aeros
Kitchen: Jetboil Flash w/ American Kami Spork
Fleece Hat: US Army Issue Fleece Hat
Balaclava: Triple Aught Design Merino Wool
Fleece Top: Patagonia R2 Fleece
Wet Weather Top: Froggs Toggs Top 
Mid-Layer Top: SmartWool 250 NTS Pattern
Mid-Layer Bottom: ColdPruf Single Layer Bottom
Gloves: Outdoor Research Revel Shell
Socks: Darn Tough ATC Branded Socks
GPS: SPOT Gen3  Beacon (aka “The Mother Pleaser”)
Light Source: Petzl Headlamp
Guidebook: AWOL 2016 NOBO Guidebook
Waterproof Lining: Assorted Plastic Bags & Trash Compactor Bags
Luxury Options:
Samsung Galaxy S6 – Loaded with Guthooks AT app
Apple Ipod Touch – For the Audiobooks/Music
20000mah External Battery w/cables

I’m feeling pretty good about this list, it has a good starting base weight around 14 pounds minus food, water, worn items and I can always make adjustments on Trail. Decided on separate devices for music/audiobooks and communication/blogging so as to manage battery consumption despite my extra battery. Some folks would look at this redundancy negatively, but it makes sense for my and the amount of time I intend to be listening to books or music. Also I know my Gregory pack is super heavy on it’s own, however it’s the only pack I felt that really fit my frame, fit over weight on packs every-time I say!  Other than that I’m interested to see peoples thoughts on my list and if there are any minor tweaks I could make to improve it, trying to avoid being ‘that guy’ with the 60 pound rucksack on Springer.

-Wiki Out