First Hike With New Gear

This is my first post and I am doing the order somewhat backwards. I have not posted my hiker intro or the reasons for attempting the AT thru hike, however I will in the upcoming days. Today’s post is about my first hike with the majority of my new gear. I am still waiting on a few things which were custom ordered. I plan on posting a full gear blog once I have everything assembled and good to go.

Initial Thoughts on Using Thru Hiking Gear

I have used multiple versions of military gear throughout my career. I can say this gear is some of the most comfortable and intuitive. I am not a thru hiker by trade and more of a cyclist than anything. I can explain all day why a carbon fiber frame is better than aluminum and why Di2 electronic shifting is amazing. This is my first experience using thru hiking gear and I will be as descriptive as possible from today’s small hike. I hiked at Garden of the Gods State Park in Colorado Springs, CO and ended up just shy of 6 miles. I used the Palmer, Gateway, Juniper and Bretag, trails primarily.

Trail Runners

I have only “rucked” in military style footwear. While that footwear has come a long way from black leather boots when I first joined the military (1999, yikes!) to softer, more lighter options; the footwear is still an over the ankle style boot. Not conducive for hiking 10+ miles multiple days on end. I purchased a set of Altra Timps in size 11. The soles are cushy and feel more like running shoes than hiking footwear (hence the name “trail runners”).  The toe box is wider than a normal running shoe which I could see the benefit of this design while descending on steep slopes. The grip on the soles is more than sufficient, though this was a clear perfect day with no moisture.  All in all, satisfied with the purchase except for one thing. I will most likely log 250+ miles on this pair before starting my thru hike. Leaves a small conundrum of either buying a new pair before starting or keeping this pair till they reach 500-600 miles total. This is more of a “me” problem and not a problem with the gear. Either way, great piece of footwear. 

Trekking Poles

I have never rucked with trekking poles. I spoke with some hikers who are very anti-trekking pole and others who advocate for their usage. Without a doubt, I am a fan! From the first ascent I made (which was only 500+ feet) to a steep descent, I can definitely see their benefit. The best way to describe using them ascending or climbing is think of having handrails on either side of the trail to help “pull” you along. It was heavenly not relying on only quads and calves. For descending, it’s a life saver on the knees as you can brace with each step down hill. I need to dial in the exact height which is best for me (they are telescoping), but all in all I don’t know how I ever hiked without them. Their usage also gave me some thoughts on what muscle groups to focus training on other than just hiking.

Internal Frame Backpack

I have an Osprey Exos 58L which was purchased a couple weeks ago so I am still trying it out. It is wicked comfortable though!! It distributes weight evenly and has a unique design where after you cinch down the shoulders traps, there are load adjuster straps to further reduce shoulder stress. The internal frame is amazing and it hardly felt like I was wearing a pack. The weight I used today was only 25lbs. For the AT, I’m thinking no more than 35-40lbs on any given day. My sleeping quilt, outer layer jacket, and a few miscellaneous items weren’t packed as I’m still waiting for them to arrive. I had plenty of room with what I packed today (tent, pad, clothes, electronics to include the solar panel on the back, inclement weather gear, and first aid pouch). I am confident with the amount of room left and the weight it’s at currently, I will have the ability to fit every piece of gear along with 5-7 days of food at any given time. 

Clothing, Water, and Minor Tweaks

For clothing I wore Northface Paramount Active Pants without a base layer. Small note, everyone is spot on with Exoffico underwear. No chafing and very breathable. For the top I wore a Smartwool Merino quarter zip 250. I could have gone with a 150, but wanted to see the temperature range for that outer/base layer. Anything warmer, I would have switched to the 150. I carried my Be Free filtration system on the outer right side of the pack. I was hoping to pass a small stream and try it out. No such luck. My Nalgene bottle…this thing irked me bad enough I just took it off and put it inside of the pack. I purposefully filled it with a liter of water to see weight and how to secure it. First I tried to use the trekking pole strap on the left shoulder strap. Eh eh, bad idea. Not only was it swinging back and forth annoying me, but the strap consistently stretched under the load. Then I clipped it to the pack trekking pole strap. Again, epic fail. Now it was more of a pendulum and altered my balance a couple times. Not to mention hitting the back of my thighs. I am open and all ears to any ideas on how to secure this puppy on my next hike.

Final Thoughts

All in all very satisfied with my gear selections thus far. I am looking at planning a couple “shakedown hikes” to really test everything out and build up my thru hiker craft. My next post will focus on the route planning I have done thus far. If you are not a planner and more of a laissez faire individual, that post may not be for you. Hike your hike right? If you have a question or would like to know more about any of the gear I mention, you can check out my gear list below. Till next time!