Use it, Wear it, Understand it, Return it, Explore it

Can you believe I’m at the three/ four week point of take off? Well, it also depends a lot on Mother Nature. The past few months have been filled with snowy hikes, endless map reading, exercising, and stalking blogs like it’s my job. But actually, I’ve been reading and re-reading blogs, and listening to pod casts as much as humanly possible.

Taking inventory, nearly all my gear is present and accounted for. And I probably have a handful of items that I’ll ditch the first few weeks. And luckily I’ve been able to get pretty comfortable with nearly all of my gear, too. I have my clothes that I’m going to wear, my dry bags set for certain things, and I’ve packed and unpacked my back pack so many different ways. Heavy stuff on the bottom, sleeping bag on the top, and vice versa. It’s annoying, but I know its all part of it.

So, I’ve been meaning to do this for a while- but I took stock a while ago and now I’m finally posting a list of all the things I have for the Appalachian Trail. It has now been over a year and a half since I first started collecting/planning all of the things I need for this trip. And it’s weird to say that I only have less then a month until I leave. Where the does the time go?

My gear breakdown is a rough estimate. While most of this gear has been purchased in the past year and a half, others were Christmas or Birthday gifts. I’m blessed that Jesus and I have birthdays only a week a part.

Clothes:

Down Jacket – LL Bean Outlet ($200)
Down Vest – LL Bean Outlet ($80)
Polyester Undershirt – LL Bean Outlet ($12)
Long Underwear – LL Bean Outlet ($30)
Zip Off Pants – EMS (Amazon: $36)
Polyester Quarter Zip – NorthFace (Lost & Found at Sugarloaf)
Polyester Pull Over – Under Armor (Moms re gifted Christmas gift)
Black Tank Top – Marshalls ($10)
Black Spandex Shorts- Unknown

Trail Runners:
Solomon Speed cross 3 (3 pairs)
– L.L Bean ($75)
– REI ($100)
– Amazon ($100)

Gear:

JetBoil Stove – Christmas Gift
Kelty Gran Mesa 2 – Backcountry.com ($150)
MSR Filter – Christmas Gift
Osprey Aura 65 Liter – REI ($225 estimate)
4 Waterproof Saks – Amazon ($18)
Solar Power Charger – Friend
Leki Poles – Gift
Black Diamond Headlamp – Gift
Trekker Diamond Shoe Grip – Kittery Trading Post ($30)
Inflatable Sleeping Pad – LL Bean ($99)
Collapsible Cup – LL Bean ($10)
Small Cooking Pot – Camping in N.H. (Unknown)
Sleeping Bag – Mountain Hardwear (On Sale- $185)

So just as a rough estimate, that is about $1,385 through out the span of a year and a half. But do you want to know what that doesn’t include? That doesn’t include the down coat I bought at Patagonia, in my feverish attempt to just “buy something already.” Well, the problem was that it didn’t even have a hood on it. What good is a jacket, while in the woods for four-five months, if it doesn’t even have a hood on it? Didn’t make sense. So, my advice to you guys is to not just buy it to buy it.

Use it, wear it, understand it, explore it.

Until next time- keep chasing the sun!

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Comments 2

  • Paul : Feb 14th

    Keep the down jackets dry. Down can lose it’s insulation when wet. The southern Appalachians are always wet.

    Reply
  • Steve : Feb 14th

    I know its last minute….and i hate when i have to shift gears on my big 3 at the last minute……but you should really look at a tarptent.com shelter……1.5 lbs for the protrail and ive never been happier.

    Reply

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