Yeah, but How Much Does It Weigh?

When I scroll through Instagram, I am starting to see A LOT of gear posts.  Looking through them, I find myself wondering “where is all their gear?” or just simply admiring all their belongings.  It does make me feel a little doubt about what I’ve selected to carry, even though I’m confident in the research we’ve done for our gear.  When others have the experience you lack, no amount of research compares to confidence. All the brands that we discovered, I am very excited to be sporting and get to show off on the trail.

That being said, I want to post our gear.  Leave your advice. Let me know what you thought would be a good idea, and then quickly realized wasn’t a great idea.  Being two people hiking, we have the luxury of splitting our shelter, stove/cooking gear, shared electronics, and a few other odds and ends.  

I’m going to try to get an idea of what we add, what we ditch, and what we modify as we continue on the trail.  I found that to be one of the most interesting blog posts I read about gear, because there is nothing like having to carry your belongings hundreds of miles to put some perspective on what is valuable.  

Mine (C) & Logan (L) is how I’ll label who chose what gear and who is carrying what items.  

The Gear

Pack

C:

• Gregory Diva 60L 

L:

• Osprey Atmos AG50 

I got hips and boobs and I really liked how the bag moved with me. I needed a pack that was made for and adjustable to my body. Also, so many nooks and crannies and pockets! Logan found himself torn between his Atmos and the Osprey Exos.  He really liked the anti-gravity feature and the mesh that kept the bag off his back. Trying to avoid that sweaty back.  

Shelter

Nemo Dagger 2

C:

• Poles
• Stakes
• Nemo Footprint

L:

• Tent
• Rainfly

We are hiking as a pair, so we tried to evenly split the gear we share.   We looked at a lot of tents, but we liked the Nemo brand.  The base on the tent came up pretty tall and was a stronger material than some of the competitors options.  I also liked the two vestibules big enough to store our packs in if the weather allows.  With the footprint, you can even ditch your tent and use the rainfly, poles, and footprint to create a sleep shelter.  I really appreciate the innovation, even if we don’t plan on using it that way on the trail. 

 

Sleeping System

C:

• Nemo Rave 15
• Nemo Switchback

L:

• Nemo Disco 15
• Nemo Switchback, Tensor
• Exped Mega Pillow
• Dinky Amazon pillow ($8)

For Logan, it is important to get a good restful night.  So while this may seem excessive, he figures if it guarantees a good sleep, it’ll be worth the weight not to be cranky and tired.  I don’t think it’ll all make it the full way to Mount Katahdin, but only time will tell. 

We found Nemo and really fell in love with the somewhat local brand.  We liked how well things are made and specifically, I was pumped to not be trapped in a mummy bag.  The two bags we got were spoon shaped. Highly recommend getting into one any chance you get!

 

Food

C:

• MSR Pocket Rocket
• SeaToSummit Alpha Pot Kit (two bowls, two cups, two hot lids, two hot holds)
• Spoon
• Fork
• MSR Isopro 8 oz
• Zpack bear bag & cord

L:

• Fork
• Spoon
• MSR Isopro 8oz

We decided to go with a stove system so we can have hot food.  I was not on board at first, thinking we could go stoveless. Hot food convinced me the weight might be worth it.  I’m carrying more simply in the way we divvied up the weight. We talked about not bringing two of everything or just sharing the pot, but figured we could send back whatever we wanted to once we figure out what routine we like best.  

 

Water

C:

• Sawyer Mini filter
• Katadyn Hiker Pro Kit
• 1.5L Smartwater bottle
• Nalgene

L:

• Sawyer Mini filter
• Iodine Tablets
• 1.5L Smartwater bottle
• Nalgene

We went with two systems, knowing we might not justify the weight of the Katadyn through the entire hike.  As two people hiking, retrieving water for cooking seemed like a more pleasant process with the Katadyn filter.  

 

Electronics

C:

• Kindle
• Petzl Actik Core headlight
• Petzl Noctilight headlamp case
• GoerTek 25000mAh Battery Solar Charger

L:

• Petzl Actik Core headlight (and charger)
• iPhone charger
• Android charger
• charging block
• two headphones
• GoPro
• GoPro Bateries (6)
• GoPro SD cards
• GoPro charger
• GoPro Tripod
• Electronic case

Logan’s list looks like way too much, but it’s all the odds and ends for the GoPro; his electronics balances out my cook kit weight.  We want to try to get good pictures and videos to share, so we are going to try to bring the GoPro and all it’s goodies. 

Toiletries

C:

• GoGirl
• Tom’s of Maine toothpaste
• bamboo toothbrush
• Diva Cup
• Lunette Cup wipes
• ear plugs
• Dr. Bronners soap (halved)
• Body Glide
• GermX
• Kula cloth

L:

• Nice’N Clean wipes
• GermX
• bamboo toothbrush
• Dr. Bronners soap (halved)
• baby powder
• TP

GoGirl might be more trouble than it’s worth but we’ll see.  I think everything in this is pretty obvious why.

 

Misc. 

C:

• homemade med kit
• AT Passport
• Awol guide
• notebook
• two lighters
• bandana
• Black Diamond poles,
• head bug net
• Flowfold Wallet

L:

• Two lighters
• two 13L Dry bag
• 8L Dry Bag
• 40L Dry Bag
• Trowel
• Gerber Knife
• Swiss Army Knife
• Foxelli trekking poles
• cards
• three card games
• day pack
• head bug net
• watch
• med kit
• Flowfold Wallet

Rain Gear

C:

• FroggToggs jacket
• FroggTogg pants
• light cheep Amazon poncho

L:

• FroggToggs jacket
• FroggTogg pants

We both have ponchos, but I’m going to start with mine.  

Worn Weight

C:

• Kuhl underwear
• Smartwool bra
• synthetic blend t-shirt
• Prana Halle convertible pants
• Darn Tough socks
• Injinji socks
• Adias baseball hat
• Oboz hiking shoes

L:

• Smartwool underwear
• Darn Tough socks
• Injinji socks
• Prana pants
• Smartwool crew shirt
• Merrel hiking shoes

We both are going in what we feel comfortable in.  We have replacement shoes that are trail runners but wanted to wear out the shoes we used up till the trail- no need to waste what we have. 

 

Carried Clothes

C:

• Cabela’s Puff coat
• Beanie
• Gloves
• Smartwool shorts
• Thermal long johns
• LL Bean windbreaker
• Smartwool long sleeve
• two Darn Tough socks
• Kuhl underwear
• 8L dry bag

L:

• Beanie
• Gloves
• Rab Puff coat
• Smartwool long sleeve
• Prana pants
• two Darn Tough socks
• synthetic underwear 

We did a mix of new things that were nicer for the hike and some things that we’ve had and used before.  We plan to have our summer clothes sent to us, like shorts for Logan and a tank top for me.  Again, clothes are one that I imagine we will know what we prefer as we go.  

 

I think for me, I’m not afraid to say I made a mediocre choice for certain gear as I learn about the quality of other items. I think gear has a nearly impossible learning curve. It’s somewhat inevitable to send things home, trade out things for others, and just say I made a shitty call with this one.  I don’t know everything and there are so many companies putting out so much new gear. I’m excited to see what works, what I’m jealous of others having, and make a dream list for the next trip to REI.