I started my thru-hike on April 14, 2024 with my cold weather gear. I planned to ship the cold weather gear home when I got to Damascus, Virginia. I decided to start my hike without any cap shoes in order to save weight. Overall, my base weight was 21 lbs and my total weight with 4 days of food was 31 lbs.
Half-way through the Smokies, I stopped in Gatlinburg, TN on May 9, 2024 and shipped a few items home. Overall I got rid of 2lbs 11 ounces of gear. I did pickup a pair of cheap flip-flops at Walgreens.
- Sent home: puffy, mittens, sun glasses, stuff sack from my quilt, straps for attaching quilt to sleep pad, some food, and some hygiene items. I only used the puffy twice and don’t see any need for it. I am good with my fleece.
I swapped out my cold weather gear in Johnson City, TN on June 2, 2024. I also started carrying a pair of trail sandals for my camp shoes. Overall, I only dropped about 12 ounces of weight from my gear due to adding the camp shoes and my fan.
- Sent home: long sleeve shirt, short sleeve shirt, seal skinz rain gloves, thermometer, balaclava, buff, 10 degree quilt, flip flops, old hiking pants that were too big, old bandana
- Added/replaced: 40 degree quilt (22 ounces), hiking sandals (10.8 ounces), new short sleeve shirt, new hiking pants that fit, new bandana, new trash compactor bag, USB fan (1.76 ounces)
I exchanged some more gear in Front Royal, VA on July 9, 2024. Lowered my base weight by about 16 ounces.
- Sent home: rain jacket, ball cap, Apple Watch and charger, convertible pants/shorts, spare hiking socks
- Added: lightweight shorts (4.8 ounces), camp towel (7 ounces)
By the time I reached Duncannon, PA on July 21, 2024 I was done with my original pack. My back was killing me. I went to the local REI and picked up a beefy Osprey Atmos AG 65 pack. This added 2.8 lbs to my base weight, but it was worth it! Probably carrying a total of 32-33 lbs at this point.
I added back some gear in Great Barrington, MA on August 15, 2024. Added about 18 ounces to my base weight.
- Added/replaced: heavy rain jacket, hiking pants, spare socks
Somewhere in New England I added a pair of rain pants (5 ounces).
I swapped back in my cold weather gear in Killington, VT on August 28, 2024. I added about 18 ounces to my base weight.
- Sent home: 40 degree quilt, hiking sandals, short sleeve shirt, USB fan
- Added/replaced: 10 degree quilt, water shoes (14 ounces), gloves, mittens, balaclava, buff, long sleeve shirt
Gear List – Equipment Name, Description, Quantity, Weight in Ounces, Notes
Pack
| Pack Liner | Kirkland 18gal Compactor Bag | 1 | 2.2 | |
| Pack | ULA Ultra Circuit 68L + pouches | 1 | 35 |
Sleep System
| Sleep Pad | Nemo Tensor Insulated inflatable, regular/wide | 1 | 18.66 | |
| Winter Quilt | EE Revelation Down 10 degree quilt regular wide | 1 | 30.4 | |
| Quilt repair patches | EE patches | 1 | 0.48 | |
| Pump sack / storage | Exped Schnozzel Medium pump/dry bag | 1 | 2.1 | |
| Nemo Sack and Patch Kit | Comes with Nemo | 1 | 0.6 | |
| Pillow | Sea to Summit Aeros Premium | 1 | 2.57 | |
| Dry Bag | Zpacks Large dry compression bag for quilt | 1 | 0.8 |
Shelter
| Tent | MSR Hubba Hubba 2 | 1 | 50 | |
| Footprint | MSR universal 85 x 51 | 1 | 7 | |
| Tent Repair Kit | Splint, tenacious tape x 4, tenacious mesh x 2 | 1 | 0.74 | |
| Tent Storage | Zpacks Medium Dry Bag | 1 | 0.71 | |
| Rope frame | frame for fly-first setup | 1 | 0.75 |
Kitchen
| Stove | MSR pocket rocket 2 | 1 | 2.57 | |
| Pot | TOAKS LIGHT TITANIUM 650ML POT W. Handles | 1 | 2.8 | |
| Spork | Sea to Summit Alpha Light Spork – Long | 1 | 0.42 | |
| Cozy | Large cozy. Avoid simmer time on stove. | 1 | 0.95 | |
| Fuel | isobutane-propane 100 gram (empty) | 1 | 3.5 | |
| Lighter | Mini Bick | 1 | 0.39 | |
| Wash Cloth | Light Load hand towel | 1 | 0.56 | |
| Bear Hang | Mtn Laurel Design Rope, rock bag, lock carabiner | 1 | 1.9 | |
| Gallon Bags | Ziplock Freezer Bag | 7 | 0.31 | |
| Food Storage Bag | Mtn Laurel Design 12×24 DFC Bag | 1 | 1.1 |
Hydration
| Primary Water Filtration | Sawyer Squeeze | 1 | 2.79 | |
| Backup Water Purification | 50 Aquatabs | 1 | 0.25 | |
| Dirty Water Container | CNOC Vecto 3L | 1 | 3.2 | |
| Sawyer Coupling | attach Sawyer Squeeze to Smart Water bottle | 1 | 0.18 | |
| Spare water bottle cap | Spare sports cap for Smart Water bottle | 1 | 0.18 | |
| Water Bottle | Smart Water 1L with Sport Cap | 2 | 1.38 | |
| Spare O-ring | Spare sawyer o-ring | 1 | 0.04 |
Clothing
| Long Sleeve Shirt | Camp Shirt Cold Weather – Under Armour Heatgear | 1 | 5.75 | |
| Shorts | Camp Shorts – Nike Challenger 7’’ Running Short | 1 | 4.8 | |
| Socks | Camp Socks – Wrightsock midweight | 1 | 2.93 | |
| Toe Socks | Injini sock liners – second set of hiking socks | 1 | 1.31 | |
| Underwear | Spare set of dry underwear – helps with chaffing | 1 | 2.89 | |
| Long Underwear | Under Armour Heat Gear – year round | 1 | 5.19 | |
| Light Weight Mid Layer | Sky goat half zip fleece – large | 1 | 10.02 | |
| Insect Net | Sea to Summit Mosquito Head Net | 1 | 1 | |
| Clothing Stuff Sack | Zpacks Slim Dry Bag 4L – replaced with schnozzel | 1 | 0.6 |
Rain Gear
| Umbrella | Zpacks Lotus UL Umbrella | 1 | 6.7 | |
| Umbrella clip | Gear clip + small carabiner – left chest strap | 1 | 0.81 | |
| Carabiner | Top of pack to hold umbrella | 1 | 0.85 | |
| Hat | Ball cap, Mesh with hard bill | 1 | 3.5 | |
| Rain Kilt | Zpacks rain kilt. Doubles as tarp, ground cloth, other | 1 | 1.8 | |
| Rain Jacket, Heavy | Outdoor Research Foray II Gore-Tex w. pit zips | 1 | 12.5 | |
| Rain Gloves | 8 mil Nitrile gloves from Amazon | 2 | 0.6 |
Hygiene
| Wash Cloth | Light load Towel | 1 | 0.49 | |
| Tooth Paste | Travel size | 1 | 0.92 | |
| Tooth Brush | Oral-B | 1 | 0.35 | |
| Dental Floss | Glide pro-health 54yd | 1 | 0.63 | |
| Soap | Dr. Bronners in .5oz bottle | 1 | 0.95 | |
| Insect Repellent | Ben’s 100% DEET – hip belt pouch | 1 | 1.25 | |
| Chap Stick | Blistex | 1 | 0.35 | |
| Anti Chaffing | Squirrel Nut Butter – small container | 2 | 0.7 | |
| Diaper Rash Cream | A&D Zinc Oxide + Dimethicone | 1 | 1.83 | |
| Hygiene Bag | Half gallon Ziplock | 1 | 0.35 | |
| Nail Clippers | Generic | 1 | 0.46 | |
| Tinactin | Anti-fungal | 1 | 0.75 |
Toiletry
| Trowel | Dutchwear Duce Scoop | 1 | 0.75 | |
| Toilet Paper | In quart ziplock bag | 1 | 1 | |
| Waste Bag | Gallon Ziplock | 1 | 0.3 | |
| Wet Wipes | Cottonelle | 1 | 2.5 |
First Aide
| Tweezers | Metal | 1 | 0.25 | |
| Mole Skin | 4.5’’ X 3.5’’ | 1 | 0.18 | |
| Self adhesive bandage | 1’’ X 5yds | 1 | 0.32 | |
| Q-tips | 10 generic | 1 | 0.07 | |
| Anti-diarrheal | 6 tablets | 1 | 0.14 | |
| Motrin | 1000 Mg packets | 10 | 0.07 | |
| Triple antibiotic ointment | Generic packet | 5 | 0.04 | |
| Band-Aid | 3’’ X 1.5’’ | 6 | 0.03 | |
| Band-Aid | 2’’ X 4’’ | 4 | 0.07 | |
| Sterile Gauze Small | 2’’ X 2’’ | 2 | 0.06 | |
| Sewing Needle | Large…use with floss or similar for repairs | 1 | 0.01 | |
| Oral Meds | Prescription – as needed (x 3) | 1 | 0.35 | |
| First Aid Dry Bag | Red Space Bear Bags DFC small dry bag | 1 | 0.28 | |
| Antibiotics | 100mg doxy x 6 | 1 | 0.11 | |
| Safety Pins | Generic | 2 | 0.01 |
Electronics
| Power Bank | NITECORE NB10000 | 2 | 5.29 | |
| Wall Charger | Anker 25W USB-C | 1 | 1.34 | |
| Phone | iPhone 15 w. Case – left chest strap pouch | 1 | 8.11 | |
| Head Phones | Shokz OpenRun Pro bone conduction | 1 | 1 | |
| GPS Device | Garmin in-reach mini 2 + carabiner | 1 | 4 | |
| Headlamp | Tactikka Core rechargeable | 1 | 2.68 | |
| Charging Cable 1 | 4-in-1 USB-C, Lightning, Micro USB, USB-A | 1 | 1.31 | |
| Charging Cable 2 | USB-C – USB-C | 1 | 0.67 | |
| Apple Watch Charger | USB-C and Lightning | 1 | 0.67 | |
| Headphone charging adapter | USB-C to proprietary magnetic | 1 | 0.12 | |
| Waterproof Bag | Ziplock 1/2 gallon | 1 | 0.32 |
Misc
| Duct Tape | Small roll | 1 | 0.56 | |
| Multi Tool | Leatherman Squirt | 1 | 2 | |
| Paracord/clothes line | 15’ | 1 | 1.45 | |
| Carabiner, large | Black Diamond Mini Wire 20x7kN load bearing | 2 | 0.85 | |
| Carabiner, small | Zpacks mini carabiner | 2 | 0.1 | |
| Reading Glasses | Thinoptics + small case | 1 | 0.15 | |
| Lighter | Bic Mini – spare | 1 | 0.39 | |
| Pen | Mini sharpie | 1 | 0.21 |
Luxury
| Sit Pad | Zpacks sit pad | 1 | 0.81 | |
| ipad | Ipad mini | 1 | 11 |
Worn/Carried
| Pants/Shorts | REI Sahara Convertible | 1 | 13 | |
| Long Sleeve Shirt | outdoor Research long sleeve | 1 | 5 | |
| Sweat Band | Generic | 1 | 0.6 | |
| Socks | Injinji Trail Midweight Crew Socks | 1 | 3.2 | |
| Underwear | Long bike-short style | 1 | 3.42 | |
| Bandana | Generic | 1 | 0.85 | |
| Buff | Buff UV and Insectshield | 1 | 1.2 | |
| Wallet | Zpacks Wallet Zip Pouch – CC, ID, cash, insurance card | 1 | 1 | |
| Reading Glasses | Primary glasses, carried in left chest strap pouch | 1 | 1.16 | |
| Sun Glasses | Ombraz Teton, carried in left chest strap pouch | 1 | 2 | |
| Shoes | Hoka Speedgoat 5 | 1 | 20.6 | |
| Trekking Poles | Black Diamond Pursuit | 1 | 20 | |
| Camera Mount | Accessory Basics mount – right trekking pole | 1 | 3.95 | |
| Knife | The James Redstone, in pocket | 1 | 1.98 | |
| Pill case | Metal pill case in pocket | 1 | 2.5 | |
| Gloves | Fingerless hiking gloves | 1 | 1.2 |
Consumables
| Water | 1 liter and .75 liter in smart water bottles | 1.75 | 2.2 lbs | 3.85 lbs total |
| Fuel | isobutane-propane | 1 | 4 | |
| Food | 24oz per day | 4 | 24 | 6 lbs total |
Cold Weather
| Gloves, lightweight | Cloth lightweight | 2 | 1.2 | |
| Mittens, midweight | Convertible mittens | 1 | 2.4 | Swap out for summer gear |
| Ear Cover | Generic | 1 | 0.8 | Swap out for summer gear |
| Balaclava | Generic | 1 | 1.48 | Swap out for summer gear |
| Puffy | Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer 2 | 1 | 8.8 | Swap out for summer gear |
| Long Sleeve Thermal Base | Zengjo | 1 | 8.1 | Swap out for summer gear |
| Rain Gloves | Sealskinz Skeyton | 1 | 3.63 | Swap out for summer gear |
| Dry bag | Zpacks small dry bag | 1 | 0.39 |
Added/Modified Gear Throughout Hike
| Pack | Osprey Atmos 65 AG + pouches – 4.75lb | 1 | 77 | Swapped out ULA for this pack at Duncannon |
| Summer Quilt | EE Revelation Down 40 degree quilt regular wide | 0 | 22 | Swapped in for Summer and out in Fall |
| Long Sleeve Shirt | Camp Shirt Cold Weather – Under Armour Heatgear | 1 | 5.75 | |
| Short Sleeve Shirt | Camp Shirt warm weather – REI Active Pursuits T-Shirt | 1 | 5.25 |
| Camp / Water Shoes | Merrell Men’s Hydro Moc | 0 | 14 | Only carried these from Killington, VT |
| Camp shoes | Xeros Z-Trail EV Sandals | 1 | 10.8 | Carried from Johnson City, TN to Killington, VT |
| Fan | Hot Weather – USB fan for hot humid nights | 1 | 1.76 | Carried from Johnson City, TN to New England |
| Towel | PackTowl | 1 | 7 | Carried from Front Royal, VA till end |
| Rain Pants | Generic Nylon from Amazon | 1 | 5 | Carried in New England |
Leave a Reply