Help me get some gear links for a thru hike?

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TopHatFox
Posts: 2322
Joined: Thu Oct 17, 2013 10:07 pm
Location: FL; 25

Help me get some gear links for a thru hike?

Post by TopHatFox »

A close friend of mine from college is hiking the AT. It's motivating me to say fuck it to my dismal career search.

I was going to just sew my own gear, but I haven't yet. Frankly, I don't think I ever will. So I've decided to just buy it. I'm thinking of doing research on cottage industry equipment. I just need:

1. A very lite backpack that's expandable and with some mesh on the outside
2. A tarp,
3. A net tent.
4. A sleeping quilt

Accountability is key. If I don't buy the gear above by Wednesday 3/14, you have my permission to hound me until I do. :P

TopHatFox
Posts: 2322
Joined: Thu Oct 17, 2013 10:07 pm
Location: FL; 25

Re: Help me get some gear links for a thru hike?

Post by TopHatFox »

Oh ho ho - guess who just found a $20-25/hr student life coordinator job at the local community college 3 mi away while living at home. Looks like they require a BA and 3 yrs experience. I have four and an Ivy League degree. Time to make the perfect application. Fuck you close friend - I want $$. LOL

slowtraveler
Posts: 722
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2015 10:06 pm

Re: Help me get some gear links for a thru hike?

Post by slowtraveler »

Hell yeah.

5 years of that at 2000hrs/yr is 200-250k. Enough for our young Fox to have freedom.

Stahlmann
Posts: 1121
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Re: Help me get some gear links for a thru hike?

Post by Stahlmann »

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Last edited by Stahlmann on Mon Jul 02, 2018 5:31 am, edited 1 time in total.

theanimal
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Re: Help me get some gear links for a thru hike?

Post by theanimal »

Check out akratics journal. Plenty of discussion about gear before, during and after his AT hike there.

2Birds1Stone
Posts: 1596
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2015 11:20 am
Location: Earth

Re: Help me get some gear links for a thru hike?

Post by 2Birds1Stone »

How timely, I've also been debating giving up on civilization and my job search in favor of an AT thru-hike.

sky
Posts: 1726
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:20 am

Re: Help me get some gear links for a thru hike?

Post by sky »

Here is the tarp shelter king: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8lw64__n8M

I set up a trapezoid pyramid today, just for practice.

tommytebco
Posts: 257
Joined: Sat Oct 27, 2012 4:48 pm

Re: Help me get some gear links for a thru hike?

Post by tommytebco »

http://hikinghq.net/2index.html

It's very hard to accept the idea that "less is more", but when it's on your back you get the idea pretty quick. My personal set up is a hammock and tarp. tarp from guide gear and I made the hammock ( 4 yds of fabric, doubled over and hemmed) I also made my backpack. I'm still using it today.
http://www.moonbowgear.com/1trailgear/1 ... rskin.html
Sgt Rock was my GURU back at the beginning.
.https://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/conten ... ofessional

have a practice hike of a day or two (minimum) before the real thing.

Smashter
Posts: 541
Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2016 8:05 am
Location: Midwest USA

Re: Help me get some gear links for a thru hike?

Post by Smashter »

TopHatFox wrote:
Sat Mar 10, 2018 1:45 am
I have four and an Ivy League degree.
Is it normal to call Amherst an Ivy League school?

I say go for it if helps you get where you want to go, but be warned that you might upset an actual, highly status conscious, Ivy Leaguer one day :D

jacob
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Re: Help me get some gear links for a thru hike?

Post by jacob »


Smashter
Posts: 541
Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2016 8:05 am
Location: Midwest USA

Re: Help me get some gear links for a thru hike?

Post by Smashter »

Ah, got it, thanks.

I know people who went to several of the schools on that list. They would never consider themselves Ivy Leaguers, nor have they ever referred to themselves that way. Maybe they are just bad at marketing themselves!

Edit to add: congrats on the potential job, THF! I don't want to come off as a curmudgeon. I hope it works out.

Mikeallison
Posts: 162
Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2018 12:26 am

Re: Help me get some gear links for a thru hike?

Post by Mikeallison »

Not that you need it anymore but here is my setup:

Pack
https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/ ... i-flash-65

Quilt
https://enlightenedequipment.com/revel ... -charcoal/

Tarp

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00205GHZU/re ... 6395152951

I use a snow peak titanium cup with a homemade cat food can stove. In addition to the cat food can, I made Jim Woods supercat wind screen, and a pot lid out of a discarded tin can top.

The lightest and best ground cover to use is tyvek house wrap, people sell it in pieces on ebay.

Ground pad and pillow should be determined by you since everyone has a different preference.

If you go with a Sawyer water filter, get the big one, the small one takes too long to filter, and the weight difference isn't all that much. I use 2 big Gatorade bottles for water storage.

Thru hike means expensive resupply already, save money by getting a dehydrator and making your own food. Also try the meals at home using the gear you will be cooking with before you go!

Im in the West but I hear the AT means bears and bugs. Might want to consider a hammock and bear can.

Clothing for 7 day trip:
One pair hiking pants with zip off legs, buy quality here.
Light weight down jacket
Frog toggs rain gear
Trail runners, not hiking boots!
4 pairs hiking socks
3 pairs REI hiking underwear ( they somehow feel and smell fresh, even after 3 days hiking and they don't chaf)
Wool Head sock

It's been awhile since I weighed everything, but I think I range between 25-30 pounds for a 5 day trip, and that is with food and water.

Other observations

If you chaf, before you start take deodorant and apply it to the areas between your legs that rub together, it will prevent it. If you do get a rash, hand sanitizer burns, but really helps in recovery.

Take Tylenol for aches and benadryl in case you need help sleeping.

You don't need a giant knife, a small swiss army or Mora works fine.

Take any rocks or twigs that get in your shoe out right away! It is a pain to stop, but a blister will make your trip suck even more

Fill up on water every time you come across it, maps can be wrong, and streams can go dry. (More important in the West)

Pick an elevated dry campsite if possible, moisture goes to the lowest point so if you don't want to wake up wet, stay high and dry. Always lay where you want to camp, before pitching the tarp, the ground could look level but be very lumpy, or on a slope. Also, look up for dead branches overhead.

Keep your garbage and any cooking away from your sleeping area, for bear and other animal reasons( A friend of mine went to bed with his trail mix, and woke up covered in mice)

Biggest one is to condition yourself before you go! Best way is to do small hikes (8-12 miles) with lots elevation change once a week for several weeks before the trip. It helps if you are active already, but the only way to train for hiking is to hike, and remember, the downhill can hurt just as bad as the up, don't be afraid to use poles to reduce shock on your knees (They can also double as tarp poles).

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