Normally it's Wal-Mart style gear you see abandoned on the trail.

as a practical matter, i barely have enough room in my pack for my own stuff much less anyone else's.

hypothetically, assuming i had room, the gear would have to be sooo weather beaten that there is 0% chance that someone is coming back for it. that stuff looks in too good a condition for me to get involved. i'd leave it for someone else to worry about.

I saw a sleeping bag in a tree north of Hot Springs. I left it there. I saw a pack and a towel in GSMNP. I left them, but notified rangers. I saw a pad and bag in a shelter, left them, and ran into the owner later on the trail. I often pack out lost or broken items like tent pegs, lights, and cordage.

I picked up a bandana near Pine Grove Furnace. I lost a hat somewhere on the NJ AT. I picked up a red plastic poncho. I've donated various items to hiker boxes, and I've taken items from hiker boxes.

If you find something on the trail, you don't know which direction the owner is going. NOBO is a reasonable guess in spring at the south end of the AT, but I ran into one SOBO who was finishing up in the spring.

I stopped to talk to a couple in a shelter. They had carried a pair of hiking poles north to the shelter. I walked south, ran into the owner, and told them where the poles were.

I have never taken critical gear like tents or sleeping bags.

I passed a tent set up on the AT in the middle of the trail, door was open and a few things inside, looked abandoned, makes you wander what's up, wouldn't have taken it even if I wanted it for fear someone was coming back for it. Passed a 12" cast iron skillet sitting on a stump on the Pinhoti, would like to have had it but it was just too heavy to carry.

Yep pretty much the norm (unfortunately) in Georgia. When I hiked thru there a couple of years ago I saw sleeping bags, 4 person type tents, pillows like you use at home, cooking pots like home etc. And that was all between Springer and Neels.

I've kind of wanted a bear canister of my own since there are certain places I'd like to go where they are required. I keep telling my buddy who lives 45min from Springer to hike the approach trail in early April and grab a discarded one for me.

Hopefully the gear didn't represent a crime scene.

I once found a .22 pistol alongside a trail in Big Bend NP. I placed it in a zip lock, placed a flat rock over it, but left it in the same location in the event the owner returned. Three days later, it was undisturbed.

Carried it out and gave it to the first Ranger I encountered. As I left name, address, and phone #, I expected contact at a later date regarding disposition. As I was not informed of same, figured someone pocketed the item.

Where the AT passes under the route 61 in Hamburg. Someone attempted to sleep under the bridge and abandoned a Cabellas bag a few years back it was in good shape but - no I wasn't going to pack it out. I couldn't tell if it was a homeless person who might return or not, or someone who hiked into town.