Weights?

What sort of trip is this for A.T.? Section or thru? What time of year?

(Sorry if I missed this, you likely posted this info somewhere already)

Either way, drop the snakebite kit, it's been proven that they don't work and they are no longer recommended.

You might want to put it on gear grams : geargrams.com it will add up the weights for you and makes it easy to organize.

I would leave the snake bite kit, change the big swiss army knife to the $12 mini, I use a gallon ziplock as my dirty clothes bag/washing machine ( add a few drops of bleach and camp soap with water to wash and de-stink), with the mini swiss you can drop the scissors because it has them, it looks like you may have 2 ss hiking shirts- maybe drop one, 20 oz gatorade bottles or 1 liter smartwater bottles are lighter than nagalene bottles, you could use a little "button" type LED like people put on key chain instead on the mini mag, your rain jacket can also be your wind breaker, I would think you will need some sort insulating jacket down or synthetic, I would add a whistle unless there is one on your pack's strenum strap.

I swore I would never mention it but I lied. Have you considered a diva cup?

My suggestions assume you are going to do a long-distance hike of the AT. That you're camping only to hike, not hiking to camp. That you will hike till it's time to make camp, eat and go to sleep. Then get up the next morning and do it all over. The lightest weight on your back will make your hike more bearable. No extras, no duplication, strive for multi-use items. The lightest options for what you do carry.

I have no idea what your experience level is, so I'm assuming you're a novice. Apologies if that's not the case. I'm sure I'll sound like what I say is gospel, and of course it is. The gospel according to L Dog. Other folks will come behind me and contradict just about everything I say. They are blasphemers and you should ignore them lest you all burn in Hades for eternity! I mean, um, take it all in, try it all out, and you will find your own way.

Here goes:

• Why only one pair of sock liners? You might consider changing these more often than you do your socks
• 2 pair of socks for hiking, and one pair (your sacred socks) that never gets wet, and that is stored with your sleeping bag in your pack's inner sanctum, to wear while sleeping in cold wx.
• You'll probably want 12 stakes to get a full storm pitch for your Lightheart Solo. Mix up some combo of ti shephard's hooks with some kind of better holding type to shave a bit of weight.
• Make sure the tent is seam sealed. If you didn't have them do it, you'll need to do so.
  laughingdog.com/2012/03/seam-s…lightheart-gear-solo.html
  
• Consider VivoBarefoot Ultras for camp shoes - Real light, good for fording as well as for scuzzy, shared showers
• Those 3/4 sleeping pads are light, but they won't insulate your legs from the ground when it's cold. You can use your empty pack, or a sit pad, but be prepared. Try your sleep system in your tent on a 30 degree night in your back yard.
• Consider Exped's Air Pillow UL M - Real light, real comfortable.
• I don't know what a sleep screen is, so I assume it's unnecessary.
• Nice first aid kit. Don't let folks talk you out of it, but don't have more qtys than you need. I put extras in a bounce box. Take a Wilderness First Aid Course
  
• Concur with dropping the snake bite kit. Take a Wilderness First Aid Course
  
• Take a Wilderness First Aid Course
• Bring the patch kit for your sleeping pad, a small qty of Tenacious tape to repair tent, clothing, stuff sacks ... A couple of good size safety pins (Besides repairs, you can hang your freshly washed socks and undies off the back of your pack to dry).
  
• Bring a 20' length of something like Sea to Summit Reflective 1.8mm Accessory Cord to use as a clothes line.
• Your rainshell should work fine as a windbreaker.
• 2 extra pair of undies is plenty.
• Other than that, don't bring any "extra" clothes. The only thing that should be in your pack is a pair of underwear, a pair of hiking socks, and your sacred socks. When it's cold, bring a medium base layer to sleep in, a wool hat, a buff, some light liner gloves, some kind of insulation like a light down jacket, to put on during breaks/in camp; and your rain shell. Then weigh all that other stuff to find you've taken pounds off your back.
• You can wash undies and socks in streams DOWNSTREAM from where the rest of us get our drinking water.
• I'm not familiar real familiar with esbit. Do you get one boil/cube? How many days between boxes? 2 boils/day?
  
• Bring only a long-handle ti spoon. Use a pocket knife to cut. I'll bet you never miss having a fork.
• 1.1L is kind of a big pot unless you're cooking for two. 700ml is plenty big for one.
  
• A bandana is a fine pot grabber, brow wiper, water pre-filter, bandage, sling and towel ... Bring one large enough to actually function as a sling.
  
• You don't need a towel or washcloth if you have a bandana. If you're gonna bring one anyway, look at something like the small MSR UL Packtowel, or a similarly-sized piece of sham-wow. but I wouldn't duplicate here.
• Having said that, some women bring a second bandana as their "pee-rag" they hang it off the back of their packs to dry/sanitize by sun between washing opportunities.
• Look at QWiz small/original Ti trowel. at .4 oz nothing's lighter. Others may tell you to just use the heel of your boot or your hiking pole, but I don't believe you can do an adequate job that way. qiwiz.net/trowels.html
• If this is a long hike, don't scrimp on TP. Bring a whole roll on a freezer baggie. Pull the cardboard center out to save an oz. Changes in diet can do nasty things to one's gi tract, and you can always trade squares for candy.
• Get the unbound version of the AT Guide, only cary the parts you need, and bounce the rest up the trail.
• Does that headlamp have a red light? You'll want that if you're going to ever sleep in shelters. Otherwise the rest of us will yell at you. Promise.
• You don't need a headlamp and a mini-mag. I'd leave the mini-mag at home.
• You don't need purification drops and a filter on the AT. Just bring the filter.
• Nalgenes are way heavy. All the cool kids use a couple of gatoraide bottles. Some like the tall skinny smartwater bottles. Some leave their saywer mini attached, and sip from the filter. I use two of the 20oz, wide-mouthed gatoraid bottles so I can carry them on my shoulder straps like a geek. I squeeze water directly into them. When they wear out, I recycle them and buy two more at any gas station. Most of the trail has plenty of water and 40 ozs is normaly plenty. Carry an extra squeeze bag for the Sawyer, and you can carry up to 3 liters of water to a dry camp, or in those sections where water sources are few and far between.
• That knife is excessive. Short of glasses, you probably have no gear with screws, you won't be opening bottles, and if you do, you can improvise. You don't need to saw wood. Consider the Swiss Army Classic, It's less than an ounce, hs all the blade you need, and you can take the scissors out of your first aid kit. But keep a pair of tweezers with long, narrow tines for gently pulling ticks out.
• You don't need a bear canister on the AT except for one short section most just hike thru. Save a lot of weight by considering a roll-top dry bag like Sea to Summit's 13L Ultra-Sil Nano Dry Sack, with AntiGravityGear's 40' 725 Spectra TreeLine with storage/stone heaving bag, and a small, light, strdy carabiner
  antigravitygear.com/shop/ultra…line-40-spectra-725-line/
  
• Leave the emergency blanket behind
• Leave the emergency poncho behind
• Try to find the right balance between being organized and weighing yourself down with a lot of stuff sacks. They may seem light, but they add up.
  
  Line your pack with a trash compactor, and put spares in your bounce box. This is your inner sanctum. Stuff your quilt, liner and sacred socks in the bottom of the trash compactor bag, put your spare clothes on top, your sleeping pad, and a small stuff sack with phone charger stuff. Close up the liner.
  
  Stuff that can get damp goes on top. One bag for first aid, one for toiletries and repair parts, one for tp, wipes and trowel in an outside pocket, and a small dry bag to protect your down in the top of your pack. That adds up to four small stuff sacks, one 10L dry bag for your down, one 13L dry bag for food should do it.
  
  Get the small ones in different colors. I use the Sea-to Summit Ultra-Sil Stuff Sacks in XXS. Red for first aid, black for TP, yellow for electronics and green for toiletries. They now have Ultra-mesh sacks that are almost half the weight of ultra-sil. Cuben fiber stuff sacks are available from companies like Z-Packs. Very light, very expensive.
• Leave the bear spray at home. Assuming you are dealing with Black Bears on the AT, they are more scared of you than you are of them.
• Leave boot glue at home. Plan on buying new boots (trail runners) every 500-600 miles.
  
• Leave Spot at home unless Mom demands it. You'll be around other hikers and in a narrow, well-marked corridore, often with cell service.
• Gallon baggies make great trash bags. Carry two
• You night consider keeping one of those tiny, cube-shaped Apple chargers, and a short USB cable to charge your phone at opportunities between town visits.

When you add what's left up, you should be right around 15 lbs plus or minus a few pounds, not counting food, water and stove fuel. Your "Base Weight." Add 5 days of food at 2 lbs/day plus as much as 2 liters of water, and you should still be below 30 lbs. And the total volume of your gear should be significantly less - Opening the possibility of a smaller. lighter pack.

I don't know which Deuter pack you have, but they tend to be comfortable for heavy loads, and are relatively heavy at north of 3 lbs. Not neccessarily the best tool for a long-distance hike. Look at something like the Ultralight Adventure (ULA) Circuit at ~41 ozs, Osprey's Exos 58 at ~42 ozs, or REI's Flash 58 at ~46 ozs.

Hope this was helpful

Ally's supply list.docx

First stab at getting your load lighter.

Notes:

1) First Aid Kit - Remember if Advil or Duct Tape don't fix it your probably going home. Duct Tape with a bit of gauze is a great bandage that will stay clean until your home.

2) Try to only have one tool for every task. This includes clothing with the exception of underwear and sock. Shorts, Long Underwear Bottom and Marmot Scree Pants will get you from 90 degrees to below 20 degrees. A Underarmor T-Shirt, Long Underwear top, 1/4 Zip microFleece Top and Rain Jacket will get the same temperature range.

3) I have no recommendation on Camp Shoes as I don't bring them. I do have Down Socks for the winter time which are very toasty.

4) I don't use a pillow. I stuff my pack and all soft gear into my pack liner to make a pillow. It works for me.

Don't be afraid to bring less stuff. After every trip break your gear into three groups.

A) Used it
B) Did Not Use it
c) Did Not Use it but really should have it for safety reasons (First Aid Kit, Batteries, Rain Jacket, etc.)

Leave group B home

TrafficJam wrote:

I swore I would never mention it but I lied. Have you considered a diva cup?

No, I have not. Would you recommend?[/quote]

Yes, 100%.

Go Girl?

Great post LDog. I have to disagree about the pee rag though. In the humid and green-tunnel conditions of the South, it never dries and ends up stinking like you wouldn't believe.

You'll be surrounded by great people who will look after you out there. You'll likely hook up with a few that you'll camp with every night. Are there creeps? Of course. The woods are full of us, er, I mean them. But actual problems are so rare as to be insignificant. Carrying that extra weight to defend yourself against an improbable scenario will lead you down that slippery slope where you end up filling your pack with extra, redundant stuff, "Just in case." Then there's legal issues in 14 different states ...

Use your gut around strangers. Don't camp near road crossings where locals might gather to party. Never tell a stranger where you plan to camp. Always suggest your partner is right behind you. Don't post too many details on social media about your location. You'll be fine.

TrafficJam wrote:

Great post LDog. I have to disagree about the pee rag though. In the humid and green-tunnel conditions of the South, it never dries and ends up stinking like you wouldn't believe.

I'll have to take your word for it. Must be a PCT thing.

I have to admit I have not tried it when it was hot...just in mild temps.

Looks like some great advice. Ditch the snake bite kit. I hike sometimes with a guy who is a retired nurse and did the AT and is now section hiking it again. As he pointed out, anything other than scrapes and burns, is pretty much beyond a "first aid" kit. Get help....
I would recommend buying a digital scale that goes up to around 5 pounds. No single item should weigh that much (even pack). Then, get on Gear Grams. Input all your gear. Even duplicate stuff. Weigh it all. Then you can build "packing list" and see what happens. Then, pack up and go out for a few nights. See what you use. Try different items.

Here are some carbon fiber tent stakes I'm trying out but my hike buddy (mentioned above) used them.
rutalocura.com/

If he's not in good shape by the time he hits the trail, no amount of workouts during his hike (other than the hiking itself) is going to benefit him at all, and certainly not enough to make it worth carrying a bunch of dumbbells and free weights in his--oh, you meant...nevvvvvvvvvvver mind.

LDog, your post looks like it's chock full of good info. I'll read it in the morning. Right now my TL;DR is in high gear. But I'll thank you now since I'll forget that part in the morning.

Remove the thread and needle from your sewing kit.
How will you sew you ask, with the large needle and the dental floss. You'll be able to repair everything from your undies to your pack with that.

I didn't see Body Glide on your list , did you consider it?

Under cooking you have "friend" listed. Really? How much do they weigh?

Unless you really, really need it ditch the "schedule"

You've got clothes for both cold and hot weather listed. Hopefully you won't carry it all at the same time.

You got some very good advice from folks before me, trust them if you can.

L Dog wrote: You don't need purification drops and a filter on the AT. Just bring the filter.

My filter crapped out before I got out of Georgia due to the high silt content of the water. Luckily I had brought iodine tabs & neutralizer (a pinch of Vit. C will neutralize the iodine color, taste, and smell of treated water - after allowing sufficient time for the iodine to purify the water.) I would always take a 2nd form of water purification because it is so important, and iodine works very well. I ran out of iodine in Troutdale, VA and got a small amount of chlorine bleach from a hotel maid.

'm not going to weigh in whether or not to carry bear spray (to each their own) but I wanted to say that to the best of my knowledge, it is legal to carry bear spray in all states that the A.T. Passes through so long as you're actually hiking. There might he certain buildings or areas you can't have it, but there aren't any posession bans.
I have heard that some places consider it illegal to use bear spray on a human (or to carry it for this purpose) since it's not approved or intended for that use...take that as you will.

Again, I'm no lawyer, don't take my advice on this without double checking yourself.

LDog, I read yours now that the TL;DR switch is off. Good info. Thanks! (Woohooo I didn't forget!)

Thanks. So, I had to look up TL;DR (I'm old) Urban Dictionary suggested "Said whenever a nerd makes a post that is too long to bother reading"

Guilty

Or when the reader is too easily distracted to fini-SQUIRREL!

I have that problem with long reads. Coffee is usually the answer.

Looks like we are coming full circle here.

Weigh each piece individually.

No need to count your shoes as pack weight, not the clothing your wearing while hiking.

i use a much less scientific method. i throw everything in my pack and weigh the whole thing. then i start looking at individual pieces and look to see if i absolutely need them or can find another item that would have more than one use, than look at lightter weight alternatives for must haves. ive found obsessing over pack weight to be , well, obsessive.
you can agonize about how many grams an item weighs, or you can just carry less food and water, where you can realize substantial weight savings with good planning.

Go buy yourself an inexpensive digital kitchen scale, accurate down to a half gram. You'll be really surprised at what clothing weighs ...

Noob question #100 - Do people count the clothes/shoes they're wearing in their pack weight? I may use a cheat program like the one mentioned above, but I wanted to try to calculate it myself.

Base Weight is your pack and everything in it except consumables - Fuel, water and food. This is what folks brag about. It really only gets important when you look at packs designed to carry 30 lbs and wonder if you can employ em ...

Skin out weight is the weight your knees have to endure. So that's base weight plus food, water, fuel, hiking sticks and everything you wear. Nobody ever really talks about this.

109 grams wouldn't have been enough for the whole band.

I regularly update gear for lighter stuff.
When I go for a hike I throw whatever I feel I need for that hike in the pack.
Whatever it weighs I carry it.
I refuse to get anal about the "base weight" or the "total skin out weight".
Similarly if I think a litre is a fair amount of water for the hike, I will usually carry 2 litres and not fret about it.
I don't have a problem with my pack weight and if I did I would consider some new upgrades, but sometimes I just think it all gets so trivial. Take what you need not the total weight that you think you have to be under to be cool.
Met a lot of thirsty, cold UL'ers in my time. Got no time for any of them. Their choice to go UL. My choice to be comfortable.
So many inexperienced hikers carry far too little gear. Many are trying to shave ounces out of their pack before they've even done an overnight or extended hike.
A heavy pack won't kill you. Not having something you need might.

like a good torch,perhaps?

oz and i think a lot alike. at least on this issue.

If 30 is your goal, you are golden. 18 lbs + 6 lbs ( 3 days food) + 4.4 lbs ( 2 liters water)= 28.4

^^^ Like Jacko says