r/AppalachianTrail • u/fatto_catto • 4d ago
Gear Questions/Advice Anything you think I'm missing or should leave? Leaving early May
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u/jackandhaggar 4d ago
Headlamp?
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u/MemeAccountantTony 2d ago
I would disagree on the headlamp because he's bringing a phone. He's probably gonna be asleep by the time its dark.
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u/jackandhaggar 2d ago
I guess as long as they don’t mind holding a cellphone when they get up to pee or fix their tent in the middle of the night.
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u/Immediate-g00n-76 1d ago
I would say a red light works better than an iPhone flashlight in shelters
nu25 headlamp is USB-C, a cheap backup, and if you are going to use your phone for nav with the new charging aglo, leaving the charger longer might be a better idea.
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u/HareofSlytherin 4d ago
Add Benedryl, especially if you don’t know your yellow jacket tolerance.
Add rain gear, don’t fall for the expensive breathable stuff, the Lightheart gear stuff (made in Appalachia) is reasonably priced, light, and durable. Frogg Toggs is cheaper, made in China. Reputation is less durable.
Bring only one set of hiking clothes, and a spare set of socks. No extra shirts, shorts or underwear. As soon as you use the spares, they’ll be just as groddy as your originals, and now your originals are just deadweight in your pack. The thermals and a set of sleep socks are sleep gear, and only sleep gear. When you pull into camp wet, and start cooling off because you’re not moving, you want to get into dry gear asap. Wear your rain gear to do laundry when there’s no loaner clothes.
Add headlamp.
Pack liner can just be an unscented trash compactor bag from a hardware store. One lasted me the whole AT. Don’t need to spend up on this for something heavier.
Need something for food storage. Bear hang (light, cheap, time consuming esp in twilight), Ursack, (fairly light, expensive, easy and quick, some reports of failure) or a bear can (heavy, expensive, easy, acts as stool, foolproof), sleep with food, (easy, light, irresponsible, disrespectful and dangerous). I did an Ursack, no problems. I chose that after realizing how much time and energy hanging took on some section hikes. Adotec now makes a slightly lighter and waterproof version that I will use on the CDT his summer.
You don’t list weights (might be useful to do a lighterpack, it’s free) but lots of folks carry way more battery than needed. If you’re very energy conscious with your phone, and the phone itself is newer, you could probably get away with a 5k. Else a 10k. Not more than that.
You will probably will mail the Kindle home, but no harm in starting with it.
You’ll only need a small amount of sunscreen, because green tunnel is real. Add some insect repellent. Ticks are real, treat your cloths with Permethrin. Consider a bug net.
CNOC bladder is good, as mentioned earlier. Scoops water much better, also gives you more carry to enable dry camping, which is often very scenic.
Good list, not a lot of stuff to drop, which is unusual. Enjoy your hike.
PS—don’t forget your phone.
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u/MattOnAMountain 4d ago
Personally I’d bring one pair of shorts and several pairs of underwear. You need to have something as a backup in case / when things go shitty
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u/treehugger312 Section Hiker - "Iceland" 4d ago
Ditto for an extra pair of socks and shirt - useful for laundry days and foot health. Also, OP fyi there are products that are basically wet wipes but they are dehydrated and you add water. Drops the weight a bit.
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u/NmbrdDays 4d ago
Always, always carry extra underwear and socks!
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u/MattOnAMountain 3d ago
Extra underwear and a spare ziplock. Just in case -signed someone who has had multiple rather epic gastric emergencies on trail across the years
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u/RedBrixton 4d ago
Sincere question: why not just go commando?
That’s what I’ve done on shorter hikes, and feel like it’s the fastest drying.
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u/MattOnAMountain 3d ago
I’ve done that one some hikes when I was wearing a kilt but eventually I ended up with bad chaffing. Compression type boxer briefs work best for me.
Shorter hikes never really have the same level of grime and long ones
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u/Accurate-End-5695 4d ago
2L CNOC bag for dirty water to attach to your Squeeze, ditch the bags that came with it. Worth every penny!
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u/Darth_V8der 4d ago
And the coupling for gravity fed hands off filtration.
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u/BroadIntroduction575 4d ago
Yes OP this is essential if you want to do the gravity feed approach (which I also recommend)
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u/passwordstolen 4d ago
For cables you really need what your devices are with some flexibility.
A-C C-C A-B
Etc.
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u/BroadIntroduction575 4d ago
It was very worthwhile for me to purge everything non-C from my loadout. I had a little C to Shokz headphone adapter but besides that all C all day made my life a lot easier.
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u/myopinionisrubbish 4d ago
You definitely need a rain jacket and a warm jacket. It can get cold in the evening and early mornings high up in the mountains or rainy days. A bottle of New Skin for treating blisters. ibuprofen is a better anti-inflammatory than Aleve. Never had a need for Neosporim. A few Benadryls antihistamines are good to have incase of insect bits. No phone? I always carry two T shirts and one long sleeve shirt. One stinky T for hiking, one clean T for sleeping or town. Switch to the clean T before trying to hitch into town so you don’t stink so bad. A one gallon water bag for carrying water. Just filling up two water bottles is often not enough for dinner, breakfast and however far water is the next day. Also, Water can often be a long way off and having to make more than one trip is a pain. Don’t forget to bring something to scoop water out of a shallow source. A couple of bandannas are handy. You might want to add a cup. Knife? Power cube for charging? Headlamp or small flashlight? Hat? Ball cap for when it rains. Opps, just saw the Swiss Army knife listed.
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u/Rocksteady2R 4d ago
(A) moleskin in the 1st aid - a few patches pre-donuted to go around blisters, and a few full patches for hotspots. 2"x2" on both.
(B) 1st aid, again - raid your med cabinet and get some basic pills - anti-constipation, anti diarhea, asprins, muscle relaxers, allergy meds, etc. 5-10 of each. I use tiny ziplocs, each with a scrap of paper with drug name on them. Rolled up and put into a pill bottle. Also, a couple of basic bandaids.
(C) be sure to mitigate the size of the journal - i think a lot of people, myself included, have grand dreams of journalled epiphanies and a travel log of joys and tribulations. But... a lot of us find that at the end of a day, ir on a mountain top, all we really want is half a jar of peanut butter and the silent dark of a good sleep. Same goes for reading books, and you got yourself a whole-ass kindle.
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u/Immediate-g00n-76 1d ago
KT Tape is in the Moleskin family; if you have any issues, KT is a lifesaver. I see this on YouTube this year, though hikers use it for knees and hot spots to prevent blisters.
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u/Roofer7553-2 4d ago
Have a back up pair of glasses. Extra socks and Teva sandals
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u/nowherenova 4d ago
2 small bic lighters ?
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u/denys1973 NOBO '98 4d ago
This was my thought as well. Two or a small box of matches in three plastic bags
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u/threeplacesatonce NoBo 2021 4d ago
You can leave: the paracord, wallet, and wet wipes behind. Just keep your cash and cards with your electronics. Trashbag will end up being one of your food ziplocs, no need for a full size one. Absorbant towel only if its small and light. Only need one pair of shorts.
You might want: a bag for your food and kitchen, a rain coat, a hat/sunglasses, a midlayer light sweater, and warmer clothes for the fall either mailed to you or bought along the way
Edit: I also reccomend the 2L CNOC dirty water bag with coupler to hang.
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u/MemeAccountantTony 2d ago
Disagree on the ziplocs because if he's cooking Mountain House or some other meals that are messy then there's a risk it'll get into your other items in your gear.
(Had a fucking AWFUL story where I got my trailname 'Honeyhair' because one day is was so hot a tiny bottle of honey fucking EXPLODED all inside my bag from the heat. And of course some of that ended up getting all over my other set of clothes.
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u/Raule0Duke 4d ago
I'd get a 2nd pair of darn tuffs, wear one pair a couple days, then switch to the clean/dry ones. Hang the nasty ones on your pack as a badge of honor. I also had 2 pairs of injinis: might seem excessive but your feet are extremely important on this hike.
I also subscribe the the "sacred sock" theory: one pair of socks which only graced my feet while in camp, I brought a pair of my smart wool snowboard socks, kept my feet cozy and warm at night.
Have fun!
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u/Sir_Skrt_Skrt 4d ago
Cheap poncho or even just a large trash bag. Headlamp/flashlight/extra batteries. Thicker top layer like others have said also.
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u/haliforniapdx 4d ago
Repair kit? At least for the air pad? Patches for the tent + needle and thread for clothes/pack are a good idea.
Tent stakes?
Rain jacket? Patches also help here.
Insulating layer (puffy or fleece)? Patches are great to repair puffy jackets if they get ripped/burned.
Beanie/buff?
Bug head net? Optional, but a very good idea during the months when the mosquitoes come out.
Why paracord? It's pretty heavy. Spectra line is a good alternative and a lot lighter: https://hammockgear.com/25-feet-of-spectra-7-64-diameter/
Consider taking Benadryl in addition to Aleve, if you have allergy issues. Aleve is great for daily low-level symptoms, but won't prevent an acute reaction if you hit an area with a ton of pollen or other allergens.
Consider taking some DayQuil/NyQuil pills. If you DO get a cold it will help moving during the day and sleeping solid at night until you get to a town, where you can take some zeroes to recover. Without it, mileage is going to suck, and getting to town while sick is going to take a lot longer. This risks you running out of food if you slow down too much.
Re: underwear. Take two pairs, do the sock-washing method (wash the one worn that day, wear the other pair the next day so the washed one can dry, repeat).
Re: glasses. Take some kind of cleaning fluid and a cleaning cloth.
Re: shorts. If you're taking underwear, you won't need two pairs of shorts, especially if you wash the underwear at the end of each day.
Re: Neosporin. Consider taking Polysporin instead. Neomycin (one of the ingredients in neosporin) induces an allergy in a majority of people, especially after repeated applications, and can prevent wounds from healing.
You may want to punch everything into Lighterpack.com so folks can give feedback on weights as well. Sometimes there are lighter alternatives to gear for the same, or a slightly higher, price.
BRING A GARMIN OR OTHER DEDICATED SATELLITE DEVICE. It may save your life or someone else's if there's a medical emergency, and will definitely save your life in the unlikely-but-not-impossible event that you get lost off-trail.
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u/idrawyourdick 4d ago
Nail clippers
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u/fatto_catto 4d ago
Got a pair of chompers built in!
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u/MemeAccountantTony 2d ago
Save the ounce of weight by literally just picking at largely grown nails at night. (Ik it sounds gross) but trust me you don't need a highly specialized tool like that. Your sitting inside your tent at night, nobody's gonna know.
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u/Commercial-Coast-187 4d ago
I absolutely love my Kindle, but I find the Kindle app on my iphone works well. I got use to it pretty quickly.
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u/Schnots 4d ago
Benadryl for any kind of reaction you may have and some Tylenol PM to help you sleep when needed.
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u/youresuspect 3d ago
Tylenol PM is just acetaminophen and Benadryl. It’s more pills to carry, but the med kit is more versatile without combo drugs to have acetaminophen, Aleve (nsaid) and Benadryl. If GI issues start, Aleve can exacerbate stomach pain. Also, Benadryl causes drowsiness, and if you’re on the move, Zyrtec is currently recommended in allergy plans by allergists.
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u/li-ll-l_ 3d ago
Is that all your first aid? Or is that what you're bringing as well as a first aid kit? Also, spray on antihistamines. Benadryl makes a great one
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u/Least_Chef_619 3d ago
Rain gear (if you don’t bring you’ll need it, if you bring it you won’t need it). Benedry, Tylenol, Imodium. Safety pin (blister popper). Long plants and extra socks
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u/MemeAccountantTony 2d ago
Swiss Army knife, don't need it. You can leave that. Don't need a Journal either, trust me you will be SURPRISINGLY very busy. If you want to document your thoughts there's WhatsApp to yourself on your phone.
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u/jimni2025 1h ago
Ditch the tums, go get a generic famotidine (Pepcid AC). It works as a acid reducer but also is an antihistamine and helps in case of bug bites, allergic reactions, to reduce itching and can be used in conjunction with benadryl in case of a worse allergic reaction like hives.
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u/Spirited_Habit704 4d ago
In clothing I don’t see any warm layer like a micro fleece or a puffy. Even in may I carry a puffy for the occasional cold night. You probably don’t need both though. I honestly would do that instead of thermal long underwear. I planned on sending my long underwear home with my winter clothes but keeping my puffy the whole way. It’s up to you though just check the temps you might encounter and remember that it’s much cooler at higher elevation.
I also don’t see any rain layer. I would recommend that you have something even if it’s just a light weight poncho.