What did you use that lasted the whole 2,168 miles

[Grampie]

Most of my gear lasted my whole hike except sox, shirt and some other expendable items.
I used one pair of boots, Montrail, AT Hikers, to do the whole AT and than some.
Most quality gear, tent, bag, stove etc. should last for a whole thru-hike.

[Tha Wookie]

My wooden hiking stick lasted the whole way.

[Footslogger]

My wooden hiking stick lasted the whole way.

=====================================
This reminded me that my cheapie REI trekking poles made it all the way too (and are still in use). Course the tips got sucked off in the Vermont mud, but I was able to get replacements at EMS in Hanover.

'Slogger

[The Solemates]

These things went the distance:

(me)
Gregory Z-Pack
Cascade Designs/Thermarest full length Z-Rest
Snowpeak Titanium 1400mL pot w/ lid
Ex Oficio Amphi Convertible Pants w/ built-in liner
Patagonia Zip-Tee polyypro shirt (albeit it had some major holes in it from where my pack straps rubbed)
Mtn Hrdwr windstopper fleece hat
Princeton Tec Aurora
generic mug

(my wife)
Gregory Reality
Cascade Designs/Thermarest 3/4 length Z-Rest
Leki Makalus
Petzl Tikka
Mtn Hrdwr windstopper fleece hat
Duofold polypro shirt
generic mug
Boy Scouts generic aluminum plate
Lexan spoon
LL Bean pants

[Footslogger]

...oh yeah, and my Petzl Tikka made it all the way too.

'Slogger

[Mouth]

Things that made it the whole way:
SportKilt
Canon Digital Rebel (heavy but quality is worth it)
AntigravityGear Cookset (stove, coozy, pot, etc.)
Nalgene
Katadin Water filter (although hardly used toward the end)


Things that made it from Neels Gap (so pretty much the whole way)
Thermarest prolite 3 short
ULA P2 Pack

[Tha Wookie]

My Ray Jardine style tarp has lasted all the AT, PCT, CT, AWCT, 2 months in Mexico, six months in the Caribbean, and over 200 section miles of the PT and BMT. That's a total of over 9,000 miles and several full years of sleeping under it from beaches to blizzards.

That being said, I also use two dome tents from time to time from North Face that I've been using since 1980 as a 4 year old with family.

I've gone through two packs of Ray's design. Now I use the first one again after varmits got the first.

[ofthearth]

I'd be curious to see if you found some useful info here. Looks like it would take a spread sheet to come up with common gear.

I've done research and even searched but can't seem to find what I am looking for.

I want to know from past hikers who have sucessfully hiked from GA-ME, what bag, pack, boot, tent did they use, from start to finish without switching or buying another to replace.

I seem to find a lot of advice from people who only hiked for 1 month, or have done weekend trips here and there. Or who used two boots and one shoe, or two different bags for different weather along the way.

I looking for people who never switched what they had, and used it the whole entire time.

An example would be: I hiked the A.T. from ga-me in 2003 and used a kelty something bag, the whole way, and it worked fine for me.
or I wore a certain brand of boot, and it lasted the whole entire time.

Thanks.

[rafe]

My OR "Seattle Sombrero."

[cocoa]

My husband hiked with his Gregory Forester backpack and still uses it. It stinks though. Also it weights like seven pounds.

Cook pot, stand, etc., but we had to make a new soda can stove halfway through. Still the soda can stoves lasted over 1,000 miles, used twice a day.

The only things I carried the whole way were my crocs and a cotton sarong (which made an awesome bag liner, skirt, towel, enclosed area to change in, picnic blanket), a headlamp, and my knife. I am a serious problem with decluttering, as in, I like to go through my stuff and get rid of any nonessentials. I did this over and over again on the AT, but then later on I would need something back and have to get it mailed back to me. I do this at home too.

[ScottP]

My mountain hardwear dom peringon hat has over 6000 miles on it--I've had it since I first started hiking.
My Mountain Hardwear Kilt has around 6000 miles on it
I got 3500 miles out of my Rail riders ecomesh shirt
my six moons designs gatewood cape poncho-tarp has around 3000 miles on it
my snow peak pot has over 3000 miles on it
I have over 2000 miles on my etowah 6x10 flat tarp and it's still in perfect shape
My nunatak arc alpinist has around 3500 miles on it
My OR dry bag has around 4000 miles on it


On my AT hike I mostly replaced gear as I went for the first 500 miles because I started with a bunch of poorly chosen junk, as do most people. If you take care of it, most everything will last an entire thru, if not much longer. The only exceptions are socks, shoes, super-light raingear, and super-light packs. I'm generally not a fan of disposable gear, and prefer stuff that's a heavy enough to last with some care.

[clured]

2174 miles on:

GoLite Jampack (the original, but the Jam2 is the same)
Oware 1-man Tarp
Oware Bivy
Montrail Hardrocks (3 pair, but same make/model; shoe size started at 9, ended at 10.5)

[Bearpaw]

My:

REI Sololite tent.

MSR Whisperlite and Cascade Designs Cook pot.

A snot-green bandanna.

My beanie teddy bear.

[Jim Adams]

my first thru everything except shoes went the whole way....my second hike I learned to switch equipment for the seasons (lighter bag, clothes,etc in summer)
my original Hi-Tec shoes lasted 1400 miles and the second set finished with no problem.

my original wooden hiking stick (a stick found along the trail) is still going strong but I have worn 5 1/2" off of it so far.

geek

[AT-HITMAN2005]

MSR hubba
Granite gear vapor trail
MSR simmerlite
my sleeping bag would have but i switched out for a summer one
olympus stylus 300 camera
smartwool adrenaline socks-3 pair

[Marta]

Are you saying your lacey underwear didn't go the distance? The ones I got from Fredericks of Poland wear like leather-oops, they ARE leather!

You should have gotten Patagonia. It's much more durable. Dries better than leather, too.

Most stuff should last, if you take reasonable care of it. A lot of the gear-switching that goes on is not because things broke, but because people see better stuff and buy it.

I traded out quite a few things because of the change of seasons. I still have all that gear, and have used it on other hikes, in the appropriate season. Things I used the whole way: Leki hiking poles, Virga I Tarptent, MSR Ti kettle, long-handled spoon, Possum Down gloves, Z-Rest, Brawny's silnylon rain jacket and pants, Patagonia R2 fleece jacket, the above-mentioned Patagonia underwear. (I have since thrown it out because it was hopelessly dingy.) I bought a Therm-A-Rest in Vermont and used it the rest of the way, and am still using it.

The guy I hiked the last part of the Trail with used his same gear the whole way--Kelty Red Cloud pack, Whisperlite stove, MSR stainless steel pot, Cabela sleeping bag. He did break a hiking pole along the way, and jammed the handle on a wooden stick. He also punctured a Therm-A-Rest, and went back to a CCF pad.

Most of the gear replacement that goes on is not necessary, it's fickleness and choice.

[max patch]

That'd be a kick in the pants to have something break 6 miles from the finish.