Need Gear Suggestions

[Don's Brother]

I'm 61, in very good shape, 6' tall and 175 lbs. I've section hiked about 1000 miles of the AT over 10 years and am planning a thru hike attempt in 2013. I want to replace some of my gear. With cost not being a problem, what would you suggest for a 1. pack 2. warm sleeping bag 3. two man tent, all that are ultra light weight and will get me to Maine. I'd like to be 12-18 lbs. without food and water. Thanks for any help you can offer.

[Franco]

For pack and sleeping bag you could start by looking at the ULA Circuit or Catalyst and a Western Mountaineering Ultralite or, my choice ,a Summerlite and wear some clothing if in sub freezing temps.maybe the Megalite would be more comfortable if you like a bit of wiggle room..
http://www.westernmountaineering.com/index.cfm?section=products&page=Sleeping%20Bags&Co ntentId=27


As for the tent, is it for two people or a double just to have some extra space ?
do you use trekking poles?

[Don H]

I got a new Granite Gear Crown 60 and I really like it. 2.2 lbs and very comfortable.

Buy a top of the line bag like Feathered Friends, Western Mountaineer or Mont Bell. I have the MB U.L. Super Stretch Down bag #1 which is a 15* bag. Then I changed to a #3 bag when it gets warm.

What are you using for a sleeping pad. I like the NeoAir Xtherm.

For tents a single wall is lighter. Six Moon Designs and Tarptent make good tents.

[Franco]

Something that has just popped into my head...Some lighter sleeping bags have a half zipper. That saves some weight but are not all that good when you need to open them up in warmer weather, so look at something that could be used as a "quilt" also.
On this aspect that is the reason why I like continuous baffles so that I can shift down above me or at the sides.
Of course others don't like this so you make the choice.

[Drybones]

I'm 61, in very good shape, 6' tall and 175 lbs. I've section hiked about 1000 miles of the AT over 10 years and am planning a thru hike attempt in 2013. I want to replace some of my gear. With cost not being a problem, what would you suggest for a 1. pack 2. warm sleeping bag 3. two man tent, all that are ultra light weight and will get me to Maine. I'd like to be 12-18 lbs. without food and water. Thanks for any help you can offer.

I'm 6'1"+, 178 in the buff, 63 years of age, tried a thru this spring, made it 414 miles before a knee sent me home until next spring, can't wait to get back. I used a Granite Gear Crown 60 which I loved, most comfortable pack I've worn. Used a Tarptent Notch for shelter, great tent, 26 ozs, held up to bad weather well, there's no wasted space but it had all I needed, recommend it highly, hang your pack on one of the hiking poles to keep your pack off the ground, dry, and easy to access. I used an Exped Synmat 7 pad, a little pricy but very comfortable at 16 oz. I went a much cheaper route but if you have the $s Mountain Westerneering is the best bag. Happy trails!

[bert304]

For a 2 person tent, look at the MSR Hubba Hubba

[jeffmeh]

For a pack, the ULA Circuit and Granite Gear Crown 60 are great choices. For sleeping, I favor quilts, where you can get more warmth for the weight. Check out the Revelation X at Enlightened Equipment, but there are other cottage gear manufacturers that make good quilts also. The Synmat UL7 is also an excellent sleeping pad. For a tent, I would definitely get something from Tarptent or Lightheart Gear. I tend to prefer some extra space myself, so I would look at the Rainbow and the Squall 2 from Tarptent, or the Solong 6 from Lightheart. The Squall 2 is a true 2-man tent, the other two are more 1 plus, but if this is really just for you any should do fine. Each manufacturer makes other 2-man tents also.

[Odd Man Out]

The last post of this thread has a list of cottage companies selling some of the latest designs. A good place to start shopping.
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...-manufacturers

I have my eye on this Elemental Horizons pack. Don't know much about it other than having read some good reviews.
But you could try and let us know if you like it ;-)
http://www.elementalhorizons.com/kalaispack.aspx

[Stink Bug]

I'm 61, in very good shape, 6' tall and 175 lbs. I've section hiked about 1000 miles of the AT over 10 years and am planning a thru hike attempt in 2013. I want to replace some of my gear. With cost not being a problem, what would you suggest for a 1. pack 2. warm sleeping bag 3. two man tent, all that are ultra light weight and will get me to Maine. I'd like to be 12-18 lbs. without food and water. Thanks for any help you can offer.

1. Pack: I'd suggest Six Moon Designs Swift Pack. I've used one for a year now and used it to thru-hike the JMT this past September.
2. Sleeping bag: Western Mountaineering Ultralite. A great 20* bag.
3. Two Man Tent: Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo. This is an incredible tent, pack weight is sub 3lb and it's bomb proof. I've not only used it on the JMT but also hiking the West Rim Trail in Utah and it survived a couple of nights thunderstorms and +40mph winds.

[turtle fast]

Gear like underwear is a personal thing, so you will get a lot of people who will point you to gear that they have. Apart from spending hours looking at gear manufacturers and separating the good from the junk....I would look at packs by ULA gear MADE in the USA (Most gear is made overseas) a Circuit or Catalyst pack is great and lighter than a conventional pack. I would look at tents by LightHeart Gear, the DUO is great and is a double walled shelter! For sleeping bags here the problem is synthetic versus down. Many like down sleeping bags due to small compression and lighter weight versus Synthetics heavier weight cheaper cost, but if wet unlike down still retains heat. With that the decision is a bit more tricky because if the AT is a rainy year I would go with a synthetic bag versus down.

[simply_light]

On the tent front, it would sort of depend on the type of tent. Free standing or not, Floorless or not? You can shed some real weight if you go with the floorless, trekking pole supported tents. The one I currently use is the MLD Duomid Cuben Fiber.

[FarmerChef]

I'm 61, in very good shape, 6' tall and 175 lbs. I've section hiked about 1000 miles of the AT over 10 years and am planning a thru hike attempt in 2013. I want to replace some of my gear. With cost not being a problem, what would you suggest for a 1. pack 2. warm sleeping bag 3. two man tent, all that are ultra light weight and will get me to Maine. I'd like to be 12-18 lbs. without food and water. Thanks for any help you can offer.

I am a section hiker and have only completed a little shy of 1,100 miles of trail so take this with a grain of salt since I can't testify that my gear has lasted all 2,200 miles...yet

I have used a Jam 50 (30 ounces) for my pack and have enjoyed it very much. It's been very comfortable for me and has features that I have found very useful (like hip pockets). That said, if I was to thru I would downsize for something similar to a z-packs Blast 30 (9.0 ounces) since I wouldn't need to carry anywhere near the weight I'm carrying now (food for 5 instead of food for 1). That said, there have been other good suggestions on here.

Warm Sleeping Bag - Recommendations on here have been very good, especially where $$ is not a problem as you said. Some other considerations. I use a fleece sleeping bag liner (19.2 ounces) as my primary bag in the warmer months and a DIY Climashield Apex quilt (25 degree rating and 18 ounces) for the colder ones. You could source a similar quilt through several cottage manufacturers or try your hand at one if you or someone you know is handy with sewing. I won't bother with the down versus synthetic argument. That's up to you. A good quilt will be lighter than a comparable sleeping bag but design is very important to ensure you don't get drafts.

Two man tent - I can't help you hear. I use a tarp. In the beginning it was a home depot medium-duty tarp but I've since reduced the weight to a sil-nylon DIY tarp (it sleeps 5 so 1/5 wouldn't be a valid measurement). Bear Paw Wilderness Designs has some nice designs. So does Z-packs. So do several others. If you don't go that route but do hike with poles I would recommend a pole supported tent.

[etboy]

Farmer how did you make your DIY Apex quilt? I've been thinking along this line for a while, but am at a bit of a loss how to proceed. Thanks. ET

[grateful 2]

I have two rooms full of gear, including most of the gear listed in the previous posts. I find myself going to the zpacks arc blast cuben fiber pack and cuben hexamid twin more and more. My favorite bags are the zpacks 20 degree zipup quilt in resist down or my montbell super spiral stretch 20 degree down. Less weight equals less knee, foot, and back pain with longer miles. (I am almost as old as you are.)

[tammons]

With money as no object you should be able to hit a very light base weight.

If me I would buy a Zpacks arc blast backpack, 3200 CI.
If a grounder a Hexamid Twin Tent w/ Extended Beak.
Polycro or zpacks ground sheet.
Xlite pad +GG 1/8th pad.
I prefer climashield MYOG M50 quilts personally.
If they do ever get wet they dry super fast and you can wash them and dump in a dryer and done PDQ.

Iceaxe over at BPL did the AT a year or two ago with a 9# +- pack, ground setup, Tarp, Spirit quilt etc.

If after a down bag probably a WM summerlite depending on how you sleep.

On youtube look up Loner2012AT. He just finished the AT with a +-9# hammock pack less poles and very simple gear.
He video recorded the entire trip in 126 videos on youtube.
He explains his gear on Videos #20 and #58.

That would be close to my preferred setup, but I would take a longer dbl hammock, longer cuben tarp, netting, Zpacks arc blast pack and a climashield quilt.
Weight gain would be negligible.

[texas&fla]

+1 on the ULA circuit. Lightweight pack that also transfers weight to your hips wonderfully. I went thru several packs before I tried this one.....I LOVE it. It carries weight so well and is clearly designed by someone who actually hikes. Plus the customer service is top notch.

[Greenmountainguy]

Packs: Gregory (if you damn the cost) or Deuter (approximately ten cents cheaper than Gregory).

[Engine]

Packs: Gregory (if you damn the cost) or Deuter (approximately ten cents cheaper than Gregory).

Given that this thread is 4 years old, his hike was completed and his book written already, the advice is a bit late.

[Soggybottom]

I love my zpacks setup. Take a look at them. If you need specifics check our red beard on YouTube. He now works for zpacks.


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[ScareBear]

Packs: Gregory (if you damn the cost) or Deuter (approximately ten cents cheaper than Gregory).

Heavy and Heavier. Overkill for the AT. Not needed. Esp. Deuter.