Gear Video-Advice Needed!

[Sprout78]

Avoid sweating in down: it is worse than getting down wet, for the useful life of the down.

That is why every item of clothing and gear I have for backpacking is designed for ventilation: removal is the last resort.

The moment you feel getting damp, perspiration starting, open up your clothing.

There is no need to be "too warm". Only "warm enough".

If you can't "warm up" from clothing or sleeping gear, not by putting on a warm "buff" hat or gloves, or, dry clothing, eat food because digestion is warming, drink water because processing a little water is warming, or, get a "hot water" platy near you.

Like that.

I hear that, Connie! I sense an excuse to eat a little bit of chocolate with my peanut butter before bedtime!
Sweating more than necessary sucks, thus the February start!
Thank you for the advice!
I see you're from Montana! I spent some time fighting fires up in the Salmon/Challis area back in 2000-Clear Creek Complex and in Coer D'Alene staging in Post Falls of all places! Clear Creek was a scary fire! We got stuck out there at night with no camping gear, because it was so unsafe to leave our safety zone! It got cold at night...we ended up pulling a bunch of burning trees out into the middle of the zone and staying warm with a big bonfire. I slept on the ashes with a space blanket in my Nomex, Danners, and leather gloves...helmet for a pillow.
I prefer creature comforts these days! Thank you for the advice!

[Sprout78]

REVISED:

Weight Cutting Options:

Cut the AT guide in 1/4 or 1/2
Replace the wallet with a rubber band
Get rid of the Bronner's, one of the lotion bottles, and the toothpaste cover
Get rid of the tweezers (for start)
Drop the extra batteries
Alleviate the Sawyer Syringe
Replace the bear bagging equipment with the Z-Packs system (alleviating the carabiner, tangly cord, and heavy stuff sack)

Weight Gaining Options:
0 degree bag to start.
Micro-spikes to start

Still Considering:
GooseFeet with Waterproof Shell for camp shoes
https://goosefeetgear.com/products

Whether Waterproof shoes are better for the beginning than shoes with no Gortex?

Thank you, everyone! I think I've got some great improvements! I'll give you all an update at the end of the week with the new gear choices/weight of my backpack.

I could still use some clarifications on shoe choice!!

[Fireonwindcsr]

REVISED:

Weight Cutting Options:

Cut the AT guide in 1/4 or 1/2
Replace the wallet with a rubber band
Get rid of the Bronner's, one of the lotion bottles, and the toothpaste cover
Get rid of the tweezers (for start)
Drop the extra batteries
Alleviate the Sawyer Syringe
Replace the bear bagging equipment with the Z-Packs system (alleviating the carabiner, tangly cord, and heavy stuff sack)

Weight Gaining Options:
0 degree bag to start.
Micro-spikes to start

Still Considering:
GooseFeet with Waterproof Shell for camp shoes
https://goosefeetgear.com/products

Whether Waterproof shoes are better for the beginning than shoes with no Gortex?

Thank you, everyone! I think I've got some great improvements! I'll give you all an update at the end of the week with the new gear choices/weight of my backpack.

I could still use some clarifications on shoe choice!!

this 14 min video could save you time and angst when deciding what you need to pack.

http://youtu.be/QNxrWHonVLI

[Dogwood]

If you go with the 0* bag it seems like you have too many torso pieces. I find it amazing you'll fit all of that kit w/ all those clothes and now making the upgrade to a 0* bag, a bulkier and heavier piece, into a 48 L Kestral AND 6 days of food.

You actually have 4 hats/hoods. I forgot the Pat Cap 3 or 4 hooded torso piece. Do yourself a favor and stick with your WP Solomons for the start OR include WP socks. Read Andrew Skurkas piece about dealing with wet feet. Around here on WB the consensus is just get wet. IMHO, that's not wise when it's cold. Protect your feet from wet AND cold with that Feb 23 start date. Adjust as you get deeper into your hike. You have a decent shoe line up to play with. Goretex isn't the only name in the game anymore when it comes to WP shoe membranes either. Even though I werry werry mucho wuv my Goosfeet down socks if you do go with the 0* bag and those three pr of listed socks, carry some toe/hand warmer heat packs, do the hot water bottle thing inside your sleeping bag, etc I wouldn't take them. Overkill.

Since you mentioned wanting to reduce wt in your initial post that's where I was mainly going by mentioning shorter durations between resupplies. Consider, many hikers avg about 1.5 to 2+ lbs of food wt per day, usually more per day for winter hikes. Your first 4 wks on the trail is during winter. For you, intending to carry 6 days food at a time that's 9-12+ lbs of food alone. Drop that down to resupplying when you can to about every 4 days and you just lost 3-4+ lbs off the wt you carry. Supplementing along the way between major resupplying can reduce the food wt hauled too. It's my guess your daily food allotment will be bulky too. By carrying fewer days food you will not only save wt but volume which I think you'll appreciate freeing up with all the bulk in the rest of your kit and in light of the 48 L size of your backpack. Consider balancing out the bulk and wt in the rest of your kit by reducing the bulk and wt of your food. Do the same with water. Don't fool yourself into believing just because it will often be cold in the beginning of your hike you shouldn't still consume plenty of H2O.

Routinely, hikers get caught up in focusing saving wt with gear and largely gear only. It's common. Hikers love yakkety yakking about gear. I can do it too. Don't snub your nose at realistically saving lbs when you're concerning yourself with micro managing ounces! Think about the food wt savings in these terms. If you dropped to resupplying every 4 days, maybe doing some supplementing too, instead of every 6 days the wt saved is more than all this wet saved combined:
Cut the AT guide in 1/4 or 1/2
Replace the wallet with a rubber band
Get rid of the Bronner's, one of the lotion bottles, and the toothpaste cover
Get rid of the tweezers (for start)
Drop the extra batteries
Alleviate the Sawyer Syringe

[Dogwood]

As a runner, tennis, and basketball player who was accustomed to narrow toe boxes in my choice of fancy high priced well known shoes I was determined to be a likely candidate for later stage Mortons Nueroma. A simple change to shoe options with wider toe boxes and or 4EEEE widths, sole cushioning, 1/2 to 1 size larger than normal, orthotics, and cushy socks kept me from going down that road. Be advised your feet may very well increase in size not only temporarily as a result of swelling but also increase in size permanently as you long distance hike. My feet have definitely splayed out and grown two sizes in 7 yrs with all the long distance hiking I did in that time frame. I made the mistake on two long distance hikes of buying incorrect shoe sizes, meaning the same shoe sizes, for the beginning and end of multi 1000 mile hikes. My feet swelled/grew when my feet should have been done growing as I'm no longer a teenager. I had to eat several pr of shoes that didn't fit my feet and purchase larger sizes.

[gbolt]

Hey Sprout was just thinking, if you order the bear bag system from Z-Pack, order the little cuben fiber wallet pouch. It's the smallest stuff sac you will find with a draw string and is the perfect size for a driver's license, insurance card, credit/bank card, and cash. It has become such a regular item in my pocket that I forget it is a peice of gear.

[Sprout78]

Thank you, everyone! I will post the finalized changes after I have the gear!
I have really appreciated your advice!
In the meantime, particularly for female hikers, this hiker has some interesting ideas on things! However, she started five weeks after I will. I hope she posts a comprehensive update, although she does update her changes along the way in her trail log video. I think she is yet another AT hiker who is keeping ZPacks in business Happy Trails!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky7FnSuDszw

[Dogwood]

Here's another valid approach. It might help to keep this in mind so that one doesn't get into a strict duality in regards to apparel. Instead of thinking in terms as this apparel is meant for hiking and this separate set of apparel is meant for sleeping consider BOTH sets of apparel are BOTH for hiking AND sleeping. Clean the dirty set of apparel as needed on trail so you keep having one clean set. This slightly different mental juggling approach may seem like a nuance but IMO it opens the door to the possibilties of multi-use and possibly eventually carrying less.

[Sprout78]

I am posting my final gear list as a spreadsheet. I know, I know. I said I wouldn't make one, but my husband (who's a scientist) did most of the work for me. He loves making spreadsheets, which is fine by me.
I had to postpone my trip until March 12th, but I took to heart the cold/ice recommendations for March. I can always send the stuff home if it's not needed. Better safe than sorry!
I was hoping for a lighter pack weight, but I can't afford to replace my big three right now. I put all of the items I am sending home in Damascus in bold. I may also change some things at that time (pack, sleeping bag, stove, clothing). This list includes everything (except food, water weight, and trash/plastic bags).
Thank you, again, everyone! You all have been a huge help! Feeling grateful!
BTW, I could not for the life of me figure out how to post a workbook on here, so it's hard to read. I apologize.

[Demeter]

I put all of the items I am sending home in Damascus in bold. I may also change some things at that time (pack, sleeping bag, stove, clothing). .

Curious why you would send your Sawyer Squeeze home in Damascus? That is when you will want to pull it out of the gear closet, as it will break the internal filter if it freezes.

Just a note, I was at Trail Days in Damascus last year. Second week of May and the weather was very harsh: driving, cold rain for 2 days straight at the lower elevations, snow and ice on Mt Rogers and 20* high with the wind chill. We met A Lot of people of who were dropping out because that week was some of the harshest weather they encountered on the trail thus far. I wouldn't send home some of the winter stuff before McAfee Knob or so, especially for women (who tend to run colder than men), IMHO.

[Sprout78]

I wouldn't send home some of the winter stuff before McAfee Knob or so, especially for women (who tend to run colder than men), IMHO.[/QUOTE]

Plan to be spontaneous! Got it!
There's also Murphy's Law to contend with.
I'll try to be less definitive in the future, although it would be pretty nice to be able to send home most of the heavy stuff by then. My joints are rooting for Damascus! I guess we'll find out in a few months.