Weather, starting in may?

[MrClahn]

I'm planning my thru hike starting for as soon as i finish the year at Uni (UK) so it'll be some time mid to late May until early September when i start back at school. Would anybody care to share a bit of info on, or point me in the direction of, the weather that time of year? More so with regards to how cold it'll be getting at night? as i'm trying to decide if a down jacket/0 degree sleeping bag will be complete overkill or not?

[MrClahn]

0 degree Celsius that is. So about 30 degrees Fahrenheit. I only ask now cause there's a half price sale on down jackets at my local outfitter at the moment.

[4eyes]

I've only hiked in the south from May-Sept. As far as the AT from GA to VA goes, in late may, 30 F bag would be just fine. I'd say you
wouldn't really need a down jacket in the south, but as you get farther north, from what I hear, It can get chilly in some places even in the dead of
summer.

[4eyes]

Oh and in the South in late May/early June, the weather will most likely be warm during the days (anywhere from high 60's to mid/low 80's) and cooler at night but not cold (most likely mid/low 50's to mid/high 60's). It also has a good chance of being very rainy. Once again, I can't speak for anywhere past Virginia.

[bigcranky]

A 0-C bag is fine pretty much anywhere on the AT for that time period. Are you planning to start at Springer Mountain? Expect lows around 50 (F) to start, maybe dipping into the 40s or even the high 30s at night, with highs anywhere from 55-80 in May. By midsummer in the mid-Atlantic states it'll be very warm. You can open up the bag and use it as a quilt if needed.

I had a very light down parka on the trail in Vermont last summer (July), and I was glad to have it some nights. Not sure I would take it for a Georgia start, though I would take a fleece sweater, a light fleece hat, and some light gloves.

[MrClahn]

Many thanks, many thanks.

Yeah i'll be starting at Springer. I was looking at one of the EE Enigma or Revelation quilts for the very reason of being able to open them up but wasn't sure if it would still be over kill as i've never used a quilt. That was my main concern. So, just something with sleeves for the off chance of cold weather should suffice for the days?

Is it warm rain over there? Having just been hiking in Japan in their rainy season, the humidity is still killer and you don't get cold at all so having a layered hardshell didn't bode well.

[bigcranky]

You'll want something with sleeves, it does get chilly at night in May and June.

By early summer the weather pattern is late afternoon thunderstorms. They can be cold, but by midsummer it's a nice relief to the heat of the day. Depending on how far north you get, the rain can get very cold -- I was very glad of my hard shell in Vermont (and even then I froze on a couple of days).