What did you take and wish you didn't? And vice versa.

[Goingforalittlewalk]

What item did you take and wished you just left at home?
And after doing the AT, what item did you get or wished you had from the start?

I'm in the 'fill up my bag' planning stage.. after looking at others gear list etc..

Solar panels. ..40/60 on not taking it now.
Might get a bigger tarp..4x4 metre..after reading someone wished for it on them rainy days..

[DuneElliot]

Wind River Range...wished I'd taken a sleeping bag and not my hammock quilt...it was too narrow for ground sleeping.

Don't have anything I wish I'd left at home...I have a minimal set-up that is light but keeps me warm.

[rocketsocks]

Titanium spoon

[DuneElliot]

Titanium spoon

Absolutely love mine...only one of two pieces of gear I was given that piqued my interest in backing that I still use.

[skinnbones]

Poncho was useless item for me.

[rickb]

Cutter Snake Bite Kit.

Anyone remember those? People are smarter now.

Just found it earlier this month during a round of de-cluttering. I am throwing out stuff by the car load, but for some reason I could not toss it and so relegated it to a corner of my desk — worse than useless — dangerous.

[rocketsocks]

Cutter Snake Bite Kit.

Anyone remember those? People are smarter now.

Just found it earlier this month during a round of de-cluttering. I am throwing out stuff by the car load, but for some reason I could not toss it and so relegated it to a corner of my desk — worse than useless — dangerous.

The Whoopy cushion can be repurposed in Barbie and Kens dinner party set.

[Five Tango]

Cutter Snake Bite Kit.

Anyone remember those? People are smarter now.

Just found it earlier this month during a round of de-cluttering. I am throwing out stuff by the car load, but for some reason I could not toss it and so relegated it to a corner of my desk — worse than useless — dangerous.

Right on all counts but now it's a CLASSIC! Is yours green,about the size of a candy egg with cool checkering on it and a little red string and tiny scalpel in it?Man,I sure wish I had not tossed mine.It would be a real conversation piece today...........

[rocketsocks]

...but “The Extractor” I still use for cupping sore muscles

[Koozy]

Wish I invested in ultralight gear the first time around. After even a few hundred miles, it was easy to rationalize the extra money would have been worth eliminating the discomfort of the extra weight.
Especially a lighter rain jacket, lighter sleeping bag, and lighter pack.

Wouldn't have brought anything more than a 1 liter water bottle and 1 liter bladder for water storage.

Wish I had brought a trowel, and had not depended on the privies. There was a time or 2 when I felt ashamed of my cathole efforts.

Wish I packed more premade food out of towns. A good sandwich, burrito or precooked meat in a tupperware can last for days, and is way more appetizing that the typical backpacker diet. Lived by that on the PCT.

Wish I didn't bring an extra shirt. Mastering the system of layers and maintaining dry clothes for camp was key.

I'm sure more would come to mind if I kept thinking about it....

[Elaikases]

Wish I invested in ultralight gear the first time around. After even a few hundred miles, it was easy to rationalize the extra money would have been worth eliminating the discomfort of the extra weight.
Especially a lighter rain jacket, lighter sleeping bag, and lighter pack.

Wouldn't have brought anything more than a 1 liter water bottle and 1 liter bladder for water storage.

Wish I had brought a trowel, and had not depended on the privies. There was a time or 2 when I felt ashamed of my cathole efforts.

Wish I packed more premade food out of towns. A good sandwich, burrito or precooked meat in a tupperware can last for days, and is way more appetizing that the typical backpacker diet. Lived by that on the PCT.

Wish I didn't bring an extra shirt. Mastering the system of layers and maintaining dry clothes for camp was key.

I'm sure more would come to mind if I kept thinking about it....

I've found a number of times I was glad to have three liters of water. I'm beginning to think it is really a matter of seasons and luck. I've met people who were halfway through and only carrying one liter (in early April. I was on a section hike and the fastest of the early starts were starting to overlap us).

[SteelCut]

Solar panels. ..40/60 on not taking it now.

There is a reason the AT is called The Green Tunnel. Leave them at home. Instead bring a USB battery backup that you can re-charge when you go into town for resupply.

[LazyLightning]

There is a reason the AT is called The Green Tunnel. Leave them at home. Instead bring a USB battery backup that you can re-charge when you go into town for resupply.

don't they have solar chargers that can also be charged by a power source? .... I haven't looked around much yet but I'm pretty sure my buddy has something like that but maybe they aren't as efficient as a regular usb battery back up?

I was thinking it'd be nice to have the solar if needed even though I'm not expecting much sun charging, as long as it can also be charged by a power source.

[Venchka]

don't they have solar chargers that can also be charged by a power source? .... I haven't looked around much yet but I'm pretty sure my buddy has something like that but maybe they aren't as efficient as a regular usb battery back up?
I was thinking it'd be nice to have the solar if needed even though I'm not expecting much sun charging, as long as it can also be charged by a power source.

Think about that for just a moment.
It works the other way around. The solar panel charges a battery that can charge your devices. The same kind of battery that you can charge whenever you find an outlet.
Solar panels work best west of the Mississippi. The sun works better out there. Wayne

[Slo-go'en]

I bet a lot of people wish they brought more money.

[Deadeye]

fuel canister... stove didn't do much without it.

[Bronk]

Too many little items to list...lots of, "this is neat" or "I could use this" stuff that only weighed a couple of ounces that never ended up being used. After awhile I dumped out the contents of my pack every week and got rid of everything I hadn't used in the previous week.

[Goingforalittlewalk]

Too many little items to list...lots of, "this is neat" or "I could use this" stuff that only weighed a couple of ounces that never ended up being used. After awhile I dumped out the contents of my pack every week and got rid of everything I hadn't used in the previous week.

I've just started emptying my bag after a hike.....and relies I carry alot of pointless things...
Like the tupperware idea. ..been looking for a screw top beaker that would fit inside my cook pot.. can't find anything

[Venchka]

I've just started emptying my bag after a hike.....and relies I carry alot of pointless things...
Like the tupperware idea. ..been looking for a screw top beaker that would fit inside my cook pot.. can't find anything

What size pot do you have?
What size beaker are you looking for?
I buy these at The Container Store, or at their online shop. One fits in a Snow Peak 750 ml titanium cup. 8 ounce. Leak proof!
https://www.containerstore.com/s/pre...803&q=preserve
Wayne

[fastfoxengineering]

My "AT thru hike" gear list nowadays is tailored to moderately fast and moderately light hiking while setup to be warm, comfortable, and allow me to stay out of towns as much as possible.

I'm definitely not carrying a solar panel on the AT but be sure I do have my coffee cup.

An Anker portable battery bank is much better for the AT than a solar panel. I just ordered a new one that is a wall charger/bank as one unit. Called the Anker fusion 5000mah.

Might not be be enough backup power for some but for me it's plenty and reduces the number of things I have to carry.



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