what clothes do I wear for a through hike on the Appalachian trail?

[Brooke]

I am through hiking the Appalachian trail starting march 1st. I would love advice on clothing to bring

[4shot]

For march 1st, 2 pair of convertible pants, a T-shirt, a long sleeve shirt, a fleece pullover, and a puffy coat would work. Of course all clothing must be of appropriate material (no cotton). Throw in 2-3 pair of socks, a rain coat,a hat and a pair of gloves and you are all set. I like rain pants as well but I think many people choose not to carry them.

also, take either a wide brim hat or some sunscreen until leaves are on trees.

[Don H]

Suggest you search here for "gear list". Many people put there entire gear list out for others to comment on.

PACKED
Jacket Patagonia Down Sweater XL 13.9
Bottoms Patagonia Capaline #2 L 5.9
Top Patagonia Capaline #3 L 7.4
Underwear Exoficcio Boxer/Brief (3 1/8 ea.) 3.1
Socks (2) Smartwool (2 7/8 ea.) 5.8
Gloves Serius All Weather 2.9
Hat Lifa knit 1.4

RAIN GEAR
Jacket DriDucks 6.9

WEAR
Pants North Face Paramount Convertible L 19.5
Shirt Smartwool Microweight XL Long Sleeve 7.8
Shirt EMS Short Sleeve 5.4
Underwear Exofficio Boxer/Brief 3.1
Socks Smartwool 2.9
Hat Ball Cap

[Papa D]

The deal is that there are clothes you hike in and camp clothes - with the exception of tossing on your fleece sweater or stocking cap to hike (or, of course rain gear) in (or maybe long-johns if it's a super cold day) try not to mix them Sleeping / camp clothes stay dry and as clean as possible in your pack, hiking clothes get dirty, sweaty and wet - every 5-6 days, you'll go into a town, strip down to nothing but your rain pants and spend an hour or two in a coin laundry.

March - May and September-November (WORN)

Smartwool Socks
Hiking SHOES (not boots)
compression shorts (or some underwear of choice - what you'd run in)
Nylon Shorts - I use Mtn Hardware Canyon Shorts but athletic shorts of any kind are fine
Alternate to Rain Pants (see below, when wet)
Long Sleeve Polyester Shirt
Fleece Stocking Cap

MARCH-MAY and September to November (PACKED)

Patagonia (or eq) expedition weight long underwear top and bottom (for camp and sleeping)
Wool or Fleece Sweater (mid-weight)
Wool or Fleece stocking cap
Down Jacket or Sweater
Rain Jacket
Rain Pants
1-pair of Smart Wools socks as spare (I put these along with a pair of boxer shorts for sleeping in in my sleeping bag in a dry sack)

June-August is the same except you would not need the down jacket or the long underwear top and could go with a slightly lighter sweater - I always carry rain pants but some folks let their legs get wet

keep the stocking cap for all seasons

remember that the trail travels through mountains and even though the mid-atlantic states can be super hot and sticky in the summer that mountains make their own weather - you can get hypothermia if you get wet and cold even in July.

Speaking of rain, you'll get wet sometimes, like it or not but many thru-hikers can book so many big miles in a day once they get their "trail legs" (often exceeding 20 or 25 miles per day) that they can "afford" to take "zeros" or "neros" (no mile or nearly no mile days) on really wet days - this tends to keep your stuff dryer and you might want to try it. I often like hiking in the rain and mix it up.

This is not apparel per se, but most folks should start with a very warm (zero degree) sleeping bag - - by May, you would probably want to transition to a summer bag - 40-degrees or so? - if you are northbound, the Virginia would be about right for this - - Damascus? Typically, before NOBOS hit the White Mountains, they convert back to the cold weather gear (and bag). Hanover, NH would be appropriate for this.

Since you are starting in March, my assumption is that you are beginning at the Southern Terminus and headed NOBO. P/M me if you need more (or help with transportation). I live about an hour and a half from Amicalola State Park.

[Brooke]

Thank you for all this great advice you guys

[mtntopper]

Don't ditch the cold weather gear til you reach Troutville Va.

[bigcranky]

This might be helpful:

http://www.backpacker.com/november_0...s/12659?page=4

[Papa D]

Don't ditch the cold weather gear til you reach Troutville Va.

Ditching of the warm weather gear might go in stages - you might send a down jacket home in Hot Springs or Erwin for example and keep the warm bag well into VA - - it depends on a lot of factors such as:

When you start
Your Pace
Whether the season is trending warm or cold
exactly what sort of gear you have
your body

as I said earlier, you should always be prepared for a cold mountain rain or a cold windy night - even in July.

All that said, Troutville, VA isn't necessarily a bad suggested spot

[fireneck]

Guys... Woman's running shorts.


DSCN2888.JPG

Ladies.... running shorts.

[SOBO_Pace]

[QUOTE=fireneck:1379170]Guys... Woman's running shorts.


DSCN2888.JPG

Ladies.... running shorts.

I remember you telling me this in Maine. They really do help. To bad it was Connecticut before I finally switched over.