Can someone help me reduce the cost/amount of things on my gear list?

[Papa D]

What about the Spot GPS? Is it a good or just plain silly investment?

In my opinion this is a silly investment and constitutes MORE weight in your pack already laden with stuff that (I promise you) will end up in hiker boxes over the first 200 miles if you were to actually pack it.

Yeah - totally skip the spot. People have only started carrying cell phones in the last 10 years or so. I see you have one - you'll get service in about 60% of the places you'll be or be within a mile walk of service.

I know you think we're being hard on you but getting the right stuff, pared down, super organized is what you want to do. Get that first aid kit in a quart zip-lock. If you need extra bandaids there are plenty of stores along the way.

Get your pack weight (total, not base weight) to a MAX of 1/4 your body weight. If you are an 18 year old gal and weigh 110, that's 27.5 pounds including a food bag and water.

You can do it!!!

[Tom Murphy]

What about the Spot GPS? Is it a good or just plain silly investment?

The SPOT is great for letting your loved ones back home know where you are, and if you were solo, then maybe you might want you for their peace of mind.

But you are going with BF, so why bring it?

My advice: Go hike the Long Trail first.

[G-FOURce]

Clothing
ð 1 long sleeve shirts -- SYNTHETIC
ð 3 short sleeve shirts -- SYNTHETIC
ð 1 fleece jacket -- HAVE YOU COMPARED WEIGHTS OF A FLEECE VS A JACKET WITH SYNTHETIC INSULATION? I OPTED FOR SYNTHETIC INSULATION
ð Beanie
ð Gloves
ð Hiking socks
ð Boots
ð Rain suit or poncho
ð 2 pairs of shorts
ð 1 pair of pants
ð 1 pair of long johns
ð Bathing suit
ð Sunglasses
ð hat

Sleep system
ð Tent
ð sleeping bag/double bag -- PERHAPS TWO THAT MATE, BUT NOT JUST ONE DOUBLE
ð camp pillow -- AGREE, BUT CONSIDER AN INFLATIBLE
ð Sleeping pad

Toiletries
ð Comb
ð Toothpaste drops
ð Toothbrush
ð peppermint soap
ð Small towel -- SEE BANDANA BELOW

First aid supplies
ð Ibuprofen
ð Tums
ð Benadryl tablets
ð Calamine lotion -- NOT SURE ITS NECESSARY
ð Gauze
ð Bandages
ð Duct tape -- ONLY WHAT YOU NEED. I WOULD PERSONALLY CARRY TENACIOUS TAPE OVER DUCT TAPE
ð Alcohol/peroxide -- WIPES MAYBE?
ð Vitamins
ð Bug spray

Cooking supplies -- DID YOU PURPOSEFULLY OMIT FUEL?
ð Aluminum pot
ð camp light cup
ð spork
ð Can opener
ð Bic lighters

Electronics
ð Cell phone
ð Cell phone flashlight/charger
ð headlamp

Food supply
ð Emergency supply food (mre’s) -- IF YOU HAVENT EATEN ANY BEFORE, I WOULD SUGGEST YOU TRY A FEW BEFORE YOU INVEST
ð Protein water flavoring




Misc.
ð 2 Internal frame hiking pack
ð 2 pairs of Hiking poles
ð Knife or hatchet -- NO HATCHET... SMALL, LIGHT KNIFE
ð Collapsible shovel -- NOPE. IF YOU'RE DIGGING CAT HOLES, THEN USE A LIGHT TROWEL
ð Water filtration tablets
ð Emergency blanket -- NOT SURE THIS IS NECESSARY
ð Para cord
ð Compass
ð At 2013 trail guide -- IF YOU'RE MAILING SUPPLIES, THEN SEND PHOTOCOPIED PAGES BY SECTION ALONG WITH YOUR RESUPPLIES INSTEAD OF CARRYING THE WHOLE BOOK FOR 2.5K MILES
ð Extra Nikon battery -- I WOULDN'T, BUT HYOH
ð Tent repair kit -- JUST SOME TENACIOUS TAPE AND A SMALL ALUMINUM POLE SPLINT
ð Camp shower -- NOPE
ð Flint -- WHAT ARE THE LIGHTERS FOR?
ð 4 Water bottles
ð Bear spray -- NOT SURE THIS IS NECESSARY
ð Food sack
ð Pill pack w/ spices
ð Extra batteries
ð Copies of important documents/identification
ð Bandanas -- IF YOURE BRINGING BANDANAS DO YOU NEED TOWELS, TOO?
ð Small journal and pen -- CONSIDER A PENCIL INSTEAD OF A PEN (WONT BREAK AND LEAK, WRITING ABILITY WONT BE INFLUENCED BY TEMPERATURE, YOU CAN SHARPEN IT WITH YOUR SMALL KNIFE)
ð Nikon d3000 -- I WOULDNT, BUT HYOH
ð Extra shoe laces -- NOPE

did i miss sunscreen? if not, perhaps you'd want to consider some.

[scudder]

check out the" cheap gear/how to dirtbag like a professional" piece in the article section of the forum for some useful ideas. Couldn't find it, but there was a thread about purchasing pack, shelter, pad and sleeping bag for under $300 awhile back.

[scudder]

Thread is called "$300 challenge" started by Sgt Rock-8/22/2004 You should be able to find it if you type the title into the search box- or some more computer literate user will be along to paste in the appropriate link.

[Starchild]

I noticed you listed a MRE as 'emergency food'. If you mean by that a extra meal over and above what you need to make it to the next resupply, or in other words a meal you don't intend to eat unless things go wrong, for that one I would suggest a freeze dried meal. They are quite a bit lighter for something you intend to be carrying for (if all goes right) 2184 miles.

[Blissful]

Be sure you have the finances for your hike before you start. Nothing worse than having to get off b/c you have no more money.

[WILLIAM HAYES]

try to get you pack weight with food and water down to 30-32 lbs-ditch the MRE's redo your clothing list and look at the miscellaneous stuff you are carrying-one rule of thumb that i use is if i dont put my hands on it at least once a day i probably dont need to carry it of course there are a few exceptions i.e first aid kit other hikers have posted their pack list on whiteblaze do a search and compare what you are taking-the tendency for a lot of people is to pack too many clothes revisit you list and good luck on your hike-just a comment on splitting weight with a hiking partner -make sure that you both have agreed upon stopping points for the day that are reasonable based on the slowest hiker-I met a couple on the trail several years ago that had different hiking capabilities which posed big angry problems for them remember it is no fun if you have to hike someone else's hike that makes you miserable
good luck

[Papa D]

The SPOT is great for letting your loved ones back home know where you are, and if you were solo, then maybe you might want you for their peace of mind.

But you are going with BF, so why bring it?

My advice: Go hike the Long Trail first.

The LT is super nice - they would have fun - hiking north of Middlebury Snow bowl is harder than most of the AT (except parts of NH / S. ME)

[Papa D]

I noticed you listed a MRE as 'emergency food'. If you mean by that a extra meal over and above what you need to make it to the next resupply, or in other words a meal you don't intend to eat unless things go wrong, for that one I would suggest a freeze dried meal. They are quite a bit lighter for something you intend to be carrying for (if all goes right) 2184 miles.

Yeah - MREs would be completely and totally unnecessary - - just take a regular meal like an extra pasta sides or bag of potatoes for the "extra-meal"

[Matjok]

I'm open to suggestions for maybe a smaller more compact camera, but from what I've seen they don't come near the image quality that my camera can produce.

Take a look at Canon G12 or G15. Almost as good as an SLR in image quality, functions and ease of use. Weighs less than half of an SLR body with lens.

[bigcranky]

Camera: what SLR is it? You'll need to think about how you are handling memory cards and batteries. Recharging in town is pretty easy (just be polite and ask before pluggin in at a restaurant or store.) For cards you can either bring enough for the whole hike (several 32GB cards may suffice depending on how much you shoot), or figure out some way to mail them home and get them downloaded from the trail, then mailed back.

(Given your finances there is no reason to buy a new camera, but there are several compact cameras that provide similar image quality to a full size DSLR. They just tend to be expensive.)

You've gotten some great advice on your gear and clothing list. You'll figure out the rest when you get out on the trail. Good luck.

[Bronk]

You should carry all that stuff. Don't leave any of it out. In fact, try to think of more stuff you will need. Carry it for 30 miles and when you get to Neels Gap re-evaluate. At least once a week take everything out of your pack and spread it out. Go over each item and anything you haven't used in the last week, get rid of. Do that every week on the trail and by the time you get to Damascus your pack will be where it needs to be.

[MuddyWaters]

What about the Spot GPS? Is it a good or just plain silly investment?

If you are hiking alone in a place with no cell reception, far from help and other hikers, the spot might be worthwhile to have.

On the AT, paired up with another person, it is not needed. The trail is actuall a fairly busy place in season.

[hauptman]

Forget all outer pants except for bathing suit and wind pants. A bathing suit is in my opinion the most comfortable, chafe preventing garment ever made. Keeps your little friends high and dry with a cooling breeze.

[NLaeger]

Don't waste the money on the Spot...I got the InReach when I did a section hike last summer to ease my moms worries and it was total crap! I took it back as soon as I got back from the trail... Half of the time I was out (I did Spring-NOC) it wouldn't pick up signal and it ended up just being extra weight on the trail. I was also able to get cell service almost every night to call my mom and let her know that I was fine!!

[Leanthree]

Scrap your list. It has so much unnecessary gear that it would be more efficient to start from here:
http://www.backpacker.com/appalachia...ist/gear/12536

[Feral Bill]

Take a look at Canon G12 or G15. Almost as good as an SLR in image quality, functions and ease of use. Weighs less than half of an SLR body with lens.

Or the Olympus Pen series. Both are micro 4/3 and use the same lenses.

[swjohnsey]

Or the Canon S100.

[Fairway]

Thread is called "$300 challenge" started by Sgt Rock-8/22/2004 You should be able to find it if you type the title into the search box- or some more computer literate user will be along to paste in the appropriate link.

I'll bite, $300 challenge.