my wife, my girlfriend.
my wife, my girlfriend.
books...heavy arse books!!
Things I ended up getting rid of and could have done without day one: pants (no I didn't go bottomless, shorts is all you need), puffy jacket (I never actually "needed" mine but this all depends on when you start, weather that year, and how fast you do the AT), stove, first aid supplies (everyone else will be carrying way too much and not hesitate to hook you up should you be in need), beanie (again I didn't experience much cold weather due to pace and timing), Spot (I took it for my mom's saniety but maybe turned on twice)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
GAME '16 4/18/16-8/12/16
Trailjournal: http://www.trailjournals.com/jjdontplay
Blog (Post Trail Gear Reviews): https://keeppushingon.wordpress.com/
Originally Posted by jj dont play
... first aid supplies (everyone else will be carrying way too much and not hesitate to hook you up should you be in need)...)Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I agree with LAF on this. If you can't carry the bare minimum, why should we use our supplies on you? If your going to be like this, then have a list of area hospitals and EMS services and you can use their overpriced supplies. I don't mean this in a condescending way nor am I yelling at you. It just seems to me that too many people are only thinking like you. What happens when you come across another hiker that needs first aid or you need it. Neither one of you have a kit. I guess you just sit there and bleed.
Blackheart
Just cut the upper 1/3, maybe a little less off. Works great as a scoop, weighs very little, and was easy to carry since smart water bottle fits inside nicely
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Point is what are you really going to carry? Other than a few little bandaids and Advil?
Everybody carries to much
I.E.I needed cold medicine, not a huge deal I could tough it out until town. Turns out a guy had like 2lbs. of it haha and was glad to give it away
Bad cut? Burn? Break? Most of these can be addressed short term with things you'll already have available. Cloth, branches, water, etc. you aren't going to be able to "fix" anything really bad you just need to be able to stabilize the situation (tourniquet, splint, etc) until you can get to town.
A lot of people have enough gear to do a surgery and no clue how to use it.
Also instead of a cut down bottle for a scoop. A ziploc is lighter and works just as good.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
GAME '16 4/18/16-8/12/16
Trailjournal: http://www.trailjournals.com/jjdontplay
Blog (Post Trail Gear Reviews): https://keeppushingon.wordpress.com/
Don't carry a mug, and as to pot, "pot" is stashed in my pack and would be difficult to get to and it doubles as my mug (why would I want to carry both a pot and a mug, that's a lot more wt than a small piece of plastic), not to mention an inflexible pot or mug isn't always as workable for getting water as is something that is flexible - I don't just get water when I get to a place to stay for the night, and most often carry little water and many sources of water along the way it helps to have a flexible scoop. A small piece of plastic carried on the outside of the pack is easy to get to. As someone mentions, a ziplock works well to, except that it doesn't provide me with the added benefit I get of the ease added in retrieving and replacing my water bottle while drinking on the move - it really does remove a small source of frustration for me. It's just what works for me and why. Some folks can't go without both a mug and a pot, I'm quite happy doing so. As it stands, my BPW for cooler, shoulder season runs around 10.5 lbs. Could it get a lot lighter than that? Sure, but I carry separate clothes for sleeping as I can't do without that, others can. And the beat goes on :-) We all have our comfort levels and what makes us happy on the trail. Sometimes I learn something from someone that makes it into my kit, or a way of doing something that suits my nature, sometimes not. That's why I love this forum, so many ideas, some work for me, some don't :-)
Last edited by LAF; 12-27-2017 at 16:51.
Lots of people want to have food and beverage simultaneously: coffee with their oatmeal, or whatever.
My mug is an Ozark Trail collapsible job ($1.42 at Walmart), so if you're looking to add a mug to your gear for that beverage-with-meal experience, you can make it a flexible one. And it'll squish down to fit in any mesh pocket on the outside of your pack. Sterilize (and also preheat) with some boiling water when you're making your cocoa at the end of the day's hiking.Originally Posted by LAF
Couldn't either of you have used a cook pot as a scoop? Or, a stick, hollowed reed(cane can work), straw, piece of bamboo, empty snack or sandwich sized Ziploc, etc to also capture water.,,even from a seep? Would avoid redundancy if you already have any of these available which is what you sagaciously advised in the first place.
Have to agree with this. I thought I was being clever by installing the red cross first aid app on my phone. Turns out that 99% of first aid instructions involve “get them stabilized and call 911”
I started with a Jetboil, but got rid of it in CT , maybe bring a small MP3 player for music / podcasts
And, there you have it...a more accurate assessment of why a solar panel fails for most on the AT. They expect to consistently charge it on the fly while hiking. It's not that they can't work! I've seen them work many times within AT NOBO and SOBO and summer hiking time frames to know otherwise. We want them to work in specific ways. It's the user's self imposed inflexible applications of them that is often the cause of failure.
Another reason why they don't work out on the AT again is not the solar panel but expectations of high energy availability for high device usage. There is a expectation of always having to be "connected."
I've witnessed too many times others as well as myself getting badly sunburned on the AT in late spring and through summer. To assume the AT is always a shaded green tunnel is absolutely incorrect!
When using one device for map apps, regular music and high camera usage, always being left on, phone, browsing, watching movies, audio books, weather reports, compass,
etc etc that equals eggs all in one basket high usage. Then, we blame the device or the solar panel. It's our usage that is most to blame.
Next time I'm taking the sub7 hammock just for extra comfortable breaks/naps. I'll still tent at night. I'm not UL, and don't "crush" miles...obviously