These four pages (Pack & Cookware, Sleeping Gear, Clothes and Miscellaneous) show and describe the equipment I used on my 2003 thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.
Equipment Summary lbs oz
1 Pack 3 0.0
2 Belt pouch (Outdoor Research) 3.0
3 Pack cover 5.2
4 Trekking Poles
5 Leatherman Micra 1.7
6 Stove (MSR Superfly) 4.0
7 Fuel Cannister 10.0
8 Titanium Pots & grip (MSR) 11.8
9 Spoon 0.7
10 Carabiners & Rope 1.0
11 Water filter (First Need) 1 4.0
12 One Quart Nalgene Water bottle 6.4
13 Water bottle (Camelbak) 6.5
14 Tarp (Black Diamond Beta Light) 1 9.0
15 Ground Cloth (tyvek) 10.0
16 Sleep Pad (Big Agnes) 1 10.0
17 Summer Bag (Homemade) 1 3.3
18 Winter Bag (Phantom 32deg) 21oz
19 Shirt
20 Shorts
21 Socks 3.2
22 Crocs 11.9
23 Gaiters
24 Shoes
25 Rain jacket (Frogg Togg) 11.7
26 Fleece Jacket 1 2.8
27 Fleece Cap (3oz)
28 Gloves (3oz)
29 Rain Pants (12oz)
30 Pocketmail w/ batteries 7.6
31 Watch (Casio Pathfinder)
32 Case (Pacific Outdoor WXtex) 4.0
33 Camera (Canon Powershot) 1 5.4
34 Headlamp w/ batteries 6.0
35 First Aid Kit 10.0
- Insect Repellant
- Advil
- Antacid
- Moleskin & duct tape
- Qtips
- Hand Sanitizer
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Toilet paper
Guidebook (Wingfoot in pieces) 1.0
Pen (2) 1.0
Money/credit card/ID 2
3 extra batteries (AA) 1.7
Base Weight (Summer) 19 10.9
Food (3 days) 6
Water (1.5 quarts) 3
Total Weight (Summer) 28 10.9

PACK AND COOKWARE

1)       Pack – The pack pictured is a Dana Designs Raid Z.  I did NOT have this pack on my hike, but I’d try it in the future.  It is basically just a frame that contains a large dry sack.  Put everything in the dry sack, and you don’t need a pack cover.  There are small exterior compartments for weatherproof stuff like water bottles and camp shoes.  On my hike I used a Kelty Satori most of the time, and I tried a Moutnainsmith Auspex for a short while.

2)       Belt pouch (Outdoor Research) – This little pouch was one of my favorite additions.  I bought two and wore one on each side of my waist belt.  I put snacks in them, and kept my knive, spoon, toothpaste and toothbrush in here (often I snacked and brushed my teeth while I walked).

3)       Pack cover – I used a sil-nylon version from Campmor.  This would not be needed if I had the pack shown above.

4)       Trekking Poles – My Komperdell poles had long double-grips that I liked.  These poles also serve as tent poles.  The right pole in the picture has a removable threaded cap so it can serve as a camera stand.  Again, I did not have this on my AT hike but wish I did.  Also, note the rubber caps on the tips.  I liked the tips because they kept noise down when walking over rocks.  After losing a few tips in mud, I super-glued them to the poles.  I usually kept a little duct tape available by wrapping some around the pole’s shaft.

5)       Leatherman Micra – Another piece of gear I did not find until after my hike.  On my hike I used a Gerber pocketknife/scissors combo.  I chose the Gerber over the mini Swiss Army Knife because it has better scissors.  The Leatherman Micra has great scissors.  I found that needed the scissors much more frequently than a blade.

6)       Stove (MSR Superfly) – This was a great, fast, maintenance-free stove.  I packed it away between my two cookpots.  An essential feature of this stove is a built-in piezo lighter.  I did not carry a lighter or matches.

7)       Fuel Cannister - My stove ran on these iso-butane fuel canisters.  They lasted about 10 days, even though I consistently cooked morning and night.  Late in the hike I saw other hikers (Ken and Marcia Powers) using the half-size canisters.  I’d use the half size ones when possible to save a little weight (they aren’t as commonly sold by outfitters).

8)       Titanium Pots & grip (MSR) – Expensive but light and durable.  I did not take a cup, and often drank from the smaller pot.

9)       Spoon – This titianium spoon in strong and nearly weightless.  It was the only cooking/eating utensil I carried.  

10)   Carabiners & Rope – For hanging my food bag.  I had enough string to use for repairs.  

11)   Water filter (First Need) – This is still the fastest water purifier/filter that I’ve seen.  I could pump a quart in about 30 seconds.  There is a screen at the end of the hose, and the rest of the filtering is done inside a replaceable canister.  I only had to replace the canister once during my hike.  In the early going, when water was running well, I used Aqua Mira drops to treat water.  I went back to using a filter because with drops, I’d have to look for water that I could collect fairly cleanly (which isn’t often in the trail’s midsection).  Also, with drops I’d have to wait some minutes before drinking the water.  I preferred to drink copiously at the water source so I wouldn’t need to carry as much.

12)   One Quart Nalgene Water bottle – I rarely carried any water in this bottle, but used it for filtering (my filter threads onto the top), measuring cook water, and for mixing powdered drinks.

13)   Camelbak 1.5 liter water bag – I usually started out each day with this mostly full, and drank from the bite valve as I walked along.  Many packs have an internal compartment that this type of water bag will slide into, but I did not like using that feature of the pack (I cut it out of my Satori).  The compartment makes it cumbersome to get to the water bag, and it takes up space that I needed for other gear.  This bottle came with a neoprene holder, and I ended up attaching it to the side of my pack with carabiners.