Gear Part I: Baselayer

I have to confess, I'm not much of an internet guy with all of the social networking and buying online. I am usually a very tangible person that likes personable experiences. So this whole blog thing is pretty new to me, as well as looking at and buying stuff online. We have two outdoor retail stores here in Louisville, Quest and The Trail Store. Both have been very helpful and I have purchased things for the AT from both locations because they seem to carry different companies and makers of gear. Their competition with the internet is like David and Goliath and yes, with some things I succumbed to the seduction of the giant.

Wow, I didn't realize the potential for ENDLESS research that could go on about gear. I feel like my research on the internet has become a spiraling Mandelbrot Set of websites, images, reviews, opinions, likes, and dislikes. It can be entrancing...and addicting. There is a lot of contradiction out there though, and a lot of mixed reviews of the same product. So confusing is just the tip of the iceberg as far as decisions are concerned. But in all of the chaos I did find some continuity.

I also had the opportunity to talk to a couple of people in town at the local outfitters as well as some other friends who have hiked the trail, they were very helpful and pointed me in some good directions based on their experiences. If you plan on hiking the AT I highly recommend talking to as many people as you can who have hiked it in the past. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy website is a great place to get plugged into the community (http://www.appalachiantrail.org). You'll find that everybody's trail experience is different, but its the little tips and tricks that they discovered is what really matters, I'll talk more about this later. The following are some results from my research as well as some purchases that I have already made.

As far as a base layer is concerned I definitely am going wool. It sounds kind of old school I know, but the advances these companies have made with comfort is amazing and it doesn't even feel like what one would think wool should feel like (raw, toasted, itchy oatmeal), this modern stuff is actually soft and comfy. In addition to comfort...well my cousin John Darling (outdoor gear head) explained it best,...it might sound crazy, but wool is brilliant in all types of weather; it insulates well even when wet, it dries fast, it's sturdy, and it takes a whole lot to make it stink. Two brands I was considering were Icebreaker and Smartwool. Icebreaker seems like a great company and got a lot of good reviews, but when it came down to it Smartwool was easily accessible at my local outfitters (no shipping!) and I got a little bit of a deal. Here's what I went with:

Smartwool Midweight crew:

Smartwool Midweight Zip T

Smartwool Microweight Tee

Smartwool Midweight bottoms (two pairs)

I decided to get both the Zip and the Crew tops because, honestly, I couldn't decide between the two and I like the idea of having options while I'm out there. For the most part I went with the mid weight because Coach and I are starting on (hopefully) the 24th of February, which is a bit of an early start as far as the average thru hiker is concerned. Therefore I'm predicting that first month or so to be cold and wintery. Ok, base layer...check!