Capps,
Here is my final gear list and gear test report. I also included a little deal on why I am doing this hike and my motives. So how ever you want to manipulate the two reports on the blog is fine with me.
After hours of research and gear test with snow and single digit temperatures, I present my final gear list for the quickly approaching thru-hike of the AT. I will start with the pack itself, since it will be carrying everything for this adventure. After narrowing down my pack choice to Gregory Z55 (the professor's choice), the Osprey 60, the Deuter Futura 50, and the Deuter ACT Lite 50, I decided to go with the Deuter ACT Lite 50 due to its weight 3 lb 8 oz and its comfort. The Z55 was also a consideration, but being quite a bit shorter than the professor I didn't like how the Z curve suspension of the pack shifted the weight away from my center of gravity. It also has a separate sleeping bag compartment, which is a nice feature that I like.
For my sleeping bag selection, I went with Marmot's 0 degree Lithium bag. I am really happy with this selection and the gear test with its single digit temperatures proved to me that the bag was worth it. The first night when the temperature was in the mid teen's I actually had to vent the bag because I got hot. The next night when the reported low was 7 degrees I was pretty comfortable with only wearing my base layer. I also went with Marmot for my tent and got EOS 1 person tent. The tent seems like it is going to do the job.
The other major gear purchases make up my layering system. The base layer is a Smartwool long sleeve shirt and pants. I will also bring an additional Smartwool top and bottom for sleeping and to always have a dry set. The next layer will consist of REI quick dry pants/ shorts and a soft shell jacket. I once again went with Marmot's Gravity Jacket. The jacket is heavier than other options I could have gone with, but after the gear test I have to say that I love this jacket and its versatility. To me it is well worth its extra weight. Most of the gear test when we were actually hiking I wore it with a base layer and was really comfortable. As an additional insulation layer, I went with the Professor and got a Montbell Down Jacket. My Montbell is lighter than the Professor's but at the cost of pockets. I would rather have the pockets for the additional ounces, but hindsight is always 20 /20.
For rain gear, I initially decided to go with Integral Designs Event Rain jacket and pants. I really liked the jacket, but discovered that I couldn't get the pants over my boots. I have returned the pants and gotten a pair of Arc'terryx Alpha SL Rain pants to replace them.
Like most thru-hikers one of my biggest concerns is my feet and footwear. Once I knew that we were going to do this adventure, I already knew that I was going to go with a MERRELL product based on my previous experience with their footwear. Back in 2007, I was searching for a trail running shoe for rock scrambling on St. John and ended up purchasing one of MERRELL's trail running shoes. I put these shoes through hell all over that island. Later I used this same pair for some roofing work due to their gripping ability. These shoes basically sold me on the quality of MERRELL's products. With the exception of some dress shoes and work boots, I have always gone with MERRELL for my footwear. Therefore, it made sense that I go with them on this adventure. Since we are starting so early, I thought it would be better to go with one of MERRELL's light hiking boots over one of there lighter trail running shoes. I decided on the Phaser Peak Light Hiking Boots. I have already gone on several hikes besides the gear test and they appear to be broken in and ready to go. If the weather warms up, we will hopefully be able to drop some pack weight and I will be able to move to a lighter trail running shoe later on the trail.
The last piece of gear I will discuss before providing the list of the smaller items is my gloves. I made a painful discovery on the gear test that I have poor circulation in my hands and that my glove choice was nowhere near good enough. I went with a KOMBI ultralight windproof glove. They were more than adequate when hiking, but as soon as they got wet they basically became useless. My biggest complaint from the gear test was when these gloves got wet and my hands were freezing. Therefore, I purchased two more pairs of gloves to supplement my hand protection. The first pair was a set of possum down liner gloves. These gloves got excellent reviews and I am looking forward to seeing if they are as good as everyone says. In addition, I also bringing a waterproof shell glove made by Black Diamond. My hands were basically my biggest and only complaint from the gear test, so I hope that the corrections will do the trick on the thru-hike.
The following is the rest of my gear list:
Black Diamond Spot Storm Headlamp
MSR Pocket Rocket Stove
Spyderco H1 Pacific Series Knife
MSR Titanium 0.85 L Cooking Pot and Titanium Spork
REI Pack Cover
As the departure date for this hike approaches, more and more people have been telling me I am insane. Although they might have a point, it has made me ask myself more and more why am I doing this hike. The basic reason is because when a good friend of mine, the Professor, told me it was one of his life dreams to thru-hike the AT, I thought it was an awesome idea and we agreed to do before we turned 30 years old. So about a decade ago I agreed to this adventure knowing little more than the fact that the AT went from Georgia to Maine.
Over the years, I started looking more and more into the Appalachian Trail. As I learned more and more about the trail it quickly dawned on me how big a challenge and accomplishment this trek was going to be. As the start date approaches, I have become excited for two main reasons. First, I am excited to help my friend fulfill one of his dreams and second to really push my body physically. I really like challenges and this is certainly going to be one.
I would also like to thank my friends and family. It is certainly their support that allows me to go on these adventures and I look forward to keeping them updated.
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