Gearing Up -- what I will be using

Days Remaining to start of Hike: 3

Admittedly, I am a newb when it comes to backpacking and long-distance hiking, but I can read so I spent a fair amount of time researching lightweight gear, plus talking with a couple of thru hikers.

First, some personal considerations that entered into my choices for gear. One, I'm very prone to getting hypothermic; I suffer with Raynaud's Syndrome, which can show up even when the ambient air temperature is 50°F. While it isn't that painful to deal with, it does impact my dexterity, making it quite difficult to do such common tasks as untying shoes, unzipping a jacket, or opening food packages. As a result, I lean toward keeping my hands and head warm regardless of the temperature. And staying dry enters into that objective as well.

Shelter

If you read about the SUL/UL hikers, the consensus seems to be that lightweight tarps offer a lot; however, I much prefer to have some bug protection and room within the tent to store my pack and shoes, too. Why have the shoes in the tent--porcupines have been known to chew trail shoes and boots--evidently to extract the salt in them. While that probably wouldn't ruin a hike, it would make it another unneeded hassle to deal with.

I chose to go with a Cuben fiber tent, now rebranded as Dyneema Composite Fabrics. Here are some facts that make the material suitable for a lightweight tent:

• lightweight, highly durable, and is 50-70% lighter than Kevlar, four times stronger than Kevlar
• flexes without losing strength
• weighs less than silnylon
• floats on water
• 100% waterproof before stitched
• has high chemical and UV resistance

The fact that Cuben fiber does not absorb water means that when it comes time to pack up the tent, a quick shake will leave one's tent practically dry and weighing close to what it would normally.

I chose the ZPacks Altaplex tent for a couple of reasons--it is a 1.5-person tent, so there is plenty of room for my sleeping mat, my pack, and my shoes. Plus, it will accommodate two thin people in an emergency. The tent retails for $585.00 and the 58" carbon fiber pole costs $68. 

Backpack

Again I opted for a Cuben fiber pack, but I relied on some other thru hikers for the size suggestion. I chose the Zpacks Arc Blast 52L and had the mesh-top side pockets, roll straps, and key pouch added. Zpacks suggests this size so that I can carry 5-6 days of food along with all my other gear. Price: $367.00.

While not guaranteeing to be waterproof, they say that it is highly water-resistant, suggesting that one should use a dry bag as well, especially for one's sleeping bag. I intend to also use a pack liner from Gossamer Gear inside the bag. Better safe than sorry, imo.

Sleeping Bag

Once again I turned to Zpacks--opting for their 20°F 900 fill power down bag in the regular width and the 6' 1" length. The weight came to 19.3 ounces. Price: $400.00.

I was a little worried that the sleeping bag might not be warm enough in the Whites or Maine, but I'm trying to avoid those areas when the weather might be extremely cold. Still, I intend to bring along a down jacket and some fleece pants for extra warmth, if needed.

As you can gather, this isn't a cheap undertaking. The only consolation is that there is a good resale market for this type of gear, should I desire to unload it after the AT. Or not. :-)

Other Gear

Let's cut this short by providing a link to LighterPack where you can see everything that I will be using.