Early May - Appalachian Trail

imported
#1

I have section hiked the last two years, NOBO on the AT, from May 23 to June 6 in 2002 and June 5 to June 19 in 2003. In 2004 I’ll be leaving from Erwin TN and heading north about another 175 miles. I have two questions.

First, in the last two hikes I carried a fleece bag, like a liner, instead of a real sleeping bag. I want to leave earlier this year, around May 1, and am wondering if I need a “real” sleeping bag because I’m going earlier and also starting out farther north.

Second, for the last two years I have not met many NOBO thru hikers due to my late start. What should I expect this year. Leaving May 1 and starting about 350 miles north of Springer, will I run into some (or alot?) of the class of 2004?

davepaumen

#2

Last year I section hiked from Damascus north starting in June. I was surprised at the number of thrus I met along the way. Most were late starters (April or so). I expect you’ll meet a bunch of them beginning at Erwin in May.

oldkathy

#3

In 2002 the only snow I saw was near Pearisburg on May 20th!! We had a cold snap and it was uncomfortable at night with just a summer bag. Starting from Erwin and doing 175 miles will take you across Mt. Rogers. I think it would be prudent to have a good sleeping bag. You might not need it, but you also might be thankful you had it.

You will be in the midst of prime thru-hiker season on May 1 in Erwin.

Big Red

#4

In 1992 we shared a shelter with a group of section hikers just north of Damascus around the 10th of May. They were totally unprepared for bad weather - no long pants, no warm sleeping bags, etc. (They were from Atlanta, and expected Georgia flatlands weather in the highlands;-0 Of course, it snowed and was really cold. We thruhikers ended up sharing our ‘spare’ clothes with them, because they were so miserable.

Spirit Walker

#5

I’d suggest a 20-30 degree bag. A good solution when your not sure is to carry a silk liner. That gives you some more versatility in case the weather gets cold. You will be traversing the humps and many of the shelters north of Erwin are at high elevations-like Roan High Knob. Snow is still possibly altho a bit unlikely. I wouldn’t go too crazy-but have a fleece and a hat and gloves in case. Check the weather report at MT rogers outfitter in Damascus before heading into the highlands. Can always pick up some gear there if you don’t have it.
Yes you’re gonna hit tons of NOBO’s then. Ask miss Janet how busy she is around early May!

A-Train

#6

Thanks to all for the the info. A-Train - you mention a silk liner. I have a syl-nylon liner made of same material as my 2-4-2 tent. It weighs 3 ounces and I have used it a few times inside the fleece bag for a little extra warmth. I will bring a 20 degree bag as you suggest, but are the silk liner and syl-nylon liner roughly equivalent?

davepaumen

#7

Dave,
Silk and sil-nylon are completely different. The silk bag liners are nice and soft and go inside your sleeping bag. Think regular silk. They add roughly 10 degrees to your bag and keep your bag clean and smelling pretty decent. I used mine countless nights down south when it got unpredictably cold. I order from a compnay out of New zealand called jagbags. I believe their site is jagbags.com The liners are much cheaper than many brands here. If you order in advance shouldnt be a big shipping cost. The liners are only 4 or 5 ozs and IMO well worth it. If it gets real hot, which it can down south that time of year, you can sleep in just the liner and place it on top of your bag for more comfort and fluffy support.
Good luck and enjoy this great section

A-Train

#8

I would be concerned with using an item made of silnylon as a sleeping bag liner. Although I’m not positive, I would expect the silnylon to be very non-breathable. The body gives off moisture as it’s sleeping, so wrapping yourself in a silnylon liner would be similar to using a vapor barrier liner. At temps above 32F, this will result in lots of moisture and may soak your sleeping clothes. Above 32F, you want that moisture to move away from the body and out of the bag.

Alligator

#9

Dropped by a fabric store tonight to see if they had any sil-nylon. The lady did not have a clue what I was talking about. None of the bolts said anything like that but “looked” right. They are going out of business and have everything at 40% off. What can you sharee with me?

Hawkeye

#10

try www.questoutfitters.com for all your fabric needs. They are great, say high to Kay. Ray Jardine now sells incredible thread from incredibly cheap at www.rayjardine.com.

Tha Wookie

#11

Hawkeye - Sil-nylon is the fabric used in the 2-4-2 tent I bought from Wanderlust. The first link below takes you to a description of the fabric. The sil-nylon liner I mentioned is sold by Wanderlust as a vapor barrier and pack liner, but could be used in an emergency in cold conditions as a VBL inside the sleeping bag. I’m passing this along as information, and the second link below takes you to a discussion of using the liner inside the sleeping bag. I used it once or twice and it worked well for some extra warmth, and their was some moisture, but not too bad. Weighs about 3 ounces. I am looking into A-Train’s advice for a silk liner. By the way, A-Train, I went to jagbags.com and found it to be a bag manufacturer in NY (rather than New Zealand) and so far cannot find a silk bag liner in their product list. Any ideas, or other sources for a silk liner? Also, what’s a good price for a silk liner? Thanks to all for your help.

http://www.wanderlustgear.com/materials.htm

http://www.wanderlustgear.com/otherproducts.htm

davepaumen

#12

I googled - “sleeping bag” “silk liner” -. First hit (of 393)was www.backpacking.net/gearbag5.html. Silk liner - 4.7 oz., $54.00

pigpen