Thanks to those who replied to my previous post, and now another question? What is the bare minimum in terms of neccessary gear? Heres what I’ve thought of so far, but I’m sure theres things I haven’t thought of:
Boots, Pack, Tent, Sleeping Bag, Cooking Stove
What else?
Jeff
A Visa card. Cuz they DON’T take Mastercard and American Depress. Food? A girl?
Bushwhacky
Some type of pot to cook your food in or boil water. Also, my headlamp was something that I thought was essential. It worked great when I got into my campsite late.
Hope you have a great hike,
Crock
crockett
you could ditch the tent and stove, and if your feet will tolerate it, replace the boots with sneakers.
spittinpigeon
tarp and tuna can or Pepsi can stove! Check out the Golite (or make your own) blanket. It is a half sleeping bag. Your pad keeps you warm on the bottom, the bag only keeps you warm on top. The blanket can work as your summer bag or winter bag by only turning it over. Poochie and Guchi used the system and their cold weather bag was about 1 lb. I used a 3/4 therarest and a 50 degree bag for most of our hike and slept warmer than Flame with a 0 bag. My winter pack weight was 18 lbs with out food and water. But it would reach 35 to 40 lbs on resupply days, because I was carring dinner meals for 2 people and we ate real good.
Papa Smurf
Camelback for water and camp shoes(sandels). Maybe a set of yardjarts and a basketball are a must!!!
Virginian
No one ever speaks of it, but I recommend the Svea 123 stove with a Sigg Tourister Cookset (check ebay from time to time).
The stove is the most reliable and simple possible, the cookset the most stable and luxurious, and all for a relatively low weight.
Sincerely–Paul English.
Paul English
Papa Smurf-
Go lite pulled the blanket from the catelog. Now you have to make one if you want one.
THA WOOKIE
Can’t agree that everything listed here is essential. They are for me but certainly not for everyone.
Stove - not essential since there are aalways some who go cookless.
Shoes or Boots - not essential since there have been people who hiked it barefoot before. I can’t imagine even trying it myself.
Tent - not essential since some hike from shelter to shelter. Foolish to even think of trying if leaving from Springer in late Mar or early April because you WILL find shelters overflowing with hikers quite often.
I’d say a backpack of some sort is essential but think there was a women in her 70s who did a thru hike carrying everything in a sack slung over her shoulder. And a shower curtain for shelter. But you need something to carry your food and bag in at least.
I think, especially in cold weather, a pad and sleeping bag are the most essential items. You need the pad to insulate you from the cold ground though a big pile of leaves may work ok. You have to have a bag to stay warm if you hope to get any sleep. In real cold weather it may be the only way you can stay warm and stay alive.
“Essential” really comes down to what you need to be comfortable and survive hiking everyday and that is different things to different people. I wish I could be an ultra-lite hiker but I need to carry too much stuff to be comfortable out there. Hiking poles, a comfortable pack, warm clothes, shoes, water treatment (Aquamira), stove, bag, and a shelter are all essential items for me.
Rerun
I may be a throw back to ancient times, but here’s what I take when travelling light. A pack that is comfortable for you(I use an old vietnam era army pack). 2 ponchos. A wool blanket. An 8x5 piece of thick plastic. A length of nylon rope. One extra set of cloths plus several sets of COMFORTABLE socks. Well broken-in jungle boots. And most importantly plenty of food!!! Don’t forget to have fun.
GrandDude