I am headed out in May, so I am in the process of collecting the essentials. I have never done an extended hike (more than 2 weeks). What did you bring with you that you couldn’t live without?
JennaD
I am headed out in May, so I am in the process of collecting the essentials. I have never done an extended hike (more than 2 weeks). What did you bring with you that you couldn’t live without?
JennaD
Jenna, what a tough question! I think everyone has a different comfort level and different fears of what might happen out there. I think we all pack depending on our perceived strengths and weaknesses.
And to make it more complicated, there are completely different reasons to be out there anyway. Some enjoy camping, photography, books, cooking, and wouldn’t be caught without essential tools. Some only like to walk all day, stopping only to sleep, and carry nothing that doesn’t support the walking.
I recommend Lynne Whelden’s video “Lightweight Backpacking Secrets Revealed”, available at his website, lwgear.com. It’ll show you at least one extreme.
There are some really great gear lists from AT hikers on trailjournals.com.
My personal mantra is “the farther you travel, the less you carry”. Sorry if that sounds like a platitude.
Garlic
I would have to say a sense of humor is indespensible! I quess you could call this “mental gear”…
Individuals over the years have completed long hikes with every kind of gear imaginable, including some very dispensible items, like a full sized tuba! (other bizzare pieces of “gear” have included a toilet seat, a pink flamingo, an inner tube raft for the crossing of the Kenbec River - before the ferry was set up - and even a cat)
Keeping your pack weight down is helpful, but the real essentials are in your mind.
Happy Trails!
freebird
Start off by focusing on the big three:
shelter(tent, tarp, hammock,…) , backpack, and sleeping bag.
After that you’ll need to figure out food and water systems.
Finally, and probably easiest is clothes.
A good start might be to review some packing lists. Whiteblaze is good at this kind of thing.
jalan jalan
A really good sleeping mat should be one one of the most sought after items. I use a 3/4 thermorest and i bring a crazy creek chair.Yes it is more weight with the chair but when its wet and you want to take a break (packed on outside) its a snap to take out and use. I use it for the extention to my mat at night \plus it gets hard on your back sitting on the benches and the edge of the shelter I have been toteing mine for 25 years and its the one piece of equipment i never leave without. With the new ones you would probably have to cut the handles off and that pouch on the back the old ones like mine did not have this
frog
I like bandanas. You can use them for so many things and easy to carry… Just tie them anywhere on your pack… Just don’t bring a tent without a rainfly… I heard some idiot named “Bubble Boy” did that in 05. Try sleeping in a tent without the fly during a storm… BIG MISTAKE!
Bubble Boy
may start virginia or south I would use granite gear virga pack, marmot atom 40 bag,3/4 length prolite pad,Outdoor Research MicroNight Bivy, Vargo triad stove (fuel tabs and/or alchohol) 600ml titanium pot,titanium foil wind screen,plastic spoon (makes a 6oz kitchen) gatoraide bottles for water,aqua mira treatment,long wicking base layer bottoms+t shirt,wind pants+shirt with hood,liner gloves,fleece cap,rain jacket,2 stuff sacks,mesh running shoes,liner socks,2light wool socks,(first aid etc. under 1 pound total)1 carbon trekking pole. with water and 5 days dry food should be 20 pounds or less.I stay mostly in shelters or cowboy with good weather. the frameless pack goes inside the bivy under the feet email any question about the system
george
Jenna,
It all depends on what you mean by “essential”. I don’t carry anything I don’t consider essential, but that’s a purely personal determination for each of us, as Garlic points out. To give you a good picture of how I handle that determination take a look at my current gear list, with weights and totals. I wouldn’t take anything less on a thru-hike, though a couple of things I’m replacing soon (the pack will be a ULA Circuit and the water treatment will be a SteriPen, which will cut about 12oz off the total weight.)
In the end though, it’s all about what you’re comfortable carrying and using. If you use it, for necessity or comfort, it’s essential. Think it over rationally and carefully and trust your own instincts on what’s going to make you happy. That’s the only real measure of “essential” that counts.
Strategic
Hey Strategic,
just wanted to let you know that your gear list link is broken.
jalan jalan
who needs a rain-fly?!..what a wus,…KIDDING! the bubble must be wrapped…besides the “essentials”, looking back three years now, I would say a journal of some type and photos. All to be used as evidence against us…oh, and a Q-tip.
fishngame
Hello, I am keeping my carried gear down to less than 5 pounds. Take a look at this guys website. He is super fast and actually was National Geographic adventurer of the year: http://www.andrewskurka.com/ Browse around it. He lists his gear with weight as well as what he eats, How much he eat. I believe he includes when he eats it. He’s pretty much my inspiration when it comes to distance hiking. Enjoy
snail
Sure snail, there are plenty of these people around, just take a look at the SUL (Super-Ultralight) articles on BackpackingLight. They’re a special breed, since it requires a certain amount of sacrifice to get your base weight down to the sub-5lb level. It’s a kind of hiking that most people can’t sustain and it carries very little margin for error. If that’s your thing, great, but don’t be fooled that it’s easy to do this.
Strategic