Final Gear List

I have finally compiled our gear list! Last month I thought we only had two more items to buy, but then I kept remembering one little thing after another. I spent a lot of time researching gear options, trying to save on good deals and sales without compromising on getting the best. The first thing I looked at was the weight, followed by reviews and cost. Someone's gear could look completely different depending on their personal hierarchy of value. We even cut off out all the labels on our clothes, cut off an unnecessary handle on one of our backpacks, and shortened our toothbrush saving us a grand total of 1.2 oz. It really isn't a whole lot, but it is a good exercise in the practice of backpacking as lightweight as possible. I've broken down all of our gear into different categories with a combined weight and cost at the end of each section and a grand total weight and cost at the very bottom of the post. The weight will be a little off, because I only actually weighed the gear that didn't have a given weight when I bought them and we might throw in another Ziploc bag or other sundries before we leave. The cost will also be off because I never kept track of the cost of our toiletries/med kit supplies, lost track of the cost of one of my shirts, and in some cases did not include tax in the total. Some of the gear we already owned and a lot of the gear we were given as gifts from family and friends. Thanks so much for keeping our total costs down! Still, the total weight and cost shouldn't be too far off and is really there just to give you and me an idea of the weight and cost of a thru-hike. Keep in mind that my wife and I are hiking together, so the gear is for two people, which means we can save more weight than people hiking alone. For instance, only one of us will have to carry a tent. Also, keep in mind that this is a base weight, meaning this is without food or water which will end up weighing down the packs a lot more, but also oscillate depending on how near or far away we are from our next resupply. Also, this gear list includes everything that we will be wearing so not all of this weight will be in our packs. We will almost always be wearing our shoes and pants and other combinations of the clothes.

Backpacks

Top row: Christine's backpack, Adam's backpack
Bottom row: large trash bags

Arrowhead 8.0 Backpack   36 oz.   preowned

Jam 50L Pack                   30 oz.   $109.99

Trash bag (x2)                  1.2 oz.  preowned

Total Weight: 68.4 oz./4.28 lb.     Total Cost: $109.99

Notes: I cut off the handle of Christine's pack which should save a half an ounce or two. The trash bags will line our packs, keeping the contents dry when it rains. 

Sleeping Gear

Top row: sleeping quilt, two sleeping pads
Bottom row: tent

ZPacks 20 Degree 900 Fill Power Down Twin Size Quilt   27.5 oz.   $560

Therm-a-rest Neoair Xlite Air Matress (x2)                      12 oz.      $95.97   

Hilleberg Anjan 2 Tent                                                  60 oz.      $570  

Total Weight: 111.5 oz./6.97 lb.     Total Cost: $1,321.94      

Notes: Our sleeping quilt fits both of us which saves on the weight and cost of buying two separate sleeping bags. Also, it will help us stay warmer on the colder nights. A lot of people switch out their cold weather sleeping bag for a summer bag during the warm parts, but to save money on another bag and the cost of sending it back and forth in the mail, we hope to just stick with this one and sleep on top of it during the warm nights. Since we have two sleeping pads and one sleeping quilt, the sleeping pads split apart from each other during the night while sleeping which is no good. But the makers of the quilt knew that and created lightweight fasteners to attach to the pads so they can attach to each other.

Adam's Clothes

Top row: watch cap, bandana
Second row: long-sleeve shirt, camp shirt, short-sleeve shirt, base layer top
Third row: Down jacket, shorts, pants, base layer bottoms
Bottom row: convertible mittens, poncho, camp clogs, shoes, socks

Cabela's E.C.W.C.S. Watch Cap                                               1.2 oz.       gift

Bandana                                                                                 1.7 oz.      preowned

Columbia Cool Creek Long-sleeve Crew Shirt                            6.9 oz.      $25.96

C9 by Champion Men's Ventilating Pieced Tee                           4.1 oz.      ???

Asics Favorite Short Sleeve                                                       4.4 oz.      $29.99

Taramar Men's Military Fleece 3.0 Long Sleeve Crew Shirt          5.9 oz.      $15.89

Montbell Frost Smoke Down Parka                                            12.7 oz.     $188.95   

Craft Performance Run Shorts                                                   3.7 oz.       gift 

The North Face Paramount Peak Convertible Pants                     17.1 oz.     gift

Glide Series Baselayer Bottoms                                                  7.8 oz.       preowned

Grand Sierra Mico-Fleece Convertible Mittens                             2.6 oz.       $12.95

Kelty Adult Rain Poncho                                                            8 oz.          $11.99

Foam Clogs                                                                              7.3 oz.       preowned

The North Face Hedgehog III GTX XCR Hiking Shoes                    25.44 oz.   $78.75 

Smartwool Hike Medium Crew Socks (x2)                                   2.9 oz.       gift

Gander Mountain Medium Weight Merino Wool Hiking Socks        1.8 oz.       gift

Total Weight: 116.44 oz./7.28 lb.     Total Cost: $364.48 

Notes: One pair of socks and one of the shirts will be dedicated to camp. This will ensure I always have dry clothes that do not stink TOO much. The short running shorts will act as my underwear during the colder months and as hiking shorts/swimming shorts during the hot months, 

Christine's Clothes

Top Row: watch cap, balaclava, buff, poncho
Second row: base layer top, short sleeve shirt, camp shirt, long-sleeve top
Third row: down jacket, pants, underwear, base layer bottoms
Bottom row: socks, sock liners, camp clogs, shoes, sports bra, convertible mittens

Under Armour Outdoor Fleece Beanie                                1.3 oz.      $15.89 

Cabela's Polartec Power Stretch Balaclava                          2.2 oz.      gift

Original Buff in Bloom                                                      1.3 oz.      $18.99

Kelty Adult Rain Poncho                                                    8 oz.        $11.99

Tarramar Women's Military Fleece Top                              4.4 oz.      gift

GSX Short Sleeve Performance Tee                                    3.5 oz.      gift

C9 by Champion Women's Endurance Tee                           3.4 oz.     $6.48

C9 by Champion Women's Full Zip Cardio Jacket                 10.2 oz.   $19.58

Montbell Frost Smoke Down Parka                                      12.7 oz.   $188.95   
The North Face Paramount Peak Convertible Pants              15.2 oz.   $52.35  
Stoic Merino 200 Boy Boxer                                                 2.5 oz.    $39.95
ExOffico Give-N-Go Lacy Low Rise Bikini Underwear            1 oz.       gift   
Terramar Women's Military Fleece Bottom                           4.4 oz.    gift    

Smartwool Trekking Heavy Crew Socks                               3.4 oz.     gift
Smartwool Hike Medium Crew Socks (x2)                            2.9 oz.     gift
Wigwam Coolmax Liner Socks                                             1.7 oz.     gift
Meijer Foam Clogs                                                              10 oz.      $12.00
Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra 2 GTX Women's Hiking Shoes          27.5 oz.   $100 
C9 by Champion Women's Seamless Racerback Bra                2.7 oz.     $13.59 
Grand Sierra Mico-Fleece Convertible Mittens                       2.6 oz.     $12.95 

Total Weight: 123.8 oz./7.74 lb.     Total Cost: $492.72    

Notes: Christine also has a dedicated pair of socks, underwear, and shirt for camp use only.

Cooking Gear

Top row: titanium pot, titanium cup, denatured alcohol w/ duct tape, water reservoir
Second row: windscreen, binder clips, cat food alcohol stove, mini lighter,
titanium spork, plastic spoon, Aquamira
Bottom row: water bottles, 50 ft. paracord, bear bag, trash bag

Evernew Titanium Non-stick Pot w/ Handle 1.3 L     6 oz.     $65.41

Evernew Titanium Cup- 400 FD                               1.8 oz.   $27.05

One Bottle Denatured Alcohol w/ Duct Tape            15.4 oz.  preowned

MSR 4L Dromlite Bag                                              4.2 oz.   $31.75

Aluminum Foil Windscreen                                      0.4 oz.   preowned

Binder Clips                                                            0.4 oz.   preowned

Fancy Feast DIY Alcohol Stove                                  0.2 oz.   $0.50

Bic Mini Lighter                                                       0.4 oz.   $1.00

Snow Peak Titanium Spork                                       0.5 oz.   $8.95

MRE Plastic Spoon                                                    0.2 oz.    preowned

Aquamira Chlorine Dioxide Water Treatment Drops    2.9 oz.   $11.95

Gatorade Bottle (x4)                                                2 oz.      preowned

50' Tan 550 Paracord                                                3.1 oz.   $7.25

Target Plastic Bag                                                    0.4 oz.   preowned

Ziploc Bag                                                                0.4 oz.   preowned

Total Weight: 38.9 oz./2.43 lb.     Total Cost: $153.86

Notes: Our bottle of denatured alcohol is wrapped in duct tape just in case we need the duct tape to patch anything. It also helps distinguish this bottle as non-drinkable. The water reservoir will mostly be used at camp so we don't have to keep going back and forth to the nearest water which sometimes can be a good distance away. We are using 550 cord and a plastic shopping bag to hang our food from a tree at night to keep mice from getting at it. The large Ziploc bag will be used as our trash bag between resupplies. The binder clips go with the windscreen to hold it together and give it some height.   

Toiletries and Medical Aide Kit

Top row: toilet paper, toothbrush, lip balm, floss, Christine's multivitamins,
Adam's multivitamins, bandaids, Mucinex, ibuprofen

Bottom row: wet wipes, antidiarrheal, razor head, antiseptic spray, diva cup, 

moleskin, molefoam

Toiletry Bag

   MRE Toilet Paper Pack (x6)

   Shortened Colgate Toothbrush

   2 Fl. Oz. Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap

   Vasaline Lip Therapy

   Up & Up Dental Floss

   50 Multivitamin/Multimineral Dietary Supplement 

   50 Adults' Gummy Multivitamin/Multimineral Dietary Supplement
   Needle (x2)
   Christine's Retainers (not pictured)

   Total Weight   11.4 oz.

Medical Aid Kit

   Up & Up Bandaids 

   Mucinex Fast-Max Tablets

   Ibuprofen

   Equate Antidiarrheal

   Razor Head

   Antiseptic Spray

   Diva Cup

   Dr. Scholl's Molefoam

   Moleskin    

   Total Weight     5.4 oz.

Up & Up Wet Wipes (x2)     3.9 oz.

Combined Weight Total: 20.7 oz./1.29 lb.

Notes: The needles will be used with the floss in case anything needs to be temporarily patched up. The toothbrush was cut down and we will both use the same one.  

Miscellaneous/Luxury Items 

Top row: pipe, guide book, Christine's journal, Adam's journal
Second row: tobacco, Tracfone charger, Smartphone, Tracfone, watch,
Bible, pocket notebook
Third row: pocket knife, earbuds, Smartphone charger, headlamp
Bottom row: towels, IDs/debit cards/money, waterproof bag, pens

Pipe                                                                           1.4 oz.    preowned

The A.T. Guide- 2014 Northbound w/ Ziploc Bag           8.3 oz.   $18.30

Christine's Journal                                                       3 oz.       gift

Adam's Journal                                                            5.3 oz.    gift

Tobacco                                                                      1.9 oz.    preowned

Tracfone Charger                                                         2.4 oz.    preowned

Samsung Captivate Glide w/ Empire Case                      5.9 oz.    $95.42

Tracfone                                                                      2.4 oz.    preowned

Watch                                                                          1 oz.       preowned

Bible                                                                            10.1 oz.  preowned

Pocket Notebook                                                           1.6 oz.    gift

Victorinox Swiss Army Classic SD Knife                            0.8 oz.    gift

Yurbuds Inspire Female In-Ear Sport Headphones             0.4 oz.    $25.99 

Smartphone Charger                                                      0.5 oz.    preowned

Black Diamond Spot Headlamp                                       3.1 oz.    preowned

Microfiber Towel (x2)                                                    0.9 oz.    preowned

IDs/Debit Cards w/ Waterproof Bag                                0.8 oz.    preowned

Pen (x3)                                                                        0.2 oz.    preowned

Total Weight: 51.3 oz./3.2 lb.     Total Cost: $139.71

Notes: The case without the Smartphone is pictures here because we used the Smartphone to take this photo. The Smartphone will be used for the Internet when wifi available in town, as camera and as music player. The Tracfone will be used to make calls. The pocket knife has tweezers in case we need to pull out ticks, scissors for cutting our fingernails and toenails, and of course, a small blade to cut food and whatever else needs to be cut. I won't wear the watch and will only use it if we want to calculate how fast we go or as an alarm in the morning if we want to make sure we start at a certain time. Hopefully I won't be tempted to look at it too often. As a writer it is very beneficial to have a notebook easily accessible at all times. Too many times have I told myself I would remember a great idea or thought only to lose it forever. The small microfiber towels will be used for cleaning out the pot and anything else that might need a good drying like our tent floor or our bodies after a rainy day. They dry quickly.  

            Total Combined Weight: 531.04 oz./33.19 lb.     Total Combined Cost: $2,582.70