What was in my backpack?

 

            The key to a successful hike is a light backpack! With a light pack you can walk easier and more comfortably along with walking longer distances. I knew this would be true after talking with other thru-hikers before I started my hike. But like many thru-hikers I started out too heavy at 42 pounds. I learned very quickly that my pack was too heavy and that I had to lighten up. The biggest difference was having more frequent mail stops so that I did not have to carry as much food. Some of the other weight reducers were eliminating the tent and eliminating any extra clothing or equipment I did not use daily. Below are the contents of my backpack, which I carried for 1700 miles. The weight varied between 27-33 pounds depending on the amount of food that I was carrying at the time.

 

Item                                                    Description                                         Weight

Backpack                     Gregory Thru-Hiker (with top removed)                        4 lbs 10 ozs

Pack Cover                  EMS Pack cover

 

Sleeping

Tarp                             Go-Lite Tarp

Rope                            Extra 50 ft of parachute cord

Sleeping Bag                Western Mountaineering Iroquois (38F)                        1 lb   10 ozs    

Bag Liner                     Silk Liner- Cacoon

Pad                              Therm-a-Rest   Ultralite 3/4                                                   15 ozs

Bug Net                       4 feet by 6 feet of No-See-um Netting

 

Clothing

Convertible Pants         REI Convertible Pants(shorts only in summer)

Running Shorts             Lightweight Coolmax

T-shirt                          2- Terramar EC2 Short Sleeve Shirts

Underwear                   2- Terramar EC2 Body-Sensors Underwear

Liners                           3- Lightweight Coolmax Liners

Socks                           3- Smartwool short hiking socks

Rain Jacket                   Moonstone Triple Layer Gore-tex                                 1 lb   4ozs

Towel                           Camp Towel 18 inches by 8 inches

 

Cookware

Stove                           Primus Micro

Matches

Lighter                          Bic Mini

Pot                               1.5 Liter Evolution Cookware Teflon Pot with Lid

Dish Towel                   6 by 6 inch camp towel

Soap                            Nalgene  125 mL full of Biodegradable Soap

 

Water

Water Purifier               PUR Voyageur

Bottle                           One Quart Lexan Nalgene Bottle

Hydration                     MSR Dromlite 4 Liter Bag with Hydration Kit

 

Safety Equipment

Tablets                         Iodine Tablets (for safety if needed)

First Aid Kit                 Homemade First Aid Kit in Zip Lock Bag

Whistle                         Safety Whistle

Blanket                         Space Blanket

 

Knife                            Leatherman without case

Tablet                           Tablet for Journal         

Pen                              To write Journal

Maps                           Maps for Local Area

Data Book                   Only kept section that I was hiking

ALDHA Companion    Only kept section that I was hiking