I’m now trimming my gear. Like the food packing challenge, the goal is to bring enough gear to comfortably enjoy the hike yet minimize the mass you have to schlep up and down mountain trails. The photo on this post is a before/after look at the gear I am packing and how it fits into my Alps Mountaineering Cascade 5200. Without food, water, or fuel, this collection of gear weighs about 27 pounds. I’d love to go lower, but I just cannot part with certain luxuries like a change of underwear, toilet paper, or toothpaste.
I will admit that I am bringing a totally unnecessary solar charging kit. At a weight of about 2 pounds, I have a Goal Zero solar panel, 4AA rechargeable batteries, a charging pack, various charging cables, a Galaxy S5 phone, and a USB charging block; in case I find an outlet somewhere in the wilderness.
Also note that I am not carrying a tent, but instead am going to try hammock camping. On the AT, many hikers do not bring any shelter; they rely solely on the use of the more than 250 trail shelters found at regular intervals along the trail. I’ve used these shelters in the past and have never slept well in them. They all seem to have a local infestation of mice, rodents, skunks, and varmints that host nightly soirĂ©es as catered by the visiting backpacker and his precious food supply. Its worth the extra 3 pounds of hammock mass to avoid that scene.
One week to go until I start the climb to Springer Mountain.
The Professor