I'm hiking part of the appalacian trail in June. Me and a few of my friends do parts of the trail every year. If your staying overnight I would reccomend a Jet Boil. Its a small pot for boiling water. It will boil 2 cups of water in like 45 seconds. And a water purifier if your somewhere without drinkable water. Then you have dried food from Mountain House. Its actually pretty good. For Breakfast I always take just some instant oatmeal packets. If your going hiking for 3 or 4 days, always try to take as little or as lightweight stuff as possible. My pack for 4 days on the appalacian usually weighs about 20 to 25 lbs. And that incudes everything, a 1 man tent, clothes, rainsuit, food, water, a navy seal knife, water purifier, the jet boil, sleeping bad, a sleeping pad, rope, first aid kit, and more. Just remember to keep everything as light possible. For example my rainsuit weighs 11 ounces. My navy seal knife is 5 ounces. And for gods sake don't try to buy some cheap ass shoes. If your hiking in the mountains get some good hiking shoes or boots. If your feet get wet or blistered your screwed.
Easymoney great post thanks for the info.
I'm just getting into it myself. I plan on doing some overnights on Mt Greylock in western Ma. Its part of the AT.In a couple of years I would like to do the AT from Ga. to Ma.
Everything I have read to such a hike means you have to carry 50 lbs of stuff.
What type/brand of backpack would you suggest for that type of long haul?
Beane, if you google Appalachain trail journals you get some great logs/diaries on hiking the AT.
I'm reading a book now called "A walk in the woods." by Bill Bryson its very entertaining and informative about a couple of guys hiking the AT that were basicilly novices.
I'm just getting into it myself. I plan on doing some overnights on Mt Greylock in western Ma. Its part of the AT.In a couple of years I would like to do the AT from Ga. to Ma.
Everything I have read to such a hike means you have to carry 50 lbs of stuff.
What type/brand of backpack would you suggest for that type of long haul?
Beane, if you google Appalachain trail journals you get some great logs/diaries on hiking the AT.
I'm reading a book now called "A walk in the woods." by Bill Bryson its very entertaining and informative about a couple of guys hiking the AT that were basicilly novices.
If your doing just 1 night you can get an overnight pack. We usually do 4 or 5 nights so I have a multiple day pack. Mine is a Kelty Ultra Light Shdow 4500. The 4500 is how many cubic inches space it has. And it to is very light, under 4 lbs. Its supposedly a top of the line pack, but it will run you about $190.00 or so. You can find alot of stuff online for a better cost. From my experiance I bought most of my stuff online for far cheaper than it cost in stores such as bass pro shop. For instance my sleeping bag was around $90 at bass pro shop. I found it at some on-line store for like $50. You should be able to easily keep your gear under 50 lbs. Like I said mine will weigh 30-35 at the most. Probably under 30. And with my pack it really doesn't feel like that much weight. There is a suspension system that really takes the weight off your shoulders so it doesn't feel that heavy.
It really is alot of fun. Sometimes its nice to get away from everyday life. No T.V., no cell phones, just a few good friends and the woods, sitting arond a fire and telling stories. When I go in June I think we are doing about 45 to 50 miles and we are going up to Clingmans dome which is the highest point on the trail. My dad actually died of cancer last year so me and my family are going this year and we are going to spread some of my dad's ashes when we get to the top. One of his favorite things to do each year was hiking the trail.
It really is alot of fun. Sometimes its nice to get away from everyday life. No T.V., no cell phones, just a few good friends and the woods, sitting arond a fire and telling stories. When I go in June I think we are doing about 45 to 50 miles and we are going up to Clingmans dome which is the highest point on the trail. My dad actually died of cancer last year so me and my family are going this year and we are going to spread some of my dad's ashes when we get to the top. One of his favorite things to do each year was hiking the trail.
