My wife and I have done a number of section hikes. Usually we didn’t do much to prepare other than climbing twenty flights of stairs a day
Now she has us walking four miles every night with sandbags in our packs. It is surprising how fast that has gotten easy (just twenty pounds of sandbags but still). Since our base weight (pack/sleeping bag/pad + tent or cooking gear) is under ten pounds, 22 pounds or so to hike with is fair
The funny thing is I like my shoes better when I’m carrying a pack.
I’d forgotten that they feel better with a load. I’ve suddenly lost interest in checking out other shoes. I think I do need a rock plate insert but maybe I don’t.
I’m not sure how much conditioning we are getting, but we would walk the four miles anyway. As we get closer to October we will probably move up to six miles a night
I’m also working on stretching my calves. I just started with deep squats to stretch and they seem to work
Just one more step
//an aside
Our first section hike we planned on ten miles a day. That turned out to be easy for us. We’ve done longer or just stopped early on some hikes. I’m beginning to think that we can do fifteen a day without too much stress. Will see how it goes on October.
Then will see how things go next year. Planning on a hostel or hotel about twice a week. Taking time when the weather is hideous. Our goal is making sure it is pleasant rather than a grind.
Most of what passes for wisdom on rain gear has to do with temperature control rather than keeping dry. As a result, most clothing lists will have a rain jacket or a windshell rather than a rain jacket and a windshell.
Update. I, of course hike a lot in weather where I need actual rain gear and hike with a real rain jacket and a wind shirt.
This reflects the information available to me in 2018 which I consider flawed.
Happy in the mist on trail
That said, there are hikers who hike with umbrellas (attached to their packs — that way they are still free to use their hands and arms to make use of their hiking poles). There are hikers who hike with rain jackets of various types. There are hikers with “packas” and similar things. There are hikers with ponchos.
For me, a poncho just made the most sense. I even carried a couple of them “just in case” on our first section hike. Sure enough, it rained, we ended up using them. I discovered that a poncho and I don’t work well together after a couple of attempts.
So, it made a lot of sense, but a poncho just did not work out for me, in spite of trying different ponchos and approaches.
There are lots of advantages. You can get a poncho that covers you and your pack. Lots of ventilation. And … just didn’t work for me. You can also get rain sleeves to go with your poncho (think of them like gaiters for your arms). They make them of Tyvek and of Nylon and just about every other combination. Every objection has an answer, but if it doesn’t work for you it doesn’t work for you.
Not surprisingly, ponchos are rarer and rarer on trail.
I haven’t tried an umbrella on the trail though I’ve used them outside of the trail. Happy carried one on several trails and always sent hers home.
Umbrellas kind of work like a huge hat. Even better ventilation. They can protect against rain and sun and make backpacking a little cooler when the sun is hot. Lots of people swear by them.
I just didn’t connect with umbrellas.
In the same line as a Poncho is the Packa (a modified poncho with a cult following) and the extra long rain jacket (with a french name) that kind of covers the area of a jacket and a rain skirt.
For your legs, in addition to rain pants, there are rain skirts or kilts. I’ve hiked with two different skirts. I like them better than rain pants sometimes.
I’ve met guys who just transitioned to hiking with their rain skirt and compression shorts. I haven’t gone that far. But that is what I now carry for rain on my section hikes.
For leg protection, lots of people just do without, having either water resistant or waterproof pants or shorts, or just not worrying about getting their legs wet.
Which brings me back to rain jackets.
There are several types.
Water resistant ones. They leak or wet through eventually. Their sole purpose is to keep you warm(er) in the rain. Rather than fight the fight on how to ventilate sweat, they give up the fight and expect you to get wet from both sides. In normal life, you might carry one of those in your car and use it only to dash from the car to somewhere else before it soaked through.
Waterproof ones. These are totally waterproof. The classic yellow rain coat you may have had in grade school would have been one. Often very heavy. Sold to tourists. They trap sweat inside of them.
If you aren’t carrying a load or going very far or very long, they will keep you dry (since you won’t have time or reason to break a sweat). Some come with what are referred to as “pit zips” which is a zipper on the underside of your arm/arm pits that ventilates the jacket by opening it up where the rain isn’t hitting.
Water vapor permeable ones. Like goretex. In theory, as you sweat the water vapor can exit through the jacket while rain is kept out. Many “water resistant” jackets are variations on gore tex that just don’t work as well as they should. Some have pit zips as well. Others use breathable water resistant fabric where the pit zips go.
You can pair any of these with gaiters (knee high or ankle high) to cover the parts of your legs that stick out of a rain kilt — or with rain pants.
What works for you is something you probably need to experiment with.
Most backpackers are happy with their rain gear, and the bottom line is “cost is probably the most important criteria behind the purchase decision” (see below, link and copy of some of the statistics).
Light and cheap is possible for at least one item of gear selection and light, cheap and satisfied is possible.
For me that translated to a rain jacket and a rain kilt (instead of rain pants). Of the various jackets, I liked the https://www.rei.com/product/11… best.
I also use a Tilley Hat for sun protection (I burn easily) and I hike with the knowledge that when it is cold, the rain jacket also works as a windshell. I accept that I am probably going to sweat and probably going to get wet (which is why a dry base layer, used only to sleep in, is important).
Anyway, over several years, that is my thinking as to rain gear.
For a long article, with an excerpt below, follow the link.
The most popular rain jacket purchased by the backpackers we surveyed is the Marmot Precip Jacket, perhaps the best known waterproof/breathable outdoor recreation jacket ever made. An astonishing 28.8% of our survey respondents own this rain jacket, far more than any other, as shown in the table below. Rain Jacket
Brand %tage of hikers using This jacket Price Satisfaction 1-5
Knowing backpackers, it’s incredible that so many would share such a strong consensus about these three items.
Second, none of the top 10 rain jackets are made with a Gore-tex or eVent waterproof/breathable membrane. It would seem that having a Gore-tex or eVent membrane is unimportant to most backpackers when purchasing a rain jacket. That’s an eye opener.
Third, the backpackers who own these jackets are fairly satisfied with them (on a scale of 1-5, where 5 is the highest level of satisfaction,) but most of the ratings fall between 3 and 4, not approaching a 5.
If you were reading customer reviews on an online retailer’s web site, I doubt these ratings would have a big impact on your decision-making for or against a product. This tells me that cost is probably the most important criteria behind the purchase decision to buy one of these jackets, not performance or features. We see further evidence of this below.
By cross-referencing people’s gear with what items they said they would upgrade (and by reading through the gear comments), I tried to get an idea of the LEAST LIKED gear out on the trail.
Here’s what I came up with.
NOTE: an appearance here does not necessarily mean that this gear was not liked by other hikers.
LEAST LIKED BACKPACKS: Osprey Atmos AG 65, ULA Circuit
LEAST LIKED SLEEPING BAGS: ZPacks 20°, Enlightened Equipment Revelation 20, REI Igneo
LEAST LIKED SHELTER: MSR Hubba NX 1, Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1
LEAST LIKED SLEEPING PAD: Therm-a-Rest Z Lite SOL
LEAST LIKED WATER TREATMENT: Sawyer MINI
And here are a few more stats I managed to harvest from the data mound:
62% of hikers who would upgrade their WATER TREATMENT were using a Sawyer MINI. (I tell people that friends don’t let friends use a Sawyer Mini)
33% of hikers who would upgrade their SLEEPING PAD were using a Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol.
33% of hikers who would upgrade their SLEEPING BAG were using a ZPacks or Enlightened Equipment bag.
52% of hikers who would upgrade their SLEEPING BAG were using a bag with a temperature rating of 19°F (-7.2°C) or higher.
Note: the most popular tent on trail in 2025 wasn’t sold in 2018
Ghost and Copper Spur.
My first tent for the AT was none. 🙂
We did a four day inn-to-inn segment. We drove to the trail head we were going to hike. Then we caught a shuttle south. Hiked north to our hotel reservation. Spent the night, then got up and hiked to the next hotel.
On day two we did our ten miles and got to our reservations before lunch. We would have kept going except we had reservations where we were and none were available anywhere else.
The next day, we got up in the mist and hiked in the rain to the next hotel. The last day we hiked to the trail head, picked up our rental, and drove to a hotel (after a good solid meal). In four days I lost ten pounds on that trip.
Happy hiking in the mist.
I then spotted a half dome at an REI garage sale. For about twenty-five dollars it seemed like a great deal. A little heavy, but split between the two of us, surely it wouldn’t be that bad. [spoiler warning — every time you look at some thing heavy and think, it won’t be that bad — it is that bad].
The next trip was mostly in shelters, with a night in the tent (and the poles broke — we replaced them later). I realized it was too heavy. So I picked up a tent from Mytrailco. https://mytrailco.com/collecti…
It only weighed about two and a half pounds. Semi-freestanding. It was a tight 28 square feet, and it doesn’t ventilate as well as some tents. Lots of people use tents like that (including single wall tarp-tents) and just use a microfiber small towel or wash cloth and rub the moisture off.
The cheapest place to get a microfiber small towel or wash cloth is a dollar store or grocery store where they are about a dollar or less. At outdoor stores they get closer to $20 and not any better.
That tent got returned, some people love it, but it didn’t fit us just right. Note. The company then went out of business.
Then Happy bought me a tent for a father’s day surprise. https://www.mountainhardwear.c… (note that it is often available for under $300.00 — do not pay full price or even close to that).
A lot of positives, even if it really is only semi-freestanding. Here is a review of the smaller UL2 version of the same tent.
We only used it a couple of times. Once on the trail. Once in the back yard with cold weather to test some gear. Nothing like a stiff breeze blowing through your tent at around 32 degrees to decide that perhaps it ventilates too well.
I was able to resell it on Geartrade.com.
We finally went with the new Big Agnes Copper Spur.
It is freestanding, which at the end of the day makes setting it up just a little easier.
It has near vertical sides, the new design makes for vastly improved interior space and height with dual side entries.
It is large enough for the two of us (remembering that about 1/8 of all hiking couples use a one person tent — they are smaller than us, 1/2 of all single hikers use a two person tent and a substantial number of couples use a three person tent). For us it is a good size.
It ventilates well (but is adjustable to ventilate less). Better than the Tiger Wall. But it can have the ventilation reduced and is easily adjustable.
It is just a little more substantial than some alternatives (e.g. the Copper Spur Platinum which has a number of reports of rain coming through the fabric; others that felt just a little too fragile).
It helps that we don’t do much in a tent except crawl in and sleep. With rain we tend to get up and get moving rather than try to wait it out. No cooking in the tent (which is a bad idea anyway). No eating in the tent.
The picture with this post is of the Ghost UL3 and the Copper Spur UL2 set up side by side in the back yard.
The Ghost is 39 square feet vs. the CS (Copper Spur gets abbreviated as CS a lot) at 29 square feet. 2.99 lbs (as actually weighed as we packed it) vs. 2 lbs 12 ounces. I have to admit that when I sold the UL3, I substituted titanium stakes (which was a selling point some buyers liked) for the original ones, which I kept.
The folded aluminum stakes are stronger and lighter than solid pegs and I’ve been pleased with them.
I have not been able to find anything like the original Ghost tent stakes for sale. I use a combination of those and titanium stakes for my polycro rain fly and vestibules, etc. and in staking out the Copper Spur to keep it from blowing away when in use.
The bottom line is that the original backpack and tent I had weighed over ten pounds together. I originally also used a Noah’s Tarp which added almost another three pounds. Now the tent and backpack together weigh about five pounds, the tarp I use adds an ounce or so.
Big improvement from about fifteen pounds to about five pounds.
One great thing about doing a number of section hikes over a number of years is the chance to explore gear.
Shoes
I started with cross-trainers. I have walked and hiked with hard court tennis shoes and then the related cross trainer styles for years. After that I picked up some Vasques at an REI garage sale that I really liked (the ones I had have been discontinued). They wore out.
I tried some New Balance 400s. Nothing breathes like them. The last is defective and the support disappears within a hundred miles or so of use (they’ve been discontinued too). Which I discovered when I started to get foot pain from them.
I tried basketball shoes (the curved “rocker” bottom style threw my knees out).
Since I had some great luck with NB cross trainers I tried some more various New Balance Trail Runners (had bad luck with them. I’d advise being very careful of the lower end New Balance shoes. A number of the lines do not hate good quality control and the quality and fit and characteristics vary between which factory made them. Each factory makes one color.
Other shoes have issues with the rock plates (which can cause trouble if you are carrying a load, it is like walking on a hinge — thank goodness I tested them out with a backpack filled with sandbags at REI for that set of shoes).
The higher end New Balance shoes are usually fine. That is when quality control and everything else kicks in. I’ve got a pair I do some walking in. I think the cushioning is just a little light, but I like them. But New Balance has flooded just about every niche. It makes it impossible to get a good handle on what they offer. To quote from https://www.solereview.com/bes…
“But it does have a problem – that of differentiation within its performance running catalog. There are too many New Balance models with shared ride characteristics, thanks to the lack of a distinct tiering strategy.Let’s take the Vazee line for instance. What’s the difference between the Vazee Pace, Coast, Rush and the Prism? And who should buy the Vazee Pace instead of the Zante?
Also, the ‘Fresh Foam’ platform is quite ordinary. Unlike Saucony’s Everun or the adidas Boost, the New Balance Fresh Foam is regular EVA foam. So it becomes hard to differentiate a Boracay (980) from a 1080 in functional terms except for the lower heel offset.
Today, the product nomenclature is also confusing. Old timers are familiar with New Balance’s numbering system which classified shoes by their intended use.”
I tried Altras (they threw my knees out — though they were invented to solve certain knee problems, they can cause others). On the other hand, other than almost crippling me, they were the most comfortable shoes I’ve used. The issue is the zero drop style. Zero drop (which means that the heels are the same height as the toes on the shoe) doesn’t work well for me.
I bought and used Salomons. They are just a little too narrow for my feet so that I ended up with sore feet all the time. If they fit you they are great and a lot of people love the comfort. There is a reason they are well loved and in the top shoes worn on the trial.
I have gone through two pairs of North Face 110s. I’m planning on trying some other shoes.
I hiked in these. Quality control went out the window at the end of the production run. I haven’t been back.
Cascadia 13 Brooks is ever changing. Not much in the way of reviews. Ratings compare it to the Wildcat as not quite as good. Which got me looking at the Wildcats.
Interestingly enough, while there is a complete subsection of backpacking or “hiking shoes” — and while that is what people are doing on the trail (they are backpacking or hiking), it seems that instead everyone wears trail runners instead.
Trail runners just seem to work better for most people, which got my attention as I started noticing the attempts to market shoes for backpackers to fit the niche that trail runners have created.
One of the first pairs of walking shoes I actually put on were New Balance, and had a rocker action to them. I could find no reviews, had a bad experience with rocker action in high end basketball shoes, and did not want to learn a new way of walking and hiking as a pioneer.
I also tried out some North Face Hedgehogs. They are trying to market those to backpackers. Their 110 trail runner is a better shoe for me (and for most reviewers).
As far as I can tell, there is something that the shoe designers are missing about how the shoes actually function.
I’m curious to find out what I actually settle on for a final shoe.
d20 & Happy
Afterword: in 2025 I’m using Topos—a shoe not available in 2018 at the outlets I had.
Something that fascinated me when reading through hikers and their finishing gear lists was that many of them had backpacks that they finished with that were heavier than the ones that they started with
The backpackers who switched from an Exos to an Atmos are the largest group, others had other switches, and most people who finished had light backpacks.
The truth is, just like shoes, backpacks have to fit your body.
In addition, backpacks have to fit the use you are putting them to.
For example, when we first bought backpacks for our first section on the Appalachian Trai, the guy at REI steered us to the award winning Gregory Baltoro 75 (and the woman’s version) which was about five-six pounds at the time.
It carries a heavy load well. It has lots of organization, has a built in day pack, it is sturdy, and is one of the best expedition packs out there.
But.
If you aren’t camping in the snow, if you don’t need the direct access to individual items of gear, if you would rather not carry quite so much weight, it really isn’t the right pack. For the Appalachian Trail it is really, really the wrong back.
d20 & Happy with packs we replaced.
Since we got the Baltero packs at REI, REI took them back. I ended up with an Osprey Exos that fits me very well. I use a very limited number of stuff sacks for organization (a couple ounces instead of a couple pounds for organization).
I even currently have the “brain” (the top compartment/lid) off as it reduces the weight a little.
My wife tried an Exos, it didn’t fit her well. She has a different pack now. One that fits her just right and weighs a lot less than her first pack.
But it took three trips to get the right pack for her and to make sure it was the right pack. BTW, she liked the Exos pack cover, so she kept that for use in the rain (and there is going to be a lot of rain on the AT).
I’ve run across a lot of packs on the section hikes we’ve done.
For section hikes we’ve done:
The Inn-to-Inn route in Virginia to Luray.
Then South from the North Georgia border.
Then north from Luray to Harper’s Ferry.
Then north from Harper’s Ferry to Pennsylvania (stopping before the rocks).
I’ve seen just about everything being used in the way of packs.
But there are good reasons for the most popular backpacks and good reasons why the cottage industry packs are still in business and doing well.
I”ve used snow stakes for a trowel. They just don’t cut it unless the ground is soft.
Too many people don’t use a trowel at all, they claim that they can make it work with just a hiking pole and kicking the duff (the ground cover). When they do that unless the situation is perfect, what the do is leave poop way too close to the surface. You can smell it when someone has done that.
As far as trowels go there is the classic plastic trowel. I haven’t used it. There is the Deuce of Spades. Excellent, light, aluminum, in lots of colors. I liked mine, it is just a little short. There are some titanium trowels. I picked one up from Massdrop with a credit I had. Narrower and longer than the Deuce. For most of the situations I’ve encountered, digging deeper, but not quite as much (the narrow vs. wide) is better. Not sure I would have picked it up if it were not free.
(As of 2025 I’m still using the titanium trowel and Happy6 still uses her Deuce of Spades).
Hat & Buff
I use a Tilley Hat. I had something very similar that I lost. The wide brim provides me with protection from rain and from sunburn when hiking (I burn much too easily) and covers my ears and neck. Many hikers will do just as well with a cap or a cap and sunscreen.
Tilley Hat is a category (mine happens to be that brand, but the one that disappeared was not). Pricing can be from under $20.00 (which is what I’m willing to pay) to way too much. https://www.amazon.com/Tilley-… Often out there used as well.
Buffs vary in price, weight and color. Pick one you like and that is the lowest price the week you buy it. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009… is what I got, lower price when I bought it. I have a lightweight one for warmer weather and a heavy fleece/snow skiing one for cold, cold weather. Wool will keep you warm when wet, dries out easily, doesn’t pick up smells.
Bug screen. I need to pick one up some time.
(I’ve changed hats. Buffs are buffs).
Water
I use a three liter reservoir and it hangs in a water proof separator in my pack. I use a mouthpiece so I can drink as I walk. I’ve tried water bottles (and lots of people use Gatorade bottles and fruit juice bottles work really well — lighter and better shaped than Gatorade), but the platypus system works well for me. I can carry enough water when there is drought, it is easy to get to and drink through the day, and I can add electrolyte powder to it easily.
I’ve seen people hiking with as little as a single one liter bottle. You can tell people who are “signaling” status who list a Nalgene bottle as part of their equipment. The weight/price/etc. on them just doesn’t justify it. Compare the Nalgene to a Welch’s Cranberry Juice bottle emptied out (weight, price, etc.). https://www.amazon.com/Bike-Mi…
(And now I use Core and Smartwater bottles).
First Aid and Cooking
My wife (a CRNA) carries the first aid kit — basically a tick removal tool. We also both carry a little bit of cleanser (hand sanitizer) and biodegradable wet wipes, our own tooth brushes, tooth paste (dehydrated pellets), tenacious tape.
For cooking we’ve tried a lot of systems and alternatives. The basic choices are a canister system where it all fits together (like the MSR Windburner https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Y… which has an available 1.7 liter pot) and a pocket rocket and titanium pot. We’ve used both. The MSR uses less fuel, boils water faster, etc. (there are also alcohol stoves made out of cat food cans.
One of the pioneers for those never carries one on a trip longer than three days because the fuel weight at that point makes them heavier than a canister attached to rocket. That is both a brand and a category (and often under $20.00 as well). https://www.amazon.com/MSR-Poc…
(And I’ve changed that).
Sunglasses
I wear contacts. I hike with glasses that also serve as sunglasses. I’ve hiked in contacts and sunglasses. Just the glasses are lighter.
(Cataract surgery changed everything.)(note bifocals ruin your view of the trail and put it out of focus).
Headlamp
At night I use a Black Diamond headlamp. There are scores of headlamps available. Price and weight and features should be your guide, especially as just about everything ends up on sale in the $10.00 range rather than the full price.
Wool Gear (price first always).
Make sure they are really wool (watch out for wool cotton blends masquerading as wool) and that you like the type of neck (v-neck, quarter zip, round neck, don’t care).
Superlightweight quilt for cool weather camping/puffy use in camp (I would not use it for a puffy, not bad for weather that is around 50 degrees at night, I like it for that). https://www.amazon.com/Wearabl…
Capilene (an alternative) — watch for sales to drive the price down by 50% or more. https://www.amazon.com/Patagon… Also. Be aware that Silkweight is the milspec Capilene.
Wool alternative bottoms — again, it is so very, very easy to pay way too much. Look around and find the same thing cheaper. https://www.amazon.com/Minus33…
I’ll do a complete gear list at some point.
Hiking poles
After all is said and done, aluminum hiking poles (or how I fell, and will stick with Aluminum for a while).
(Note that manufacturing processes had aluminum and carbon at similar weights for a long time).
It is fun to listen to people talk about “the best shoe” (or the best boot).
There is no “best shoe.”
Happy at Springer
This is because just about every manufacturer has a type of foot their shoes work best for and a way of hiking that their shoes work best for. As a result, the best shoe for someone else is probably not the best shoe for you.
Even worse, a shoe that is perfect for you, in a new edition may no longer be perfect. The best example is the Brooks Cascadia. It started to take the hiking world by storm because it was wide. Then Brooks came out with new editions. If you don’t know, Brooks is known for narrow shoes. Most hiker’s feet spread. The new editions were narrow. Brooks went from loved to hated.
Now they are trying again. No surprise, reviews for the new Cascadia (the 13) are few and far between. In fact, the first page of Google results looking for a Cascadia 13 review will send you to the 10. ( https://trailrunnermag.com/gea…). It was a fine shoe for runners with narrow feet. A terrible shoe for backpackers.
Anyway, the “best shoe” is one of three or four (out of literally more than a hundred possibilities) that fits your particular feet and hiking style.
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Now for some quoted material [with their links] — the sort of pre-trail preparation and research I did that brought me to my conclusions.
As in years past, Salomon, Brooks, and Merrell were among the most popular footwear brands of AT long-distance hikers. Salomon was the top brand, as before, but Altra entered the running, from being worn by less than 4 percent of hikers last year, to over 12 percent this year.
Low top versions of the Merrell Moab Ventilators, which comes in a Men’s and Women’s version
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Back to me (the quoting is over)
Items added and discarded
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Salomons are too narrow for me.
My bottom line:
You need to find shoes that fit your feet, under a load (a backpack) with 30 lbs in it (even if you expect to never carry quite that much). Do a week long section hike shake down with the shoes.
Shoes fit so much differently with weight on your back than they do without it.
Get ones that fit your feet and the way you hike.
I’ve tried a lot of shoes. Some threw my knees out. Some left my feet sore after only 3-4 miles. All the ones that did not work for me worked very well for others.
Of interest, as to other gear, Mariposa had the following to say (edited to delete things she got significant push-back on):
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Back to quoting (and I wish she were still writing)
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Other than winter layers, bug nets, and other seasonal gear, the items hikers most commonly discarded were:
Parts or all of their First Aid kits
Bear proof sacks or cans (these are necessary in other regions of the U.S., but not the AT)
Microspikes (not needed unless you’re hiking very late or early in the season)
“My dignity” (you better expect you’ll become hiker trash)
Most of these items, such as bear canisters and bear spray, are commonly used (or required) in other regions of the U.S., but they are unnecessary on the Appalachian Trail. Bear spray is primarily designed for use with bear species like grizzlies, which we don’t have on the east coast. Before hiking the AT, you should educated yourself on behavior around black bears, and if you do that, you won’t need bear spray.
As woman who was traveling alone, I did bring pepper spray on my 2014 thru-hike, but that was a precaution against creepy men, not wildlife. I never had to use it but I did feel safer hiking alone at night, and it hardly weighs anything.
The following items are so unnecessary that hardly anyone brings them in the first place. If, for some reason, you’re thinking of bringing these, just don’t:
This graph shows how many people discarded these items (on the left) and how many added them (on the right).
I highly recommend all hikers carry them in nearly all thru-hiking circumstances:
Water purification of some kind: if you don’t treat your water, you are more likely to get sick. End of story.
Soap or hand sanitizer: you’re probably fine if you just bring one or the other, but you’re likely to get sick if you don’t bring either.
Compass: If you don’t bring a compass, whistle, and light source, you are likely to get lost and/or injured. I was astonished that NINE hikers said they discarded their compasses, especially after the widely publicized death of Geraldine Largay. She did not have a compass and left her SPOT device in a hotel room, then died only two miles from the AT because she became lost and disoriented. Compasses are small and lightweight, so there’s no reason to discard them.
Whistle
Light source
Trowel: I did not bring a trowel on my AT thru-hike, but I’ve learned more about Leave-No-Trace practices since then, and become more concerned about the heavy traffic on the AT. Please consider bringing a trowel.
Groundcloth: Groundcloths, trekking poles, and duct tape are staples that nearly all thru-hikers rely on, so bring these unless you have extensive experience and a specific reason not to.
Trekking poles
Duct tape
Battery pack: Nine hikers added a spare battery pack and no hikers shook this down, so it might be a good idea to bring one.
I’ve used various ground sheets and not used some. I’ve worked with Tyvek, nylon and polycro (also called polycyro). To quote a section hiker [Philip Werner] [ at https://sectionhiker.com/gossa…] about it:
Polycryo is a clear, multilayer, cross-linked polyolefin film that is amazingly lightweight, weighing only 1.5 oz for a 40 x 96 inch sheet.
It has three significant advantages.
It is very, very cheap. This means that it is easily replaced and can be considered disposable.
It is very, very light.
It absorbs no water. That is significant since most tarps and ground sheets absorb some water (or at least are much heavier wet than dry).
I’m not willing to go the polycro tent route (polycro tents are almost invisible and quite see through unless the condensation gives you some privacy). But for a ground sheet to use under a tent or in a shelter, polycro is great.
The other place polycro works really well is as a tarp/rain fly. You can set a tent up under a polycro rain-fly and always set up out of the rain. I run a ridge line (a bit of parachute cord) between two trees.
Toss the tarp over it with 4′-6′ of shock cord running from each corner to a tent peg. That gives me a place out of the rain to set up. The tarp is made by just getting a sheet of polycro (using a window film kit) and tying shock cord to each corner using a sheet bend knot (the type used for sailing).
I’ve been very pleased. The rain tarps are incredibly light (around 2-3 ounces, with the cord) and they absorb no water, so when I got rained on during the night, I still packed up my tent dry in the morning. The also inhibit condensation on the outside of a tent.
Polycro fly
Made into a ground cloth, there are two ways to do it. The first way to make one is simple. Just lay out a piece of polycro that is about the right size. That is what Phillip has done for years. Compared to Tyvek they are lighter, absorb far less water, and you can see under them for anything that might be a surprise when setting up your tent.
For some reason, the ground or the shelter floor is easier to see (in some ways) after you’ve laid one down — so pine cones, branches, rocks, and such stick out more. I’ve done variations on this. If you need more directions: http://backcountrybanter.com/h…
The second way to make one is a little more work.
Measure and cut the ground sheet to have your tent overhand it.
Seam the edges (I’ve used Gorilla Tape or the very thin edging material that it comes with to make a tear resistant edge).
Make tie-outs. I’ve done this several different ways. Use a sheet bend knot to tie shock cord to each corner. Tape shock cord to each corner. Make a tie-out from Gorilla Tape (clear), a gasket (plastic) and a thin piece of wood. The gaskets match up where your tent poles will be. You can also use this set up to set up the tent poles, anchored by the tie-outs, then put up your tent’s rain fly, then put up the tent’s interior (where you would usually have to put the interior up first) which can make life a little better in the rain.
Here is what one looks like:
I’ve made one like that, and a couple with the various shock cord tie-outs. My next one will look like the one in the picture, but with clear tape being used. I will post a picture of it when I get it done.
Of the two, the rain fly and the ground sheet, either can be done without. Lots of people don’t use either. Others do the entire hike with one. An important caveat is that this is another example of something that is a matter of personal preference. However, having hiked with and without them, I find that they are work the effort to make and carry.
They are so easy to replace. If it rained less, I’d really say skip the effort (e.g. PCT vs. AT). If trees were not found everywhere and it wasn’t so easy to set up a ridge line I’d also say skip the effort. But when there is no shelter or the shelter is full, and rain is blowing in, it makes for such a nice morning pack-out.
Ground sheets are universal. Rain flies I learned about from some section hikers who do a lot of winter sections as well as a lot of band weather sections.
In the “off season” (e.g., when there are not any bugs) I’ve know people who just used the rain fly and ground sheet and skipped a tent altogether.
I’ve been through a number of tents in my life, from when I was in the boy scouts in the 1960s when we camped with canvas tents to more modern tents and car camping. Have also used different tents while section hiking.
This is the advice I gave someone in 2018 who was looking for a tent for a couple to use to through hike the AT next year. They are 5’8″ and 5’10”. They wanted to just buy one tent, not get on the treadmill of buying tent after tent until they got it right. Note that I’m 5’5″ and my wife is 5’8″ (I was 5’6″ and she was 5’7″ when we got married).
Below is my advice. …
I’d suggest that you schedule a trip to an REI. REI will let you set up tents and take some time in store to look at them. Set up two or three side by side and lay down in them. My wife and I have done that. Set up tents, crawled in and out of them, compared them side by side, and taken some real time.
[I really found this helpful after I had used a few tents and been out camping with modern tents. Once we had a feel for what it had been like in a tent for several trips on the trail, compared to car camping, it really helped to then compare the tents we were looking at using to replace our car camping tent with one for use on the trail.]
So you set up 2-3 tents in the store and check them out, then take down one or two and set up some more (that way you always have a tent set up from the group before to keep a baseline going).
[Note that every REI I’ve been in has had a couple-three tents set up anyway. The neat thing is that they really will let you set up and look at tents in store and you can compare all sorts of tents in a way you never could otherwise. The staff has always been excited when I asked to do that]
After you have checked out the tents, rent/borrow/buy a used tent and do a short trip with it. Go to REI garage sales and see what people are returning (that is how they get everything they sell — returns) — often people who returned something are at the garage sale and will talk about why they returned what they returned.
[For example, at our local Dallas REI the most common returned tent found for sale in the garage sale is a Big Agnes Fly Creek 1p tent. I once was in a check-out line directly behind a guy who had returned one and the girl right in front of him was buying it. The tent was perfect for both of them. He was just too large for it to work for him. She was petite and was comfortable with small tents and ones that are not free standing.]
[Another thing that people will talk about is freestanding and non-freestanding tents. For some people whether or not a tent is freestanding — whether it needs to be set up with tent pegs and guy lines and such — is important. For some it really doesn’t matter.
Most tents need a little tying out, some need a lot. Some can make do with very little. At the end of the day it sometimes makes a difference in setting up. How much work, what kind of soil you have to deal with, lots of things. A lot of that depends on the person.]
By experimenting like this (setting up and laying down in tents in store and taking tents on short week or so section hikes) my wife and I realized we like freestanding tents more than not.
(Note that I got over that after about 1,200 miles on trail).
We got to a definite preference for side entry over front entry. (That seems universal).
I confess that at the end what I really wanted was a two pound half dome At five pounds it is just too heavy. But it works for car camping.
We tried 3p and 2p tents. Tried vestibule(s) for gear storage and tried storage in the tent. We checked out how much condensation we had issues with. (some people create more condensation than others, some have stronger feelings about condensation in a tent than other people do. Find out where you fit).
[Side entry makes it easier to get in and out of a tent. Some people don’t care. Front entry in a tent means you climb in and out of the same entrance, and kind of in and out over each other if it is a shared tent. We didn’t climb over each other really in the front entry tents we tried, some people get really annoyed by each other. But it is easier to get in and out and to keep gear accessible and not in the way. Climbing in and out over our gear in the vestibule was more of a hassle in a front entry tent than climbing in and out over each other.]
[We found that some tents ventilate a lot better than others. Condensation really annoyed my wife. Others are good with wiping down the inside of their tent every morning. I have to agree my wife was right.] (The biggest factor in condensation is site selection. It took me a while to figure that out).
That said, almost everyone [most of the manufacturers had some significant updates in 2017-2018] updated their tents this year or last year, so everything is current. You have plenty of time to check sales. [A good number of last year’s models were close to this year’s model or almost exactly the same. Price really dropped for those that were updated.] Options I’d suggest:
[Ok, something I should have brought up. Many people hike with a 2p — two person — tent for one person. 3p for two people. Others find a 2p tent works just fine for two and are fine with a 1 person tent for one person. What works for you really is a matter of personal choice and comfort. As I mentioned, 1p Fly Creeks get returned a lot to REI — at the same time they are really popular on the Appalachian Trail. One of the most popular tents with a lot of satisfied users.
That is why it is important to figure out how size and fit works with your style and comfort.]
[Back to options I would suggest looking at]
Tiger Wall 2p or 3p. REI exclusive now [the exclusive will end eventually], but lots of sales. REI currently offers 20% off and the REI coop refund too. [It is very light, semi-free standing, and has dual side entries.]
Mountain Hardwear Ghost 3p. (I sold mine, it actually ventilates too well for me, front entry, but it is a great tent to look at).
From Big Agnes, the two backpacking standards: Copper Spur and Fly Creek. (Disclosure, we bought a CS 2p to use instead of the Ghost).
Naturehike and Lanshan—especially since they are cheap and you can buy one to play with and experiment. You can get them on ebay and check them out on YouTube — lots of reviews.
The Tarptent double rainbow. Free standing using a hiker pole. Depends how how much moisture you breath out whether it works for you, but it is a really solid tent (as are the other tarptents).
The various Nemos. Note that the Fly Creek and Nemo’s are not free standing. Lanshan is not freestanding.
But those are the core choices to look at. All of those tents go on sale — sometimes dramatically on sale. Almost all have a 2p and a 3p version, and the 3p version isn’t that much heavier (For example: My Trail Company’s 3p is 2lbs, 15.5oz (Fly + Nest + Pole Set) (the stakes and guy lines add to the weight) the 2p is 2lbs, 6oz (Fly + Nest + Pole Set). 28 square feet vs. 46 square feet.
Tents I’ve owned include MyTrailCo. 2p, BA Copper Spur 2p, Mountain Hardwear Ghost 3p and a Half Dome (with the replacement pole sets). Etc. Wife and I currently use the Copper Spur 2p. But we are shorter than you and your boyfriend.
I’ve set up and played around with the Nemo Elite, the Nemo Dagger, the Tiger Wall (gets good reviews, just seems kind of fragile to me) and some others. And I’ve played around with a number of different types of tent stakes while I was at it. We hike with pack covers for the rain and have used them when setting up tents at night.
[The Tiger Wall, btw, seems to last just fine. It doesn’t ventilate quite as well as the CS–Copper Spur, and isn’t as free standing. I still like the CS better, but for my personal use.]
But it you are after “one and done” the real things you need to know:
What kind of entrance are you comfortable with? Climbing in and out of tents in a store to try lying down in them will help you get a real feel for it. Some people don’t mind a front entry. Some really hate them. Some just are “meh” on them. I’m kind of in the last group. I can live with them but would rather not.
How tight a fit are you comfortable with? At first I thought 30 square feet was a bare minimum. 29 feet felt a little cramped. But in the end with the almost vertical sides [the new Copper Spur], we’ve been happy with 29 square feet. Go figure. 2 lbs 11 oz. for the Ghost 3p is tempting though. You won’t know how fit works for you until you’ve set up tents, laid down in them and asked yourself how you feel in them (with the rain fly on and buttoned up). Most people on a through hike spend about one out of four days (almost two days a week) in towns in hostels and the like. That really makes a smaller tent easier to live with. Through hiking is a different animal, it is a matter of just not stopping. 12.5% of couples through hiking used a 1p tent (?!). 28% used a 3p tent. 54% of solo hikers used a 2p tent.
How much fussing around with your tent at the end of the day are you interested in? The entire free standing vs. not discussion, and the types of tent set up are all focused around this question. A lot of people are happy with either choice.
When you look at the annual hiker survey of AT Hikers, it becomes obvious that there is a wide range of choices that worked for people.
With this in mind look at the statistics Mariposa has developed (you can check 2016, etc. too).
Top 2-person models (used in 2017 on the AT. Note because this consists of numbers from 2017 it won’t have the Tiger Wall which is new this year and well worth considering).
Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL 2 — single entry, not quite free standing.
ZPacks Duplex — high line. But still only $599. Not free standing by any definition. The total weight for the packed tent is 21.0 ounces. Does not absorb water, can be packed wet after shaking it with little weight penalty.
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL 2 — free standing side entry.
MSR Hubba Hubba — free standing, side entry.
REI Quarter Dome 2 — almost free standing.
Nemo Hornet 2P, Elite 2P — both front entry, almost free standing. They were just too small for me. I’m shorter than you are, but you may find them ok. I really wanted to like the Elite 2p. Minimum Trail Weight 1 lb. 12 oz. Packaged Weight 2 lbs. 3 oz.
[Those are the most popular tents on the Appalachian Trail according to the 2017 statistics that are being collected. Year in and year out. Obviously things that work well for some people are just not the choice for others. I mean, 12.5% of couples through hiking used a 1p tent and over half of solo hikers used a 2p tent.]
So, lots of people are fine with not freestanding. Lots of people are happy with front entry. Lots of people don’t need a high interior. At some point price/weight affects choices (you don’t see any through hikers with an REI Half Dome — 5lb is too much, but the Quarter Dome at about three pounds is a steady seller used by through hikers.
[That isn’t to say that a lot of people don’t start with heavy tents, they just don’t finish through hikes.]
For almost every choice but heavy there are lots of people [who] like each choice. I hope that this lays out the how and why of your tent choices better for you and how to decide what you want. Note that many sellers have no questions asked return policies. Try not to abuse those.
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I did not suggest hammocks for a couple on the AT. Some day there will be lightweight two person hammocks that let you sleep flat. But today is not that day.
[That pretty much lays out the things I thought through on tent selection. Or why there is not necessarily a right choice for everyone.]
