First of all we are new so not looking to go UL yet. But would still like some general feedback on our gear. Another couple has my wife and I bit by the backpacking bug. They took us out on three different day trips over the past two month and we had the time of our lives. My wife and I are big into amateur photography and it added a whole new realm to our pictures. (I am a landscape nut so you can imagine, my wife does still-life photography so she loves it as well). The couple has us fired up to go all over TN, NC, and GA this year. The longest trip will be (I believe) a 5 day trip on the AT. Temps during our outings should be from 45 to 95. I wanted to get your thoughts on some of the gear purchases we have made. Mainly wanted to see if you thought we were missing anything, or if you knew about the particular quality of something we have purchased and we should return it before putting it to use.

My Gear
Pack - Gregory Baltoro
Pad - REI Lite-Core 1.5
Bag - Mountain Hardware Switch 35 degree
Clothing - REI Lightweight MTS Bottoms, Polyester T-Shirts longsleeve shirts and underwear, Patagonia Capilene 3 long sleeve shirt, Marmot Driclime Windshirt, marmot precip raingear, REI Sahara Pants, coolmax liners, smartwool socks
Boots - Vasque Wasatch GTX
Hydration - Camelbak 3L bladder to go in pack
Light - Petzel Tikki Plus Headlamp
Cheap Trekking Poles (to see if we like using them)

Her Gear
Pack - Deuter ACT Lite 60 + 10 SL
Pad - REI Lite-Core 1.5
Bag - Mountain Hardware Switch 35 degree
Clothing - Same exact clothing setup as me
Boots - Merrell Chameleon Arc Mid Waterproof Hiking Boots
Hydration - Camelbak 2L bladder to go in pack
Light - Petzel Tikki Plus Headlamp
Cheap Trekking Poles (to see if we like using them)

Community Gear
REI Quarterdome t3 tent (3 person bc we have 2 dogs that will sometimes be in attendance.)
MSR Windpro Stove and Canisters
GSI Pinnacle Dualist Cookwear
extra batteries
Food
Katadyn Hiker Pro Filter
Knife and MultiTool
Camera
Sunscreen and Sunglasses
Matches and Magnesium Fire Starting tools
First Aid kit
compass
maps

Stuff I know we are missing: Rope, Stuff Sacks. I am still not sure what size or how many stuff sacks I am going to get.

Other than that, like I said just mainly wanted to see if you thought we were missing anything, or if you knew about the particular quality of something we have purchased and we should return it before putting it to use.

thanks in advance

Hi RH, welcome to the great outdoors! You guys are about to really be smitten, if you think dayhiking is great from a photographic perspective. Just wait until your first morning just before dawn in the woods, or when a fog rolls in, or ... there is no light like that you find in the backcountry!

Anyway, on the gear front, the gear you've selected certainly seems to be of high quality. I would take a look at your sleeping bags, are they down or synthetic? Most users here prefer a high-quality down bag from makers like Western Mountaineering, Marmot, Montbell etc. Down bags are lighter, more compressible, and have much greater service life than synthetics. I've also never found a synthetic bag that lived up to it's rating, while the down bags I've used always seem at least spot-on if not conservative at their rated temp. Don't worry about getting down wet; in all my years of backpacking in the SE, I've never gotten my bag more than lightly damp. Those instances were always under a minimalist tarp, whereas you will be in a tent.

You might also look at the Precip rainwear. It failed in severe rain in my usage, and I know a few other members have experienced this as well. The pants are fine, but I would look for a more weatherproof jacket. Good choices at a similar weight might be the Montbell Outpace (uses BreezeDryTec, one of the most respected of the WB materials frequently used by members here) or any jacket in Gore Paclite like the Golite Phantasm. Or if you want the pinnacle of performance, get an eVent jacket.

Have a great time! When you really get the bug, come back and see us for ways to shrink those pack weights; every 1.5 pounds or so of pack weight you lose equals another piece of glass you could carry! Lose 3 pounds and you could carry a big tele for shooting birds and distant wildlife!

Thanks for the reply! Unfortunately, my wife is very allergic to down, so we both have synthetic bags.The rain gear I will definately take a look at! Thanks a bunch.

Anything else I should look at?

Edited by HikeUltralight on 05/10/2009 08:51:08 MDT.

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Edited by NeezyDeezy on 04/01/2010 11:45:29 MDT.