I'm going to do my first thru-hike this summer or next, if I can swing the scheduling. I already cycle toured 1500 miles through the northeast with a minimalist setup and no hotels, so my comfort in camping in this exact gear list is already tested and approved. What I'm looking to do is to figure out how best to spend another 300 dollars to trim weight.

The one area I might need to re-examine is the way I carry the DSLR. And no, I won't consider switching it out for a compact camera. Photography is what I do!

Backpack:
Boreas Buttermilk 40L, no frame.
Front Pack: Lowepro Toploader Zoom 55

Hot Weather Clothing:
Shirt: Under Armour Synthetic Heat Tee
Shorts: Nike Dri-Fit Shorts
Pants: Mountain Hardwear Mesa climbing pants
Underwear: Ex-Officio Briefs
Socks: Darn Tough Merino Wool, Nike Dri-Fit Compression Socks (vein problem in one foot)
Shoes: Brooks Cascadia 7
Glasses: Bright colored and ridiculously stylish cheap-o plastic shades.
Hat: Some trucker hat, maybe a patagonia one.

Cold/Inclement Weather Clothing:
Jacket: C.A.M.P. Men's ED Slim Down Jacket (no hood)
Shirt: Smartwool Midweight Crew
Pants: Smartwool Midweight Tights
Rain Gear: Red Ledge Men's rain pants, Marmot Super Mica jacket
Socks: Fox River Reinforced Merino Wool Crew (need lighter alternative)
Hat: Smartwool Men's beanie
Gloves: Smartwool Pocket Gloves w/ liners

Sleeping:
Tent: Hennessy Hammock Ultralight backpacker's A-Sym
Sleeping Bag: EMS Solstice 20 synthetic (3lbs, inexpensive but no real complaints. On the bike tour, I used a cheap ALPS Mountaineering Razor fleece liner all the way down to 40º, and I might repeat that. Could use advice on a new sleeping bag)
Sleeping Pad: Thermarest NeoAir Regular
Sleeping Bag Stuff Sack: Sea to Summit e-Vent M

Water/Food:
Cold diet, no cooking. Pro Bars, CLIF bars, wraps, nuts, chocolate, and whatever else I end up choosing. I'm not picky and I don't drink coffee in the morning. When we bike toured, we used our stove exactly once in 30 days.
Water Filter: Sawyer PointOne Squeeze Water Filter System
Water Bottles: 2x Platypus 1L bottles OR 2x Nalgene Cantene 40oz
Food bag: 20L Sea to Summit Dry-Sack

Miscellaneous:
Firestarting: Zippo Windproof Lighter, Waterproof matches, firesteel, small amount of tinder
First Aid: Band-aids, gauze, Aleve painkillers, moleskine, tweezers, razorblade, Celox powder.
Hygiene: TP, Quick-wipes, Gold Bond, Toothpaste, sawed-off toothbrush, bug repellent.

Electronics:
Phone: iPhone w/ Charger
Headlamp: Petzl Tikka Plus 2 w/ Core rechargeable battery (cord compatible w/ iPhone charger, I think)
Camera: Nikon D5100 w/ Nikon 16-85 DX Wide Angle Zoom Telephoto and Nikon 40mm DX Prime Macro, w/ charger
Batteries: Nikon spare battery, 3 AAA (headlamp)

Other:
2 Sea to Summit compressions traps (fastening gear to the outside of my pack if necessary, fixing problems. Ditch?)
2 Leki Corklite Speedlock poles
1 Pack Raincover
1 Leatherman Micra
1 Sewing Kit (w/ Superglue, clothespins)
1 compass (Brunton Classic)
1 Mylar Emergency Blanket
Duct Tape
Plastic bags, plastic zip-ties
Passport/ID's

TOTAL ESTIMATED WEIGHT: 13lbs measured, but missing water filter, some hygiene items, and all camera gear. Estimated total: 18lbs.

Questions:
1. Add bug shirt?
2. Is a new sleeping bag in order?
3. Does anyone know if the Sawyer Squeeze is compatible with Platypus threads?
4. Should I pack a Stoic Titanium 700ml Kettle for cooking on a campfire occasionally? Think I'll use it w/ no stove?
5. Long-sleeve bug shirt and bug pants for sun protection? Is this an option for keeping cool? Or should I just load up on sunscreen instead?

Edited by mdilthey on 11/24/2012 20:41:19 MST.

Backpack:
Boreas Buttermilk 40L, no frame.
Front Pack: Lowepro Toploader Zoom 55

Hot Weather Clothing:
Shirt: Under Armour Synthetic Heat Tee
Shorts: Nike Dri-Fit Shorts
Pants: Mountain Hardwear Mesa climbing pants **skip, you have tights
Underwear: Ex-Officio Briefs
Socks: Darn Tough Merino Wool, Nike Dri-Fit Compression Socks (vein problem in one foot)
Shoes: Brooks Cascadia 7
Glasses: Bright colored and ridiculously stylish cheap-o plastic shades. **skip, most of LT is in trees.

Hat: Some trucker hat, maybe a patagonia one.

Cold/Inclement Weather Clothing:
Jacket: C.A.M.P. Men's ED Slim Down Jacket (no hood) ** skip, use LS shirt w/ Mica
Shirt: Smartwool Midweight Crew **Ok as long as it's Long sleeve
Pants: Smartwool Midweight Tights
Rain Gear: Red Ledge Men's rain pants, Marmot Super Mica jacket
Socks: Fox River Reinforced Merino Wool Crew (need lighter alternative)
Hat: Smartwool Men's beanie
Gloves: Smartwool Pocket Gloves w/ liners *** skip, no need for gloves

Sleeping:
Tent: Hennessy Hammock Ultralight backpacker's A-Sym
Sleeping Bag: EMS Solstice 20 synthetic (3lbs, inexpensive but no real complaints. On the bike tour, I used a cheap ALPS Mountaineering Razor fleece liner all the way down to 40º, and I might repeat that. Could use advice on a new sleeping bag)

** i was ok with a MYOG synthetic 40* quilt in early Aug staying in shelters, if you are set on hammocking then a light underquilt may be your best bet (going 100% shelters is easy though if you don't mind them) a 30* overquilt would be good for shelters and hammock.

Sleeping Pad: Thermarest NeoAir Regular
Sleeping Bag Stuff Sack: Sea to Summit e-Vent M ** skip it, use a compactor bag as a pack liners for dry stuff

Water/Food:
Cold diet, no cooking. Pro Bars, CLIF bars, wraps, nuts, chocolate, and whatever else I end up choosing. I'm not picky and I don't drink coffee in the morning. When we bike toured, we used our stove exactly once in 30 days.
Water Filter: Sawyer PointOne Squeeze Water Filter System

Water Bottles: 2x Platypus 1L bottles OR 2x Nalgene Cantene 40oz ** 1L soda bottles are compatible with Squeeze for the "dirty" side. Evernew is the only compatible soft sided bottle for dirty side.

Food bag: 20L Sea to Summit Dry-Sack

Miscellaneous:
Firestarting: Zippo Windproof Lighter, Waterproof matches, firesteel, small amount of tinder ** there is no need for a campfire on the LT, many places they are not allowed. bring a mini bic and some bar matches for backup


First Aid: Band-aids, gauze, Aleve painkillers, moleskine, tweezers, razorblade, Celox powder.
Hygiene: TP, Quick-wipes, Gold Bond, Toothpaste, sawed-off toothbrush, bug repellent.

Electronics:
Phone: iPhone w/ Charger
Headlamp: Petzl Tikka Plus 2 w/ Core rechargeable battery (cord compatible w/ iPhone charger, I think)
Camera: Nikon D5100 w/ Nikon 16-85 DX Wide Angle Zoom Telephoto and Nikon 40mm DX Prime Macro, w/ charger
Batteries: Nikon spare battery, 3 AAA (headlamp)

Other:
2 Sea to Summit compressions traps (fastening gear to the outside of my pack if necessary, fixing problems. Ditch?)
2 Leki Corklite Speedlock poles
1 Pack Raincover ** not needed, see compactor bag
1 Leatherman Micra
1 Sewing Kit (w/ Superglue, clothespins)
1 compass (Brunton Classic)
1 Mylar Emergency Blanket
Duct Tape
Plastic bags, plastic zip-ties
Passport/ID's

1. bug shirt not necessary, after july the bugs are mostly gone
2. 30* quilt would suit a hammock and shelter camping better than a sleeping bag
3. Squeeze doesn't fit Platypus, Evernew or 1L soda bottle threads,
4. you could bring it and a cat food can stove if you decide you want to cook, easy to pick up HEET in town. not many campfire spots.
5. a small amount of sunscreen is fine, there are not many full stretches in the sun, i didn't use any the whole trip.

http://jakedatc.wordpress.com/ my journal and gear list
http://www.geargrams.com/list?id=9466 current gear list that i would use

Edited by JakeDatc on 11/25/2012 08:05:54 MST.

The Thermarest serves as a pretty good underquilt since it's air-filled. An overquilt is probably in order. I'm not near crafty enough for MYOG though. Thanks for all the advice.

that is why i made a synthetic one.. they are pretty easy to make :) i bought my shoulder season down one from Tim cuz i leave that to the pro's haha

Bugs: late summer you might get lucky and not have many bugs, but in a bad year mosquitoes can be bad till Sept. This year there were black flies here (N. Central Mass) till Sept, but that's unusual.
Bug shirt/pants: if you mean made of mosquito netting type fabric, don't bother. Do treat your regular pants and long sleeve shirt with permethrin. Long pants with permethrin are useful for ticks (Lyme disease). Do bring a bug headnet -- http://www.petersheadnets.com are great. In June bring ample supplies of DEET.

June is a bad time to be on the LT in general.. mud is still muddy.. bugs are bad.. most folks wait until mid to late July

It was a dry year this year and I had a 1mi stretch where there were mosquitoes in Claradon gap where it was a bit wetter. not worth bringing anything but a headnet. never used deet either.

I bike toured this year for the month of August, and we got to VT about August 24th and were in the green mountains for maybe three or four days. The bugs were non-existant.

On the first day of the tour, I got poison ivy and I had it for two weeks. One night of the tour in Haverhill, MA, i leaned a knee up against my hammock's bugnet by accident and recieved 30-40 localized bug bites. Despite all this itchiness, my enjoyment was not critically affected; i found I just dealt with it.

However, I don't want a disease.

So if it were up to me and I was packing, I would have a t-shirt and then insulating layers, but if it's usueful to have a long sleeve hiking shirt sprayed with bug stuff, I'll bring it. I don't know if it's necessary for a late summer trip through VT.