Thank you SO much for posting this video! I'm prepping for my 2012 NOBO and am watching and reading everything I can to prepare. I thought you had a lot of cool ideas for your gear. I can't get over the negativity in the comments here! HYOH people! Anyway, thanks again for sharing this video and don't let the haters get you down. You've accomplished something great that most people could never even attempt.
@TammyLoves2Read you're very welcome. yes i got alot of negativity from the "virtual hikers" out there, but compare the pack contents of 1000 thru-hikers and you'll find 1000 different setups. there is no "best" -- its just what works for you. i found out what worked for me, made a few minor changes as i went, but over the entire hike i never switched out any major pieces of gear, and finished with ~90% of the gear in this video. PM me if u have any questions!
@supercooldudeism thats fair. i did have alot to learn. yes, early on i carried alot of gear. some of it i found useless and sent home however the primary components (pack, sleeping bag, hammock, cookwear, etc) i stuck with the entire trail. if you'd looked at my videos, this one was the first in a series of my COMPLETED 5 month thru-hike of the appalachian trail from LAST YEAR. so hows bout ya be a little less harsh?
@supercooldudeism on second though after re-watching this video, i've decided that your comment isnt fair after all. Other than ditching the extra sleeping pad, extra clothing i didnt need, and a small handfull of non-essential gear, this was the pack i carried from Springer Mtn 2179 miles to Katahdin. I wonder exactly what it is you think i need to learn? I was spot on with everything i said.
Alcohol stove fuel absolutely does NOT weigh less than canister stove fuel. One is a gas (less dense) and one is a liquid (more dense). Really, do you even think about this stuff before you say it? Over the course of a mail drop the alcohol stove weighs more that a canister stove, and is a lot less convenient.
@pinemanj i'm sorry i wasnt as clear as i should have been, i was just scrambling through my pack. my point being that a small bottle of alcohol fuel (and that was ALOT of fuel in the video, far more than i carried from town to town), and a coke can stove combined weigh less than canister fuel and a canister stove as a *complete system*. your right, the raw fuel isnt actually lighter, but the system itsself is. and btw i didnt mail drop fuel. i just got it in town by the oz.
@devinhiking regardless of how you refueled if you're carrying liquid (more dense, heavier) for the same or longer amount of time, you end up carrying more weight over the long run. Canisters give you flame control, more efficiency, and are less toxic. I've thru hiked with both and the canister wins every time.
@pinemanj ..shrug.. whichever works for you. i've hiked with both and i prefer alcohol. i still say the alcohol stove and fuel weighs less, since you can carry only what you need out of town to get to the next resupply, rather than carrying what you've got in your cylinder. not to mention if you suspect your cylinder is about to run out, you have to carry 2 metal containers. but anyway like i said, whatever works for you. thats why theres no right or wrong way to do it.
@ksjohnson0311 dude you are effed. look at my videos. this was last year. i finished. have you thru-hiked? what a tard. i'm sure you're a stud, why dont you actually post something on youtube instead of run your mouth?
@johnmonk66 i did this last year, but thank you for your kind words. they're suprisingly rare in the comments on this video. anyway, i did have 1 platy 2L bottle with me for camp water, but i didnt use it enough and got rid of it. the 1L plastic aquafina bottles did fine for me, they probably weigh close to a platy anyway, and i prefer the rigidity. 2L of water was plenty enough for the AT. and i kept the same coke can the whole trip.
dont like alchohol stoves. i recently upgreded to the jetboil and LOVE it. it makes boiling water 10 times easier. plus i got it for $60 so i couldnt pass it up.
Definately invest in a light weight pump filter.. sometimes a bottle can't get water out of a 1/2 inch deep puddle. I ran into MANY extremely small/dry water sources that were not much bigger than 2 inches wide and a slow trickle out of the ground. And I would suggest Platapus water bottles.. durable and space saving..
@leedickerson , the tarp from the hammock can be used as an improvised tent. This with a bivy bag has worked for me. As long as the tarp is big enough, I invested in the hex tarp by Hennessy.
@supercooldudeism i actually did this for a while... i ditched the hammock for a while and tested out just tarp-tenting on the ground, without a bivy.. it saved some pack weight but i went back to the hammock for comfort... and mosquitos.... whats funny is leedickerson seems suprised that i was able to locate 2 trees... in the forest... to hang my hammock every night. lol
@KamenDesantis hello, very sorry for the late reply, i stopped receiving emails about comments for some reason and wasnt aware there were so many comments to this video. Yes it was a vapor trail. It worked out fine except somewhere around Duncannon PA it started unraveling along the side but granite gear replaced it for free. the hammock did fine the whole trip. i tried going without the hammock and just pitching the fly as a tent to save weight but went back to the hammock eventually.
Nice. My own VT has blown the bottom out of the hydration sleeve. Probably something to do with my stuffing a 3L bladder into a sleeve only rated for 2. I am something of a cold sleeper so as much as I love my hammock I will probably go with a Shires TT for the long walk. Hoping to make it in 2012
How many cubic inches do you think an AT bag should be? I plan on doing the AT, but I want to use a military style Camelbak BFM instead of a civilian hiking pack.
@devinhiking YO YO YO YO YO YO caveman this is achilles we met early on in the smokies. im known as unicroc now but was achilles then and hiked the trail with my wife scat tracker... didnt know you were on here haha we finished october 3rd after waiting 2 days due to tropical storm closing katahdin... i think we have your email ... ill try to contact you there
I like your pack man, what kind is it?
j6mcd 1 week ago
Thank you SO much for posting this video! I'm prepping for my 2012 NOBO and am watching and reading everything I can to prepare. I thought you had a lot of cool ideas for your gear. I can't get over the negativity in the comments here! HYOH people! Anyway, thanks again for sharing this video and don't let the haters get you down. You've accomplished something great that most people could never even attempt.
TammyLoves2Read 1 month ago
@TammyLoves2Read you're very welcome. yes i got alot of negativity from the "virtual hikers" out there, but compare the pack contents of 1000 thru-hikers and you'll find 1000 different setups. there is no "best" -- its just what works for you. i found out what worked for me, made a few minor changes as i went, but over the entire hike i never switched out any major pieces of gear, and finished with ~90% of the gear in this video. PM me if u have any questions!
devinhiking 1 month ago
Great video! Looks like most of your comments are from people who will never get off youtube to learn what HYOH means.. Rock on!
WelcomeToMyDream 5 months ago 2
I will say that, dude, you have a whole lot to learn, but keep at it man and best of luck on the trail!
supercooldudeism 8 months ago
@supercooldudeism thats fair. i did have alot to learn. yes, early on i carried alot of gear. some of it i found useless and sent home however the primary components (pack, sleeping bag, hammock, cookwear, etc) i stuck with the entire trail. if you'd looked at my videos, this one was the first in a series of my COMPLETED 5 month thru-hike of the appalachian trail from LAST YEAR. so hows bout ya be a little less harsh?
devinhiking 7 months ago
@supercooldudeism on second though after re-watching this video, i've decided that your comment isnt fair after all. Other than ditching the extra sleeping pad, extra clothing i didnt need, and a small handfull of non-essential gear, this was the pack i carried from Springer Mtn 2179 miles to Katahdin. I wonder exactly what it is you think i need to learn? I was spot on with everything i said.
devinhiking 7 months ago 2
Alcohol stove fuel absolutely does NOT weigh less than canister stove fuel. One is a gas (less dense) and one is a liquid (more dense). Really, do you even think about this stuff before you say it? Over the course of a mail drop the alcohol stove weighs more that a canister stove, and is a lot less convenient.
pinemanj 9 months ago
@pinemanj i'm sorry i wasnt as clear as i should have been, i was just scrambling through my pack. my point being that a small bottle of alcohol fuel (and that was ALOT of fuel in the video, far more than i carried from town to town), and a coke can stove combined weigh less than canister fuel and a canister stove as a *complete system*. your right, the raw fuel isnt actually lighter, but the system itsself is. and btw i didnt mail drop fuel. i just got it in town by the oz.
devinhiking 7 months ago
@devinhiking regardless of how you refueled if you're carrying liquid (more dense, heavier) for the same or longer amount of time, you end up carrying more weight over the long run. Canisters give you flame control, more efficiency, and are less toxic. I've thru hiked with both and the canister wins every time.
pinemanj 5 months ago
@pinemanj ..shrug.. whichever works for you. i've hiked with both and i prefer alcohol. i still say the alcohol stove and fuel weighs less, since you can carry only what you need out of town to get to the next resupply, rather than carrying what you've got in your cylinder. not to mention if you suspect your cylinder is about to run out, you have to carry 2 metal containers. but anyway like i said, whatever works for you. thats why theres no right or wrong way to do it.
devinhiking 5 months ago
you are effed. i can't wait to see a dude who looks like a penis laying on the side of the trail with a broken back.
ksjohnson0311 9 months ago
@ksjohnson0311 dude you are effed. look at my videos. this was last year. i finished. have you thru-hiked? what a tard. i'm sure you're a stud, why dont you actually post something on youtube instead of run your mouth?
devinhiking 7 months ago
My recommendations would be...
Carry platypus bottles, they fold up when not needed, because there are lengths of the trail where 2 bottles is not enough.
And a vargo hexagon stove, weighs 4 ounces and uses free twigs as fuel,
Good luck
johnmonk66 11 months ago
@johnmonk66 i did this last year, but thank you for your kind words. they're suprisingly rare in the comments on this video. anyway, i did have 1 platy 2L bottle with me for camp water, but i didnt use it enough and got rid of it. the 1L plastic aquafina bottles did fine for me, they probably weigh close to a platy anyway, and i prefer the rigidity. 2L of water was plenty enough for the AT. and i kept the same coke can the whole trip.
devinhiking 7 months ago
dont like alchohol stoves. i recently upgreded to the jetboil and LOVE it. it makes boiling water 10 times easier. plus i got it for $60 so i couldnt pass it up.
asmodia14 1 year ago
Definately invest in a light weight pump filter.. sometimes a bottle can't get water out of a 1/2 inch deep puddle. I ran into MANY extremely small/dry water sources that were not much bigger than 2 inches wide and a slow trickle out of the ground. And I would suggest Platapus water bottles.. durable and space saving..
krrd77 1 year ago
@krrd77 , what about absorbing the water out with something, then ringing it over a fabric, filtering into a cup :) lol, just bring a giant sponge
supercooldudeism 8 months ago
so, you do not use a tent at all. YOU FIND two trees to place your hamack?
leedickerson 1 year ago
@leedickerson , the tarp from the hammock can be used as an improvised tent. This with a bivy bag has worked for me. As long as the tarp is big enough, I invested in the hex tarp by Hennessy.
supercooldudeism 8 months ago
@supercooldudeism i actually did this for a while... i ditched the hammock for a while and tested out just tarp-tenting on the ground, without a bivy.. it saved some pack weight but i went back to the hammock for comfort... and mosquitos.... whats funny is leedickerson seems suprised that i was able to locate 2 trees... in the forest... to hang my hammock every night. lol
devinhiking 7 months ago
Is that a vapor trail pack?
I am still on the fence about hammock vs tent for the AT. did you have any trouble finding places to string up for the night?
KamenDesantis 1 year ago
@KamenDesantis hello, very sorry for the late reply, i stopped receiving emails about comments for some reason and wasnt aware there were so many comments to this video. Yes it was a vapor trail. It worked out fine except somewhere around Duncannon PA it started unraveling along the side but granite gear replaced it for free. the hammock did fine the whole trip. i tried going without the hammock and just pitching the fly as a tent to save weight but went back to the hammock eventually.
devinhiking 7 months ago
@devinhiking
Nice. My own VT has blown the bottom out of the hydration sleeve. Probably something to do with my stuffing a 3L bladder into a sleeve only rated for 2. I am something of a cold sleeper so as much as I love my hammock I will probably go with a Shires TT for the long walk. Hoping to make it in 2012
KamenDesantis 6 months ago
u sound like a redneck
quentinonthego21 1 year ago
@quentinonthego21 whats wrong with rednecks....They live in the outdoors...
Failedtroothers 10 months ago
@quentinonthego21 Yeah he does but "u" spell like a idiot.
gcollin75 10 months ago
@quentinonthego21 i'm from georgia. this is how we talk. if you plan on hiking the AT you will have plenty of us for company for a while.
devinhiking 7 months ago
Very informative video. Looking forward to go there in the spring. Thanks for the advice!
GetAtMeFOO 1 year ago
you sound and look like uncle rico from napolion dynamite.
danusmcgator 1 year ago 2
how did you trip go? where did you start and where did you end?
14056Corey 1 year ago
How many cubic inches do you think an AT bag should be? I plan on doing the AT, but I want to use a military style Camelbak BFM instead of a civilian hiking pack.
Quadmachine0 1 year ago
@CowboyKeN19 - thoroughly enjoyed it.
devinhiking 1 year ago
@devinhiking YO YO YO YO YO YO caveman this is achilles we met early on in the smokies. im known as unicroc now but was achilles then and hiked the trail with my wife scat tracker... didnt know you were on here haha we finished october 3rd after waiting 2 days due to tropical storm closing katahdin... i think we have your email ... ill try to contact you there
chunkyone1234567 1 year ago
Nice set up!
Bustertb 1 year ago
Well done man. Obviously not your first rodeo.
rowdybeaver33 1 year ago