More Gear Preparation

This is from a AT Preparation Journal I kept in late summer of 2013.  If you are beginning to prep for the AT I strongly recommend you keep a journal of your day to day activities.  I was surprised how often I went back to this journal to get information for future planning.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Time to do the detail work on my equipment.  Did a quick go through of the items I would be wearing.  Hat (ExOfficio, bugs away), t-shirt (ExOfficio, bugs away), underwear (cycling shorts w/o the padding), Bandana (ExOfficio, bugs away), convertible pants (ExOfficio, bugs away), sock liner, socks, shoes (New Balance M978), and gaiters.  Also belt bag carrying camera, voice recorder (?) and

The “pile” that had been sorted out for going in or on my pack (GoLite Vapor Trail) was then given a quick go through.  I went back through the weights for each item.   Put water in the water bottles.  The total was 26 pounds, 9 ounces.  This included my water but didn’t include food.  The plan is to pack 5 days of food.  At 1.5 pounds of food per day I’m looking at 8 pounds of just food. This would put me over 30 pounds (my and the packs suggested limit).  I trimmed from the emergency/first add kit and added most of the repair components. And dropped 9 ounces. 

Just realized I don’t have my tent poles so I will strap them on the outside of the pack but this will add weight.  This does allow me to compress the tent somewhat so I ordered a compression bag for that purpose.

In reading and watching countless discoursed on ultralight packing, I know that getting a final pound or two off the total weight is about reducing, not pounds, but ounces and fractions of ounces.  I found this to be exhaustive and frustration, but in the end it is the only solution.

More of a problem is getting all this in the pack.  The pack is a top access pack that has a top tube that you can also pack but I would like to limit how top heavy my pack gets.  I needed to drop a couple of pounds.  Could I leave today and walk the trail.  Yes. I think so.  This is course in regard to gear.