[at-l] KellyGoVols Questions

[Atcamel@aol.com (Atcamel@aol.com)]

Night light.  
The micro Petzl and the small mini Maglite are fine for a thru hike.  The 
Photon is also an excellent flashlight.  Princeton also makes a small 
flashlight like the Photon.  I carried the Petzl for my AT thru hike and both 
the Petzl and the Photon for my PCT hike.  I'd only carry the Photon if I 
were overly concerned with weight.

Candles.
Some thru hikers carry candles, but it's not that common.  The candle lantern 
is possibly the item most likely to be sent home during a thru hike.

Leki poles/sticks.
I've hiked aver 5000 miles with my Leki poles and I wouldn't take step one 
without them.  I bought my pair at Sierra Trading Post for half price.  A 
cheaper alternative is to buy used ski poles.  You can't adjust the height of 
these, however.  Of course, some hikers have used a hiking stick.  You can 
drill a hole in the handle and add a strap if you want.  Personally, the Leki 
poles are my favorite gear item.  They're a lot cheaper than knee surgery.

Gear list-newbies.
You can always send excess gear home.  Remember, the goal is reach Katahdin.  
There's no extra credit for being the most efficient.  After a few weeks, 
you'll know what gear you'll never use.  After a month, you'll know what 
level of comfort and gear will work for you.  Your fears will ease after you 
get in the swing of things.  Unlike the PCT, there are no Jardine police on 
the AT checking your gear.

As an example, I started out carrying the full length 2 ½ pound Thermarest 
and the chair attachment on my AT thru hike.  I felt I needed them for camp 
and sleeping comfort.  I sent the chair attachment home after two weeks and 
switched the 10 ounce Z-rest with the Thermarest after 1 month.

Would I thru hike with these two items again?  Definitely no.  Would I 
recommend purchasing these items for a thru hike?  No.  Did they help me 
complete the thru hike?  Possibly.  If you think you might want to hike with 
a teddy bear for the first few weeks, then do it.

Gear list -general.
There are several excellent outfitters on the trail.  You can find out what 
works best for you and what doesn't within the first month.  As long as you 
have the money in your budget, you can always purchase new gear on the trail. 
 Also, it may be good to have a Campmor catalog in your bounce box.  Of 
course, you can send your cold weather gear home when summer approaches.  
It's usually prudent to hang on to the cold weather clothes until after Mt. 
Rogers.

The most important gear consideration to consider is:  what kind of hiker are 
you?  Fast or slow?  Do you prefer to hang out in the shelters or do you hike 
until dark and then stealth camp?  Do you like to hit every town or do you 
prefer to only hit the towns on the trail?  Will you hike a mile off the 
trail to hit a deli or do you prefer to not hike any extra miles?  Are you 
starting before April and will need to carry winter clothes?  You can't 
always predict what kind of hiker you will be, either.  Before my AT thru 
hike, I thought I would never hike an extra mile off the trail to hit a 
deli/sub shop/snack bar.  After Virginia, there was no way I'd miss ANY food 
close to the trail ( part of the 98 deli tour).

One of the best ways to save weight is - eatyerfood!  Typically, a hiker will 
have an extra days supply of food.  When they approach a trail town, they'll 
race into town on an empty stomach in order to be really hungry for that AYCE 
restaurant.  Then they'll resupply with their mail drop.  Now they leave town 
with an extra 2 ½ day food supply.  Eat your food before you get into town.  

Oh yeah, and remember to have fun out there.

Camel AT98
Starman PCT00