What we are Bringing on our Thru Hike!

Jake's Gear

Well, we had to take the customary “gear” shots for our upcoming thru hike of the Appalachian Trail! We thought we would change it up a little and actually give you some information as to WHY we chose to bring what we did. So, here is a breakdown of what we brought, the why behind it, and what we decided to nix after we did our “gear shakedown!”

Our Personal Gear
Sleeping Bag

• This Thermarest women’s bag is a zero degree bag that I have had for about 4 years. I really like it because it has a little down foot pouch for my feet. Since my feet are always cold this is ideal. It also has these elastic fabric bands on the bottom that I can loop through my sleeping pad. It is SO nice to not slip and slide at night.
• Jake just got this Mountain Hardware 20 degree bag. He is a warm sleeper so this should work well for him with the temperatures we will be experiencing on the trail.
• We have Marmot 55 degree summer bags we will switch to once the weather is warm enough.

 
Thermarest sleeping pad

• This is the very first piece of backpacking gear I bought about 8 years ago. This self inflating sleeping pad still work like a charm and I have never had a leak or issue with loosing air. I do blown it up more once the self inflating stops so I can get it as full as possible.
• Jake has also had his sleeping pad FOREVER and it still works great!

 
Cushy pillow

• I like this pillow because it has some form to it and with the way I sleep it supports my head better than the flatter pillows.
• Jake prefers the blow up pillow but I find it too hard. It is always good to have options! He also has a little pillow case since the material on the pillow isn’t very comfy.

 
Trash bag, rubber gloves, and cheapo umbrella – bringing these for extra warmth if need be for when there is a bad rain storm.
 
Sleeping cloths

• Cotton legging, top, undies and socks. These are kept in a Ziploc bag to stay dry. I like cotton to sleep in because it is soft on my body. I can’t stand sleeping in just the sleeping bag or liner, if feels gross and is not very cuddly.
• Jake will sleep in his long johns or shorts.

 
Osprey packs

• Aura 50L pack – I chose to not bring the top attachment piece so I can keep my pack weight to a minimum. It will be a very snug fit when I have to carry 6-7 days worth of food!
• Aether 60L - Jake is keeping his attachment because it converts into a little day bag which will be nice when we are in town or need a smaller bag for the other stuff we do when we are off trail.

 
Rain fly – gotta have a rain fly.
 
Tekking poles

• I have had these for a few years. I do not love them since they are kind of heavy but I did not want to buy new poles for our trip since they are so expensive and we had other stuff we actually needed. I would not recommend these poles (REI brand, the cheapest ones they sell…I should have spent the extra $50 for the ultra light ones…someday!).
• Jake got his BRAND NEW poles at a garage sale for $10 and they are super nice! He really likes them. I am jealous of his!

Amy's Gear

Bathroom Essentials – These are the bare minimum items we will not live without!

• Good ‘ol toilet paper – Yup, that is a FULL roll. I do not want to run out in the middle of nowhere!
• Poo trowel – Jake (1) and I (2) each have a different style to see which one we like better. The plastic one we used to had sucked. We are excited about the upgrades!
• Wash cloth – I could probably get rid of this but I think this will be nice to have to wash my legs and stuff in the creeks.
• Toothbrush – with the long part cut off.
• Toothpaste
• Lotion
• Hand sanitizer
• Biodegradable soap (to fight off the Norovirus)
• Body glide
• Dental floss
• EAR PLUGS – very important to get a good night sleep!
• Shaver (my luxury item)
• Panty liners and Diva Cup – this is the system I will use when I have my period.
• Face wipes and body wipes – 1 of each for each day while on the trail
• Waterproof sack for carrying out smelly bathroom stuff. This bag is too big so I am getting a smaller waterproof Sea to Summit dry sack.

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​Bear Bag (to hang) and rope

• I have changed mine to a waterproof dry sack that we already had so I think that will hold up better over time and hang better was well.
• Jake already is using a waterproof dry sack.

 
Headlamp

• I really like this headlamp because it has about 6 light settings, including red, and it is nicer than I have had with any fancy brands. I bought this at Menards when I first started backpacking about 8 years ago on sale! I do love a sale!
• Jake is using a Pentzl headlamp but it only has 3 settings. It does work great, we just like the red light too.

 
Insect repellent – We have the wipes, spray and lotion. When we run out of one type, we will have the next kind mailed to us. The Sawyer Picaridin is such a great alternative to DEET. I highly recommend this! Please note, all exterior layered gear was treated with water proofing and then Sawyer Permetherin insect repellent, which is especially designed for clothing.
 
Emergency tool – It is a little whistle, compass, mirror and magnifying glass.
 
Food – for more details see our blog post “What to Eat on a Thru Hike?”
 
Cooking Supplies

• The long spork is the way to go! It keeps your fingers clean when you are eating from the bottom of the meal bag.
• Insulated bag to keep meal pouch warm
• Food saver bag – for the dehydrated meals we made ourselves we can add boiling hot water (we checked to make sure you could with these bags) to cook the food. We have extra that can be sent to us when they wear out. We can just rinse and re-use.
• Collapsible cup

 
Water filter

• I choose the Sawyer mini since it is small and will be so much water on the trail I won’t have to hassle with my Camelbak. I am also bringing a Nalgene to make my protein shakes in and can store another liter of water in. I will most likely carry 2 liters at any given time.
• Jake chose the Sawyer micro squeeze so he could easily refill his water bladder without having to take it out of his pack. He is bringing his Nalgene too for his protein shakes.

 
Clothing

• Wool hat
• Belt (to hold up our pants when we loose weight!)
• Buff – such a great multi-purpose item: keeps your neck/face warm or blocks dust, head/sweat band, washcloth, etc…
• Rain jacket
  • I actually hate this rain jacket and will never buy this brand again because I spent a ton on it and it leaked when I first bought it. I had to send it in and spray it and it was a pain. But after all that work to fix it I think I am all set now. I tested it in the shower!
  • Jake has a Marmot rain jacket he really likes and it’s a pretty blue color!
• Hiking pants
  • I love these Mountain Hardware pants because they are ¾ length zip away but they don’t make them anymore. I really wish I had purchased two pairs!
  • Jake has a regular zip off pants from Cabela’s but the leg fit is kind of wonky so he doesn’t like that about them but other than that they do work really well and have held up quite well.
• Long Johns
  • Under Armor mid-weight long johns set – I have had this set for years. I own 2 pairs and they are just great. They have barely any wear spots!
  • Jake has Smartwool long johns from REI and he really likes the mid-weight set.
• Fit socks and a pair of Darn Tough socks – love these light weight hiking socks. They hold up splendidly. We each have three pairs of socks. Two to wear during the day and a DRY pair for sleeping in when it is cold.
• Wool short sleeve shirt – it’s new so I can let you know how I like it!
• Jake has a short sleeve Dryfit shirt from Eddie Bauer. He really likes the shirt!
• Sweat head band – LOVE my sweat headbands! I use them all the time!
• Undies
  • I really love these Patagonia underwear. Very comfy and stay in place well.
  • Jake did a TON of research on the Jockey boxer briefs he uses and he really likes them!
• Sports bra – it is just a bra I have had forever that I like. Nothing special about it!
• ¼ zip long sleeve Kuhl wool shirt – these is nice and warm, super stylish and is a great layering top.
• Trucker hat – I normally wear a brimmed hat but since the AT is called the green tunnel, I have hoping this billed hat will work well.

 
Short gators – these work really nice to keep debris out of your shoes.
 
Bear spray – our mode of defense against animals and humans
 
Hiking Shoes

• I LOVE my Keen Voyager boots! I have high arches and a little bit of a wide foot and these work so great!
• Jake really likes his Oboz boots and will also use a sandal for river crossings and around camp. I just bought a cheap-o pair of camp shoes at Walmart.

Our Shared Gear
Kelty TN2 tent – this 2 person tent is a great fit for us! With 2 vestibules it has enough room for what we need and we have room for our dog, Sammy! I also love that you can roll up the front part of the rain fly and star gaze!
 
JetBoil Stove – we chose to make food where we just need to boil water and since the JetBoil boils water in about a minute, you can’t go wrong! And it packs up with all of the parts inside the container, including the fuel canister.
 
The A.T. Guide Book – our map for the trip
 
Small notebook – to jot down notes or important information we want to remember for when we write our book!
 
Point and Shoot Camera – I chose to bring the Olympus TG Tough camera because it has awesome picture/video quality. I am also bringing a long lens. It took me a long time to find a small camera that had all the capabilities I wanted...I highly recommend this camera!
 
Podcast gear, external charging power bank and charging cables for our phones.
 
Roller ball – to roll out our sore feet and muscles.
 
Half deck of playing cards – we plan to play cribbage…a lot of cribbage!
 
Compass – it is always important to have a map and compass when out hiking/backpacking
 
Our phones – how we will stay connected and keep in contact with our families and friends
 
First Aid Kit – for us and for our dog Sammy

• Pencil and paper to take vitals
• Kinesio tape
• Triangle bandage
• Ace bandage
• Horse tape
• Duct tape
• Wool-It for blister prevention
• First Aid cheat sheet
• Anti-itch stick
• Gear Aid – tenacious tape; tent and gear repair tape
• Razor blade
• Iodine tablets
• Thermometer
• Emergency blanket
• Various pain medication, allergy pill, Tums, Pepto-Bismol, Sudafed
• Burn cream and Neosporin
• Nail clippers
• Sewing needle and thread
• Tweezers
• Alcohol swaps
• Biofreeze – like Icy/Hot
• Duracell batteries – backup batteries for head lamp
• Face shield – if we have to give CPR
• Band-Aids
• Sawyer Blist-O-Ban
• Wound Closure Strips
• Tegederm Film
• Super glue
• Gauze
• Fire starter
• Matches, waterproof matches, lighter
• 2 pairs of rubber gloves

​Our Dog, Sammy’s, Gear
¾ length Thermarest foam pad – great to use for his sleeping pad but we can also use it for yoga and a sit pad during the day
 
Ruffwear Palisades dog pack – we LOVE this pack because it keeps all of his stuff organized and it has a really nice structure so he doesn’t get rub spots.
 
Ruffwear rain jacket – this is their most rainproff dog jacket and we really like it because it fits Sammy really well and covers a lot of his body to keep him warm and protected during storms.
 
Fleece jacket (instead of the puffy jacket that is shown) – we bought him a warm jacket to sleep in instead of a sleeping bag since he will be sleeping between us.
 
BullyMax dog food – super high calorie, high protein dog food
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Collapsible bowl – for his food and water
 
Travel towel – so we can wipe his down before he gets into the tent
 
Dog Care shock collar – this is a lightweight shock collar that has really good battery life, is light weight, has a micro USB for charging, and has three settings (beep, vibrate and shock). We LOVE this collar for Sammy because it is so easy to use.
 
Tick care
 
Heartworm pills
 
Collar with rabies tag and name tag
 
Ruffwear dog booties and liners – these work awesome and hold up so well.
 
Paw wax – this is super important because it helps keep his paw pads supple as he hikes.

Tri-care cream - for wounds