Gear and food?!
02-11-2011, 11:48 AM
#1
Gear and food?!
So I'm planning a thru-hike next March for the Appalachian Trail. I'll be on the trail from 4-7 months, camping 98% of the time. I'm looking for some input from other members on here about different gear you've used, the quality of it, how well it worked, ease of use, etc. Anything and everything!
I'm mainly interested in tents, backpacks, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, boots/shoes, clothing, etc. Actually I think that's about all that I'll need...
The second part of this post is ideas for non-perishable foods. They will have to last through the mail (probably a couple days), and then multiple days on the trail (sometimes up to 10 days). I'm looking for items that are quick and easy to make, but are also filling and plentiful in nutrients.
All of this stuff will be on the same basis; THE LIGHTER WEIGHT, THE BETTER (although quality is equally as important). So start shooting me off some opinions on different gear and food out there
I'm mainly interested in tents, backpacks, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, boots/shoes, clothing, etc. Actually I think that's about all that I'll need...
The second part of this post is ideas for non-perishable foods. They will have to last through the mail (probably a couple days), and then multiple days on the trail (sometimes up to 10 days). I'm looking for items that are quick and easy to make, but are also filling and plentiful in nutrients.
All of this stuff will be on the same basis; THE LIGHTER WEIGHT, THE BETTER (although quality is equally as important). So start shooting me off some opinions on different gear and food out there
Last edited by nosfanatic2006; 02-11-2011 at 11:49 AM.
02-11-2011, 12:51 PM
#2
Banned
Read the book "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson.
A guys story about walking the trail with a friend. And doesnt candy coat how hard the trail actually is. Tells alot about the history of the trail. And might even give you some ideas.
Definatly worth reading.
A guys story about walking the trail with a friend. And doesnt candy coat how hard the trail actually is. Tells alot about the history of the trail. And might even give you some ideas.
Definatly worth reading.
02-11-2011, 02:00 PM
#4
http://www.mountainhouse.com/
I use alot of these for hikes I have done. Pretty nice as you only need to boil water and add to the bag of food, let sit 8-15 minutes and your ready to eat. Flavor I think is good, very light weight, last months, and you only need a pocket stove, a small cup to boil water in, and your fuel. Have a blast and be safe!
I use alot of these for hikes I have done. Pretty nice as you only need to boil water and add to the bag of food, let sit 8-15 minutes and your ready to eat. Flavor I think is good, very light weight, last months, and you only need a pocket stove, a small cup to boil water in, and your fuel. Have a blast and be safe!
02-12-2011, 07:40 AM
#5
When I hiked the John Muir Trail I took the full 2 weeks of food with me. I used mainly stuff you can find in the grocery store, and not a lot of specialty freeze dried stuff, aside from some freeze dried eggs. I had pasta, rice, dried potatoes, various sauce, gravy and soup mixes and could basically cook up whatever I wanted on a given day. I also made up a large batch of bannock (trail bread) mix and cooked up a large piece of bread each morning that I had for lunch.
I actually found my whole food plan turned upside down after about a week on the trail. I found I was eating my dinner items in the morning (mainly high carb things) and eating the more protein rich things at night. I kind of tailored the day's meals to the terrain I was going to be hiking that day (lots of high passes to climb on the JMT), I kind of learned how many 1000's of feet of climbing I could get out of each kind of meal. Once I got that part figured out, it made the hiking a lot easier each day. For example, before I moved the high-pro. items to the evening meal, I was waking up all stiff and sore (for an hour or so), but within a day or two after I started loading up on protein at night, I awoke feeling fine.
So while you might plan out each day and meal to the "T" before the trip, I'll wager things will change once you hit the trail.
I used a small one-man bivi-tent and a fairly light weight sleeping bag over-bag (has insulation in the top and a pocket in the bottom for a therma-rest pad. Was fine except one night that dipped into the 20's it was a little chilly. I used my old Alpenlite external frame pack.
I actually found my whole food plan turned upside down after about a week on the trail. I found I was eating my dinner items in the morning (mainly high carb things) and eating the more protein rich things at night. I kind of tailored the day's meals to the terrain I was going to be hiking that day (lots of high passes to climb on the JMT), I kind of learned how many 1000's of feet of climbing I could get out of each kind of meal. Once I got that part figured out, it made the hiking a lot easier each day. For example, before I moved the high-pro. items to the evening meal, I was waking up all stiff and sore (for an hour or so), but within a day or two after I started loading up on protein at night, I awoke feeling fine.
So while you might plan out each day and meal to the "T" before the trip, I'll wager things will change once you hit the trail.
I used a small one-man bivi-tent and a fairly light weight sleeping bag over-bag (has insulation in the top and a pocket in the bottom for a therma-rest pad. Was fine except one night that dipped into the 20's it was a little chilly. I used my old Alpenlite external frame pack.
02-13-2011, 08:19 PM
#6
When I hiked the John Muir Trail I took the full 2 weeks of food with me. I used mainly stuff you can find in the grocery store, and not a lot of specialty freeze dried stuff, aside from some freeze dried eggs. I had pasta, rice, dried potatoes, various sauce, gravy and soup mixes and could basically cook up whatever I wanted on a given day. I also made up a large batch of bannock (trail bread) mix and cooked up a large piece of bread each morning that I had for lunch.
I actually found my whole food plan turned upside down after about a week on the trail. I found I was eating my dinner items in the morning (mainly high carb things) and eating the more protein rich things at night. I kind of tailored the day's meals to the terrain I was going to be hiking that day (lots of high passes to climb on the JMT), I kind of learned how many 1000's of feet of climbing I could get out of each kind of meal. Once I got that part figured out, it made the hiking a lot easier each day. For example, before I moved the high-pro. items to the evening meal, I was waking up all stiff and sore (for an hour or so), but within a day or two after I started loading up on protein at night, I awoke feeling fine.
So while you might plan out each day and meal to the "T" before the trip, I'll wager things will change once you hit the trail.
I used a small one-man bivi-tent and a fairly light weight sleeping bag over-bag (has insulation in the top and a pocket in the bottom for a therma-rest pad. Was fine except one night that dipped into the 20's it was a little chilly. I used my old Alpenlite external frame pack.
I actually found my whole food plan turned upside down after about a week on the trail. I found I was eating my dinner items in the morning (mainly high carb things) and eating the more protein rich things at night. I kind of tailored the day's meals to the terrain I was going to be hiking that day (lots of high passes to climb on the JMT), I kind of learned how many 1000's of feet of climbing I could get out of each kind of meal. Once I got that part figured out, it made the hiking a lot easier each day. For example, before I moved the high-pro. items to the evening meal, I was waking up all stiff and sore (for an hour or so), but within a day or two after I started loading up on protein at night, I awoke feeling fine.
So while you might plan out each day and meal to the "T" before the trip, I'll wager things will change once you hit the trail.
I used a small one-man bivi-tent and a fairly light weight sleeping bag over-bag (has insulation in the top and a pocket in the bottom for a therma-rest pad. Was fine except one night that dipped into the 20's it was a little chilly. I used my old Alpenlite external frame pack.
. I don't really intend to have much of a "meal plan", mainly just food on hand haha. It doesn't even have to really taste good honestly. Thanks for the suggestions though. I'm torn between a bivi-tent and a solo-tent. I'm kind of leaning towards solo since it'll give me a little extra room to store my pack.Another question: What do you guys recommend for water filtration? I'm pretty sure I'll be getting most of my water from streams/rivers, and I really really really want to avoid getting sick. I've just started researching this so I"m still quite new to the options
02-14-2011, 07:40 AM
#7
Yes, I found the ingredients approach worked best for food. I recall I had brought along a lot of freeze dried eggs to help with protein intake but I just could not swing the taste as scrambled eggs plus it was a mess to clean up the pan, etc. But I stumbled upon an idea one day hiking and basically made an egg drop type soup with some soup mix I had. That became my basic dinner item for the rest of the trip.
I used one of those First Need filters as I recall and also carried a gallon water jug plus a small bottle or two for water. This was in the high Sierra about 25 yrs. ago, so not sure if it applies to the AT or not, but my strategy was to carry water and/or filter surface water within about 20 miles of major trail heads. Once I was away from a major trail head, I would use surface water unfiltered if it looked like a clean, cold source. I did not have any issues with water on the 2 week trip. I would imagine on the AT you may need to filter everything, though.
I used one of those First Need filters as I recall and also carried a gallon water jug plus a small bottle or two for water. This was in the high Sierra about 25 yrs. ago, so not sure if it applies to the AT or not, but my strategy was to carry water and/or filter surface water within about 20 miles of major trail heads. Once I was away from a major trail head, I would use surface water unfiltered if it looked like a clean, cold source. I did not have any issues with water on the 2 week trip. I would imagine on the AT you may need to filter everything, though.
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02-14-2011, 09:26 AM
#8
also, you can combine things from the store, like powdered potatoes, instant stew, and gravy powder. just add water...
bullion cubes are great for a lot of meals. got plain spaghetti? add a beef bullion cube and now you've got beef noodles. potatoes? add a chicken cube... etc.
instant pudding is a great desert, too.
filtering your water from a clean source should be enough (i went a week like that and was just fine). any source in question, use iodine tablets. and if the water tastes funny, use some cool-aid powder. just enough to cover the taste, and not so much that you get thirstier
oh yeah, and get a bear-bag for all this stuff
bullion cubes are great for a lot of meals. got plain spaghetti? add a beef bullion cube and now you've got beef noodles. potatoes? add a chicken cube... etc.
instant pudding is a great desert, too.
filtering your water from a clean source should be enough (i went a week like that and was just fine). any source in question, use iodine tablets. and if the water tastes funny, use some cool-aid powder. just enough to cover the taste, and not so much that you get thirstier
oh yeah, and get a bear-bag for all this stuff
02-14-2011, 09:32 AM
#9
X2 on the pudding. I found a great use for pudding mix as a sort of energy drink. Mix a box of that and a pint or so of water in a bottle and shake it up and chug. Was the perfect thing when you had a few miles remaining to the night's camp and started running low on energy.
02-17-2011, 09:58 AM
#10
I'm really not much of a chef so I'm not too sure about the "ingredients" part lol. Plus I'm not much of a chemist so putting 2 and 2 together I usually end up with something negative. I'm mainly thinking dehydrated beans, rice, maybe some noodles, dehydrated fruits (always hated them but I'm gonna have to deal with it 
), oatmeal, etc. I'm not worried about protein though. I'll be carrying a few different flavors of whey (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, peach, orange) for a quick drink
), oatmeal, etc. I'm not worried about protein though. I'll be carrying a few different flavors of whey (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, peach, orange) for a quick drink
02-17-2011, 10:09 AM
#11
umm... protein will be your friend. it basically repairs muscle tissue (that stuff that aches in the morning), as well as give you long-term energy, along with carbs.
not too sure about "dehydrated" fruit, but dried fruit is usually pretty good (if that's what you mean, then never mind). i love dried pineapple
and if you want to get really crazy-wild, you can make your own trail mix. lucky charms, dried fruit, nuts, m&m's, etc...
not too sure about "dehydrated" fruit, but dried fruit is usually pretty good (if that's what you mean, then never mind). i love dried pineapple
and if you want to get really crazy-wild, you can make your own trail mix. lucky charms, dried fruit, nuts, m&m's, etc...
02-19-2011, 06:33 PM
#12
umm... protein will be your friend. it basically repairs muscle tissue (that stuff that aches in the morning), as well as give you long-term energy, along with carbs.
not too sure about "dehydrated" fruit, but dried fruit is usually pretty good (if that's what you mean, then never mind). i love dried pineapple
and if you want to get really crazy-wild, you can make your own trail mix. lucky charms, dried fruit, nuts, m&m's, etc...
not too sure about "dehydrated" fruit, but dried fruit is usually pretty good (if that's what you mean, then never mind). i love dried pineapple
and if you want to get really crazy-wild, you can make your own trail mix. lucky charms, dried fruit, nuts, m&m's, etc...
Now I've gotta make a decision...buy a car and postpone this hike another year to finish paying the vehicle off, or just buy a beater car and continue as planned....there's always a curve ball
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