Gear Post | 1 | My Philosophy on Gear

The first thing any hiker is told when asking for help planning for a trip is to HYOH, or "Hike Your Own Hike."  It's something that gets drilled into every hiker besides following Leave No Trace principles. Just because some guy did the AT carrying less than 10 pounds doesn't mean everybody has to. I'm sure as heck not going that ultralight and minimalist.  I believe in carrying what's necessary without excess or luxury.

I follow a few gear principles that have served me well so far:

1: Every piece of gear should have a distinct purpose, preferably many.  (In the words of Alton Brown, "NO UNITASKERS!")

2. Minimalist, without sacrificing comfort.

3. Plan for the reasonable

Sure, I'd love to carry a 4 person tent, fresh vegetables, an air mattress, my dSLR, and other comforts, but my back wouldn't survive the first 5 miles.  This isn't car camping!

Despite that fact that the AT does not have serious high elevation and is the shortest distance compared to the PCT or CDT, the AT has some of the most severe elevation gain/loss of the Triple Crown.  That's right.  Even the CDT which passes through the Rocky Mountains has less elevation gain/loss than the AT. I'm not saying it's any easier, but many people seem to pass over the AT as being easy or flat.  That is simply untrue, which is why my gear choices will be critical in the coming months as I prepare for the trail.  There will be a lot of ups, a lot of downs, and a lot of miles to come.

344 days until I depart.