Outfitting for the LT

I began preparing for my effort to hike the LT by acquiring the gear I needed to accomplish the trek. In recent years significant advances have been made in hiking gear. most notably, the weight of gear has dropped drastically. My wife purchased me a Camelbak backpack that holds 2 liters of water.

I purchased a mummy bag that is lightweight (3.5 lbs.) and good to 20 degrees F. I also purchased a lightweight self-inflating sleep pad (2 lbs) and a solo tent from Eureka (3.5 lbs.). This should handle my sleeping needs.

Several years ago I saw an advertisement in a newspaper for a family who was selling their son's backpacking stuff. For $25 I bought about $300 worth of stuff. I still use the backpack, a large exterior frame pack, the first aid kit, the ground cover, and the Leatherman multi-use pliers.

Finally, I purchased a Katydin Hiker Water Purification system (1 lb). I've been told by more than one LT hiker that the water is pure enough on the trail to not need filtering but I'm not willing to gamble.

For clothing I have a pair of Columbia hiking boots that are in good shape. I'll start with them and see if my feet pay a price for not buying new boots. I bought a pair of high end Pategonia hiking socks that are thick and well-cushioned. I bought a lightweight pair of hiking pants with the zip-off legs allowing them to be worn as shorts as well. These came from the discount rack at Dick's Sporting Goods so we'll see how they hold up. I also bought a rather expensive pair of Under Armor seamless boxers ($19) in the hopes that they will cut down on the instances of chafing. For shirts, I have dozens so I couldn't justify buying anything special. I also have several wind jacket-type pullovers for golf and I will bring one on every trip - The weather in Vermont is unpredictable at best. One year snow was recorded in every single month of the year!

For orientation I have a trusty compass and I have purchased both a LT reference book and a waterproof map.

That's about all of the stuff I have accumulated for the adventure. I plan to eat cold meals and not pack any cooking utensils to keep the weight down. My greatest concern is my ability to hold up under the weight of a pack so I hope to keep the total weight as close to 25 or 30 pounds as possible. Neither one of my sons has volunteered to be my Sherpa so I expect I'll have to tote all of my gear myself.