I spent the past 6 months researching and evaluating the gear needed for my thru hike. The more I researched, the more complicated the process became as there are hundreds of options available for most items. As a general rule, the lighter the items, the more expensive they become. There are hikers who have fully bought into “ultra lite” products with some people claiming that their entire pack base weight is under 10 pounds. From my perspective, these folks sacrifice a tremendous amount of comfort and a few “luxury” items on a hike that last 5-7 months. That said, for those willing to spend the money and forego the “luxuries” I salute them and I envy their low pack weight. At the other end of the spectrum are those hikers who pack extremely heavy. I have seen a few hikers post that their pack weights came in at more than 50 pounds. That is a tremendous weight to carry up and down more than 464,000 grueling feet of elevation changes between Georgia & Maine. But, the common mantra on the AT is HYOH (Hike Your Own Hike) so … to each their own.

I estimate that I spent $1,800 – $2,000 on my gear with the heavy hitters being my tent ($475), down quilt ($450), clothing ($400) and sleeping pad ($250). My base pack weight (before food and water) is 23 pounds which I am comfortable with. Food and water at max 4-5 day capacity will add another 8-10 pounds. In total, I have more than 75 items jammed into my pack. I would like to thank my friend Mike, who works at the local EMS store (Eastern Mountain Sports) for his assistance in helping me optimize my pack weight and organization. Mike has hiked the AT twice and he provided me a lot of helpful details and recommendations. 

Photos below are of my unpacked and packed gear