Photos of my gear

Took photos of most of my gear:

1) Toe socks.  Prevents blisters on feet and between toes.
2) Bandana.  Worn under hat and used for everything from pre-purification water filtering to bathing.
3) Gloves.  Very lightweight, mostly for preventing hand blisters from the trekking poles.
4) Trekking poles.  They’re the difference between a face-plant and a just losing your balance for a second.  They also help with steep ascents the same way you’d use your hands to climb a ladder.  Also, using them minimizes arm muscle atrophy. I’ll even use one of them as the center pole to pitch my tent.
5) Sandals.  One size fits all, and I won’t get trenchfoot since they don’t hold water.
6) Shirt.  Just some junk from WalMart, but it turns out to be lighter than anything else.
7) Duct tape.  No since carrying a whole roll when 6 feet wrapped around each pole is plenty.
8) Pants.  Super lightweight, dries quickly, and legs zip off to convert into shorts.
9) Underwear.  Some weird polyester mesh that almost never needs washing, apparently.

A) A spare bandana. They’re super-useful.
B) Headlamp. For night-hiking and using the bathroom.
C) Stuff I’ll only need at camp.
D) Tent. It’s a waterproof roof and a waterproof floor, connected by bug netting. The roof doesn’t quite go all the way to the ground, so I get air circulation inside and hence no condensation on the walls.
E) All the clothes I’m not wearing.
F) Repair kit for both my body and my gear. ie: First aid.
G) Map.
H) Toilet paper in a sandwich bag.
I) Water bags. A 3.0L with a drinking tube, and a 1.0L with screw-cap.
J) 1 gallon freezer bag for garbage.
K) 20 quart waterproof dry-sack for bear-bagging.
L) Sleeping bag.
M) Stove.
N) Food.

1) Fingertip toothbrush
2) Leatherman Squirt PS4
3) Travel-size toothpaste
4) Mini caribener for keeping tent stakes together and for use in the PCT method of bear-bagging.
5) 6x aluminum cylindrical tent stakes
6) 10 feet of 550lb-test paracord, for whatever is necessary.
7) Pseudo-shammy for mopping up any water that ends up in my pack or tent.
8) Swedish firesteel, for lighting my stove.
9) Sunblock.
10) Titanium spork.
11) Bug repellent. 98% pure DEET.
12) 50 feet of paracord for bear-bagging.

1) Shorts. Patagonia baggies.
2) Gander Mountain hiker socks. They’re a wool/acrylic blend.
3) Long-sleeve tech shirt. Pure polyester. Disco is welcome on the AT.
4) Fleece vest. All the insulation I’ll need. Keep the head and torso warm, and exercise does the rest.
5) Wool balaclava. Basically a ski mask.

1) Water purification. 7 drops of each go into the cap, then 15 minutes later the mixture goes into 1 quart/liter of water. 15 minutes later the water’s safe to drink.
2) Doxycillin. Effective in treating both lyme disease and rocky mountain spotted fever, the two diseases most likely to ruin my day. Just in case.
3) Moleskin. Blister treatment.
4) Assorted drugs. Ibuprofein, Excedrin, Aleve, Tums, Zantac, Immodium, and multivitamins.
5) Earplugs, in case I share a shelter with a snorer.
6) Anti-friction stick. Prevents blisters and chafing.
7) Whistle. Almost certainly useless, but a could be a life-saver.
8) Part of a BIC pen, with sewing needles inside. This plus floss gives me the ability to repair my own gear.
9) Band-aids. Again, for blisters.
10) Tweezers, for removing ticks.
11) Rubber bands. They’re weightless and they seemed potentially useful.
12) A temporary patch for my inflatable sleeping pad. Permanent repair tools in the bounce box.
13) Antibiotic cream, so my blisters don’t become abscesses.

1) Pot stand and heat reflector.
2) Cups.
3) Pot coozie.
4) Pot.
5) Rubber insulated pot-grip.
6) Pot lid.
7) Fuel bottle, with denatured alcohol.
8) Stove burner.
9) Fuel measuring cup.
10) Screw, for removing nozzle from fuel bottle.

Four days’ worth of food.  From top-down, instant rice/pasta meals, tuna in sunflower oil (double the calories vs water), pop tarts, trail mix, granola bars, instant oatmeal & instant coffee.  The white bottle labeled “GHOSTS” is Dave’s Gourmet ghost pepper hot sauce (650,000 scovilles) in an eyedrop bottle.  The stuff at the bottom are pouches from a chicken stir-fry MRE.  MREs aren’t the best backpacking food because they contain a lot of water, and you really want dehydrated stuff since you can find water along the trail.  MREs also come with a chemical heat pack to bypass the need for a stove, and they’re pretty bulky because of all the packaging.  They’re great for the military, but an AT backpacker has a stove and plenty of water, so MREs are overkill.  This one was a gift so I’ll take it, but since it’s my heaviest food I’ll eat it on day 1.

I’ve also got a rain jacket, rain pants, and an inflatable sleeping pad that I didn’t photograph because they’re tucked away in pockets that I forgot about.  If you want to see those, follow the links from my gear list.  Also not pictured are “The A.T. Guide” guidebook and a small bottle of concentrated, biodegradable  soap.