
Before we met, Jonathan and I each had our own backpacks, tents, sleeping bags and everything in between. We could have easily managed an Appalachian Trail thru-hike without buying a single thing. However, after doing a little (ok, a lot) of research, we determined that we could significantly reduce our pack weights by purchasing better, lighter gear* and sharing wherever possible. For instance, instead of bringing two down sleeping bags that each weigh 2 lbs, we got one sleeping quilt that weighs 2.5 lbs. This weight difference might seem negligible, but every ounce adds up.
*I realize this is not an option for everyone. The two years prior to our thru-hike honeymoon, Jonathan held two jobs and I took weekend work so we could afford the best products available.
Jonathan researched and decided on everything except my backpack and my clothes. As the gear came in, Jonathan weighed every single item and entered it into LighterPack. The night before we drove down to Georgia, we split gear up based on weight and size. Here is a little breakdown:
Big Three (Tent, Sleeping System, Backpacks)
Tent: Six Moon Designs Haven – Chosen because it is a double wall tent that uses hiking poles for set up. Also, the net tent and tarp can be used independently of each other, which means we set up the tarp first and use it as cover in the rain. It is surprisingly spacious and has kept us completely dry.
Sleeping Quilt: Enlightened Equipment Accomplice 950 Down – This was our biggest splurge. It is one of the few two person quilts on the market and has been extremely warm.
His Sleeping Pad: Jonathan started with the very popular Therm-A-Rest NeoAir XLite, but after it starting deflating on our third night, he switched to a Therm-A-Rest Z Lite Sol.
Her Sleeping Pad: I opted for a Therm-A-Rest Z Lite Sol and cut it down to fit in my backpack.
Her Sleeping Bag Liner: I only used this in the Smokies, but was extremely grateful for the added warmth.
His Backpack: Superior Wilderness Designs Long Haul 50L – Jonathan liked all of the optional customizations and ended up with a mesh front pocket and detachable hip pockets. He wanted to get a bag that was a little bigger than mine so that we could carry extra food if need be.
Her Backpack: I ordered a few backpacks to try, but ended up with the Gossamer Gear Gorilla 40L because I liked the back padding. I liked it even more when I realized I could replace the back pad with a cut down sleeping pad.
Clothing
- We each packed two sets of hiking outfits and one sleeping outfit. Our warm layers included a fleece and a lightweight down jacket, I also brought a knit hat and gloves for extra warmth.
- We both chose Brooks Cascadia Trail Runners over hiking boots and packed five pairs of socks: two toe socks, two hiking socks, and one thick sleeping sock.
- I brought a rain jacket that I wear under my pack and Jonathan chose a poncho that goes over his.
- As the weather gets warmer, we will mail some of our warmer layers home in exchange for an extra pair of shorts.
Kitchen
- Some people cold soak all of their food, but we rely on hot meals to keep morale up.
- We cook in and eat out of one pot with two sporks. We also have a bowl that we use primarily as a wash basin.
Toiletries
- We share minimal toiletries: a bar of Doc Bronners soap, toothbrushes and tooth tablets.
- I also carry a bar of deodorant, a razor, floss and a DivaCup. I have an extremely light cycle that only lasts one or two days, so the menstrual cup works well for me.
- We keep our toiletries in the kitchen bag so it can all be hung up with the food at night.
- We have one trowel and it is used only to dig cat holes…it is not to touch feces under any circumstances.
First Aid
- We have a small selection of pain killers, allergy relief and anti diarrhea medication.
- We also keep a tiny blister kit, but haven’t needed it since the first week. (Thank you toe socks)
- We use tape and gauze to make custom bandaids.
Electronics
- We each brought a phone and I brought a Garmin Virb Ultra 30 to record our wanderings.
- We carry an Anker wall charger and an Anker power bank. We charge everything while we are in town and use the power bank on the trail.
- Our headlamps kept turning on during the day, so we starting removing the batteries when they are not in use.
- We keep our electronics and Sawyer Squeeze in the foot of our sleeping quilt at night to keep them from freezing.
Other Gear
- Jonathan was undecided on whether or not to use trekking poles, but decided to use them once he found out that they could double as tent poles. I tried poles when I trekked to Everest Base Camp and Mount Kilimanjaro, but do not like using them.
- We keep everything in dry sacks. Wet gear is the absolute worst.
Base Weights
Base weight implies everything we are carrying minus worn items (shoes, clothing, trekking poles, etc.) and consumables (food, water, fuel, etc.).
His Base Weight: 12.46 lbs
Her Base Weight: 12.6 lbs
Packing Lists
Here is a breakdown of exactly what each of us packed. These lists reflect the items we ended up carrying after a week of working through kinks.
Big Three
Backpack | SWD Long Haul 50L | 29.95 oz |
Tent | Six Moon Designs Haven Net Tent (with bag) | 14.74. oz |
Tarp | Six Moon Designs Haven (with bag) | 23.81 oz |
Footprint | Six Moon Designs Large Polycro | 1.73 oz |
4 Small Stakes | MSR Mini Groundhog | 1.4 oz |
2 Large Stakes | MSR Groundhog | 1.06 oz |
2 Hook Stakes | MSR Hook Stakes | 0.90 oz |
Sleeping Pad | Therm-a-rest | 14.0 oz |
Clothing (Items in bold worn to start)
Shoes | Brooks Cascadia 13 | 26.42 oz |
Socks | Darn Tough Hunter Boot Cushion | 3.14 oz |
Socks | Darn Tough Hunter Boot Cushion | 3.14 oz |
Socks | Injinji Sport Original Weight Crew | 2.0 oz | Socks | Injinji Run Lightweight Mini Crew | 1.2 oz |
Leggings | Uniqlo Extra Warm Thermals | 6.03 oz |
Shorts | Patagonia Nine Trails | 7.09 oz |
Shorts | Patagonia Nine Trails | 7.09 oz |
T-Shirt | Uniqlo Dry-ex Crew | 5.29 oz |
Shirt | Brooks Long Sleeve | 5.82 oz |
Down Jacket | LL Bean Ultralight 850 Down w/ Hood | 17.21 oz |
Fleece | Patagonia Micro D Snap-T Pullover | 9.1 oz |
Poncho | Frogg Toggs Ultra-Lite 2 | 7.83 oz |
Sleep Shorts | Saxx Ultra Free Agent Boxer | 4.06 oz |
Clothing Dry Sack | Sea to Summit Lightweight 35L | 4.06 oz |
Gear
Bag | Ziploc Quart | 0.18 oz |
Map | AT Guide Section | 1.0 oz |
Multitool | Leatherman Micra | 1.76 oz |
Trekking Poles | Cascade Mountain Tech Carbon Fiber | 8.5 oz |
Rope | 50 ft Paracord | 4.55 oz |
Towel | Packtowl Personal hand towel | 3.03 oz |
2 Water Bottles | Smartwater 1L | 2.82 oz |
Food Sack | Ursack Major XL | 8.15 oz |
Filtration System | Sawyer Squeeze (with coupling) | 2.61 oz |
Bladder | CNOC Outdoors Vector 2L | 2.72 oz |
Backup Lighter | Bic Mini | 0.39 oz |
Caribiner | Black Diamond Neutrino | 1.3 oz |
Electronics
Electronics Dry Sack | Sea to Summit Lightweight 1L | 1.02 oz |
Phone | iPhone SE | 3.99 oz |
Power Bank | Anker Powercore ii 10000 | 6.81 oz |
Wall Charger | Anker Powerport Speed 4 | 5.89 oz |
Cable | Anker USB-A to Micro-B | 0.49 oz |
Cable | Anker USB-A to Lightning | 0.35 oz |
Headlamp | Coleman 150 Lumens | 2.5 oz |
3 Batteries | Amazon Basics AAA | 1.17 oz |
Earbuds | Sennheiser CX 300s | 0.92 oz |
First Aid
Bag | Ziplock Quart | 0.18 oz |
Pill Box | Film Canister | 0.21 |
Pain Relief | Ibuprofen 200mg (24 count) | 0.28 oz |
Digestive Relief | Loperamide 2mg (12 count) | 0.07 oz |
Allergy Relief | Loratadine 20mg (12 count) | 0.04 oz |
Medical Tape | Leukotape (wrapped around pill box) | 0.35 oz |
Gauze | Cardinal Health USP Type Vii (4 count) | 0.32 oz |
Ointment | Globe Triple Antibiotic | 1.2 oz |
Hand Sanitizer | Mountain Falls Original Travel Size | 2.26 oz |
Alcohol Wipes | Caretouch Prep Pads (12 count) | 0.28 oz |
Safety Pins | Large (3 count) | 0.11 oz |
Purification Tablets | Potable Aqua (pack of 5) | 0.28 oz |
Big Three
Backpack | Gossamer Gear Gorilla 40L | 26.07 oz |
Sleeping Pad | Therm-A-Rest S-Lite Sol Small (cut down) | 6.67 oz |
Quilt | Enlightened Equipment Accomplice | 38.9 oz |
Sleeping Bag Liner | Sea to Summit Thermolite Reactor | 8.78 oz |
Kitchen
Dry Sack | Sea to Summit Lightweight 8L | 2.1 oz |
Cookset | Snow Peak Trek 1400 | 6.7oz |
Bowl | Snow Peak Titanium | 1.8 oz |
Stove | MSR PocketRocket (no case) | 3.0 oz |
2 Sporks | Valtcan Titanium Long Handle | 0.53 oz |
Fuel | Jetboil Jetpower Isopro | 12.91 oz |
Lighter | Bic Mini | 0.39 oz |
2 Water Bottles | Smartwater 1L | 1.41 oz |
Clothing (Items in bold worn to start)
Dry Sack | Sea to Summit Lightweight 35L | 4.09 oz |
Shoes | Brooks Cascadia 13 | 20.81 oz |
Socks | Smartwool Heavy Sleep Socks | 2.7 oz |
Socks | Injinji Toe Liners | 1.09 oz |
Socks | Injinji Toe Liners | 1.09 oz |
Socks | Darn Tough Ankle | 1.34 oz |
Socks | Smartwool Ankle | 1.2 oz |
Underwear | Exofficio Boy Shorts | 1.09 oz |
Underwear |
Exofficio Bikini | 0.85 oz |
Leggings | Lululemon | 7.09 oz |
Pants | Kühl Hiking | 9.88 oz |
Shorts | REI Co-op | 4.62 oz |
Sports Bra | Brooks | 2.36 oz |
T-Shirt | Northface Short Sleeve Tech | 3.17 oz |
T-Shirt | Under Armour Short Sleeve Tech | 3.6 oz |
Fleece | Marmot | 8.0 oz |
Jacket | Mountain Hardwear Down | 13.72 oz |
Rain Jacket | Frogg Toggs Ultra-Lite 2 | 5.33 oz |
Gloves | Layer 8 Running | 1.48 oz |
Hat | Pink Knit | 3.03 oz |
Towel | PackTowl Personal Hand | 3.14 oz |
Electronics
Dry Sack | Sea to Summit Lightweight 2L | 1.34 oz |
Phone | iPhone 11 (with case) | 8.64 oz |
Camera | Garmin Virb Ultra 30 (with waterproof case) | 5.71 oz |
Camera Mount | GoPro 3-Way | 8.11 oz |
Charging Cable | Startech USB-A to Mini-B | 0.78 oz |
Earbuds | Apple Wired | 0.46 oz |
Headlamp | Black Diamond Cosmo 90 Lumens | 2.01 oz |
3 Batteries | Amazon Basics AAA | 1.17 oz |
Toiletries
3 Bags | Ziploc Quart | 0.54 oz |
Soap | Doc Bronners | 2.75 oz |
2 Toothbrushes | Bamboo (handle cut off) | 0.42 oz |
Toothpaste | Georganic Tablets (30 count) | 0.46 oz |
Menstrual Cup | DivaCup | 0.56 oz |
Deodorant | No Tox Life | 0.11 oz |
Razor | Skintimate Disposable | 0.11 oz |
Birth Control | One Month | 0.11 oz |
Gum Stimulator | Gum Brand | 0.32 oz |
Toilet Paper | Who Gives a Crap (2 Rolls) | 2.0 oz |
Trowel | The Deuce #1 | 0.42 oz |
Hand Sanitizer | Mountain Falls Original | 2.26 oz |