Comprehensive Post-AT Gear Review

When I was researching, I only trusted the gear reviews from hikers who had finished the trail. I completed my SOBO thru-hike of the AT on November 26, so here’s my comprehensive review of all the gear I brought along. For the most part, I had followed The Trek’s very own gear list, and it turned out pretty well. The only thing I did not really prepare for was how COLD it gets in the south, but I was so close to the end I just gritted my teeth and did not do anything too dramatic, gear-wise. My base weight was around ~17 lbs, which, if you spend too much time looking at gear lists on the internet, will seem heavy. I got very used to the weight over the course of the hike and did not want to toss any of my luxury items.

Since I was a SOBO, I would almost immediately traverse the White Mountains in New Hampshire so I geared up for cold weather even though it was summer. This turned out to be a good move. It got down to the low 40’s in the exposed alpine zones. Right after New Hampshire, the summer heat hit in full force, so I sent a lot of cold weather stuff home. Around mid-way through Virginia, the Fall nip started to settle in. By the time we hit the Roan Mountains in Tennessee, we started getting some freezing nights, so I had all my cold weather stuff back. I’m not certain what NOBOs do, but the lesson is that a lot of your kit can get shipped back and forth.

I also got very into making my own gear (MYOG), and you’ll notice some custom items in the photos made of DCF. This was a really fun challenge and allowed me to fully design my packing setup. If you are interested but have no experience in sewing, try getting a kit from Ripstopbytheroll.

If you are interested in learning more about this Appalachian Trail gear review, written by Shuping Liu, click here.