A man and a woman standing behind a trail sign.
A man and a woman standing behind a trail sign.

Appalachian Trail Gear List & Strategy 2025

For those with their sights set on section-hiking or thru-hiking the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail (AT), this 2025 gear list and trail-wide strategy cover everything you need to bring with you and tips on how to hike.

We’ve broken each section of the AT (The South, Virginia, The Mid-Atlantic, and New England) into comfort and ultralight gear lists, plus we have strategies on how to prepare for the Appalachian Trail — when to go, and what to expect — whether you’re doing the entire thing or a section.

Continue to read to learn more about gear needed and strategies for hiking the Appalachian Trail, written by Mike Unger & Liz Thomas & Naomi Hudetz.

Media Mentions

It all starts with Sawyer Squeeze + Cnoc VectoX 2L, the best and most reliable filter-bladder combo and the core of my backpacking water storage and filtration system.

Jaeger Shaw
Owner & Managing Editor

Media Mentions

Our top water filter for thru hiking, the Sawyer Squeeze, is 15% off.

Naomi Hudetz
Chief Operating Officer & Online Editor

Media Mentions

People with alpha-gal syndrome show allergic symptoms such as rash, nausea and vomiting after eating such meat.

Stephanie Soucheray
Reporter