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

Why use a plastic bag when you can simply screw on this end cap, specifically designed for Sawyer water filters?

Zoe Gates
Editor at Backpacker

Media Mentions

In future, I’ll use gravity when I can, and squeeze when I have to.

Richard, aka "LowRange
Hiker

Media Mentions

For longer hikes, it’s convenient to carry a small backcountry water filter, such as a Sawyer Mini or Micro, which allows you to replenish your water from natural sources like streams or ponds.

Philip Werner
Author and Backpacker