Greenhorn Gear: A Newbie’s Thru-Hiking Gear List
I’m new to hiking but I know that you need gear to hike the Appalachian Trail. So I had to figure out what is and isn’t worth the weight for me. It is my hope that sharing this information will be a helpful starting point for other aspiring or committed thru-hikers. I also want to commemorate my first gear list to see how drastically this all changes after ~2,200 miles!
(If you just want the gear list, head to the Gear List tab on my author profile.)
HOW I RESEARCHED GEAR
If you read my first post, you know that my NOBO AT hike in 2023 will be my first real foray into backpacking and camping. Subsequently, my knowledge of gear relies primarily on reviews from The Trek, YouTube videos and shakedown hikes. The Trek’s Best of 2022 article series was the starting point for most of my gear.
Reflecting on my choices, I know that I highly value the opinions of recent thru-hikers when compared to other sources. I cross-referenced the Best of 2022 articles with The Trek’s 2021 Hiker Survey. Seeing the same gear repeatedly across different posts and videos also played a heavy hand in what gear I tested first. (I’m talking about everyone and their extended family seeming to have a Sawyer Squeeze peeking out of their bag.)
David Firari gives a detailed report on his gear list, find it all here.
Del Escuadrón
Conversaciones de campamento con nuestra comunidad, desde los miembros del escuadrón y los embajadores hasta los socios de marca y el equipo de Sawyer.
Menciones en los medios de comunicación
Clothing and gear can be treated with a 0.5% permethrin spray, sold under names including Sawyer, Insect Shield and Ranger Ready.
Menciones en los medios de comunicación
Sawyer’s picaridin lotion offers the longest protection windows on test — up to 14 hours against mosquitoes and ticks — and its creamy, low-odor formula goes on smooth and dries quickly.
Menciones en los medios de comunicación
The Sawyer Squeeze and Cnoc Vecto made hydration easy.
