AT Gear Reflections – The Walk

Unfortunately, it’s cold and wet and snowing increasingly in the mountains where I live now, and it seems that with darkness approaching, backpacking season is over. 🙁

I’ve been looking at my gear that’s now in my closet, thinking about what served me best along the way, what I changed, what I wish I’d changed, and what I would invest in for next season if I had unlimited funds.

Of course, being back in a city and feeling the pressures of rent while still looking for work, I will continue to just “want” and not buy for a while longer. Most of my gear worked great for the AT this year, but I definitely have a wish list for future years of lighter gear that will allow me to go further, faster, and hopefully with less knee pain!

The things they did all the way.

The sleep system

I don’t regret hiking with a hammock on the AT at all. The trail was almost completely forested, and there were only a handful of times in my 150+ nights on the trail that I couldn’t find suitable trees and had to hang my hammock in a shelter or sleep in a friend’s tent (the horrors). My only regret is not investing in a lighter hammock; Kammok even sells a UL version of the hammock I used, but I wasn’t willing to spend the money. Maybe one day I’ll be a salaried worker again and have money to spend on gear… Until then, my Kammok is still in excellent condition and I’ll be using it for many more seasons, I’m sure.

This year (2025) on the AT was really nice weather-wise, at least in my bubble that I traveled in. There were very few freezing nights (maybe 1 or 2 in the Smokies!), and when I used base layers to bed and used my foam pad I stayed nice and cozy in my hammock! There were some bad hot weeks in the summer where I just didn’t use my quilt or quilt, but those nights were rare too.

The cooking system

Alright, you know what I mean, I tried cold soaking in mid-summer on the trail, and sent home my pot and stove at the same time. That lasted about a week, but all the way I followed the trail of my trusty spoon!

Oh yeah, you know which one. I don’t regret this $10 spoon. It has sentimental value now.

The water filter

I really can’t be wrong, although some fellow hikers and I had suspicions that washing the filter actually decreased the flow, as one of my friends hiked the entire trail without washing his and ended up having better flow than me.

The GPS

Many recommended that I bring a GPS tracker/SOS device for emergencies, and I almost didn’t, since it would be one of my most expensive pieces of equipment, and since everyone was saying, «There’s cell service all the way! You’re always so close to town!» Well, I’m glad I took one, because it sure came in handy. Guess what, you can still have emergencies when you’re just a couple miles out of town, and depending on your cell phone provider, you probably won’t have cell service the entire way.

Electronics

The accessories

• This REI fanny pack (Which I don’t really recommend because it’s not waterproof, but it was a gift and it was used to carry my phone and battery.

the clothes

Yes, ponchos aren’t pretty, but they work better than waterproof jackets. Fight with me.

All of my hiking clothing when I started the trail was generic, Costco, Target, or another brand that wasn’t outdoor clothing. They worked pretty well and I continued wearing the same sports bra all the time despite having stopped wearing a bra completely over the summer. Seriously, it wasn’t worth the sweat, but I kept carrying the damn thing in case… I don’t know, my shirt ripped?

I almost got rid of my underwear too, but I never ended up going full commando for fear of showing my innocent friends.

I walked in sandals almost the entire trail, although there were some changes…

The shoes

I climbed the AT in sandals.

About 1,800 miles, at least. I started in thesewhich were 14 mm thick. They were great for about 500 miles until my feet started hurting every day to the point where I started taking Tylenol just to keep walking. So naturally I switched to a thicker version of the same sandal (This time 20mm thick with a cushioned foam insole), I then walked over 1000 more miles in them.

Notice the difference in thickness!

This worked great until my feet started hurting every day to the point that I took Tylenol to keep walking, at which point I switched to the cheapest pair of Topos I could find, which happened to be a pair on clearance at a local equipment store in Virginia. I resisted wearing them when I could and wore my shoes and sandals for a couple of months, then wore the Topos for much of the Whites, and finally went back to wearing my Bedrock sandals to finish Maine in style.

the clothes

Arguably my biggest improvement along the way was my city ​​shirt! I love walking around in a lightweight button-down shirt to let the air circulate and I love the patterns the Town Shirt has. I bought two more t-shirts after the tour just because I think they’re cool!

Booty City Shirt

The backpack

Another very important piece of equipment in backpacking: the BACKPACK

When I started the tour, I used what I already had: an old REI UL 45 backpack that broke after the first few weeks. What did I replace it with? The only thing available when I got stuck at the Fontana Dam: a Gregorio Jade 53.

It wasn’t my ideal backpack, but it did the job. Until it wasn’t. I lost about an inch around my waist while walking, and the backpack didn’t shrink with me, meaning the hip belt slid down another time, putting all the weight on my shoulders. Unfortunately, the chest strap also broke towards the end of the trail, which put more weight on my shoulders.

The cooking system

I started with a (heavier) Jetboil knockoff from Amazon, also known as the fire maple. It was big and heavy, and then I switched to a basic one. M.S.R. Toaks stove and pot I found in a hiker’s box. FireMaple (and JetBoil) are definitely more fuel efficient and will boil water much faster than something like an open flame MSR.

And I did add the classic Talenti Gelato container to my meal kit to make oatmeal in the morning.

The bear bag

Once again, I started my journey with a cheap bear bag from Amazon, and then when it grew holes, I replaced it with a nicer one with a cute bear pattern. Hilltop Packages.

hammock straps

I changed my standard “daisy chain” hammock straps to “honda whoopie” hammock straps from the beginning, which are easier to use and lighter.

trekking poles

Another Amazon find, my Trail Buddy Hiking Poles He did not reach Katahdin. At some point I completely stopped using poles and then borrowed my friend’s. REI poles For the rest of the hike, although I didn’t wear them regularly, I wore them to the top of Katahdin for sentimental reasons.

Literally day 2 on the trail I found a hiker box and left the bear spray. It is very unlikely that hikers will need bear spray on the AT, especially when food is stored properly.

Turns out my brilliant plan to use a bidet and two knockoff Kula cloths to stay super clean on the road didn’t seem necessary after a few months. I learned to wash my hands by simply squeezing water through my Sawyer Squeeze between my knees, and it turns out toilet paper works really well and you learn not to waste too much with it. Further, Toilet paper degrades in soil in less than a year if buried properly!

It was cute, but ultimately unnecessary once I learned to hang my backpack on one end of my hammock with a carabiner.

I had great intentions of drinking a cup of hot chocolate, turmeric coconut latte, or hot tea every night at camp when I first made my packing list, but I quickly realized that bringing a separate cup just wasn’t worth it for me.

If I could start over with a new budget of say… a thousand dollars, I would love to invest in the following to have a lighter system (my base weight for the AT was around 18 pounds).

• An ultralight (and customizable!) backpack from a company like ULA, granite geareither small AF
• A lightweight and waterproof. fanny pack Big enough to hold snacks and my electronics! (And in a fun color!)
• An ultralight hammock system like East Kammok
• a real jetboil to save fuel and weight
• Another improvement to TheTrek.co’s AT map since I lost mine at Harper’s Ferry! 🙁
• Very good quality bear hanging rope. also reflective! Or a good old man bear can.

Man, just looking through my gear list makes me remember my time on the AT. I really miss it and really hope to earn enough extra money to invest in better gear so I can go on more adventures soon!

Now is a great time to look into equipment sales as the holidays approach, and don’t forget to support your local used equipment stores when looking for deals – used equipment can be a great way to save some money and start your journey if you’re not sure exactly what you want!