2026 AT Thru Hike completed: team and thoughts from the start of the season

I hiked the northbound Appalachian Trail (AT) (NOBO) in 2026 from late January to mid-June. Below is my gear list for an early season winter start. I carried about 90% of the gear on this list for the entire hike, as the winter was long and spring came later than usual in the Northeast. Because it was cold most of the trip and there was quite a bit of snow and ice, this is a heavier load than I’m used to carrying, but this gear kept me safe and healthy in harsh and inclement weather conditions. One word of caution: I wouldn’t recommend an early season/winter NOBO start of the AT if you don’t have a lot of experience and skills growing up and/or living in a cold climate and camping/backpacking in winter climates or if you don’t have the proper gear for the harsh weather conditions you’re likely to encounter for long periods of time. Buying high-end cold weather technical gear can be expensive and is definitely heavier than what you would normally carry. However, good luck may be on your side and the southern and southeastern states may not be cold or snowy in January, February and March. However, this was not the case at all in 2026.

1. Large tent: I started with a Durston
2. Sleeping bag and items: A western mountaineering Kodiak MF with 0 degrees down (6’6″). Since I was in a lot of ice storms, snow storms, and cold weather for most of the hike, I kept this bag for the entire trip. Changing it over the last 2-3 weeks when it got constantly hot didn’t seem to matter at that point as I was almost done with the hike. I also used a 3FULGEAR Tyvek bivy to help my sleeping bag with condensation issues while using a single wall trekking pole tent in the winter. I shipped this bivy home when I moved to the double wall Nemo Hornet tent. A VBL (Vapor Barrier Liner) from Western Mountaineering, as I frequently had 20 degree to minus 0 degree thermals in January, February and March and addressed moisture control issues with a down bag and single wall tent.
3. sleeping system: A Therm-a-Rest NeoAir
4. Backpack and items: A ULA Circuit backpack, a ULA shoulder strap water bottle sleeve, a Gossamer Gear shoulder strap pocket, a Zpacks Trail Buddy bag connected to the back mesh to hold my lunch et al., so I don’t have to stuff my backpack in during the day, and a North Country Trail dyneema fanny pack to keep my electronics bag against my body, and under my outer layer (waterproof jacket), in the cold months so my external battery doesn’t die from the cold. I shipped the fanny pack home in April when the weather started to warm up a bit.
5. Electronics bag: An Anker 20,000 mAh power bank, a Garmin inReach Mini 2, a Garmin Instinct 3 Solar watch, an iPhone 17, headphones with Apple’s Lightning connector, a Nitecore NU25 headlamp, a small Flextail pump, and some charging cables and plugs.
6. Bag of ditties: A homemade medical kit, toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, nail clippers and file, CBD, tiger balm, a small amount of leucotape, duct tape and super glue, a small beard and hair brush, Joshua Tree sunscreen, DEET insect repellent, and a Sea to Summit cap.
7. water system: A 2 liter CNOC dirty water bag, a Sawyer Squeeze filter and 2 1 liter Smartwater bottles. Note: I always slept with my water filter, so it wouldn’t freeze. Having a backup water filter, which I brought, is probably a good idea in these weather conditions in case there is a failure.
8. Rain and wind equipment: A Montbell Storm Cruiser jacket, Montbell Thunder Pass pants, Showa Temres 282 lined gloves (waterproof), and Zpacks Vertice rain gloves (in cold weather these were used as wind protection, went over my wool gloves and were not waterproof at all).
9. Cold weather gear: Torrid jacket from Enlightened Equipment (EE), EE Torrid pants, EE Torrid booties (these EE items were used for sleeping in the cold), Menards flip top Hotshot fleece gloves, Kahtoola Ghost micro spikes, Brynje Super Thermo Mesh Baselayer pants (a redundant item and sent home in February as the rain pants worked great to protect against the cold and wind), a Trail Mix hat and buff from Outdoor Research (OR), and a balaclava from merino OR. I lost my (now defunct) Appalachian Gear Company alpaca beanie and alpaca beanie, which were replaced by the OR Trail Mix gear, as well as a Zpacks Ventum wind protector, not replaced, on the first day of hiking the AT approach trail.
10. Worn hiking equipment: Either Ferrosi joggers or OR Ferrosi shorts depending on the weather (both are 50 UPF), a Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake sun hoodie (50 UPF and shipped home in April) or a Sambob Alpha Direct 120gsm quarter-zip hoodie (swapped in April for an Alpha Direct Sambob 90gsm quarter-zip hoodie) both paired with a Brynje super thermal t-shirt with inlays, two Ridge Merino boxer briefs (worn out and replaced with 2 XOSKIN boxer briefs), a pair of Darn heavy duty socks with Injinji toe socks (3 pairs worn out) or they were replaced by a pair of Dirty Girl gaiters, Altra Olympus 5 trail runners (went through 4 pairs of Altra Olympus 5 and 1 pair of Altra Lonepeak 9+) and Fizan trekking poles. They broke in Virginia and were replaced with a pair of Leki poles.
11. Food: A 20 liter Adotec bag with a smell proof Opsack, a Toaks 750 ml titanium pot, a Toaks long handled titanium spoon, a BRS 3000T stove, a Victorinox Classic Swiss army knife, 2 mini bic lighters (they have a backup fire), a bandana to dry the pot and a 4 oz canister of isobutane.
12. poop kit: A small peri (perineal) bottle (that is to saya field bidet separate from my water system to decrease the likelihood of cross-contamination), a Duece of Spades paddle, a small bottle of Dr. Bronner soap (2 oz), and a tissue to dry washed hands.
13. Miscellaneous: Goodr Amelia Earhart Ghosted Me Sunglasses, Reading Glasses with Hard Case, 2 Zpacks Dyneema Roll Sacks, a FlipFuel Isobutane Transfer Device (sent home since I started the hike so early and hiker boxes have been cleaned and emptied starting with the 2025 season), a Six Moon Designs 50L Backpack Liner, a Zpacks Dyneema Wallet Pouch for Credit Cards, driver’s license and a small amount of cash. and Tubbs

Snow storm in Tennessee.

Most Favorite Team Item: Nemo Hornet OSMO Ultralight 2P

It was very nice to set up my tent in a few minutes in any type of weather situation and not worry about equipment failure (that is to sayread tent failure). The Nemo performed perfectly in all types of AT weather conditions: snow, sleet, ice, hail, cold, wind, heat, humidity and rain. I received a “penalty” of about 10 ounces when I moved to the Nemo from my previous store. However, said “worth it” was worth it and was similar to having a few extra drinks of water or a few extra snacks. Not a big deal given the return – all my gear stayed dry, I slept very well, ease of use with the Nemo, it ran once every time, it was comfortable on sloping terrain and the mesh body fitted nicely into often unoccupied northeastern sheds as a way to counter biting insects (mostly black flies) in late spring.

Getting ready to snowshoe in the Smoky Mountains.

Surprise Team Item: Sambob Alpha Direct Hoodies

Man, both of my Sambob Alpha Direct hoodies (90gsm and 120gsm) were my favorites, and the extra side zippers were crucial for warming and cooling my upper body, as well as managing moisture on the trail, especially in the winter months. I can’t say enough good things about these hoodies, which performed exceptionally well in all the weather conditions I encountered on the AT. They were super reliable, which is an important element I look for in my gear choices.

In Georgia after an ice and snow storm.

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