AT Thru Hike

[Cranky Bear]

I have this dream of an unsupported thru hike with no mail drops so the idea of switching out quilts makes me cranky. Am I stupid too? (Be gentle.)

Unsupported on the AT would be fairly easy to do, you will hit a road/town every 3-5 days and can resupply there. Many do it this way, there may be a couple places where the food choices may not be the best but it will get you through till the next town.

As far as insulation goes, it's most definitely possible to keep the same throughout your trip. Only issue may be in the beginning if you start early, say Jan/Feb, as you can easily see single digits many nights, and possibly a lot of snow which may become impassible. But some do start early and do just fine, although they usually have to wait a bit for the Smokies.

I have takled to a bunch of thru's over the years and most start with a 15 or 20 degree bag/quilt (true temp rating, not a walmart oh this may be a 50 degree instead) and supplement with every piece of clothing they got if a cold snap hits them. Or they hike into town and take a few days off to wait it out if they must. Some try and tough it out and shiver a few nights.

The reasoning that most switch out is weight and bulk, they are able to pick up the miles in the warmer weather and lets face it it's easier to carry a lighter load through summer then to carry a winter load in summer. You will still need some warm items the further North you get, sometimes it can get pretty cold up near NH.

[oldsoldier]

I have this dream of an unsupported thru hike with no mail drops so the idea of switching out quilts makes me cranky. Am I stupid too? (Be gentle.)

Neither a financially sound nor logistically viable option, for most people. Mail drops allow you to buy in bulk, plan your meals out, etc. And, it also allows you to add replacement stuff, if needed-batteries, for instance. Logistically, most thru hikers will mail things ahead of themselves, as they don't need it at that time, and don't want to carry it. For instance, a fleece jacket. You might need it the first few weeks of your hike. Then, the weather starts to warm up. Not being sure if you will need it, you mail it a couple days ahead-just in case. Come truly warm weather, you mail it home. Until you need it again when the weather starts to get cooler again in fall. In short, its not a stupid idea, but its not a well planned one either

[kayak karl]

Neither a financially sound nor logistically viable option, for most people. Mail drops allow you to buy in bulk, plan your meals out, etc. And, it also allows you to add replacement stuff, if needed-batteries, for instance. Logistically, most thru hikers will mail things ahead of themselves, as they don't need it at that time, and don't want to carry it. For instance, a fleece jacket. You might need it the first few weeks of your hike. Then, the weather starts to warm up. Not being sure if you will need it, you mail it a couple days ahead-just in case. Come truly warm weather, you mail it home. Until you need it again when the weather starts to get cooler again in fall. In short, its not a stupid idea, but its not a well planned one either

most people do not buy in bulk or use a lot of mail drops. your tastes change, schedule changes and it forces you to go to certain towns. a seasonal change is a good drop. if you don't want any help from home mail it your self and bounce by phone till you need it. im going again in 2015 and i will pre-pack my gear change and call when needed. all else i will buy on trail. have fun KK

[gunner76]

Ask Dutch as he did a AT Thru hike using a hammock.

[EZ-DOES-IT]

My wife and I are talking about doing a Thru hike of the AT. I wanted to ask on here for a little advice.

First, which UQ and TQ should I use being as we will be hiking thru multiple seasons.

I am doing a Thru-Hike starting first week of April on Sptinger Mt. I am using a 20% sleeping bag from Feathered Friends not buying a TQ using a Mt. Washington 3 from Jacks R Better for UQ and bringing a cut down 36" CCF ridge rest in case of going to the ground or made to stay in the shelters of the Smokies.
Other wise I don't stay in shelters.
I have Thru-Hiked before.
Hope this helps out.

[Doctari]

To add to / second Yoda's post: as you get to the warmer weather your insulation needs will go down, but your food needs will go WAY UP! So you will need to make room. At Springer carrying 6 days of food will take up (lets say for sake of argument) 1 cubic foot, by Damascus, 6 days food will take up 1.5 CF. Having the ability of going to less insulation once you are in to summer will allow more space for food.
This may seem silly now, sitting at home after gorging during the holidays, and I will admit my longest hike was only 200 miles, but by the end of that 200 miles I could not eat enough! Would have GLADLY given up much of my insulation to be able to carry an extra meal or 2 (or 6). And, as it gets warmer, at least for me, all I need above 70 is a fleece blanket, not my 20 degree over quilt. This space / weight difference is a full days meals, so I can carry more food per day without adding weight or difficulty packing.

[hutzelbein]

I have no long distance hiking experience, so can't really give qualified advice. I'm also a very cold sleeper and would opt for something a lot warmer than everybody else.

I would probably take a 3-season underquilt for the complete hike, plus a 15° or 20° sleeping bag. And I would try to tide over the colder bits with a hammock sock and maybe a layer or two of Reflectix.

[kayak karl]

To add to / second Yoda's post: as you get to the warmer weather your insulation needs will go down, but your food needs will go WAY UP! So you will need to make room. At Springer carrying 6 days of food will take up (lets say for sake of argument) 1 cubic foot, by Damascus, 6 days food will take up 1.5 CF. Having the ability of going to less insulation once you are in to summer will allow more space for food.
This may seem silly now, sitting at home after gorging during the holidays, and I will admit my longest hike was only 200 miles, but by the end of that 200 miles I could not eat enough! Would have GLADLY given up much of my insulation to be able to carry an extra meal or 2 (or 6). And, as it gets warmer, at least for me, all I need above 70 is a fleece blanket, not my 20 degree over quilt. This space / weight difference is a full days meals, so I can carry more food per day without adding weight or difficulty packing.

also swapping out some clothes will give you space. you will also gain space as you give up stuff you realize you don't need

[Armines]

Sorry I have not responded in a while.. the holidays have been super busy.

We will be going SOBO and we are looking to start around April. I sleep pretty warm but my wife sleeps cold. I am 29 she is 22 and we are both in average physical shape. We are not planning on staying in shelters, at least if we dont have to. We want to try and stay in our hammocks as much as we can.

Since she is cold natured should she just use a warmer TQ and UQ the whole time?

[Cranky Bear]

Sorry I have not responded in a while.. the holidays have been super busy.

We will be going SOBO and we are looking to start around April. I sleep pretty warm but my wife sleeps cold. I am 29 she is 22 and we are both in average physical shape. We are not planning on staying in shelters, at least if we dont have to. We want to try and stay in our hammocks as much as we can.

Since she is cold natured should she just use a warmer TQ and UQ the whole time?

All good, hope the holiday's were awesome for you two....

Not sure what your planning on doing for Baxter and "K" but I don't think the park is open in April. I think it opens in mid May.

Also by starting early (very early) you know you will hit some very nasty weather, as well as extreme bug's...prob the worst the black flies will ever be. Also the mud season, as well as runoff would be at full blast from the melting snow, so take care when on the trail as trail damage from hikers during this time can be high. As well as water crossings may be more challenging, so take care with those as well.

Sorry but I have no idea on temps for a SOBO, maybe others will be able to help you with that. If not on here you could try asking on WhiteBlaze, although I would caution you with posting your intended start time (April) there, they may get pretty harsh about it. Maybe post up you are looking at starting the end of May beginning of April so the experience is better and you get more answers to your temps question.

Good luck on your thru, will you be doing a TJ or blog? Post it up here if you can, I know others would really like to follow you, I know I do.