AT Thru-Hike Gear Checklist
An Appalachian Trail thru-hike is more than 2,190 miles and takes most people five to seven months, so the gear question is really a question about weather and weight. The hikers we read agree on three things. Carry real rain gear, carry less than you think, and plan your shelter for the coldest or wettest night you will face. The one permit the trail itself asks for is the Great Smoky Mountains thru-hiker pass, and it comes with shelter and bear cable rules that shape what you pack.
What shapes your gear on Appalachian Trail
- Length and timing
- The Appalachian Trail Conservancy counts a thru-hike as more than 2,190 miles done within 12 months. Most hikers need five to seven months, with an average just under six. Hikers going north have to arrive at Katahdin ahead of mid-October, because the summit trail shuts then.
- Shelters
- More than 250 backcountry shelters sit along the trail. In the Smokies, a hiker holding a thru-hiker permit may tent next to a shelter when it is full, while hikers whose itinerary names shelters must sleep inside them.
From Appalachian Trail Conservancy and Great Smoky Mountains National Park (NPS)
- Smokies weather
- One hiker spent a full day in the park with strong wind and rain, with the trail either a river or mud and the views gone. A winter hiker found his wet socks frozen solid after a night in a Smokies shelter.
From BikeHikeSafari and Garage Grown Gear
- Cold in the northeast
- An early-February start through the end of April meant most nights below freezing. In Maine the weather rarely rose above freezing, and in April the hiker still underestimated the cold in the northeast and bought warmer clothing at resupply stops.
From Garage Grown Gear
What the agency requires on Appalachian Trail
A Great Smoky Mountains backcountry permit
The park requires a permit and an advance reservation for all backcountry camping. The park also issues an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker permit, and says a holder may tent next to a full shelter.
A way to hang all odorous items on the bear cables
At every campsite and shelter in the park, food, trash, lip balm, toothpaste and other scented items hang from the bear cables. Hammocks may not be used inside shelters or hung from them.
A way to bury human waste
In the Smokies waste is buried in a hole 6 inches or deeper, at least 100 feet from any campsite, shelter, water source or trail.
What hikers carry on Appalachian Trail
Rain gear that is actually waterproof
The author of the 2002 starting list says his first kit lacked real rain gear because he confused water-resistant with waterproof. Another hiker set out in rain gear for a Smokies day of steady rain and says the trail turned to river or mud. The 2015 fastest-known-time hiker carried a light rain jacket and a poncho.
From Andrew Skurka, BikeHikeSafari and Gossamer Gear
A water filter you can carry in your hand
The 2015 speed hiker used a bladder with an inline filter and a backflush syringe. The 2001 hikers carried a purifier that weighs 2 ounces plus a 2 liter bag. The author of the 2002 starting list counts its pump filter among his bad choices.
From Gossamer Gear, Francis Tapon and Andrew Skurka
A shelter built for the worst night, not the average one
A winter hiker's tarp failed once melting ice soaked it, so he switched to a one-person double-wall tent. A storm hit another hiker's tent at 2 in the morning and he moved everything into a Smokies shelter. The 2001 hikers carried a tarp and a thin ground sheet.
From Garage Grown Gear, BikeHikeSafari and Francis Tapon
A small stove and a small fuel amount
The 2002 starting stove weighed over 4 pounds and came with a full 20-ounce bottle of white gas that lasted 3 to 4 weeks. The 2001 hikers used a stove that weighed 3.6 ounces with a windscreen and six fuel tablets.
From Andrew Skurka and Francis Tapon
Spare socks and a plan for frozen mornings
The winter hiker rotated two pairs of socks, added a third in the coldest weeks and kept them tucked between layers in Maine. He slept with his phone, battery pack and headlamp in the sleeping bag, and put the foot of his bag inside an empty pack for warmth.
From Garage Grown Gear
A headlamp and spare batteries
The 2015 speed hiker threw away a headlamp that quit quickly and switched to another. The winter hiker brought extra headlamp batteries because cold weakened them.
From Gossamer Gear and Garage Grown Gear
An unscented pack liner
The 2015 hiker lined the pack with a trash compactor bag and notes it should be unscented in bear country. In the Smokies, scented items go on the cables.
From Gossamer Gear and Great Smoky Mountains National Park (NPS)
A base weight near 9 pounds, if you want to go light
The 2015 list came to 151.1 ounces, or 9.45 pounds, without food and water. The 2001 hikers averaged 7 pounds without food and water.
From Gossamer Gear and Francis Tapon
Going as a group? Split this list between you so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Appalachian Trail
A heavy stove and a big bottle of fuel
He called his 2002 starting setup laughable at over 4 pounds, and says a setup that can be assembled for $30 would have served a student on a budget better.
From Andrew Skurka
A tarp for February snow
A tarp worked in shelters but not on nights the hiker had to camp out in melting and refreezing ice. The double-wall tent that replaced it kept the wet side apart from the dry side.
From Garage Grown Gear
A headlamp that breaks
The 2015 hiker would not recommend the model that failed quickly.
From Gossamer Gear
Dull microspikes
By Maine the points on the winter hiker's microspikes were noticeably dull on hard ice. He also sharpened his trekking pole tips twice.
From Garage Grown Gear
Gear questions for Appalachian Trail
Do you need a tent for the Appalachian Trail?
Not always, but most hikers we read carried some shelter. There are more than 250 shelters, and Smokies thru-hikers may tent next to a full one. In bad weather shelters fill up, and the winter hiker found a tarp unreliable once ice melted onto it.
From Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Great Smoky Mountains National Park (NPS) and Garage Grown Gear
How heavy should my pack be for the Appalachian Trail?
The trail conservancy says carrying too much is the most predictable mistake at the start. The 2015 speed hiker kept the base weight near 9 pounds, the 2001 hikers near 7 pounds, and the 2002 starter began overloaded and learned from it.
From Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Gossamer Gear, Francis Tapon and Andrew Skurka
How do you store food on the Appalachian Trail in the Smokies?
Hang every scented item from the bear cables at the campsite or shelter. That includes trash, lip balm and toothpaste, and hammocks may not be used inside shelters.
What rain gear do I need on the Appalachian Trail?
Real waterproof gear. One hiker who started with water-resistant clothing regretted it, and another spent a full Smokies day in wind and rain on a trail that was either river or mud.
From Andrew Skurka and BikeHikeSafari
Sources
- Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail · Appalachian Trail Conservancy · Agency
- Backcountry Camping · Great Smoky Mountains National Park (NPS) · Agency
- Laughable: I started an AT thru-hike with a 4-lb stove system · Andrew Skurka, Andrew Skurka · Blog
- AT Gear List · Francis Tapon, Francis Tapon · Blog
- Anish FKT Gear List · Gossamer Gear, Anish · Blog
- Lessons Learned Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail in the Winter · Garage Grown Gear, Jeff Garmire · Blog
- AT Day 12 - Rain in the Smokies · BikeHikeSafari, Brad · Trip report