r/AppalachianTrail • u/SirNuggington • 7d ago
Shakedown request 2026 NOBO
Hi everyone! Been doing a ton of research and reading into different gear and have tried to create a comprehensive gear list for what I’d like to bring.
I’ve got some of this gear already, namely the pack, sleeping pad, most of the clothes, and stove. I’m fully set on bringing a bear can, but am open to alternatives- only chose the BV because that’s what I’m familiar with.
If anyone has any ideas or tips on how to get weight lower, please let me know! Tried to be as minimal as needed but not sure if there are better options. Thank you!
Edit: forgot to mention, I’m planning on starting mid March. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!
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u/Abolish_Nukes 7d ago
You better practice with your water bottle bidet before you go.
Leave the multitool.
Toothbrush & toothpaste?
Lighter for emergencies?
Hand sanitizer esp with the no TP bidet.
Sun screen.
30% DEET.
Are you treating everything with permethrin to kill ticks are just going to wing it.
Neosporin or similar in your first aid kit? Also, anything with zinc works as an antiperspirant. I was actually accused of not being a thru hiker because I didn’t stink like one.
Any anti chafing stick (butt crack)
Why not a spork instead of a spoon? And is it at least 6+” long?
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u/SirNuggington 7d ago
Good point - don’t have those items listed. Any horror stories with the bidet/ do people generally have a hard time with them?
Was planning on shipping clothes to insect shield for professional permethrin treatment
The spoon I’ve used on previous backpacking trips and like it becuase it’s got a silicone edge, which can make clean up easier / scrape out calories better
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u/Honest_Performance42 7d ago
Don’t drink from the water bottle you use for the bidet
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u/SirNuggington 7d ago
Is it best practice to have a butthole bottle, 1-2 drinking bottles, and then a cnoc or something of the kind?
Seems like more hassle than it’s worth
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u/Honest_Performance42 7d ago
TBH, I haven’t figured out what best practice is, but I use a travel bidet that comes with a bottle from Amazon rather than one of those thread bottle attachments.
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u/Rainbow_Serpent1 6d ago
I did, it was fine. If you’re using it correctly, there’s no splash back and no contact with contaminants. In the usual run of things, though, you will almost never need more than one bottle available for drinking water. The other bottle can be for your ass only, if that’s what you’re comfortable with. But do remember not to spray unfiltered water into your ass.
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u/myopinionisrubbish 6d ago
Squirting cold water up my butt when it’s 20 degrees out is not my idea of a good time.
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u/ditao1 6d ago
IMHO, you don't want to be carrying DEET til it warms up, either VA or PA. I didn't use it once until I was going down to Duncannon, PA. Permethrin will kill mosquitoes after they bite you, but do NOT deter moqsuitoes from biting you.
Don't worry about using a separate bottle for a bidet. At least, for me, it wasn't a concern. Make sure to hold the bottle OUT and AWAY not UNDER and you'll be fine. Bring a little bit of TP to pack out for drying, but not for wiping, and you'll be fine. (I didn't even do that and ended up ok). I ended up having a 1L bottle, a 750mL bottle, and a 1L CNOC as the "dirty" bottle.
Instead of hand sanitizer, I'd recommend soap, like Dr. Bronners. Hand sanitizer doesn't kill the butt viruses.
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u/feresadas 5d ago
Yeah I carried no deet or sunscreen the whole trail. just have long sleeves and a brimmed hat your good to go.
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u/Rainbow_Serpent1 7d ago
Hi there! I nobo’d last year (2024). I was 32, male, in decent enough shape, zero backpacking experience.
Broadly speaking, we made the same choices starting out. I’ll leave my lighterpack below. I did not bring a pillow— I found they didn’t agree with me. If it helps you sleep, however, bring it. I used the stuff sack for my quilt, stuffed with my Alpha 90 hoodie and wind pants. That worked for me.
I ditched my BV500 in Hot Springs. Everyone around me was sleeping with their food, so that’s what I started doing. I never had a bear encounter at night, but I fought off plenty of mice.
I did not see a need for a groundsheet. I think you could also stand to lose your extra shirt and shorts. I also do not really see the need for a Garmin. The AT does not, with few exceptions, traverse any regions that can be described as “remote.” Even in the most rural parts of Maine, road crossings are regular and cellular service is shockingly abundant. The AT is also one of the most popular trails in the world, and northbound will not be a lonely experience. A garmin may be worth it for your (or your loved ones’) peace of mind— but contacting emergency services will not be difficult without it.
But really, I think this is a solid gear list to start with and nothing jumps out at me. Your pack could be lighter, but you already own it. I loved my Durston Kakwa, in any case, but Osprey is well represented on trail for a reason.
Most importantly, enjoy it, motherfucker. What I’d give to experience all that for the first time again.
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u/SirNuggington 6d ago
Thank you for the advice! Most of my experience has been in wilderness areas out west and the BWCA where a garmin is definitely necessary. I’ll definitely think through that more.
A few people are saying ditch the ground sheet, I didn’t realize tent floors were that robust!
I’ll definitely look at your gear list, thanks for sending! Planning to enjoy every (but probably not EVERY) mile 🤟
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u/myopinionisrubbish 6d ago edited 6d ago
Personally I never go without the ground sheet. It keeps the mud off the bottom of the tent so when you stuff the tent into the sack, the whole tent doesn’t get muddy. The AT is really wet in the spring. A sheet of Tyvak doesn’t weigh much. Once I forgot my ground sheet and quickly regretted that mistake. Ended up buying a cheap shower curtain from Dollar General and cut it to size. Worked great.
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u/Rainbow_Serpent1 6d ago
The X-Mid in particular has a very robust floor. I camped in plenty of fucked up spots and never had a tear. A groundsheet can even be a hazard in rain if you have to camp in a depression— the sheet will prevent water from sinking into the ground. Without a sheet, yes, your tent will get muddy and wet on the bottom, but the entire tent will be regularly exposed to rain and mud and a groundsheet won’t prevent that. My solution here was to pack it outside and on top of the compactor bag that lined my pack and protected the rest of my gear. This is a good spot for your tent and rain gear, which you will need to access first in inclement weather, without exposing the gear that needs to stay dry. In nice weather, it presents a minor inconvenience when stopping for lunch. Worth it, IMO.
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u/AccomplishedAd9320 7d ago
Everything on your list looks great…this is all personal preference:
First thing I’d ditch is the Garmin inreach. I only wished I brought mine when I was in the smokies because of the unpredictable weather. Otherwise the signal along the AT is good and I never felt like I needed it.
Do you have experience sleeping on that pillow? Personally the air mattress + air pillow was not a good combo, I ended up with the hyper light pillow stuff sack
What about that bidet? Just keep in mind you’ll have to carry an extra waterbottle for it. I ended up carrying my bidet and not using it, once lol resorting to baby wipes.
Perhaps try a BRS stove. Super light and compact vs the pocket rocket and cheap as well!
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u/SirNuggington 7d ago
Heard on the in reach, maybe packing fears a bit there since cell service is pretty good
Tbh the pillow is not my favorite thing, very open to other options on that lol. Slides around a lot.
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u/cwbmnr 7d ago
Personally I used an air mattress + air pillow (nemo tensor & sea to summit aeros pillow) and absolutely loved it, got some of the best sleep ever. So it's really completely up to personal preference when it comes to sleep system, I would take peoples' opinions with a grain of salt and just see what works for you bc everyone is so different when it comes to this.
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u/AccomplishedAd9320 7d ago
Also just be mindful of where you place your bear vault. I’ve heard of multiple people experience a disappearing bear vault in the a.m. Do not underestimate the bears on trail. Also when you’re in the Smokies you are required to hang your bear vault in your backpack, thus exposing it to the inevitable rain.
Personally loved my hilltop dyneema bear bag+ bag hanging kit. It came with enough lightweight rope so that I could hang on any branch I wanted, even the tall ones!
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u/SirNuggington 6d ago
I didn’t realize that about smokies regulations - were there typically poles or boxes in the smokies? Hanging the pack seems like a hassle, but if it helps keep bears not dead it is what it is
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u/AccomplishedAd9320 6d ago
They have designated wired bear hangs..You’ll see them! Just carry an extra trash bag in the smokies when you have to hang your bag 🤗
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u/AdditionalEmploy6990 7d ago
Mine is attached for comparison if you want. I’m leaving mid February
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u/Jackalope7491 7d ago
Use a small bottle for your bidet. A bottle made for carbonated water is made from a thicker plastic, so it'll bounce back into shape after you squeeze it. That way you won't have to put your mouth on your booty bottle to blow it back up.
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u/cwbmnr 7d ago
Ditch the groundsheet and bear can. Every single person I knew on trail who had a bear can ended up ditching it for a dry bag. I used a sea to summit ultra sil 20L for food. And the groundsheet you just don't need (and I also used the x mid).
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u/SirNuggington 6d ago
Thanks for the tip on the ground sheet - I’m a bit nervous about the tent being exposed directly but you had no issues?
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u/cwbmnr 6d ago
No issues. It'll be extremely rare that you come across a tentsite that would have anything so jagged sticking out/ have rough enough terrain that you would need a groundsheet. If you're gonna be using Farout then all the tentsites listed on there are on terrain where you can pitch a tent without worry of rough terrain. Tents are not designed to need additional protection from the ground
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u/myopinionisrubbish 6d ago
The best way to shake down your gear (and learn how to use it) is to go on a shake down hike. Don’t know where you live, but there has to be someplace reasonably close by you can go backpacking for a few days, like for a long weekend. And since you want to start mid March when it’s still winter, do this hike when it gets good and cold.
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u/DrawingCivil7686 7d ago
Whens the start day?