Since we had to come home briefly from our BamaToBaxter hike due to Suspenders’ health issues, we decided to make some gear changes before heading back out and skipping up to the Appalachian Trail to begin that portion.
Some of the gear changes are due to the changing weather (becoming warmer and not needing the winter items), and some are due to comfort issues.
Couple’s Gear Changes
These are the items that we share as a couple.
Tent
We will be changing out our tent. While we do love the ZPacks Offset Duo, we just don’t believe it is the best for wet/cold climates. While we are about to head into warmer months, we were just getting super frustrated waking up with our sleeping bag footboxes wet from touching the wall of the tent, which was soaked in condensation.
I did not have this issue using the tent by myself, as I could sleep in the middle, but the way the foot area slopes, it is impossible not to touch the wall if two people are in there (unless you are shorter, which we are not).
We also were unhappy with the very small vestibule area.
Due to this, we decided we would be much happier with a three-person tent. Unfortunately, we cannot find a trekking pole tent where the foot area doesn’t dramatically slope down. It would be nice if a company would come out with a tent that utilizes four trekking poles for couples who hike together and each carry a set of trekking poles. Due to this issue, we have returned to using a non-trekking pole tent.
We have changed our tent out to the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL 3. I have the two-person version and love it. We also have the Copper Spur HVUL 3, but decided to go with the Tigerwall to save a pound.
Pot
We originally started with the Toaks 750 ml pot but have decided to go with the Toaks 900 ml pot simply so we can boil more water at once instead of having to do two separate boils.
Pad Straps
We added pad straps to hold our pads together. We always cuddle (and toss and turn), and our pads would end up separating, and we would ultimately roll on the floor, or one would be higher than the other. I know it may seem like a silly thing to add, but for us, it is about a comfortable night’s sleep, and that’s what keeps us comfortable at night.
Nutty Hiker’s Gear Changes
I only changed out a couple of pieces of gear, as most of my gear is dialed in.
Sleep Pad
Finding my perfect sleep pad has been difficult. For the Pinhoti, I used the Thermorest Neoair XLite NXT mummy in regular-wide. This is the 3rd mummy I have tried, and I am convinced now I need a rectangular pad. I just toss and turn too much, and my feet never stay on the pad. This is a big problem in the winter months. I am also a cold sleeper. When it is cold outside, I have a hard time warming up (thank you, Hoshimotios and Hypothyroidism). Even though I had a pretty high r-value, I needed something a little higher.
Due to those issues, I switched to the Nemo Tensor All Season Regular-Wide. It is a rectangular pad and gives me a higher r-value for only 2 oz more. I’d love to switch this over to something else during the warm months, but I haven’t come across anything that would be lighter enough to be worth the money.
Pillow
I had the Nemo Fillo Elite, and I do love it. However, I used Suspenders Sea To Summit Aeros Premium Large and loved the oversized pillow. I felt like I got a better night’s sleep. So, I had the Sea To Summit Aeros Ultralight Large pillow at home and will be taking that.
Pack
I love my Osprey Eja 58 but have decided to give the Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra another try. When I used it for the first section of the Pinhoti, I loved the way it carried. I didn’t have an issue with it until we had that large water carry and I put like 5 pounds of water on the very top of it.
Suspenders’ Gear Changes
Suspenders really used the Pinhoti to do a shakedown hike, and with that, he has made several changes.
Baselayer Bottom
This was a significant failure and at the worst time. He was using the REI Swiftland Running Tights as a base layer. They did not hold up or help with warmth AT ALL. Thankfully, we had a bail-out point and did so. The next day, we went to REI and bought him a Smartwool base layer, and he is now toasty warm down into the 20’s.
Baselayer Top
While his Army-issued baselayer top did its job, he bought two new Smartwool baselayer tops, just in case, since we were already at REI. He purchased an all-season and a thermal weight.
Sleep Pad
He also changed out his sleep pad. He does not like mummy pads for the same reason I don’t. He found his feet constantly went off them, which would cause his foot box to get cold during winter. He switched out his Thermorest Neoair XLite NXT mummy Long-Wide to the Nemo Tensor All Season Long-Wide.
Pillow
He started with the Zpacks pillow and couldn’t stand the rubber balloon feel. While at REI, he bought the Sea To Summit Aeros Premium Large and loves it.
CPAP Battery
Right before we headed out, I did a final test of electronics and noticed his CPAP battery would not fully charge. We contacted the company for a replacement, but it would not arrive in time, so they refunded us. Now, it was a mad dash to find another one. I came across the Zopec Explore Mini, which, in the last 5 years of research and testing, I had never heard of. It turns out it was released late last year. I bought it, and it arrived the day before we set out.
We have now done extensive testing with it and will have a review of it soon.
Compression Sack
He decided to add a Sea To Summit compression sack to help with space in his pack. It only weighs 2.9oz and helps give him more room.
Appalachian Trail Pre-Trail Gear Changes Video
While we did make these changes, there are also some items now that it is warmer that we are leaving at home, such as our microspikes. You can see my current AT Gear List here and Suspenders’ current Gear List here.
If you have any questions about our Appalachian Trail pre-trail gear changes, please feel free to comment below!
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