Our final post on the gear we used on the Appalachian Trail. We are still in Brunswick, GA spending our time getting ready to stay several months in the Bahamas. It is likely that we will leave the marina on New Year’s Eve for the Miami area.
Clothing choices are highly dependent on the temperatures that you believe you will come across. We selected clothing that could cover lows around 30 degrees Fahrenheit, to hot days in the 90’s. Honestly, we nearly wore the same clothes every day we hiked; just look at our photos. This post will outline what clothing we used during our 2024 hike.
Worn clothes
Coincidental matching motif
Jimmy: Outdoor Research sun hoodie, Kuhl convertible pants, boxer briefs, socks, hiking shoes, floppy hat
Sondra: Long sleeve Columbia shirt, Kuhl convertible pants, underwear, sports bra, socks, hiking shoes, neck gaiter used as a headband
Extra clothes
Jimmy: short sleeve tech shirt, Brooks long sleeve pullover shirt, shorts, gloves, wool long pants, second pair of ExOfficio boxer briefs, second pair of Darn Tough socks, sleeping socks, Patagonia Nano Puff jacket, Outdoor Research rain jacket, Outdoor Research rain pants (later replaced with Lighthearted rain skirt), warm hat, Xero sandals
Sondra: Adidas short sleeve tech shirt, Odlo long sleeve underlayer shirt, shorts, gloves (x 2), Icebreaker wool long pants, two more pairs of underwear, second pair of hiking socks, compression socks, Patagonia Nano Puff jacket, Black Diamond rain jacket, Black Diamond rain pants, Sunday Afternoon wool hat, sun hat, Xero sandals
Changes made along the way
After too many seated rock slides Jimmy needed to replace his old Kuhl pants with new ones during the first half.
Prior to New Hampshire, Jimmy wore a short sleeve tech shirt which required remembering to put sunscreen on arms and back of the neck. A fellow hiker was really happy with his Outdoor Research sun hoody that he wore in all temperatures, so Jimmy ordered one online. Instead of being more of a safety-green color, it arrived looking rather yellow, thus making the two of us looking like twins.
Jimmy started out wearing Keen hiking boots, but the soles fell apart before we finished Pennsylvania. He switched to Topo boots and bought two more pairs during the remainder of the hike.
Sondra purchased Obos hiking boots for the start of the hike, but they did not work out for her feet. Eventually she picked up Merrell hiking shoes and stuck with that brand for the rest of the hike.
Sondra’s shoes after walking through dense brush
Sondra made changes to her socks along the way, getting rid of sock liners and switching to Darn Tough socks which are thinner than Smart Wool to help give her more room in her toe box.
Jimmy’s rain pants developed a hole in the crotch that grew quickly over time. He reached out to Outdoor Research, and they sent him a new pair, to Tallahassee. Some of the guys we hiked with liked their rain skirts for warmer weather, so he picked up one from Lighthearted Gear and was happy with it.
Jimmy sporting his rain skirt
Somewhere along the way, we both lost our sun hats and had to purchase new hats in whatever town was next. In Vermont, Jimmy found a new floppy hat from Pistil that he likes more than the lost one. Sondra was unable to find a floppy hat in Kent, CT, so picked up a Bimini Bay Outfitters ball cap with a sun flap. She is not thrilled with it and misses her old Pistil hat. The cap is a hot hat and does not stay on her head very well.
Not long before we unexpectedly got off trail, we both purchased new gloves. Jimmy purchased waterproof gloves in preparation for cold and possibly wet conditions in the Smokeys; he never wore them. Sondra bought lightweight gloves to act as sun protection, and to deal with sweaty palms for hot weather hiking. They also could be worn under other gloves for an extra layer of warmth. She only wore them once or twice before the storm diverted the hike.
Permethrin
Permethrin is an insecticide that repels mosquitoes, ticks, ants, flies, chiggers and midges. Prior to hitting the trail, we sent off several clothing articles to Insect Guard to be infused in permethrin. Any clothing that we purchased on trail, we treated with a spray-on permethrin product. The spray was also applied to our tent, backpacks and hiking shoes. When the permethrin is infused into fabric, the treatment will last for about six months to a year and the spray version lasts about six weeks, requiring reapplication during the hike. We believe these treatments were helpful. Between the two of, Sondra was the only one who found an attached tick, it it may have died in place.
Loaner Clothes
One reason a long distance backpacker can get away with minimal clothing is due to Loaner Clothes. Most of the hiker hostels have spare clothing available to wear while hikers are doing their laundry. If you are not too tired it can be fun picking out some funky clothes that you typically would not wear. I will admit that finding clothes that fit can be a challenge, especially if planning to wear the loaner clothes outside of the hostel.
Sondra in Hot Springs, NC --- Jimmy and Yogi at Merry Poppin’s in PA
Miscellaneous Clothing Comments
We both had Xero sandals to wear at the end of the day, for wading around in water or when fording streams. We liked that you can easily wear socks with in cold weather, and that they are very lightweight. However we are not so sure we would purchase another pair. The Velcro straps did not hold well, and when the shoes were wet, you really had to cinch down the straps or your feet would slid all around. Towards the end of the hike, the tread on the soles was rather worn down. There may be other, less expensive camp shoe options out there.
Bridge of Xeros — Wading a stream in Xeros shoes
Sondra discovered that she did not like to wear a rain jacket or rain pants unless the weather was very cold. During summer storms, she would place her rain jacket on top of her backpack to help water runoff instead of getting absorbed into her pack.
Sometimes hikers find themselves staying at a place without loaner clothes on laundry day. This is when extra clothing articles available to slip into is handy. It was rather hilarious when several hikers showed up at a laundromat in Kent, CT all wearing rain jackets and shorts, totally uncoordinated.
Laundry day when loaner clothes are not available
This concludes our gear review series and will return to boating posts next week. Hope you all have a Happy New Year!
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