Noob in preliminary stages of planning a 2023 SoBo solo AT thruhike.
have a newly arrived Lawson Blue Ridge hammock, an Arc'Teryx Altra 75 pack some other odd bits and a heap of determination. I have a year to sort this out. Also getting used to being newly disabled due to serious injuries, hit by car, but that won't stop me.
See you out there. MM
Best of luck! there have been numerous people who have hammocked the AT and posted about it. Take your year to read and get informed and it'll be a lot easier once you get out there.
Charlotte
Welcome to HF from downstate NY! Good luck in your research and preparation for your thru hike.Originally Posted by Miracle Man
Noob in preliminary stages of planning a 2023 SoBo solo AT thruhike.
have a newly arrived Lawson Blue Ridge hammock, an Arc'Teryx Altra 75 pack some other odd bits and a heap of determination. I have a year to sort this out. Also getting used to being newly disabled due to serious injuries, hit by car, but that won't stop me.
See you out there. MM
Even those who have not sustained serious injuries find that hiking with a light pack makes the journey a lot more enjoyable. So before you accumulate a whole bunch of backpacking gear I would encourage you to google "ultralight backpacking" and read/watch as many blogposts/threads/videos as you can on the topic to see what thru hikers are using these days. You will find that many are carrying "Base Weights" (total pack weight without food/water) of less than 15 lbs — and some less than 10 lbs — and total pack weight (including 4-5 days food/1 liter water) of 20-25 lbs.
Looking at the weights of the Arc'Teryx pack (81oz) and the Lawson hammock (79oz), you're starting off with 160oz (10 lbs) just for 2 basic items. This makes it hard to keep the overall weight of the other items for cooking, quilts, tarp, clothing and miscellaneous items down to a manageable level. Next thing you know, you're looking at a 40-50 lb pack. Not fun. Especially if you're starting at Katahdin.
HERE is a post by HF contributor Ldog (an experienced thru-hiker) which has a nice perspective on the topic, and he has a link to his pack list at the bottom which is very educational.
Last edited by cmoulder; 05-11-2022 at 09:01.
Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton
Welcome from the Jersey Shore!
Like cmoulder, I can't see how you can manage the weight of the Arc-Teryx and Lawson hammock. If you're disabled, those items are pretty heavy (and even if you're not disabled). And you haven't even mentioned insulation!
Have you tried the Lawson Blue Ridge hammock? I'm surprised they're still in business. I've only seen a couple of them in the last 12 years - they are tippy, uncomfortable, and weigh a ton. It's strictly a car-camping hammock, not an AT thru-hike hammock.
Good luck on your thru-hike!
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson
Welcome from the lower Catskills - downstate for everyone else in NY state, upstate for all those folks in NYC for whom everything north of the Bronx is upstate lol! I actually used to live in the Southern Tier - just outside of Salamanca. I don't miss those winters!
I'll agree with everyone else so far - the Lawson and the Arc'Teryx, while great gear for taking a beating, are crazy heavy. I'm sure you know that your Big Three (shelter, pack, insulation) are both the heaviest and generally the most expensive pieces of your backpacking kit - and usually where you can shed the most weight - but you run into the equation of durable/inexpensive/heavy vs delicate/costly/light and how to balance those.
Bob (cmoulder) has the link at the bottom of his sig with the "Five principles of going lighter" that is an excellent place to start thinking about lowering pack weight. I am still working on UL - but my base weight is under 14 pounds now in the shoulder seasons - and I'm a cold sleeper and still prefer comfort over gram counting.
You'll find lots of great help here on this forum (become a donating member - it's only 10 bucks and well worth it!) and on the sister/parent WhiteBlaze forum which is dedicated to AT hiking. Good luck - and maybe I'll see you on the Trail.
Medical professional, semi-professional Scouter, aspiring layabout.
"If it's stupid, and it works - it's not stupid."
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S487-132
Thank you Charlotte! I shall do just that. Looking forward to doing a few shakedown hikes over this season. All those little details which work and do not work will sort themselves out. By spring of '23 I should be in good shape for launch.
MM
Welcome, from another Buffalo hanger.
I started with a Lawson. Had a lot of fun it it. Then I discovered gathered end camping hammocks and never looked back. Great way to discover if you like being off the terra-firms.
Enjoy the anticipation of your AT quest~~~
Shug
Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven
Welcome ! Another Buffalo hanger here. Spend some time watching and reading posts...lots to learn. It will save you many dollars along the way....trust me..LOL
[QUOTE=Shug;2075133]I started with a Lawson. Had a lot of fun it it. Then I discovered gathered end camping hammocks and never looked back. Great way to discover if you like being off the terra-firms.<br>
Enjoy the anticipation of your AT quest~~~<br>
Shug
Howdy Shug. I'm pretty sure I am going to like my Lawson. I have tried the gathered end hammocks many times over the years. Always was a big Gilligan's Island fan too. Just can't do the banana thing. I am a belly sleeper. Either I'm on a pad on the ground or I'm in the Lawson.
Not a fan of the shelters either. The Finger Lakes Trail here in New York has I think the same shelters as the AT; three log sides, plywood and shingle roof and a roughcut hardwood platform floor. May as well be sleeping on concrete, even with a pad. Nope. I like my hammock's features. A fairly flat lay with the spreader bars and straps I can draw fairly tight. The aluminum arch supports to hold up and shape the no-see-um mesh netting and the all enclosing rain fly.
>>>BUG PROOF & RAIN PROOF<<<
I am sold. I dig this thing. Like a hermit crab I take my house with me everywhere I go. It also performs two ways; it is a hammock. >and< it is a ground tent too.
Sure it's a tad hefty and bulky when packed. I can pare the weight down a bit by replacing the bars with carbon fiber which will shorten it in the stuff sack. I can replace the over fancy macrame at each and through the spreader bars with high pound test Spider Wire fishing line. It doesn't weigh 80 lbs to begin with. It still has to survive the shakedown hikes over this season but at this point I think it will.
MM
Last edited by Miracle Man; 05-14-2022 at 04:52.
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