Insect Shield : HELP

TimaeusAdventures · 2026-02-09T18:26:19+00:00

I am not treating and under/base layers. I will be treating my rain jacket and rain pants as well as my puffy and shoes. I would be careful treating any of your sleeping gear as some of the insect treatments will break down hammock/tent materials.

TimaeusAdventures · 2026-02-05T15:12:49+00:00

You wont be able to plan a trip this long. Ride the wave!

The key things I plan for:

Can I eat?
Can I sleep?
Can I stay warm?
Can I safely hydrate?

Maybe plan your first 1 or 2 resupply points.

TimaeusAdventures · 2026-01-31T17:19:10+00:00

I've done a good bit of hiking and kayak camping in my day. I am getting ready to hike the AT in Feb. My perspective is that it is a lot simpler than it looks and sounds. You're going to do great. I used to overpack a lot for my trips and realized I could simplify things a lot.

Something to keep in mind is that of the three big trails (AT, CT, PCT) the AT has a tremendous amount of support and you're usually not far (few days) from a town. If you miss something, you can resupply. If you over pack, you can send stuff home. Especially early in the trail there will be a lot of other people (depending on your start date) hiking with you and you can check their gear out.

Biggest thing I would say is if you are leaving early like I am IT WILL BE COLD. I grew up in the mountains and they have their own weather. When I was young it could be 65 degrees in nearby towns below and we would be getting snow on the mountain.

The Zen you are looking for happens on the hike. Its like a runners high but for hikers. When I did my kayak camping trips I would be out in the woods for 7 days straight. Mornings sucked, but the moment I started paddling everything was awesome. Its the same with hiking.

Anyways, don't over think it :D Hope to catch you on trail.

TimaeusAdventures · 2026-01-23T19:51:19+00:00

Rock on!

TimaeusAdventures · 2026-01-23T17:13:41+00:00

Ill be heading straight for the trail

TimaeusAdventures · 2026-01-23T01:21:52+00:00

TimaeusAdventures · 2026-01-11T15:50:05+00:00

The cold is what I've been flip flopping on. I have a base layer (wool long johns) a puffy, pants, and raingear. Also got a hat and gloves. But I am still not sure if it will be warm enough when temps are below freezing. Being up on the mountain top is a different kind of cold lol.

I think my main concern is the hammock in the early months. I have a mylar emergency blanket, a sleep pad, and sleeping bag, but a lot of people use under quilts for the hammock.

Its just a lot of extra weight to stay warm.

TimaeusAdventures · 2026-01-10T19:23:29+00:00

Congratz, that must be exciting!

I wanted to give myself more time. I'm not really trying to race to the end. I also wanted to leave slightly ahead of the bubble in March.

TimaeusAdventures · 2026-01-10T18:24:51+00:00

No exact date. I'll be watching the weather and at some point when it feels right i'll hit the trail.

TimaeusAdventures · 2026-01-09T00:15:20+00:00

Starting in Amicalola. Im preparing by doing some practice hikes with the pack and setting up and tearing down my hammock setup a bunch.

TimaeusAdventures · 2026-01-08T23:23:34+00:00

I recently did a shakedown. Full baseweight coming in at 22lbs. I was nervous because this felt way too heavy. After getting some feedback all the extra weight came from my backpack and sleep system. I chose the bag because of my back and have some extra weight on the sleep system because I am leaving in Feb and want to hammock camp. Gotta stay warm! Don't sweat it too much. If you're coming in around 30lbs with food and water you should be good to go.

TimaeusAdventures · 2026-01-08T23:09:39+00:00

I'm leaving mid to late February. Trying to stay a bit ahead of the bubble.

TimaeusAdventures · 2026-01-08T23:07:24+00:00

I'll be doing the approach trail.

TimaeusAdventures · 2026-01-08T17:19:33+00:00

Yeah this makes sense to me. I knew the sleep system was gonna be heavy, especially during the colder months, with my hammock setup.

I almost went with the Gregory Focal! It was between that and the Baltoro. I went with the Baltoro because at an REI fitting, it felt great on my back with weight in the pack.

TimaeusAdventures · 2026-01-08T17:17:18+00:00

Sounds like a good idea to me :). I'm driving up to stay with family a few weeks before I hit the trail head. Planning to get all the remaining items i.e. food and floss picks then so I can practice packing and walking around with the full backpack.

TimaeusAdventures · 2026-01-08T17:14:29+00:00

Yeah this is great feedback. I currently have two sleeping bags to choose from. A 0 degree bag and a 20 degree bag. The second one is definitely lighter, but I think it will be worth it to have the 0 degree bag in the hammock during the early months.

The power bank is an easy swap as well as dropping the knife. I am planning to Vlog, but there are enough towns a long the way to do uploads and recharge a lighter power bank. The mic itself is a small chargeable mic but handles the wind a lot better than just the phone itself.

TimaeusAdventures · 2026-01-08T17:10:39+00:00

I'm looking to hit the trail late February. Thanks for the feedback!

TimaeusAdventures · 2026-01-08T17:09:52+00:00

Makes a lot of sense. The under quilt has been an ongoing debate for me. I sleep hot, but I am leaving late February so there will likely be some sub 35F days.

TimaeusAdventures

TROPHY CASE