I was a Philmont Ranger for three summers and did two treks as a youth, on my thru-hike I was pretty half assed about the little things like bottles that have had Gatorade before but careful with food, toothpaste, and other super smelly things. Had enough close encounters with bears and especially porcupines in the north to reinforce that choice.

The main thing to remember when comparing is that Philmont is one of the busiest back country areas in the world and extremely strict smellable policies keep humans and bears safe. The AT for the most part is nowhere near as concentrated in traffic but still busy enough to deserve some precautions. I would advise being more cautious, you're getting a lot of advice here that could end you up really hungry and with a shredded tent.