All the Gear I Finished the Appalachian Trail With - Final Gear List and Review

[@paddle_hike]

Nice gear loadout.... and yeah, I bring a 900ml Toaks cook pot...That way I can cook a meal and coffee in one shot or a bigger meal.

[@RCshowmen]

Dyneema rain mitts are the way to go.

[@cnawan]

That sponge as a pillow is a new trick for me :D

[@ronaldmittelman2054]

Really appreciate your continuing efforts to inform us. For all of us that don't know, you give us real perspective. You're a good communicator. Thanks so much. Looking forward to more content from you. Thanks and happy new year.

[@johnme884]

That was really helpful. I learned a lot about how much gear needs to adapt to cold weather environments. I'd love if you could do a future video on what it's like to go back to "regular life" after spending months on the trail. Thanks Matt!

[@mattmoves8890]

That's a tough one to do! Definitely still figuring that one out

[@RevBTB]

Hey! ive missed "sharing" my coffee with you in the morning, lol. hope you continue your hiking adventures and make more hiking content for us. thank you for all the time and effort you have put out to create quality content for us to digest. P.S. i see your Laconia shirt! lol Have you ever been to "The Weirs" while not in the throes of thunderous anarchy? lol if ya ever do go - eat at Elvios.. and if Joey is workin - tell him BTB says "whats good?" lol

[@mattmoves8890]

I have been to the Weirs many times! I used to live in Gilford, probably 10 minutes from there.

[@RevBTB]

@@mattmoves8890 Oh awesome, My mother and father in law basically lived at Resort on the Bay - had a permanent summer home there from about 1968 through 1995 when the MIL passed away - quite the culture in that little camper community, lol

[@Beardedbackpacker]

That gossamer gear tent is one of the best tents I’ve ever used. You’re totally right about the space compared to the trekking pole tents with one pole. Solid gear buddy!

[@mattmoves8890]

Completely agree! I used a lanshan 1 before and it felt like a coffin

[@xrrtracks]

Great information

[@alexreborchick]

Really looking forward to a video describing your vlogging and editing process, starting the trail in March and would love to learn more about it. Thanks for the awesome gear video!

[@annebarch7751]

I’m going at the end of March

[@lbstrtelephone]

Thank you for being so thorough

[@mattmoves8890]

Happy I could help! I think the ending gear videos are so much closer to what people actually have on trail than the initial ones.

[@lbstrtelephone]

@@mattmoves8890 agreed. I have been watching several of your videos and find them insightful. Further prep for my planned nobo start this year in March.

[@mattmoves8890]

@lbstrtelephone awesome! Get in touch around harpers ferry or the VA Rollercoaster section. I live around there and would be happy to help in any way

[@lbstrtelephone]

@@mattmoves8890 way too kind of you. Will certaintly keep in mind.

[@gregpatterson134]

Great video. You mentioned a video on vlogging, that would be very helpful. You did a great recap on gear. Much appreciated.

[@mattmoves8890]

It's in the works right now. Hoping to finish it by the end of the week

[@lindahammons4103]

Gotta come back for this if / when I need more gear BUT just gotta say I am loving the Laconia tee shirt!!! Grew up on Lake Winnipesaukee in summers!!

[@darrenbrown7037]

Thanks for this video, enjoyed it and learned a lot. I love my Rab microlite too! Cheers

[@hoozurmama883]

Rab makes great stuff. I have a fleece from them which is the best I've ever owned.

[@DissiDan]

There's a lot of hoopla about base weights but I'm curious about typical all out weights of a thru hike including fuel, water and food that a thru hiker carries on average. I'm assembling a kit for an eventual adventure and I can't refine below 29 lbs including 3 liters of water, 3 days of food and fuel. Not sure if that's out of range for most thru hikers.

[@juliamarple3785]

Thanks so much. Very helpful.

[@richardross7219]

Very good video. Lots of practical info. Happy future trails. Good Luck, Rick

[@peterweber4094]

Thanks for sharing. I’m planning a round the world bike packing tour and am researching ultra-light gear and long term “off grid”/independent gear. Nitecore power banks is a definite. Again ty for a detailed load out and review it’s really helpful.

[@susietopspin]

Wow Matt so much information. My hiking partner has that same puffy in the same color. Wishing you all the best and happy onward trails.🤘🏻🥾⛰️

[@thegreatexaggerator9077]

Well done! Looking forward to the Vlogging video!

[@IamMuddy]

Thank you very much; very informative! I’m looking forward to the vlogging vid!

[@nmamrak9405]

Great review. I really liked following along the vlogs so the gear recap was great. If you like topo but want more cushion I would recommend the topo pursuit.

[@mattmoves8890]

I think those are zero drop, and I was scared to make that switch on trail. Now that I'm off trail, I might try and train zero drop, or at least see if it gives me any issues. Prior to top I wore hokas, brooks, and saucony trail runners and the topos were the best in terms of durability and width. The saucony peregrine were also pretty solid for me

[@EH-uq9rz]

this is so helpful! i really like your yellow puffy jacket, thinking of buying one

[@mattmoves8890]

You should!

[@gwilson3728]

Great review. Thank you for the time and care put in.

[@OkkyPermana]

you may try "sandal jepit", all terrain sandals 👍

[@glenhikes4606]

Very informative gear review. Great job!

[@darrylsbeekeepingvideos8487]

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. I've tried to get the answers for six months. You answered some last night (UHD 30 and publish at 1080p, but I realized I have more). 1. What settings do you use when Producing the video in PowerDirector 365? H.264 AVC or H.265 HVEC? 2. Which file extension: MP4? 3. Which MPEG-4 quality setting for the 1080p setting (since there are several listed for 1080p): MPEG-4 1920 x 1080/24p (11Mbps), MPEG-4 1920 x 1080/30p (11Mbps), or MPEG-4 2K 2048 x 1080/30p (30Mbps)? 4. Surround sound checked or unchecked? Thank you again for answering all my questions!

[@mattmoves8890]

Hmm I don't see all those setting on my phone. I use 1080p full HD, 30 frame rate, standard bitrate. The output file is a mp4

[@darrylsbeekeepingvideos8487]

@MattMoves thanks. They are in the PC version of the program. I assumed they are in the phone version too.

[@mattmoves8890]

@darrylsbeekeepingvideos8487 ahh I see, I only have the phone version so it must be different

I LOVE you gear reviews! Your other ones helped me a lot in deciding what to get for my upcoming thru and this one has been helpful too. Thank you! A few questions: 1) if you did another thru, would you cold soak part way or just bring the cook set the whole way? 2) did you bring two compactor bags at the same time or did you replace the first with the second? 3) if done over, would you bring the Frogg Togg pants instead? 4) did you have to (are you able to just) repair the phone screen? If so how/where? I'm a Galaxy user and need a new one (I've got the S9). I'm looking forward to the vlogging video! I'm going to look into getting an SSD thingy. Thanks again!!!

[@mattmoves8890]

I'm so sorry I missed your comment! Idk what happened, but I apologize. - I would cold soak part way again. It's so unbelievably easy and it's cheaper. I did love having my hot drinks when it got colder, though, and I would consider the cook pot and fuel mandatory for any colder weather hikes. - Only brought one compactor bag and then swapped it out halfway. They last a long time. - I didn't consider the frogg togg pants, but maybe ill try them. Going forward, I think for summer months I won't bring pants, and for winter, I'll take something more heavy duty. The OR pants were almost not worth it. - I never repaired the phone screen. It's pretty costly, and it's still functional. If I had to do it again, I would have brought a better case. Are you hiking the AT this year? Or doing a different thru?

@@mattmoves8890 No problem, think nothing of it! I'm sure you had/have a lot going on with readjusting to civilization. 😂 I am thinking about doing a combo of cold soak and then adding boiling water to warm some of the meals when possible (to save clean up and fuel). I'm planning to start the AT April 1st-ish but I'll do a modified flip-flop.

[@mattmoves8890]

@livingyugen sounds like a good plan! Food setup is so personal so I'm sure you'll figure out what's best once you're out there. Keep me in mind when you're in the Rollercoaster/harpers ferry/front royal section. I can give you ride, bring you food, or do whatever else you might need. Happy trails!

@@mattmoves8890 that is so kind! Thank you! ❤️

[@roberttrinies7698]

I cracked my phone screen while backpacking, and covered it with some clear tarp repair tape I found at a hardware store. It worked to seal the cracks and hold it togeth,and still was able to scroll etc. The only drawback was it had a Matt finish to the tape which made it harder to see during the day, but was fine at night. ✌️

[@rjmoney9]

Approximately what date did you hit the smokies and start using your liner? Thanks!

[@mattmoves8890]

Hit the smokies the first week in November. Was very glad to have the liner, I used it every night!

[@snodrog5]

Great vid, thanks Matt. I think you didn't see other Rab gear is because it's a European brand. See it everywhere in Scotland, as common as North Face in the states.

[@mattmoves8890]

You're probably right. I did have to get used to having the zipper on the other side! That being said, I think it's just a tad too heavy for most people looking for ultralight thru-hiking gear. It's definitely more oriented for winter hiking and mountaineering

[@tkemp4184]

Good review Thanks for this information.

[@shayzoo2]

So if you started southbound with the smaller pack, how did it handle the food carry through the 100-mile? Just wondering if that is big enough for a summer carry through that section?

[@mattmoves8890]

It was pretty much too small unless you can do it in 4 days or get a food drop. Also depends on how you pack everything, but I remember maxing out the 38L the first few days which was uncomfortable

[@shayzoo2]

@@mattmoves8890 ok. Yeah I would think so. I feel like it would be hard to do the 100-mile first thing without help (a drop) or without being a pretty seasoned back-packer. Probably very hard (and dangerous) for anyone who is couch to trail. No opportunity to dial in their gear and figure out how much food and water they actually need to carry.

[@bikhills]

Thank you! Finally a gear review of affordable gear that us normal poor folks use. Functional gear does not need to be the most expensive, as most of us can't spend $400 to save 5 ounces.

[@mattmoves8890]

Completely agree. I'll say a quality sleeping bag, sleeping pad, pack, and tent can cost a good amount. But outside that you can really go budget and stay pretty light

[@bikhills]

@@mattmoves8890 I also have a Granite Gear 60 pack. It is really comfortable with a heavier load. I use a smaller pack for 2-3 day trips. I really like my UGQ quilt also - my splurge item.

[@RC-qf3mp]

I love those Topos but haven’t thru hiked with them yet. Did you switch out the insole? You think you could’ve gotten more out of them if you had? What was breaking down besides the front flap?

[@gumgirlcam9719]

Great video - just subscribed.

[@andrewfolk5283]

How tall are you and what size Timmermade Alpha direct? I'm trying to get sizing right. I'm 6', 190 and their large climashield I have from them looks like a parka on me and is too large for layering.

[@mattmoves8890]

I got a medium, and I'm 5'9". I think they can custom size if you send measurements, but that might take a while to process the order

[@alech729]

How tall are you? I’m 6’2 and used the durston 1p and loved it, but def had the coffin feeling. Would you recommend going with the one?

[@mattmoves8890]

I'm 5'9" and I think it would have enough headroom when sitting up but it might be tight laying down. Especially if you are using a lofty bag/quilt and a thick sleeping pad.

[@alech729]

@@mattmoves8890 appreciate the response! I ended up going with the durston 2P. Figured it never hurts to be double wall and have all the space I could ever need.

[@mattmoves8890]

@alech729 a solid double wall 2p is always a good tent to have. Never tried the xmid but everyone seems to love them

[@ryanb3908]

Just get the pro 2p. Almost same weight and far more room.

[@trailfleamlangdon2260]

Great video Matt, can you tell me again the used gear sit you mentioned? Thanks,Trail Flea

[@mattmoves8890]

The sit pad?

[@trailfleamlangdon2260]

@@mattmoves8890 Sorry I meant the website to buy and sell used gear. Thanks,,

[@mattmoves8890]

@trailfleamlangdon2260 gotcha! It's reddit ultralight gear trade, heres the link www.reddit.com/r/ULgeartrade?

Oops, one more question. Did you need 2TB of storage?

[@WitcherOnTrail]

Do you still feel like the 750ml pot was too small? Planning to do AT in a few weeks, I could easily see myself wanting to eat two ramen packets back-to-back, since I do that in real-life all the time anyhow.

[@mattmoves8890]

If you want to eat two ramens in the same pot, a bigger one would probably work better. For months I ate a ramen, instant mashed potatoes, and two tuna packs for dinner - that barely fit in the 750ml

[@WitcherOnTrail]

I think you did love that fleece - when you were using it as a pillow, right? LOL

[@mattmoves8890]

@Calvin Hobbes it did spend many nights during the summer months stuffed in my pillowcase. I also used it as a sleep shirt a lot. Little comforts like having a clean shirt to sleep in can make all the difference

Like süper video merhaba kardeşim 🙋‍♀️🇹🇷☕👍🏻💯

[@charlottedunlay4397]

LOL

[@themegasexybasterd]

Great clear advice. Can I ask what u used as service for ur phone and was there any prob. with that? And if u had to go buy all of this not including ur phone ballpark what would it cost? {My guesstament around $2000 or more}.

[@mattmoves8890]

I had Verizon and didn't have issues. Some places you'll have service, others you won't, you'll get used to it. With the phone, it would be right around 2k. Just the gear would be around 1300.