Gear.

I'm writing this in a coffee shop as opposed to sitting in my house surrounded by my gear, as I'd intended, but I've got a few minutes so I'll take advantage of what time I have. This is going to be as honest as I can make this, which won't be hard since no one offered me financial compensation for using any of their gear, sadly. I don't think the gear companies realized how cheaply I could have been bought. 

I suppose I'll start off with the most important item on a thru-hike. The shoes. There were a ridiculous variety of shoes people wore on the trail. The styles ran the gamut from heavy traditional boots to sandals. Trail runners were the most common choice, though brands varied widely. I myself mostly wore the Merrell Proterra Mids. Which my reviewing is mostly moot since they quit making them after one year. But my first, third, and fourth pairs were all mids, with a pair of lows as the second pair because I couldn't find mids. I had 970 miles on the first pair, and the fourth pair is still going strong, but I got around 4-500 miles on each of the second and third pairs. Besides their scarcity, the only real issue I had with them was their traction left a little to be desired, particularly in mud. 

Next were the pants, but I can't recall the specific models. I started with Ex Officio, and they were probably my favorite pair. They were still going strong but as I dropped weight they became way too large, and I switched to some Eddie Bauer's. They also held up fairly well, though there were some seams starting to come apart when I out-shrunk them. Next were some Mountain Hardwear pants. All of these were convertible, by the way. That pair didn't really hold together as well, but to be fair I put them through some rather severe abuse. The seat ripped open while I was crawling through the Mahoosuc Notch, much to Rugby's chagrin (who was following me). I ended up wearing these the rest of the way, despite their additional ventilation. Didn't come across any stores, and my rudimentary sewing attempts didn't hold. Luckily I had pretty underwear. 

Which were Ex Officio at the time. Good stuff, but not if you're bigger. Started out with these, while I still had the extra weight I'd gained for the trail, and the chafing was pretty bad. Real bad. Had to switch to Underarmour compression shorts, which solved the problem and worked really well, but were not exactly ideal when the weather warmed up. So I went with the UA 9" boxers, which I would recommend. Still were warmer than I'd prefer, and I eventually switched back to the Ex Officios after dropping enough weight that the chafing was no longer an issue. 

I'd definitely put too much weight on before starting the trail, by the way. If you have a single digit body fat percentage, you might consider gaining 10 lbs, but the 20+ I gained was detrimental. My wife looked at me before I left and said "You got fat." Blunt, but she was right. I just kept saying "I'll walk it off," which was accurate (lost 47 pounds total) but definitely made the beginning more challenging. I don't recommend my approach. 

I switched shirts periodically. Any synthetic shirt will be sufficient, though I started with an UA cold weather long sleeve shirt that was way too heavy. I thought it looked good, though, and it was a gift, so it was free. Once the weather warmed up I sent it home. I also switched my t-shirt to a cotton Ex Officio shirt that was supposedly bug repellent. I suppose it might have been effective towards the beginning, but by the end of the trail I watched mosquitoes bite me through it. The cotton kept down the stench, however, and people repeatedly made the comment to me that I didn't smell like a thru-hiker. This made me happy. I did keep a synthetic shirt just in case there was a significant temperature drop, so I wouldn't die. 

My down jacket was Eddie Bauer. From their Ascent line. They make good stuff but you have to make sure you actually shop their technical line. Lifetime guarantee and cheaper than most comparable items. No frills though, and could have used a couple more amenities on it, though. Shipped this guy home when it warmed up also. 

For rain gear I started with a poncho I already owned. It was sufficient until the seams started leaking. I rarely wore rain gear, especially when the temps rose, but I picked up an Eddie Bauer rain jacket (on sale). It worked, but wish it had pit zips. I used it more often for warmth and as a wind breaker than a rain jacket. I would plunk the money down for a nice one and started with it, if I had it to do over. 

I used a fleece beanie from my Army days. Also got some Buffs, which were very useful. One was also supposedly bug resistant, and I think it sort of worked. At least nothing bit me through it. 

I used numerous brands of socks. For the winter I used Ingenius, because I already had several pairs. They worked quite well, but I don't even know if they make them anymore. Smartwool also  did well for me. I switched to Darn Tough for summer wear. I liked them a lot, and they also have a lifetime guarantee, which I intend to utilize. I've been told Smartwool will also replace socks for free, but I haven't tried it. 

Clothes done, so sleeping system. I started with a 15deg Cats Meow bag from North Face. Pretty nice bag when I bought it, 10 years ago. A little heavy. Worked fairly well, but I don't like mummy bags. I feel too constrained in them and there's too much sweat in unpleasant places. But it did keep me warm and alive during some very, very cold nights. Plus since it was synthetic I wasn't terrified of getting it wet. 

I also had a silk liner, which I really liked. It kept the inside of my bag clean (the liner was much easier to wash) as well as adding noticeable warmth. It also came in useful when staying at establishments where I questioned their cleanliness (looking at you, Doyle). I eventually ordered a 30deg down camping quilt from Enlightened Eqipment, a piece of equipment that I fell in love with. I would sleep with it now if my wife wouldn't object. For a short time I switched to just my poncho liner, but that proved to be a terrible decision the farther I moved north, so I went back to my quilt. 

I had a Big Agnes Insulated Air Core for the trip, a fairly common choice. Every single person I knew had the same issues, however. The pad was very comfortable and warm, but it was loud. Movement on it was pretty annoying to other people. Plus it took forever to blow up. But the real killer was that it developed a slow leak. I had mine replaced twice, and everyone I know replaced it multiple times. On the plus side, Big Agnes was very easy to work with on the returns, and made the ordeal as easy as possible. For weekend camping or shorter trips, I would still recommend the Air Core. For a thru-hike, try something else. Lot of people had good luck with the Neo-air. I eventually just shipped my Air Core home and used just my poncho as a groundsheet. Geared Up was doing that, so I figured I'd try. Worked for me, though a terrible idea in cold weather. 

My tent was the Double Rainbow from Tarptent, a two person single wall that weighed about 2 pounds. I liked the extra room, and can't imagine having less. This was a fairly popular tent on the trail, with the Tarptent brand and Big Agnes making up the majority of tents. Never heard a bad word about the BA tents, but I was happy. I had a small issue with my tent when I ripped a replaceable piece, but they sent me a replacement free. 

For dry bags I used Sea-to-summit compression dry bags, which were awesome during the winter months. Once I switched from my bulky gear, the compression was useless to me and the straps became excess. I considered just getting new dry bags, but I spent enough money on the trip already. The dry bags were for my clothing and quilt. I found pack covers mostly useless, though opinions vary, and I lined my pack with a compactor bag, which lasted the while trip and kept my gear dry. Though the pack always got soaked. 

Which brings me to the pack. Sigh. So torn. Oh Granite Gear, how I want to recommend your Blaze AC 60. It was comfortable, the pack material was durable, and I liked its design. Lightweight, around 2 pounds, and I was in love with this pack from the first review. But the first blush of love blinded me to Blaze's faults. The frame was, to put it mildly, weak. The plastic stay that functioned as the frame broke on me three times. On three separate occasions I had to contact Granite Gear.  Each time they were more than accommodating, but it always entailed an additional trip to a PO, plus walking with a broken pack, because I couldn't just sit and wait for the part to arrive. Each person I met with this pack had the same issue. So while I still will recommend the company itself (their customer service truly was outstanding), and I've never heard anything negative about their other products, I would stay away from the Blaze, at least until they fix the frame. 

I'm sure I'm missing some items, but those were the biggies. Hope this has been somewhat useful. If you have specific questions, feel free to shoot them to me. I'll try to add photos later.