Thanks, my man! Have you decided if you're going to do a section or thru in march?

Interesting, thanks for the heads up. I've had this pole for a couple years now, but it's not been through weeks and weeks of daily continuous use in a row so I'll definitely keep that in mind and have a plan B if it falls apart like it did for you.

The ceiling is pretty high because of the recommended 56" the trekking pole needs to be to set up the tent, so if you sit up closer to the mid point of the tent unless you are really tall or have a very long torso, most people have plenty of room to not feel super cramped. I usually have my feet closer to the wall than my head just incase there's above average condensation, I'd rather have wet feet than a wet head.

@@uprootedofficial Thank you. I will look forward to following you on your hike.

Great questions Kevin! So I use the GoPro Hero 11 to film and it has built in stabilization. I use a windscreen over the camera to keep the wind noise down and the audio quality from the GoPro itself is what you're hearing, I don't currently have an external mic. You should expect similar levels of quality(better as time goes on as I learn more) while I'm on the trail. My announcement video I have on my channel shows Old Rag mountain trail, which is one of the most popular footpaths in all of Shenandoah National Park and it showcases how great the GoPro is at stabilization and audio quality on summits with the proper windscreen. Because the way I layer my clothing I expect to be comfortable. I have the thermals + windpants combo and shirt+fleece+rainjacket+puffy(which would be overkill) combo with gloves, fleece hat and my buff + two pair socks if need be. I use an OPsak in the ursack itself along with various ziplocks my food is stored in to keep food odors down. I also don't eat in camp and if I do, I eat away from my shelter unless the weather doesn't permit it.

@@uprootedofficial Thanks for the detailed reply. Ahh, thank you for sharing the GoPro use. An action camera like that would likely make my list which is why I asked. I'll check out your announcement video. I LOVE Old Rag and I've hiked/run it 100+ times. It was really helpful to see the layered description of clothing. That seems much more doable. One day, some day, maybe I'll hike the AT or PCT also. 🙏 Best of luck! Ps. If it helps, I'm planning to make an Injury Prevention video for thru hikers and athletes as I am 21-years injury-free as an Ironman Triathlete & Coach. I've learned a lot in that time. Would this be a video of interest?

Thank you, hope you can attempt the AT or PCT one day as well! Also anything to help people prevent injuries especially concerning a thru hike is great information. There are definitely a lot of people who attempt long trails that I've met that aren't hardcore Ironmen/women like yourself and are somewhat "off the couch". I'll definitely check it out if/when you post it!

Yes absolutely, I will be making a detailed LighterPack and posting it in the description of every future video on the AT for convenience! Edit: Forgot to mention, I've made alterations to a quite a few pieces of gear(taking off unnecessary attachments or replacing heavier ones, etc) so keep that in mind!

@@uprootedofficial awesome! Thank you.

Only generally wear cotton shirt if I have to thrift a new shirt and have limited options. Typically in warmer months. I did mention a headlamp, the Nitecore NU25. Thanks for the kind wishes!

Right now I'm expecting between 15-18 miles including zeros, I'm interested in taking a deeper dive into trail towns and talking with locals and showcasing the AT community in festivals early on in the trip so I do expect to be taking around 1 zero a week, but this could vary and as everyone knows it's impossible to plan sometimes the next day let alone weeks in advance, haha.

The plan is early March, I'd like to start around the most popular start dates because I want to have more community interaction. Because of this I'll also have to deal with the downsides of that, but for me the pros outweigh the cons!

@@uprootedofficial ok cool. I’m starting mid April. It’s my second time thruhiking the AT and my gear is more fore warmer weather 👍🏾

Did you go NOBO your first thru? I did a section from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Damascus Virginia NOBO in 2017 and I'm definitely going NOBO again and retracing my steps. The nostalgia I'm going to feel during this section is going to be amazing.

@@uprootedofficial yep Nobo 4 life lol. Technically I have done the AT already 1 and a half times. I rehiked almost the first 1,000 miles in 2021 lol. I love to suffer

Hey, great question. So one of my bottles I use for dirty water specifically and one I use for clean. When my clean water is empty, I filter the other bottle into the clean and try to keep them fairly even when I can so the weight on my pack isn't lopsided, if that makes sense. I mark them with a sharpie as well just to make sure, haha.

They are, I had a pair for years and lost one of them so I got another somewhat recently. I warm up once I get moving so I generally don't use them long with a trekking pole, I could see them falling apart after daily continuous use with a pole, though.

I used the NeoAir XLite Torso length pad for a long time until it popped and now use this Uberlite because it's not much more weight for a full length and to be honest it may be just a tad more noisy, but so many people use this pad it's not really an issue. As far as I know right now, it's pretty much impossible to get a very ultralight inflatable pad with a good R-value that doesn't make a fair amount of "crinkly" noises when you move around on it.

Probably the classic couscous... especially when it's cold outside during the start in early march it will likely be a staple for me since it rehydrates so well even if it's cold out!

Garmin is a good item to have for emergency situations, it's probably recommended... it's just costly and yes the service is pretty consistent on the AT at least 60% of the time depending on carrier.

It's Zpacks hottest accessory item right out the oven you could say, creating the... structure to my layout. The Weatherproof Walk Block™.

Generally only wear cotton if I have a gear issue and have to thrift a new shirt, only ever happened a couple times, but sometimes you have to work with what you find. Thank you for the kind wishes from the beautiful Netherlands!

I'm not sponsored by any of the companies of the gear that I use. You're more than welcome to scrub through the chapters and check out some of my choices I use and google them, but I'm not a "gear tester" so I only have knowledge on the limited pieces of gear I've used throughout my own backpacking trips... I could make recommendations based on the gear I like and have used, but as I am not a "gear reviewer" and don't intend to be I don't feel comfortable linking to specific purchases as me giving the "go ahead" on certain items. Always do your own research to see what may be the best fit for you! Two pairs of underwear is pretty standard for people who even bring underwear, generally rotate them out after a couple days. You can either rinse them off in streams(down stream not close to where people collect water), or when you get to a hostel/hotel/etc you can wash anything that's machine washable safe generally once or twice a week!

For decades I've operated on one pair of underwear per week without issue. In the frontcountry, I feel like we're pretty OCD with cleanliness and items smelling clean. 😉

Haha, you know, I've actually never tried that. I've always just brought two pairs without really thinking much of it. I could see it working with lower temperatures, but late spring and summer I wonder how it would be with just one pair.

I've definitely seen bears, but I've not had any real issues with them. Especially along the Appalachian Trail, bears are pretty used to seeing/smelling humans and if you make loud noises and respect their boundaries it's almost as rare as being stuck by lightning having a issue with one("just don't fly a kite in the rain"). Also don't get between a mama and her cub!

I threw hiked in 2020, I knew a girl whose parents insisted she carry bear spray against her will. While going through mahosic notch it got punctured and not only injured her but contaminated most her gear. She had to hike half the night in a storm to get to a shelter, practically naked and burning. Then she had to replace most of her gear because she could not get it off. Change my mind about the bear spray.

@@jamespierce1209 Don’t be a dumbass and or careless with bear spray.

Great question Martyn, so I've actually never used a stove for backpacking. It could definitely be a "you don't know what you're missing" scenario, but through the colder months I haven't found myself craving warm trail food, I just crave town food like everyone else, haha. As I've gotten a bit older I've considered trying it out a few times and I may, but typically for the late spring and summer months in the heat the last thing I want is a hot meal. The convenience of just eating quickly and being done with it on trail I've appreciated personally and less food odors, but I definitely understand the "ritual" of a warm meal being a comfort to people, having a larger variety of options when eating and so on.

@@uprootedofficial Just curious. Do you ever cold soak breakfast? I've found that oatmeal with some vanilla protein powder hydrates very well overnight. The only times it's been an issue is when it's super cold out and the oatmeal is mixed with ice crystals - not the most fun way to start a cold day. I've got a buddy that slept with his food for the entire AT and I reckon sleeping with the oatmeal mix would keep it warm but....

sir that's just my doofy face

I didn't even know Nitecore made battery banks, I've had this Anker bank for years now. I looked up the Nitecore one and it is .8 ounces lighter, but it's also $100 which seems a outrageously steep, is that right?

Agreed, but I don't think anyone would say a 9LB baseweight would even be close to winning if there was such thing as an "ultralight contest". Nothing in the video mentioned anything about the necessity of a certain baseweight. HYOH(Hike your own hike) as always and pack what makes you happy and only take advice on gear from people you trust!

hey bro dont judge mr hoity-toity!

@@driftadvocate1839 What’s wrong with that? I mean you just judged me so that makes you a hypocrite as well as judge mental.

@@uprootedofficial You’re right. HYOH and remember, when you need info out of a data book….. HYOH and don’t borrow one from a more prepared hiker. And I’m assuming you won’t ever stay in a shelter with that very loud sleeping pad you use so you don’t mess with other hikers hikes and HYOH. Good luck carrying 4 days of food in that pack as well. You’re gonna need it. What I meant by my original comment is that I’ve seen countless ultralight hikers that want everybody to know how light they are and in reality in all my thousands and thousands of long distance miles I’ve never seen one not have to borrow from others or be comfortable on the trail all while telling people how great their pack weight it. People that have no idea about the AT watch these videos and see this. They think that’s the way to go. Need ai mention the cotton shirt comment you made? If this is how you role then that’s good for you and maybe you are different. Maybe you won’t ask to see a data book because you refused to bring one. Maybe…. I wish you a safe and happy hike though.

​@@MoeBergOSS You've mentioned some wild assumptions there that I'm not going to comment on. Done plenty of miles with this setup and if you don't like it sorry you got offended! This channel will be for future travel content, not recommendations for gear. Watch if you want, but if not wish you the best Moe!