Originally Posted by
staehpj1
FWIW, I have never done really long backpacking trips so I am not sure how I'd pack for one. Would I trim to the barest minimum or wind up with a bit more by the end? I have no idea. I am pretty sure I'd remain in the ultralight category, but may shift a bit one way or the other.
The folks that I actually know who thru hike the AT or PCT tend to carry very little gear, but it may be just a bit more rugged than some. By rugged I mean maybe not much cuben fiber and the like and maybe a foam pad rather than an inflatable one. I don't know if they are typical of the majority though.
I have not done any really long ones either. I did a lot of backpacking in the 1970s and early 80s. Then the next backpacking trip was 2011. Slowly getting back into it with steadily longer trips. But I do not see doing any backpacking trips longer than a few weeks, nothing like the AT.
I am pretty sure that you would pack very light weight if you did a long backpacking trip. If you bike tour with a bivy instead of a tent, that says a lot about how much weight you would carry.