Andy Skurka of Golite just finished hiking 6,875 miles (5 months) with 6 to 8 pounds of kit: "that way I am able to focus on the trail".

Most of us are gear freaks. But, this guy is the opposite. Who's right?

Where could I read more about this before giving you my final answer? Would you happen to have a link to his gear/story?

Thanks!

http://www.andrewskurka.com/

apparently he also did a coast to coast hike
http://sea2seatrail.org/sea-to-sea_trail.htm


he has a full gear list on his site. And while I see the pen in the recording section I don't see any paper.

Maybe he writes the log on his skin?

He's right as long as nothing goes wrong, the weather stays as forecast and he's able to resupply his expendables. We're right when something unexpected goes wrong and we can fix it without additional gear, or we have enough supplies to wait it out. Read his itinerary to get a feel for the planning to time his hike to avoid some issues.

I still don't have a good feel for how often he needed to be resupplied. How many days rations did he carry at any time.

Why would you say he is unprepared? He has 90% of the basics.
So he only has a puny knife; he has a shelter, stove, cookpot, PLB,
clothing, water containers and purification as well as solid navigation.

He could have added more fire making, a better knife, some more first aid, a whistle and mirror without adding much weight but otherwise he is pretty well set up.
He had a decent amount of food although it was mostly energy bars with some rice beans and pasta.
I don't see much of an issue. What else is he missing?
Bill

It was interesting to see that he only takes the PLB for 2 of the 5 regions. He has it in the Desert Southwest and High Sierra, but, didn't choose to carry the extra 11.3 ounces for the other three sections, which include the Rockies in the fall?

I'm thinking a PLB is pretty good insurance for 11 ounces, just keep it in the pack for the whole trip. That would be my vote, fwiw.

He's the real deal for long-distance hiking. He does have folks helping resupply him, but I'd agree with Bill that he's carrying all the fundamentals. If you look at his gear lists, he changes the mix (and adds in several more pounds) for winter and shoulder season travel on snow.

I didn't realize he only carried it sometimes .
11.3 ounces of survival is not too much to ask.

Especially considering they are down to under 10 oz. The ACR MicrOFix is 9.8 oz. Lighter ones are in development or approved elsewhere, not yet available here in the U.S.