re: First Backpacking Through Hike, Any Tips?

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Anyone have any experience with the Tarptent Protrail or any Tarptent products?

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I had the original Tarptent Cloudburt. Got it sometime in the early 2000's when the cloudburst first came out. Made a post on a backpacking forum about how my tent pole for my Tarptent was just a hair too long and I ended up cutting 1/2" off of it to get it to fit right. The owner Henry Shires tracked me down from my forum post doing some internet sluthing cross referencing to his recent orders of Cloudbursts and personally called me and offered me a new pole, new tent, rebate, whatever I wanted. I was like no big deal I just trimmed 1/2" off the pole it's all good. Seemed like a great guy. I know it's been a long time and I don't know anything about the new models but his first two were great (Cloudburst and the other one, can't remember the name).

I have a Western Mountaineering Megalite with 2ox of overfill (1lbs 9oz total weight). It's rated for 30 but the difference between a Western Mountaineering 30 degree rating is you will be comfortable at 30 while my Marmot or TNF or Moonstone bags at that same 30 degree rating it would keep you alive but you would not be comfortable. I've slept in 10 degree weather in my Megalite with a down jacket and fleece pants/shirt on. That and the Cloudburst were the best money I've ever spend on backpacking.

I highly encourage you to look at every little thing you take and seriously give it thought if you *NEED* it or think you need it. A day hiking with a 40-50lbs bag and a day hiking with a 20lbs bag is a night and day difference. I've been as low as 12lbs in the summer and 18lbs in the winter. Only extra weight I really splurged on was a Thermarest foam pad I cut so it just spanned from my head to my butt. I slept on a poly filled inflatable so I didn't need the extra pag but I kept it pasked to the outside of my bad and would use it to lay on at camp or on breaks.

Yep - been going up there since early 80's and there's a big difference. From what I gather still not like late 70's before park service cut down on the AT tent campers. Not at all like National Forest out around Huckleberry Bald, but most people like to stay in the Park. Fond of doing loops out of Enloe area before winter road closures and out of Walnut Bottom over to Tri Corner, Laurel Gap, and Mt Sterling. Still haven't done much around Catalooche not sure why except for the wee-extra drive to that side from Alabama.