Check out whiteblaze and backpackinglight. I bought all fancy gear but I've seen people with real cheapo kit all over. A lot of people manage on cheap gear. The key in my mind is keeping all gear excluding water and food pretty low. 8-15 lbs is a good goal.
I once dreamt of doing the AT, I took three months off work and did a road trip to the canadian rockies, northern bc, yukon and alaska. This let me hike in some fantastic areas and I realized 6-7 days at a time is plenty for me. If you are fire I guess time isn't a problem but I didn't want my one time ling vacation spent on oneovercrowded trail. Something to think about.
Thanks! I don't know how seriously I would like to do the AT, I suspect that it was a pleasant thought that made me happy thinking about a while back. I think a shorter trip would be more my speed, but of course, who knows, maybe with experience I'll be interested in doing it.
Shorter trips are a great way to get started. If you can, go on a shorter trip with people who are experienced and ask for help getting prepared. Chances are they will have gear you can borrow which will keep costs down (you can also rent from places like REI). There's a ton of backpacking gear out there, much of it is unnecessary and/or gimmicky. Experienced backpackers will help you learn exactly what you need, or don't need as it were.
My mantra when I take people just starting out: Feet, Fitness, Fuel. Feet - make sure your footwear fits correctly with whatever socks you're wearing, and shoes should be correctly broken in. Don't buy brand new hiking boots the week before going out - you're better off going with an existing pair of light hikers that are already broken in. Fitness - don't expect to do a 10 mile hike carrying a 30-40 lbs pack over steep terrain without being in reasonably good shape. Get out on practice hikes (with a loaded pack), get cardio on your bike, build leg strength. You'll enjoy it a lot more if you don't feel like you're going to die. The heavier the pack the better shape you need to be in, so keep it as light as possible. Fuel - Make sure you have the right amount and type of food for the trip. Take in small amounts of food and water frequently while hiking, which also gives you an opportunity to rest your feet and address any hot spots. You don't want to bonk or get dehydrated, which is just miserable. Of course there are a bunch of other necessities to consider such as shelter, where/how to get water, and such. But if you go with experienced people they will be able to take charge of these things if you can take care of yourself.
Maybe a bit preachy, but if you are carrying 40lbs and it's not to take weight off of your SO or something that's way too much. Alone for 8 days and nights 30-35 should be doable. Trail runners should be fine as long as you don't wear liners that let sand in. Darn tough socks are the best ever!
No, please continue, I'm loving the advice.
For boots, any suggestions? I bought a pair a few years ago but they aren't fitting properly, I didn't know what I was doing when I bought them.
Re: Fitness, I haven't gone on many hikes since last year, but I'm in fairly good physical shape. I've been doing at least 3 hours of kickboxing for the past 5 months (some weeks as much as 8 hours) and have restarting jogging as well, up to 1.5 miles straight (not a pressing concern, doing it to increase stamina for kickboxing).
I don't know too many people that enjoy backpacking, a few enjoy camping which I'm hoping to do with them, but I would really prefer to go a few days without having a permanent campsite. I've started looking at Meetup groups to see if there are any trips coming.