Reddit mentions of Flash Personal Cooking System, Carbon

They sell waterproofing kits for tents, sometimes called seam sealer. It's a big help. Also, when it's raining, avoid touching the rain fly to the tent itself.

Its super useful to have an open shade/rain shelter. This can be a tarp strung between trees, or something purpose built. I have on that relies on two poles and rope tension, but I'd rather have a freestanding shelter like this one. It's nice because if it rains you don't have to hang out in your tent all day. It also comes in handy when it's sunny, to have a little shade.

You really only need a lidded pot to boil water. That said, a jetboil or similar pot with a heat exchanger on the bottom makes it much faster on a stove or campfire.

I think its really useful work out a daily menu before camping. It can help you make sure you bring enough and also not too much. I do it when its just two of us, but its even more useful with a big group. Otherwise you end up with 8 bags of potato chips and nothing for breakfast.

It really depends on what you are doing. You say "Not planning on doing any super athletic or intensive activities"... does that mean mostly running from the house to the car, or walking from the car to the shopping mall? Out walking the dog? Or spending 3+ hours watching a football game outdoors?

If it's near freezing, I'll generally wear a heavy softshell and mid weight fleece (and good hat). Below that I'll switch to a hard shell and fleece. This is generally fine as long as I'm moving around... if I'm standing still waiting to get in line for a show, they can be too cold.

If I expect to be out for more than 15 minutes, if there's a big wind chill, I'll throw on a long sleeved thermal shirt and maybe add another light layer. Again, good if I'm walking around.

I have a cheap TNF Nuptse 700 fill down jacket that I wear if it's really cold, if I'm making a quick trip to the store and don't want to bother layering, if I expect to be out sitting in the cold for any length of time, or going to a friend's house who has his thermostat set to 80F and I don't want to have to strip off all the layers when I get there. I don't worry about down getting wet since I only break it out when it's well below freezing. When I'm sitting around at a sporting event, I'll add a fleece, a blanket, a pad to sit on, a thermos of hot drinks (and a Jetboil nearby so I can make more if necessary).

I generally don't wear thermal pants, just jeans. But I do have some cheap snow shell that will slip over the jeans, they don't insulate much but cut the wind which is generally all I need.

Boots... my hiking boots are great in the mountains, but not so much walking the streets around town. Good pair of Sorel Pac boots and wool socks make a huge difference. If I'm at a game sitting around, I'll not above using some toe warmers.

Good windstopper fleece hat like the Mountain Hardware Dome Perignon , gloves, scarf or neck gaiter.

I picked up many of these items at TJMaxx/Marshalls. Stocks are hit or miss, but I've bought a few nice hard shells, down jackets, hats and gloves, thermals, wool socks. I've picked up softshells and other gear at Sierra Trading Post (make sure you sign up for the email and get your discount code, free shipping + 25% off all purchases is generally a good deal but sometimes you get bigger discounts).

Good luck!

PS - I've linked to items on Amazon just so you can see what they look like, but you can often find them elsewhere for cheaper.

If you are backpacking, forget pots and pans. Just buy a Jetboil and never look back. It boils about 2 cups of water in a minute, so you can boil multiple cups if needed quite quickly. It's lightweight, packs well (pieces nestle inside each other), and is quite BIFL.

$2500 would be plenty to get my partner and I on the Appalachian Trail! We would start in the south and hike north. For those of you who don't know, the AT is a 2,180 mile foot trail from Georgia to Maine. We would camp at the shelters that they have on the trail (from what I understand it's a big camping platform) and there are some hostels along the way as well.

There are SO MANY things we would still need in order to achieve this goal. We both have large backpacking backpacks but we would need a lightweight tent and I would need a sleeping bag because mine's all torn up and horrible. We'd also need trowels for pooping in the woods, I'd need a jetboil and many other things that I can't think of off of the top of my head.

If you have a little cash to spend a Jetboil is awesome. It boils water super quick, the cleanup is easy peasy, you don't have to worry about charcoal, etc, and it's small. I put emphasis on that last one because if your car looks anything like ours, there's a lot of stuff in there already.

Here's a link if you want to check it out. We live and die by this little thing:

http://www.amazon.com/Flash-Personal-Cooking-System-Carbon/dp/B002N18PHO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395956069&sr=8-1&keywords=jetboil

For your second question, I believe it's per car, but maybe you can arrange something with your neighbors. We've been lucky to have pretty chill neighbors who have been accommodating, as have we.

No problem! I wish I hadn't had to learn through trial and error, would have saved myself some blisters! The most helpful way I've cut down on my packs weight is by sleeping in a Eno jungle nest (hammock with a mosquito net built in) and using a mylar emergency blanket to insulate my underside when it is freezing, along with a jet boil cooking stove I am able to cook myself meals and make hot tea when building a fire is impossible. I bring food such as couscous or instant mashed potatoes so I can enjoy a hot meal without all the messy cleanup (just add water). Cured meat is good for trail protein as well, just make sure you hang your food 20 ft up and 50 ft away from your camp at night so you don't get a hole chewed through your pack or a curious bear.

Jungle nest

Jetboil

DM me If you have any questions, I would love to help! I live near the Appalachian trail and camp with my dog mostly (Australian cattle dog) but started out same as you just over a year ago. If you invest in good gear from the start it will be expensive, but worth it in the long run. I firmly believe in only buying something once and taking care of it!

jet boil fash or jet boil zip yes you can use an alcohol stove and depending on how much fuel you take it can be lighter than a canister stove. But the speed at which you can boil water with a Jetboil is incredible.

titanium spoon sporks suck as both a spoon and a fork go with just a spoon. The polished end on this one will reduce food sticking to it and the long handle can get to the bottom on mountain house bags.

I've never used a sleeping bag liner so I can't give an opinion on one.

For under quilts, sleeping bags, and top quilts I recommend looking at small "cottage" shops. I'm a fan of enlightened equipment myself. I think that is where you may find the best bang for your buck.

Trekking poles i like leki corklite but my experience is that you will fall eventually and there is a chance you will land on your pole. A carbon fiber pole will break before it bends but I have hiked with e bent pole before. I like the side lock over the twist lock because it's easier with my tent. And cork handles are a must for me. Rubber handles suck when it comes to sweat. Also you don't need shock absorbing poles.

Just did a South Kaibab -> Bright Angel loop last month. It was a strenuous hike but entirely possible for 3 guys who did no training whatsoever before leaving. If you don't have your permits already in order it may be too late to go down legally, they generally book up months in advance; visit the park website for more information. The fine for camping without a permit is $50.

It's hard to say who your party consists of from your brief description but I'd recommend not taking kids <13 years on this hike.

The North Rim is a lot higher in elevation, therefor has worse weather, and in fact closes in late November.

Required gear is pretty standard but of course depends upon your route. Pack lots of water, some of the water sources freeze up and cannot be relied upon in winter.

It looks like from some of the posts that you'll be responsible for food. If you're only going to do a single overnight and stay/dine at Phantom Ranch, bring a bunch of light snacks otherwise definitely bring a stove because nothing is going to beat a hot meal on a cold day when you're exhausted. If you don't have one already I like my Jetboil. It's kind of pricey but it packs into itself and is only slightly larger than a travel coffee cup. If you need silverware, these sporks are the shit. They're durable and won't pierce anything in your pack.

Get nice socks (like smartwool) they'll reduce your likelihood of developing blisters and good hiking boots which ideally will be broken in. It sounds like you're pretty well experienced and have appropriate clothing.

Most importantly bring a camera. This hike is going to beautiful and fun. It's going to be a hike you won't forget but you're going to want to share your memory with other people. Have fun!

I like the Jetboil. Everything packs into the cup, including the fuel can

https://www.amazon.com/Flash-Personal-Cooking-System-Carbon/dp/B002N18PHO/ref=sr_1_1?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1485275953&sr=1-1&keywords=jetboil