In the early days of the Appalachian Trail, gear was often appropriated from military surplus or household items.  As items were rather heavy and foot traffic was light, littering of gear and disposables such as utensils, gear, or bottles were comparatively minimal. As this gear was generally not designed for thru-hiking or synthetic lightweight properties, the number of items carried by early hikers had to be more selective. Hikers in the earlier days were fewer and far between, relying less on lightweight plastics which leave trouble for the local environment they are dumped in as microplastics and degradation can become large systemic issues.

Lightweight synthetic hiking gear has become so ubiquitous in the ever-expanding hiking community that littering has become endemic to the trail. Microplastics from discarded gear pollute water supplies and nestle their way into ecosystems where the presence of plastics and assorted gear can interrupt the dedicated ecosystems that surround the trail.  As light-weight gear and hiking have soared in popularity alongside hiking in a general sense, the consequences of synthetic materials being introduced into nature mirror this correlation.

Lightweight gear is great for hiking but coupled with the increased foot plastic and increasing pressure on the Appalachian Trail it leaves a very visible symptom of increasing ecological pressure on the trail itself. While expensive and lightweight gear is less likely to be abandoned on the trail as opposed to cheaper plastic gears, the damage from microplastics on the trail is often unavoidable and invisible.