Can Someone Review My Gear List Please?

[NothingRhymesWithRachel]

I'm trying to knock up a gear list, and it's just getting longer and more expensive by the second. On one hand I do want to buy decent, long-lasting stuff, on another hand I don't know much about hiking and camping gear therefore I don't know what's actually decent and what's just expensive.

This gear is designed for multi-day hikes, mostly in cold climates (obviously for warm climates, just remove the cold stuff as necessary)

On a more specific level, the hike I'm presently planning for is a 50 mile hike across the Scottish Highlands. There will likely be rain, and wind, and a chance of ice or snow a little too.

Someone please in the name of all that is holy help me make my list shorter (or perhaps suggest some nice cheap but decent things) I'm a notorious 'over packer'. Haaaalp.

Pack (got already)
Dry Bags (got already)
Stove, Cooking pot, Spork (ordered, on the way)
Water purifier, e.g. SteriPen
Hiking poles
Weatherproof Coat
Walking Boots
Neck Warmer
Harvey's Map of A/K Way
Tent
Sleeping Bag (I found an 0.8lb one, but it's pushing £250! Cheaper ones, around £40, weigh almost 6lbs! Do I go for weight or cost?)
Camel Bag 2-3L
Leakproof water bottle 1L
Sleeping Mat
Socks
Waterproof trousers
Generic walking trousers
Gaiters
Crampons (It can be icy or snowy in Scotland in March... maybe MicroSpikes will work better... maybe I don't need anything?)
Head lamp
Multi tool/knife
Firestarter/lighter
Compass

Thank you, would be VERY much appreciated! I'm so bad at this kind of thing D:

 

[Corso]

I would add gloves a first aid kit tinder

 

[mick91]

Water bottle go for a 1l steel water bottle, a few reasons. 1 steritabs are designed for 1liter. 2 you can use it as a kettle, 3 the weight of the water means the extra weight of a steel bottle is negligible.

Sleeping mat for you I would say self inflating. Possiblly the army issue thermarest.

Sleeping bag is a tricky one, but I'd always go for capability over weight. But only to a degree. Depends what bags you like

Multitool and knife should be separate imo. Always have a fixed blade knife along with your multi. You'll thank yourself for it.

Firefighter go for a few disposable lighters and a Ferro rod with RELIABLE tinder. Stuck without fire you might be in trouble.

Compass I can reccomend Silva. But if it points north that's fine

 

[Harvestman]

Sleeping bag advice: I was always told to buy the most expensive that you can afford. Look at it this way. You are going to spend around a third of each day in it, in the coldest parts of the day. It is not a piece of kit to skimp on. For winter activities in Scotland you should be looking at a 3 or 4 season bag. A sleeping bag liner can add a lot of warmth for relatively little weight as well.

Make sure you have a hat or balaclava too. It makes a heck of a difference to how warm you feel.

 

[Ruud]

Duct-tape for repairs (tent, poles, drybags)
Extra pair of thermal underwear

 

[Mesquite]

What about the other clothes you'll be taking like mid and base layers?

As for sleeping bag there's plenty lighter weight ones for less than £250. It's striking a balance between what you need and how deep your pocket is.

 

[dewi]

I'd be taking a first aid kit and a couple of other lightweight firestarting methods just to be on the safe side.

Lightweight torch just incase the headtorch breaks.

I'm one of those people that double up on virtually everything... don't particularly do lightweight as such. But then I don't often hike 50 miles over the highlands either!

 

[sunndog]

i would advise not to scrimp on sleeping bag and mat (thermarest?) Being cold and miserable at night is no fun at all

Tent, i'm still loving my silmini peak think the hex peak is the replacement from backpackinglight.co.uk

Water treatment, sawer mini for me

Water bottles, either mineral water bottles or nalgene. Plus platypus for the sawer

gloves are very welcome with walking poles in the cold

Hat, lowe alpine mountain hat

i would add dry clothes for night time and a first aid kit too (everyone would add a first aid kit)

 

[NothingRhymesWithRachel]

Wow, thanks guys! Lots to think about there. Seems to be the consensus that the more expensive sleeping bag is usually the better one.

I was looking at the Sawyer Mini. I have no issue doing several loads if I'm re-filling everything.

I can't believe I forgot first-aid kit (I did think about it, just didn't write it down d'oh), and gaffer tape!!

Looks like my list isn't quite long enough! Haha I'll check out that Thermarest mat as well, since several of you mentioned it.

Cheers chaps, very helpful :You_Rock_

 

[Quixoticgeek]

Pack (got already)
Dry Bags (got already)
Stove, Cooking pot, Spork (ordered, on the way)

OOI, what did you go for on these?

Water purifier, e.g. SteriPen

If you are hiking in above freezing conditions, you cannot go wrong with a Sawyer Mini filter. If you are hiking below zero, and in Scotland, then I would just use puri tabs

Hiking poles
Weatherproof Coat

Paramo would be my choice, if you can find the right size.

Walking Boots
Neck Warmer

Merino wool Buff, brilliant bit of kit.

Harvey's Map of A/K Way
Tent
Sleeping Bag (I found an 0.8lb one, but it's pushing £250! Cheaper ones, around £40, weigh almost 6lbs! Do I go for weight or cost?)

My understanding is you want to do the PCT? And I'm guessing you don't want to buy kit for UK use, and then buy something else for the PCT. When you're carrying something 2600miles, every single gram counts. As such you want to think carefully about your choice of tent. Tents I would consider in your position:

• Vaude Power Lizzard 1-2P SUL
• Six Moons Design Deschutes Tarp
• MLD Trailstar
• Luxe Sil peak.

The lightest of those is the Deschutes tarp, it's 350g plus pegs, and should stand up to everything you want. The most "traditional" of them is the power lizard or the sil Peak. Personally, top of my shopping list right now is the smaller sister of the Deschutes, the Gatewood cape.

Sleeping bag wise, I have a Mountain Hardware Lamina 35 for down to about 5°C, and a Mountain Hardware Laminina 20, which is good to about -7°C. The 35 was £85, the 20 was £93. They are 1050g and 1550g respectively. In terms of warmth/cost/weight, there isn't a better synthetic bag on the market.

Camel Bag 2-3L
Leakproof water bottle 1L

In scotland, I wouldn't carry that much water. 3L camelbak, and a 1L bottle, thats 4kg straight off. Even hiking in Spain I didn't carry that much! If it was me I would carry an Evernew 1.5L water pouch, and maybe a 0.9L. Between them, they weigh <90g, empty. By comparison the lid alone of my Stainless Nalgene bottle is 50g...

That said, my main water bottles these days are empty diet coke bottles. They weigh about 45g for a 1.25L, and you can find them in 0.5L, 1.0L, 1.25L, 1.5L, and 1.75L. They are essentially free. This is one area where you can save a lot of money and get something that works just as well.

Sleeping Mat

Exped Synmat 7UL or Exped Synmat Winterlite 7. I have the former, purely as they didn't make the later when I bought it. If I was buying now, or have to replace my synmat, I'll get the Winterlite.

Socks

Darn tough socks every time.

Waterproof trousers
Generic walking trousers

Paramo.

Craghopper Kiwi Pro Stretch trousers. I have 3 pairs now (I lost weight so sized down), and the fleece lined ones are great in winter...

Gaiters
Crampons (It can be icy or snowy in Scotland in March... maybe MicroSpikes will work better... maybe I don't need anything?)

Kahtoola Microspikes.

Head lamp

Alpkit Gamma or Petzl e+lite.

Multi tool/knife
Firestarter/lighter
Compass

Do not compromise on your compass. If you are doing the PCT, you're gonna want something you can adjust the declination on. As such, I would point you at the Silva Expedition.

Multitool. What do you want to use it for? Do you need all the stuff that comes on a multitool? I have 2 Leatherman Wave tools, and a Leatherman Juice CS4. I tend not to take any of them as they're too heavy, and I don't need all the tools. I just carry a Svord Peasant Mini. It's legal for EDC carry, and does everything I need round camp.

Fire lighter? you wont' go wrong with aLMF ferro rod

Thank you, would be VERY much appreciated! I'm so bad at this kind of thing D:

It's a lot to take in, hopefully the above will give you some starting points. Any questions just ask.

J

 

[NothingRhymesWithRachel]

It's a lot to take in, hopefully the above will give you some starting points. Any questions just ask.

J

Ahhh you're a boss. I'll have to hunker down with a list and have a look at all these!

I got the Osprey Aerial 65L Rucksack (came at a price at £170, but HIGHLY recommended, great bit of kit), and a multi-fuel stove I found on Amazon. Bought a titanium spork to eat my din-dins with and a really nifty pot set that's nice and lightweight (and doubles as a storage container when not in use). I forget the brand of the DryBags, but they were between £8-10 each. Not ultralight ones, just normal. But very good quality by the looks of it!

 

[Goatboy]

Just a quick point about crampons. You'll need compatable boots to the crampons. And before buying crampons you'll be needing an Ice Axe. Campons before an ice axe is a potentially fatal mix. Also learning how to use them and staying in practice is important. Personally I would say turn back unless you've had a wee bit of training in them and how to move safely on snowy slopes. Avalanches occurr on surprisingly shallow slopes and are easy to die in. (Been in a couple). If the training/gear/conditions aren't right, turn back and have a camp day or do something else. Your destination will be there another day, you may not.
Sorry to sound a scare monger but traveling on snowy/icy hills takes skills and would hate to see anyone get hurt or worse.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[NothingRhymesWithRachel]

No you make a valid point; safety first, and everything!

The hike in itself is probably quite brave for my first ever hike, but all the 'easy peasy' ones that I saw (designed for beginners) were mostly tarmac, leading through town after town... not remotely what I want, and will make finding camp a pain in the bottom.

But if people can hike the likes of the AT inexperienced, I figure I can at least TRY this.

 

[Quixoticgeek]

Just a quick point about crampons. You'll need compatable boots to the crampons. And before buying crampons you'll be needing an Ice Axe. Campons before an ice axe is a potentially fatal mix. Also learning how to use them and staying in practice is important. Personally I would say turn back unless you've had a wee bit of training in them and how to move safely on snowy slopes. Avalanches occurr on surprisingly shallow slopes and are easy to die in. (Been in a couple). If the training/gear/conditions aren't right, turn back and have a camp day or do something else. Your destination will be there another day, you may not.
Sorry to sound a scare monger but traveling on snowy/icy hills takes skills and would hate to see anyone get hurt or worse.

Agreed, which is why I suggested microspikes. There are times when there is enough ice to make a walk painful, but not enough to warrent crampons and iceaxes... and occasionally there is ice on the road to the pub... I got myself a set of Kahtoola Nanospikes, and they paid for themselves very fast, when they allowed me to walk to work when the road had become an icerink...

The main reason I suggested the Microspikes is that they would have use on the higher bits of the PCT.

Having some traction aids can be useful. But yes, if you need Crampons, you need an ice axe, and if you need an ice axe you need training/practice.

No you make a valid point; safety first, and everything!

The hike in itself is probably quite brave for my first ever hike, but all the 'easy peasy' ones that I saw (designed for beginners) were mostly tarmac, leading through town after town... not remotely what I want, and will make finding camp a pain in the bottom.

But if people can hike the likes of the AT inexperienced, I figure I can at least TRY this.

Appalachian trail? That is a very brave first hike

J

 

[Quixoticgeek]

Facetious comments aside, a cursary investigation of the Affric Kintail trail suggests that it's mostly on forestry roads and decent paths. It's not bog trotting, or traverses along the side of hills. As such, Crampons, and the associated boots and iceaxes is likely to be over kill. But you only need a 10m stretch to have ice on it, to make your day not go well. For this, a traction device such as Microspikes, Nano spikes, or Pocket cleats should be ideal.

J

 

[bearbait]

Goatboy's exactly right w.r.t. safety on snowy and icy slopes.

But if you just want some extra traction on less exposed but nonetheless snowy/icy conditions another + for Kahtoola Microspikes. I've used them extensively in the UK and N. America and they've been a great help, if nothing else to keep a better speed up. I have an extra pair that live in my car in my goodies bag.

 

[NothingRhymesWithRachel]

Facetious comments aside, a cursary investigation of the Affric Kintail trail suggests that it's mostly on forestry roads and decent paths. It's not bog trotting, or traverses along the side of hills. As such, Crampons, and the associated boots and iceaxes is likely to be over kill. But you only need a 10m stretch to have ice on it, to make your day not go well. For this, a traction device such as Microspikes, Nano spikes, or Pocket cleats should be ideal.

J

That's right, it's mainly the third section that heads really 'out there' in terms of slightly hillier paths and a bit of wobbly going. The spikes sound good, and seem relatively cheap (any advice on a decent brand would be v. helpful). I didn't even know the spikes existed until you mentioned them, tbh. I ignorantly assumed that bad ice/snow = crampons. Evidently not!

Thanks for all your help ^_^

 

[Quixoticgeek]

That's right, it's mainly the third section that heads really 'out there' in terms of slightly hillier paths and a bit of wobbly going. The spikes sound good, and seem relatively cheap (any advice on a decent brand would be v. helpful). I didn't even know the spikes existed until you mentioned them, tbh. I ignorantly assumed that bad ice/snow = crampons. Evidently not!

Thanks for all your help ^_^

Only a few years ago it would have meant crampons. These days there are lots of things on the market.

If you are expecting snow, compacted snow, and ice, then the YakTrax seem to be popular (haven't tried them so can't comment).

If it's just ice, you're worried about, then Kahtoola Nanospikes do very well (I have these for getting to the station in winter).

Bit more robust ice, more ice than not ice, then Kahtoola Microspikes.

Worried about the weight of your wallet, then Vargo pocket cleats.

What has come on the market in recent years, and something that changes the "you need the right boots for crampons" argument are things like the Kahtoola KTS crampons. They are an 10 point crampon, that is so flexible they claim they can be used with running shoes. I haven't tried them myself, so I can't give them a personal recommendation, but they do seem to get good reviews. They certainly redefine the terms of the argument when it comes to winter traction.

J

 

[Quixoticgeek]

Rereading that post it looks like I'm an advert for Kahtoola. I have no connection to them, I'm a happy customer and they happen to make some really good kit.

J

 

[Goatboy]

Rereading that post it looks like I'm an advert for Kahtoola. I have no connection to them, I'm a happy customer and they happen to make some really good kit.

J

Julia is very right that Kahoolas have been a game changer. I've even used a set on my mukluks which are as soft as butter.
Plus having them for that 10m stretch of ice that can ruin a bad day is excellent and they hardly weigh a thing.
The only thing I would say is don't let them act like Dutch courage. Have known folk in the past to go farther afield or tackle stuff they really shouldn't as they've been bolstered on by having a set (or some other silver bullet type product) and either get into serious trouble or just not come back.
Must admit to being vague on the AT, but isn't it possible to work it direction & season wise to avoid winter conditions? Me I used to be the daftie looking for vertical ice and frozen waterfalls but I just want folks to be safe.
Sounds like you're off to a good start kit wise, best advice is to get out and shake it down, see what works for you and modify it and your behaviour when on the practice trails. That and as you're doing speaking to folk on the likes of here where you'll get some great advice.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.