Equipment List

 

REGIONS

Listed below are items I use on three-season backpacking trips as of December, 2012. Choices will vary according to terrain, climate, length and nature of the hike (ie. big mileage days usually equate to a lighter load; mellow, more sociable hikes mean a few more luxury items). Generally speaking, my base weight for three season trips is around 3 – 4 kg (6.6 – 8.8 lbs).

Backpack

  • MLD Burn

Shelter

  • Poncho Tarp:  MLD Silnylon Pro Poncho or Integral Designs SilPoncho (doubles as outer layer / rainwear)
  • Note: In extremely wet environments where I will most likely not have a chance to dry my shelter (eg. Scotland, SW Tasmania), I will often take a lightweight double wall tent such as the Big Agnes Seedhouse.

Sleeping

  • Sleeping Bag: Katabatic Palisade 30°
  • Sleeping mat: Thermarest NeoAir
  • If tarping, I will carry a lightweight water resistant / breathable bivy sack (MLD Superlight Bivy). This increases the warmth of my sleeping system by 5 – 10°.

Clothing

BASE LAYER

  • Hiking Shirt: Long sleeve polyester shirt  with either zip or buttons.
  • Shorts: Nylon running shorts
  • Socks: 3 pairs – thin / breathable (one pair usually kept clean for sleeping)
  • Bandana:  Cotton / no-frills
  • Hat:  Adapt-a-cap; bee-keeper style.

INSULATION LAYER/S

  • Vest: Western Mountaineering Flash Vest or Montbell Thermawrap vest
  • Lightweight Fleece: Patagonia R1 Hoody
  • Alternatively, instead of the Hoody/Vest combination, I will take either a Montbell Thermawrap Jacket or a Patagonia Nano Puff Pullover.

OUTER LAYER

  • Wind shirt: Montbell Tachyon Anorak
  • Poncho: MLD Silnylon Pro Poncho or ID Silponcho (doubles as shelter)
  • Wind pants: Montbell Dynamo Wind Pants
  • Note: In consistently wet and cold conditions I will often take a waterproof jacket (Integral Designs eVent Thru Hiker) and pants (GoLite Reed), instead of a Poncho Tarp.

Cooking

  • Alcohol stove (Pepsi Can model – favourite from AntiGravityGear)
  • Windscreen (aluminium ovenpan liner cut to size)
  • Hard plastic Spork
  • Pot (0.9 lt.- lightweight aluminium non-stick)
  • Pot cozy
  • Small lighter / Matches
  • Fuel bottle (capacity 8 ounces / 0.24 litres)
  • Cotton wool ball coated in Vaseline (2) – for emergency fire starting.

Medical kit / Hygiene

  • Duct tape
  • Antiseptic wipes
  • Bandaids or medical tape
  • Sunscreen
  • Ibprofun
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Sewing needle
  • Dental floss
  • Toothpaste
  • Toothbrush

Hydration

  • 2 x 600ml plastic bottles (one for each side of the pack)
  • 2 litre Platypus hydration bladder (if hiking in arid areas I may take more than one)
  • Aqua Mira Drops (chlorine dioxide) for water treatment.

Footwear

  • Brooks Cascadia or Montrail Sabino Trail.

Other Equipment

  • Small utility tool: Swiss Army Classic – simple, light, all you need 99% of the time.
  • Headlamp:  Petzl Tikka Zipka or Photon Freedom
  • Compass: Suunto M-2 (adjustable for magnetic variation)
  • Gaiters: Dirty Girl Gaiters for arid environments / MLD eVent Gaiters for snowbound terrain.
  • Journal/Phone: iPhone 4s (2012)
  • Camera: Canon Powershot SX230 HS
  • Umbrella: Montbell UL Trekking Umbrella
  • Sunglasses
  • Money / credit card
  • Passport / Driver’s license
  • MP3

WINTER HIKING

For temps consistently between 0° and -15° celsius, I generally take the following items which will either replace or complement the above mentioned gear:

  • Sleeping Bag: Katabatic Sawatch 15°( – 9° celsius). Combined with an MLD Superlight Bivy plus clothing keeps me warm down to -20° celsius.
  • Sleeping Mat: I will sometimes add a 2/3 length thin foam pad to my Thermarest NeoAir.
  • Mittens: Merino wool. Combined  with thin polypro liners and MLD eVent mittens. This three layer system gives greater flexibility over a wider range of temps and exertion levels.
  • Base Layer Top: Icebreaker Bodyfit 200 Zip Neck and/or Patagonia R1 Hoody
  • Base Layer Bottom: Patagonia Capilene 2 Thermal Bottoms
  • Insulation Layer: Down Jacket – Montbell UL Down Jacket
  • Outer Layer: Montbell Tachyon Anorak and GoLite Reed pants
  • Headwear: Merino Wool beanie combined with the Hood on the Patagonia R1.
  • Footwear: For long stretches in snowy conditions, where keeping my feet dry is a priority due to the risk of frostnip or frostbite (see Hot & Cold), I will generally wear lightweight goretex boots, layer my socks (thin merino liner under a wool blend medium weight) and wear full-length eVent gaiters to keep the snow from entering in the top of my boots.