Tuesday 29 September 2015

One size fits all

Except when it's gaiters and you have seriously beefy calves that could feed a large family with plenty of left overs for school lunches during the week.

It was a lesson you think I would have already learned, given that this sort of thing has happened to me before, but when I saw them on-line, the fact that were half gaiters and light in weight made me reckless. When the gaiters arrived in the mail, I optimistically tried them on even though one look showed there was no way they were going to go round my legs. It was close though - only about 10cm more and they would have been a perfect fit! So off I went to a canvas shop and had 10cm added, only to find that was a wee bit too much for them to stay up without some sort of elastic at the top...

Long story short - at this point I've decided that I'm not really a gaiter girl and besides they are way too heavy. I'll take my cuffs, wear long pants in spiky plant country and probably swear a lot.

Here are the things that have made it on to my gear list so far. For the gear junkies out there, there are a way more comprehensive blog posts about the technical aspects of gear including Restless Kiwi's which was the basis for some of my own choices.  My base weight is around the 9kg mark.

Gaiterless Gear List

Pack
  • ZP Arcblast back pack with hip pockets and 4-in-1multi pack (used as a lid) - pack is great but at this point finding the hip pockets totally frustrating as they sit too far around to the back of my hip  and I can't open and close them easily. I have put things in them that are useful to have on the outside like first aid and PLB but not things I need to access all the time.
Sleeping

  • ZP Altaplex Tent - first time I've used a solo tent. This one has a lot of mesh so wouldn't recommend if you like your tent to feel 'secure'. The couple of nights I've used it I have actually found it pretty cold.

  • Thermorest Neo Air - takes me 100 good puffs to inflate the thing!
  • Zp sleeping bag - down was actually my second choice but couldn't go past weight. I got a full zipper as an add on so can use as quilt. 
  • Exped inflatable pillow - bit of a luxury but I have used this pillow before and it makes a big difference to quality of sleep on the trail.
  • Compression dry bag
Food Prep
  • MSR pocket rocket  (wild earth) with igniter - have found the igniter pretty useless so am taking matches.
  • Sea to Summit Furno Pot-great little pot but the insulating material on the handles has melted.
  • GSI Insulated mug and bowl

  • Sea to Summit Alpha light spork and knife
  • Garbage bag
  • ZP Packs food bag
Hydration
  • Sawyer Mini Filter
  • 2L Denali bladder
  • 2x1L platypus 
Navigation
  • iPad Mini with View Ranger app (also for reading and blogging) - this may not make the cut as is quite heavy, but good for this sort of thing once the tent is up, the thermarest has had its 100 puffs, and the cuppa is made.
  • Maps (printed on A4)
  • Compass
  • Map case
First Aid and Safety
  • ACR Emergency Beacon
  • Whistle
  • Petzl head torch 
  • Blister kit
  • Tweezers
  • Paw paw ointment
  • Repellent
  • Sunscreen
  • Betadine
  • Band aids

  • Scissors
  • Compression bandage
  • Antihistamine 
  • Anti inflammatory
  • Anti diarrhoea 
Other stuff


  • Helinox walking poles - also used for my tent pole. Love them. 
  • Phone
  • Olympus TG860 Camera
  • Avro Solar Charger - used this a couple of times already just to top up rather than fully charge which has been working really well.
  • Trowel- haven't used it yet but my partner has. Lucky I carry it around for his business! Apparently it works Ok but he wouldn't want to excavate a building site with it.
  • Toilet paper - apparently this works Ok too.
  • Hand sanitiser
  • Wilderness Wash
  • Wipes
  • Toothbrush
  • Floss
  • Tooth paste
  • Tampons
  • Micofibre towel
  • Deodorant
  • Spare glasses
  • ZP dry bags 

  • Clothes
    • 2bra
    • 3undies
    • Zip off trouser
    • Shorts
    • Long sleeved shirt
    • Short sleeved x2
    • Hat
    • Beanie
    • Gloves
    • Polartec mid-weight
    • Jacket
    • Scarf/buff
    • Raincoat
    • Thermal top and bottom
    • Teva sandals
    • Saloman Trail runners
    • Socks x 3
    • Compression Dry Bag

    Repair Kit

    • Repair tape
    • Needle and thread
    • Safety pins
    • Cable ties
    • Rubber bands
    • Spare batteries
    • Velcro 
    Wish list (The things you make room for no matter what!)
    Pencils
    Sketchbook

    Things that were in but now are out:
    Grabber All Weather Space Blanket for ground sheet - when I first got this, it was incredibly stinky-had to wash and hang on the clothes line for a couple of days to get rid the smell. It's not that heavy but it's bulky. My tent supposedly is tough enough without one - we'll see.