As I had never done any long distance hiking before embarking on my West Highland Way trek, I found the whole process of buying gear required a reasonable amount of research and a reasonable amount of money.
In addition to the outdoor shops on the high street, I also found the online shop Ultralight Outdoor Gear a good stockist. They can advise you over the phone and seemed to know what they were talking about.
Admittedly I did not get kitted up the cheapest way, but as I had decided to hike carry all my own gear, keeping it lightweight was a priority. From my experience, this is my advice/my thoughts: –
- I’m sure this is obvious but… every pound matters. I got my pack down to about 23 – 25 Ibs without food
- A litre of water weighs 2.2 pounds and needless to say it is essential to carry some. I used the bladder from my Camelbak which I normally use for mountain biking – it saves the hassle of stopping every time you need a drink
- Don’t scrimp on buying decent waterproofs – “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing” as Alfred Wainwright said.
- Putting everything in your rucksack in different coloured dry bags – clothes, sleeping bag/mat, notebook etc., will help organise your pack and keep everything dry
- Hairgrips! An essential requirement if you have long hair. The most annoying things in Scotland, aside from the midges, was my rain drenched hair slapping me in the face as I walked
Tent: Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 2
Weight: 2.8lb
This tent is super lightweight and takes just a few minutes to put up. It has porches on two sides so you can use one to stash your gear and other to get in and out. Despite the relentless rain in Scotland, not a drop made it into this tent.
Rucksack: Osprey Exos 58
Weight: 1.20 kg
This rucksack has an excellent back system and was extremely comfortable throughout my hikes. As it is a lightweight pack, it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles in term of pockets and compartments but using different coloured dry bags for all my belongings addressed this and enabled me to stay organised!
Sleeping Bag: Sea to Summit Talus TsI
-5°C Comfort Limit, 400g of 750+ Fill Power ULTRA-DRY Down (US Method) Weighs 890g
The Comfort Limit is the lowest temperature which women can comfortably sleep assuming they are wearing baselayers, socks and a hat, and are sleeping on an insulated mat (for men its the Lower Comfort Limit). Down is the warmest filling and this is measured by its ‘Fill Power’ which, for a good quality bag, will be between 750 and 850.
This sleeping bag was perfect for the mild wet weather of Scotland but I was cold in the Lake District and I am totally unconvinced by the ‘comfort limit’.
Sleeping Mat: MULTIMAT Superlite 25 Regular Self-inflating Mat
R-Value: 0.39 / Dimensions: 183 x 51 x 2.5cm / Packed Size: 26 x 12cm
Weighs 475g
Camping Stove : OPTIMUSCrux Lite Stove with Terra Solo Cookset Combo
Weighs 265g (complete kit)
Although I could have managed without a stove and just eaten in pubs/restaurants, I like cooking dinner on a campsite and it was essential in feeding my tea and coffee habit.
Walking Boots: My initial choice was a huge error of judgement – too small and definitely not waterproof (I lost four toenails after the West Highland Way) I now have some Keen boots which are not the most technically advanced but most importantly they are comfortable and waterproof. I walked through five days of torrential rain in Chile’s Torres del Paine and my feet stayed gloriously dry throughout.
Coffee: Growers Cup Coffee Pouch
If you enjoy a decent, ‘proper’, coffee on the fellside then these are ideal for making on the campsite and transferring into a thermos. You can buy them in outdoors shops.
Edit – not the most environmentally friendly due to the packaging – I must find a better option.
Waterproof Trousers: Berghaus Women’s Paclite Overtrousers
Waterproof trousers are an essential item for hiking in the UK and these must be the best on the market. Even through the endless rain of Scotland, they kept me completely dry – worth the money.
Waterproof Jacket: Rab Women’s Spark Jacket
This was pretty good – lightweight, effective at keeping the rain out and a nice colour.
Daypack: EXPEDCloudburst 25 Fully Waterproof Daypack
Weighs 300g
This was really useful. Its basically a dry bag with lightweight rucksack straps. I used it to keep my clothes in and then had something to use as a daypack for shorter excursions such as going up Ben Nevis at the end of the West Highland Way hike.
