PACK GEAR | Rob Deb | ||
Sleeping bag | 845 | 845 | Can be zipped together into a shared double bag for warmth |
Silk liner | 110 | 110 | Important for sleeping bag hygiene and warmth |
Sleeping bag dry bag | 35 | 35 | Replaces stuff bag and plastic bag. UltraSil |
Sleeping mat | 320 | 320 | Could be replaced with foam mat to reduce weight |
Plastic bags | 20 | 20 | For food, etc |
Pack | 1265 | 1200 | Osprey Exos 58 |
Pack liner dry bag | 110 | 110 | UltraSil |
Lid pocket dry bag | 35 | 35 | UltraSil |
Tent | 1170 | Tarptent: Cloudburst 2 | |
Billy | 210 | 160 | Two billies |
Tea towel | 30 | 2 thick Chux cloths | |
Scrub pad | 5 | ||
Stove | 90 | MSR titanium | |
Gas cylinder | 370 | 370 | We get up to 40 boils from each. Weight empty = 130gm |
Wind shield | 25 | Aluminium foil | |
Emergency/first aid kit | 165 | 210 | |
Sunscreen, dimp | 70 | 150 | |
Matches, candle | 15 | For emergency firelighting | |
Plates x2 | 120 | Aluminium | |
Spoons x2 | 20 | Plastic: (plastic "Sporks" both broke) | |
Mugs x2 | 95 | Plastic | |
Leatherman mini | 55 | Incl pliers, blade, screwdrivers, tin opener | |
Knife | 15 | ||
Clothes dry bag | 40 | 40 | UltraSil |
Towel | 90 | 90 | Polyprop |
Parka | 695 | 660 | Oringi Milford (un-needed
material cut off; heavy but effective for NZ conditions) |
Overtrousers | 215 | 180 | |
Balaclava | 50 | 50 | Polyprop |
Long johns | 135 | 110 | |
Fleece jacket | 475 | 450 | |
Fleece long-sleeved top | 280 | 275 | |
Tights | 100 | Lycra | |
Polyprop skivvy/vest | 165 | 110 | |
T shirt | 150 | 110 | Merino - Mainly In bed (unless cold when used as extra layer) |
Silk vest | 90 | In bed | |
Socks hut | 50 | 30 | Merino |
Spare walking socks | 50 | 40 | |
Gloves | 35 | 30 | |
Underpants | 50 | 30 | One spare each |
Bra | 50 | Spare | |
Handkerchief | 15 | 15 | |
Hut shoes | 480 | 445 | Rob- Crocs; Debby- sandals |
Toilet paper | 80 | 80 | |
Torch | 135 | Debby uses solar cap with LED light | |
Cord and clothes pegs | 30 | ||
Camera drybag | 35 | UltraSil | |
Cellphone | 100 | ||
Charger | 55 | ||
Radio | 110 | ||
PLB | 175 | ||
GPS | 210 | ||
Batteries (AA x 4) | 95 | ||
Compass | 25 | ||
Maps | 30 | ||
Track papers | 100 | ||
Camera | 230 | ||
Charger | 90 | ||
Notebook & pen | 75 | ||
Bank security key | 15 | ||
Money cards/money | 30 | 30 | |
Hut/YHA passes | 20 | 20 | |
Book | 225 | 230 | |
Spectacles | 85 | (incl case 45g) Prescription lenses -double as sunglases | |
Reading glasses | 20 | 30 | |
Toothbrush, soap etc | 70 | 85 | |
Water bottles | 95 | 95 | 2 each; one empty unless needed |
Lip salve | 5 | 5 | |
Leki pole | 315 | 250 | Not needed in North Island; essential South Island |
TOTAL | 9495 | 8425 | |
Food Rob | 4600 | 3000 | For about 6 days |
Water | 1000 | 1000 | |
Total | 5600 | 4000 | |
GRAND TOTAL | 15095 | 12425 | |
GEAR WORN | |||
Shoes - Salomans | 730 | 540 | Techamphibians, light and dry out quickly. |
Socks medium | 55 | 40 | |
Zip-offs pants | 275 | 255 | Used as shorts unless in town |
Underpants | 50 | 30 | |
Bra | 50 | ||
Sun hat | 70 | ||
Solar cap | 135 | "2C Solar Light CapSun" sun hat with solar panel and 2 LEDs | |
Long-sleeved shirt | 230 | 215 | Polyester |
Handkerchief | 15 | 15 | |
Bandana | 30 | For round neck or as neck shade tucked under hat. | |
TOTAL | 1425 | 1310 |
Te Araroa Trail
Rob and Debby McColl walk from Cape Reinga to Bluff, New Zealand on the Te Araroa Trail
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Te Araroa Trail Gear List
Here is what we took with us and what we wore and the weight in grams.
Some Tips for Trail Walkers
A book has recently been
published called "A walking guide to New Zealand's long trail Te
Araroa" by Geoff Chapple. If you can get hold of a copy you would find it
useful for background reading - it's a bit heavy for actually carrying on the
trail though. It has plenty of detail on most of the tracks, photos, maps etc. I
compiled notes from the Te Araroa website, but there is work being done now on
trail guides which will contain all the information you need.
Our philosophy is to travel as
lightweight as possible without compromising safety. In NZ weather is always
unpredictable and you must be prepared for cold and wet conditions, as well as
very hot and dry.
We have a very lightweight
tarptent, lightweight packs and sleeping bags, and carry minimal clothing - but
excellent waterproof jackets and fleece gear including balaclavas and gloves.
We also carry cellphone, gps and personal locator beacon, compass, maps and
first aid kit including gel blister plasters. We carry a tiny little fold-up
burner and use gas canisters and yes, you will need to have some means of
cooking as there are often no facilities whatsoever along the way. DOC huts
mostly do not supply gas, some have wood-burners. (See our detailed gear list).
In most places you can find
somewhere to put up a tent, but always ask if it is on private property. Bear
in mind your safety too - we don't have harmful creatures but we do have some
unsavoury characters out there.
We hope this is a little help
with your planning – walking the Te Araroa Trail is a totally amazing and
rewarding experience - best of luck!!
We dehydrate most of our meals
and send food parcels to various points along the way – many youth hostels and
motor camps are happy to hold parcels. Other trail users have managed without
using food parcels and found it reasonably easy to resupply along the way. Usually,
you need to carry 5-7 days of food with 1 section in the South Island where you
need to carry 9 days (The Richmond Alpine Route). The trail tends to go to a
resupply point every 5 days or so - some of these are small towns with a lack of
variety!
Our advice is to do some long
distance walks to get in training - about 20-25km. This is just to get your
feet used to doing long distances day after day - they really suffer. We wear
lightweight running shoes but that is a personal choice - some tracks are very
rough and many are muddy, but on the roads heavy boots are a killer.
I am 59 and Rob is 69. We have
both done a reasonable amount of tramping here and overseas; Rob has tramped
quite extensively in New Zealand. We found the trail challenging in parts, especially
sections of the South Island. There are some huge climbs and descents, some quite
demanding tracks, and many river crossings.
Many other people will be happy
to give you help/advice - the Te Araroa website is wonderful, there is a Te
Araroa Facebook group and a Te Araroa Google group which are both useful ways
to get in touch, as well as many trail stories and blogs.
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