Category: Gear

  • Fort William ‘zero’ day, and gear changes

    Fort William ‘zero’ day, and gear changes

    Day 20: Zero in Fort William

    We had our first ‘zero’ today in Fort William and had a few tasks to complete in town.  We were staying at a campsite out of town so we walked about 3km, taking the scenic route rather than the road, and arrived just as the post office opened.  I collected our packages whilst Katie grabbed us a coffee and we found a spot to sit in front of the cinema to sort a few thingsout.  First, new shoes for both of us.  I was pretty sure mine would fit as I have had the shoes before (New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro Trail) and they popped on like slippers, no worries!  Katie had also ordered the same and seemed happy but kept her old ones on for now as we had to visit a few shops and she wanted the opportunity to look at other options.  We also had a package from Katie’s parents with some new bag liners, maps for the next part of the trip, and a new water container to replace one of mine which was leaking.  Lastly, an Amazon order containing a small cork massage ball to help deal with foot issues.  Bam! Post office sorted, we started hitting up the outdoor stores for various things including a puncture repair kit for Katie’s sleeping pad, a couple of tent pegs (we left one somewhere so are one short, plus one spare), gas cylinder, a new Buff for me, and a few other bits and bobs. The only thing we didn’t find were some more injinji toe socks. I’ll have to order online to get delivered further up trail.

    In between some of the outdoor stores we ransacked Boots for some supplies and last of all Morrisons for food.  Our first resupply shop.  We only needed 2-3 days worth of food.  Not sure what happened but an hour and a half later it seemed like we had come out with a ton!  To be fair, I don’t think we really went too overboard in the end, certainly more than we needed, but not a silly amount.  And although we have to carry it, shopping some bulk things in Morrisons here will be cheaper than on trail.

    Shopping done, we had pizza and beers, at the Black Isle Brewery bar here in Fort William.  We stayed in the Black Isle Brewery bar/hotel in Inverness the night before we started at JOG so seemed fitting, and their pizzas, ciders, and beers are spot on! We both got the chorizo pizza and packed a couple of slices away for tomorrow’s lunch.  The final task was to post a few things back home including the shoes I’ve been using this far (they have plenty of mileage left in them) and, of course, my antler!

    With all of our tasks complete, we grabbed an ice cream and headed back to camp.  By the time we had both sorted out our food and things for the next stint of the trip, it was about time to get dinner going.  The same as last night, it was real nice.  I took care of my feet and we got our heads down excited to start the next chapter on the West Highland Way tomorrow!  Today was another beauty so really hoping that the forecast rain isn’t too much over the next few days and we still get some sunshine! ☺️☀️?

    Some gear updates

    Shoes (Tom) – Adidas Terrex Free Hiker GTX –> New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro Trail

    I opted for a waterproof shoe to begin with, and after extensive testing of a few options, went this the Free Hiker. The Hoka Speedgoat GTX failed the waterproof test, the La Sportiva option failed the comfort test, and another, more walking boot style Adidas option had a sole that slipped around in the shoe way too much!

    So the Free Hiker, in summary;

    Positives
    • Really appreciated having the waterproof shoes.
    • Waterproofing really did work.
    • Soles held up well – around 420km on varied surfaces – tarmac, gravel, soft ground, bog etc.
    Negatives
    • Laces need changing. They are quite fat, round, and hard. There is little cushioning in the tongue/around where laces are positioned. This resulted in bruised ankle bone area on left foot and aggravated/bruised bone (Accessory Navicular) in right foot. Lace change could help.
    • Laces became undone easily.
    • Probably half a size too big, thought I would be wearing for more time.
    Why change now?

    Aside from issues with laces causing significant discomfort, in heat (it’s summer, should be getting warmer as we head south!) they will be too warm and just end up wetter in than out! Also expecting ground conditions to be drier in general so less need for waterproof.

    Shoes (Katie) – Inov-8 something or other –> New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro Trail

    Katie’s shoes had done a few miles before we started and were falling apart a bit so she opted for the same New Balance as I did. She also had some heel pain so hoping that subsides with a change of shoes and more cushioning/padding.

    Socks

    I tried a combo of an injinji toe sock inner with a stance outer. Didn’t really work for me and unlikely to need that thickness going forward. Will replace stance socks with a second injinji hiking sock (to rotate wear, wash/dry, each day), and keep inner for evenings/night (as had forgotten socks for evenings and the toe socks go well with my sandals. ☺️. Have ordered a pair to a campsite we are staying at this Friday.

  • Tom’s PCT Gear!

    Tom’s PCT Gear!

    The Big Stuff

    ⛺ Tent

    There was a spreadsheet involved in the purchase of this tent. Ultimately wanted a free standing tent rather than a trekking pole tent and with two of us, a door either side is important. We have the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 (an older version than this latest, think ours is the 2018 version) and have been very happy with it on a few trips. Sure it’s not the lightest but it’s light enough, withstands storms and keeps bears out (maybe).

    ? Sleeping Quilt

    Yup, a quilt, not a ‘bag’. I find I get hot and sticky in a bag so tried a quilt instead and it’s great! I have the Enlightened Equipment Revelation Quilt 20°F with 850 down fill, 6’6″ (long) Length and 58″ (wide) width. It is quite literally a revelation and even Katie was a converted. She has the same but rated to 10°F.

    ? Sleeping Mattress

    The Thermarest NeoAir XLite is great, warm enough for me in most conditions and comfy enough. Of course there is the risk with a mattress that it gets a puncture but having tried the Thermarest Z Lite mattress, the xlite is so much better (the Z mattress eventually resulted in silver bits everywhere!)

    ? Bag

    After some research, I had decided on the Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60L for backing trips in general and it’s first outing was the Hebridean Way in May 2019 where it performed admirably and so it will be joining me for the PCT. Great accessible outer pockets and able to attach camera case and a Bottle Rocket to the shoulder straps.

    ? Fanny Pack

    ThruPack Summit Bum to keep handy items available.

    Footwear

    ? Shoes

    Initially I thought I would stock up on one style of shoe to keep me going through the hike (on average, hikers get through 5 pairs). In the end I’ve resisted doing that completely because some sections might call for different shoe styles, as you hike your feet tend to go up a size and different sections/times of year may call for different sock thickness.

    I’m planning on starting in a new pair of New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro v5 in a generous size 11 (I’m a size 9 in normal shoes, wear size 10 normally for running shoes). These have good cushioning and breathability for the desert. They also have room for foot size increase and larger socks without being too big in the first place. I’ve had good experiences with New Balance trail shoes in the past so am confident they will be great! I also have a pair of La Sportiva Mutants in a size up from what I normally wear. I’ve worn these shoes for the past few years for hiking and trail running and the grip on phenomenal so I think they may be a good choice for the High Sierras section where we will see snow and cross lots of rivers.

    I’ll decide on others shoes as they are needed based on experiences so far. The most popular shoe choice on the trail (based on survey link) are the X. I did try these out in the Outer Hebrides in May 2019 and did not find them a good option for me.

    I’ll decide on others shoes as they are needed based on experiences so far. The most popular shoe choice on the trail (based on survey link) are the X. I did try these out in the Outer Hebrides in May 2019 and did not find them a good option for me.

    ?Socks

    General approach, which I got from Andrew Skurka (link post) is to have a couple of hiking pairs on the go and cycle them each day, washing them if possible and drying when you stop or hang from your pack as you hike. I’ve found this is a good system, it always feels nice to put a ‘fresh’ pair of socks on half way through the day and if you can wash them, it helps the stinky situation (my feet tend to get pretty nasty smelling! ?)

    I’ve done long distance running for a few years and always used injinji socks which I’ve found to be excellent at preventing blisters. I think I would benefit from a bit more cushioning than injinji socks provide so I’m going to start the trail with two different options;

    1. Injini hiking liner sock paired with Darn Tough or Stance Socks
    2. Injinji hiking sock (most cushioned available)

    ?‍♂️ ‘On The Move’

    Base

    ? Layers

    ? Accessories

    ? Stop/Camp Clothing

    • Down Jacket: Mountain Equipment Skyline in eye catching bright orange!
    • Merino boxers – warm temp sleeping
    • Merino leggings – cold temp sleeping
    • Camp Footwear: Vivobarefoot sandals for around camp, give my shoes a chance to dry out and my feet a chance to breath

    ☔ Waterproof Gear

    • Jacket: REI Drypoint GTX Jacket. Gets great reviews and I’m happy to carry some weight and pay a bit more for a jacket that will do a good job of keeping me dry.
    • Bottoms: ULA Rain Kilt – yeh a ‘skirt’! I find I overheat in waterproof trousers so gonna give a rain skirt a go. Doubles as modesty protection whilst I’m washing all my other clothes in town from time to time!

    ?Navigation

    I’ve no doubt there will be many on the PCT this year with only their phone for route checking and navigation. I believe you need a backup and that good old paper maps are superior in many ways to electronic maps, including giving a much larger view area at one time. So we will have both options;

    ?Electronics

    I want to capture memories and document the trip through photos and diaries so I have quite a bit of electronic gear. I can always dump some of it if i’m not using it all.

    • Go Pro Hero 8 Black – action shots and nice wide view, easy to get pics of Katie and I together
    • Sony RX100 IV – takes great photos, has zoom and can add filters
    • Google Pixel 2 – does take good pics but using mostly for trip diary, nav backup etc.
    • Zendure SuperMini 10000mAh power bank
    • Sandisk Extreme Rugged 1TB backup drive
    • BioLite HeadLamp 330
    • Accessories: Wall charger, cables, 3 batteries per camera, camera battery chargers, spare SD cards, Joby Gorilla tripod with GoPro adaptor.

    ?Camp Kitchen

    ? First Aid Kit!

    Lightweight Adventure Medical Kit, because it’s good to be prepared

    All The Gear…

    Lighterpack Breakdown

    Yup, I totally geeked out and weighed a load of stuff. ? It’s not uncommon.

    https://lighterpack.com/e/w9r5bd