What to…..? Pack

I’m starting a small mini series of blogs entitled What to…? This will be based on a number of questions we’ve been asked over the years on, among other things, what to eat, what to wear and what to take on a long day in the fells. This first one will be what to pack.

We're occasionally asked what we take with us for a long day in the fells or more specifically, how do we know what to take?

What you take is of course entirely subjective, but it's going to be a combination of tried and tested things that you can fully rely on when you need them. These are honed after those early years of taking practically nothing, to wishing you'd taken things you'd left behind, to those things you hope you won't ever need, but which you carry anyway. I would say it's wishing you had something with you that probably crystallises that list of essential items.

I carry an Osprey Talon pack which I've had for years and love. I'll admit that in winter, it is a little difficult fitting everything in, but I really don't want a bigger pack that I’ll inevitably put more things in. I've got used the weight and size of it fully loaded, to the extent I don't realise I'm carrying it. The contents are slightly different for summer and winter but year round, between us as standard, we carry a paper map and compass, a GPS device, spare batteries, cameras, a first aid kit with survival blanket and two trekking poles each.

So, this is what we take and what works well for us. 

SUMMER WALKING

First Aid Kit : I carry a full but compact first aid kit which includes scissors, a small Leatherman tool, duct tape, a spare bootlace, an emergency survival blanket, various bandages and plasters, antiseptic cream and pain relief pills. In a waterproof zip case, it lives at the bottom of my pack year round. In an inner zip pocket at the top of my pack, I have a small waterproof bag with Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, indigestion tables and a lip balm, for easy access.

Food : I’ll go into more detail of which food we take in the next blog, but in a green dry bag (always green so we can go straight to it) we carry more than enough snacky type food for the length of day. If a longer day is planned, we'll take a little more of each thing. 

Drink : We both carry a 2 litre Osprey bladder and use berry flavoured electrolyte tablets which dissolve in the water and give it a decent flavour. Bro may take a full 2 litres, whereas I tend to take about a litre and a half. Water is heavy, but you get used to it and it does get lighter through the day! On a shorter walk, we'll take a 1 litre bladder instead.

Clothing : We always take a light waterproof jacket, rolled up in the bottom of the pack. We don't ever walk in shorts, just lighter weight trousers, which suits us. If we're walking in Tshirts, we'll have a lightweight, long sleeve fleece with us. If the weather looks settled, this will usually suffice, but if the mountain forecast suggests it might be cooler higher up, we will take a slightly thicker fleece and a thin pair of gloves as well. We always take and wear a sunhat; Bro either wears a baseball cap which he can turn to protect his neck, or a brimmed hat, and I also have a brimmed hat. Clothing lives in an orange dry bag.

Other Bits : We always have a tube of Factor 50 sunscreen with us, as well as lip balm with sunscreen if it's really warm, and always sunglasses. Another dry bag (mustard colour this time) contains car keys and waterproof wallets and phones if it’s wet. Bro takes an SLR camera, I have a small Smidge spray and in high summer we've taken head nets which we've worn when we stop for lunch.

in the height of summer

WINTER WALKING

Waterproofs : We always take Gore-Tex waterproof over trousers not only for wet weather, but for windy conditions when they are a godsend. We have good, comfortable Gore-Tex waterproof jackets, both of which we've had for years and  know we can rely on to keep us 95% dry (7 or 8 hours of torrential rain will test even the best jackets!)

Clothing : Given that we wear Tshirts, merino baselayers and fleeces or down jackets under our waterproofs, we don't usually carry additional layers, but we always wear a wool hat and warm gloves. We have down filled gloves and Gore-Tex gauntlets which are amazing and worth the money they cost. We favour winter weight trekking socks which are perfect, but your feet can and do get wet, which is just par for the course. We have on the odd occasion taken a spare pair of socks, but more often that not we just change them back at the car. Sunglasses are taken if it looks as though the sun might be out and we might take a Buff if it’s really cold.

Food : This isn't usually any different to our summer food. Since the early, awful days of forcing down soggy, tasteless, squashed sandwiches in torrential rain or freezing wind, we prefer food we look forward to eating and can do quickly and easily and usually standing up if it's wet or cold. Soreen malt or banana loaf is great for energy, moistness and not mattering if it gets squashed, and we always have a bar of Kendal Mint Cake with us. On a shorter walk years ago, we did take a Jetboil and heated up a couple of dehydrated meals before we got back to the car, but it all felt like a bit too much extra weight to carry, so we haven't done it since. If you're going to take a chocolate bar, don't take anything containing toffee as it'll set like concrete and probably break your teeth.

Drink : Again, this is always our electrolyte flavoured water - not the most appetising or palatable on a cold day I admit, but we've got used to it now. We're not fans of thermos tea, coffee or soup but we do use a small burner and brew a hot drink once back at the car, or look forward to a cup of tea or hot chocolate by a fire at the end of a walk!

Other Bits :  We both take an invaluable sit mat with us which we bought for a fiver and which have been brilliant. It means you can take the weight off your feet if it's wet or cold, and they feel lovely and warm to sit on. It really has been some of the best money we've spent. We take a fully charged headtorch each which we've upgraded a couple of times now to really quite good ones. We've used them a few times and they've been invaluable. The first aid kit is always in the pack as mentioned, and we both have waterproof rucksack covers in slightly unappealing and eye watering colours (lime green and fluorescent yellow), but we reckon at least we'd be spotted in the gloom!

Obviously, there will be many bits and pieces personal to each person, but as a general rule, this is what we use, and we've never experienced any difficulties. 

IN the depth of winter