After my most recent TMB post I received some queries concerning the gear I used throughout this four day hike. My friend and I decided to take a pretty minimal tactic on the whole round course. Witnessing the course shape we told ourselves that “less is more”.
So here is a list of the equipment I used during the trek:
Backpack: The core of such a multiday trip is a suitable backpack. I considered some options but decided to go with the latest, and legitimately slight, version of Swiss Brand Mammut – the Creon Tour Modell. The 20 litre type was the one I chose. Using a comparably slender but lengthier form of backpack was a worthy select with my body type. Being a tall and lanky dude this rucksack flawlessly tailored my requirements for the excursion. The simple style and the well-made airing structure on the back is top notch. I like rucksacks without a vast quantity of unimportant partitions. The Creon was just accurately what I needed with a big main compartment, a stretchy small one in the front and two lateral side-parts to place and easy access the two flasks. Very intended packing and unloading made it a great partner. A very good feature is the integrated rain cover on the lowest part that unwraps and stores very fast.
Sleeping bag: We weren’t too sure about our sleeping places. That’s why we choose to bring a sleeping bag to have some options. A couple of years ago I bought a Yeti VIB 400. This was perhaps one of my best investments ever. The VIB 400 protected my life numerous times. Such a light, warm, tough and comfortable sack. As well as being warm and cosy the bag also packs very small. I stowed it in the bottommost of my rucksack without any problem and huge space loss.
Jacket: I used the Norröna Bitihorn dri1 jacket jacket through the early morning sequences, the rainy shares of our trek and in the evenings while hanging around. Above and beyond being ultra-packable and light, the coat is a multi-propose spouse which I surely valued. Rain or breeze is no damage to the up-to-date Norwegian creation. Love the zips on the sides that allow swift and easy ventilation. Solid made and stylish looking.
Shirt: Two tops were sufficient for me. Whereas I washed my top that I was using during the day I constantly had a different, fairly clean, shirt that I was using in the evenings. Merino is just a great material for stuff like this. Hand washing and drying is too easy. I used two “Tech T Lite Short Sleeve” shirts made by Icebreaker. Simple and effective!
Short: The “5″ Essential Run Short” by Brooks was my choice. It is a light and very well cut running short with some well-placed pockets. Very comfortable.
Trousers: The adidas Terrex Multi trouser is a great piece of equipment. Still light and particularly packable it offers certain possibilities on how to wear it. Occasionally I started in the morning with the long trousers. Fortunately the weather was so good that I mostly used it in the evenings.
Shoes: In detail I looked through my arsenal of shoes while packing for the voyage. From running training I saw that the newest Feline model by Dynafit would be the best thinkable mate. While being light it still has the full-bodied but comfy style. The form of the shoe offers plenty of shield on rocks even though it still is forceful throughout a fast hike. Furthermore the top layer that protects the lacing system seemed to be very effective against small rocks and sand that want to enter the shoe. The Feline turned out to be a great all-around speed hiking boot as I never had any tacky encounters with wet or slippy rocks. As well as the rucksack the shoe is probably the most vital part during such a trek. I choose the right one.
Poles: I’m an admirer of Leki’s “Shark Active Strap” System. I also use it with my Nordic skating poles and I think it is a great approach. For the TMB I used Leki’s “Smart Carbon” model which, based on their website, is a Nordic walking pole. The model is not foldable but I use it since a couple of years through sky running competitions and I also used it throughout the Transalpine Run a couple of years ago. Whereas being a bit doubtful towards poles a couples of years ago, I’m a admirer now. Specially for a tour like this it is a great decision and also a fine upper body workout.
I hope this answers some queries on what to use for your next venture.
