This summer I completed a 738km fast-hike along the Pyrenean Haute Route in 18 days, 4 hours and 30 mins (this was not a FKT attempt). With over 50,000m of vertical ascent, hugely varying terrain, high altitude camping and very changeable weather, packing was always going to be tricky.
I firmly believe that post adventure kit lists are more useful that the usual pre adventure kit lists. So here is my post Pyrenean Adventure kit list with a full alternative kit list and comments.
| Item | Kit Taken | Kit revision post-adventure | Notes |
| Backpack | Ultimate Direction FastPack 30L | Montane Trailblazer 44L | I love the Ultimate Direction Fastpack 20L and thought the 30L would work as well, however, I found that the should straps were too thin for the weight and where the belt strap attached to the back pack k rubbed my back to an unbearable level. I had to remove the belt altogether. I ended up swapping for the now discontinued Salomon Out Week 38+6. I would recommend trying either the Montane Trailblazer 30L or even better the Montane Trailblazer 44L. Having a bit more space in the pack is helpful |
| Filtration | Sawyer Mini Filter with | LifeStraw 650ml Peak Series Collapsible Squeeze Bottle With Water Filter | I only used this a couple of times and next time might take a LifeStraw 650ml Peak Series Collapsible Squeeze Bottle With Water Filter |
| Bottle for filter | Hydrapak Stow 1L | Would need this with the LifeStraw 650ml Peak Series Collapsible Squeeze Bottle With Water Filter | |
| Bottles (2 x 500ml soft flasks bottles) | Ultimate Direction 500ml Soft Flask | Nalgene Wide Mouthed 1L x2 or Hydrapak Flux™ 1L x 2 or one of each |
I swapped these out for 1L bottles. I liked my Nalgene Wide Mouthed 1L as could put warm tea in it. Another alternative is the Hydrapak Flux™ 1L or Stash 1L |
| Water reservoir | Hydrapak 3L | Hydrapak 3L | This was essential. I used it to ensure I had enough water at each campspot |
| Running Poles | CROSS TRAIL FX SUPERLITE | CROSS TRAIL FX SUPERLITE | One of the best items of kit I used. They performed amazingly! I did not take the gloves as the grips were great. Highly Recommend. |
| Micro towel | LifeVenture Trek Towel x large | LifeVenture Trek Towel x large | Great towel that does the job well. An essential for me, especially as all body washing was done in lakes. |
| SLEEPING GEAR | |||
| Sleeping bag | Sea to Summit Spark i | Sea to Summit Spark i | Brilliant sleeping bag that kept me warm in a huge range of temperatures. I didn’t use the bag it came in but preferred to store the sleeping bag, sleeping bag liner and eye mask in a 3L Sea to Summit drybag. |
| Tent | MSR Carbon Reflex 1 | MSR Carbon Reflex 1 (discontinued)
or Terra Nova Laser Compact 1 Tent
|
LOVE this tent, though it sadly died in a wind storm. It is now discontinued so I am on the search for a new ultralight 1 man tent. Maybe the Vango F10 Neon UL 1 Tent or Terra Nova Laser Compact 1 Tent. Still glad I took a tent over a bivy as was caught in some brutal weather |
| Sleeping mat | Thermarest NeoAir XLite Mat | Thermarest NeoAir XLite Mat | As always, this performed beautifully |
| Drybag | Selection of Sea to Summit Bags | Selection of Sea to Summit Bags | Can never have enough, I used one for my charing cables, one for clean clothes, one for snacks and one for sleeping bag. |
| Sleeping Bag Liner | Rab Silk Liner | Rab Silk Liner | Always use a sleeping bag liner to keep sleeping bag warm and clean. |
| COOKING | |||
| Stove | Jetboil Stash | Jetboil Sta
sh |
This worked perfectly all adventure. I thought it might be liberal with gas but I ended up using just over 2 x 100g gas bottles over 18 days. Can’t fault and would highly recommend. |
| Gas | Used 3 bottles over the 18 days. Did notice better brands of gas were better. | ||
| Spork | Sea to Summit Long Spoon | Sea to Summit Long Spoon | The perfect eating device for Firepot Meals. |
| Mug | Lifeventure Titanium mug | Lifeventure Titanium mug | As I mostly drank tea I could have used my Nalgene but useful to have a lightweight mug for drinking from clean water sources. Would take on next adventure |
| RUNNING GEAR + CLOTHING | |||
| Running Shorts | ULTIMATE 2IN1 SHORTS MENS | GORE ULTIMATE 2IN1 SHORTS MENS | These were great though the inner short split after about 15 days. Also I used the phone holder and I now have a weird swelling on my right thigh. |
| Camp Shorts | Old pair of Gore Shorts | Old pair of Gore Shorts | |
| Running Tee x 2 | CONTEST DAILY TEE MEN | GORE CONTEST DAILY TEE MEN | Would probably take 1 short sleeve and one long sleeve next time |
| Socks x 2 (one on, 2 in the pack) | GORE M MID BRAND SOCKS | GORE M MID BRAND SOCKS x 3 | Could have taken a third pair of socks and would definitely make sure they were all longer socks to protect ankles from rocks |
| Shoes | Hoka SpeedGoat 5 | Hoka Tecton X Shoes or Scarpa Rush GTX |
This is a hard one. I love these shoes but I am not sure they were durable enough for this adventure’s terrain. I found that the soles fell apart after 4 days but my legs were never sore or stiff due to the amazing cushioning. Next time I might try the Hoka Tecton X Shoes as the sole looks more sturdy. Another alternative could be the Scarpa Rush GTX |
| Cap | Karrimor running Cap | Karrimor running Cap | This was the cap I wore to run from Lima to Buenos Aires on my running the Americas adventure – So I took it for luck! |
| Compression Sleeves | Gore Thermal Armwarmers | Ended up ditching these as really didn’t need due to weather. | |
| Waterproof jacket | Montane Phase Jacket | Inov-8 Mens Stormshell Jacket | Great jacket and a definite for normal hiking, however on this adventure a lighterweight rain jacket would have sufficed. The Inov-8 Mens Stormshell Jacket might work well and is nearly half the weight. |
| Sunglasses | Sungod Ultras | Sungod Ultras | Perfect choice of sunglasses for this adventure. |
| Gloves | Gore gloves | Ended up ditching these as really didn’t need due to weather. | |
| Buff x 2 | Gore Neckwarmer | Gore Neckwarmer | I wore one of these around my wrist every day. |
| Insulated Jacket | Montane Featherlite insulated Jacket | Montane Featherlite Insulated Jacket (discontinued) – try Montane Mens Flylite Down Jacket | This is my go-to adventure insulated jacket and wouldn’t do an adventure without it. Not sure they make it anymore so think I would check out the Montane Mens Flylite Down Jacket |
| Thermal bottoms | Icebreaker Mens 175 Everyday Tights | Icebreaker Mens 175 Everyday Tights | Last minute addition but very glad I took for some of the high altitude camp spots. |
| HYGIENE | |||
| Suncream | LifeJacket SPF 30 | LifeJacket SPF 30 | |
| Toothpaste | |||
| Toothbrush | Bamboo toothbrush | Bamboo toothbrush | |
| Loo Roll | Loo Roll | Carried enough loo roll for the whole adventure in a zip lock bag. Also took a ziplock bag for used loo roll. | |
| MEDICAL | |||
| Ankle Support | Ultimate performance ankle support | Ultimate performance ankle support | Glad I took this. I rolled my ankle 4 days before starting and then twice on the adventure. Having this allowed my to continue. |
| First Aid Kit | Small first aid kit | Small first aid kit | |
| ELECTRONICS | |||
| Watch | Garmin Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar Multisport GPS Watch | Garmin Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar Multisport GPS Watch | Absolutely amazing. I loaded my route onto the watch and that really simplified mapping. The torch was also a lifesaver and nearly replaced the need for a head torch (not I was doing this in summer for long daylight hours) |
| Headphones | Shokz Openrun Pro Headphones | SoundPEATS TrueAir2 x 2 | I opted for two pairs of SoundPEATS TrueAir2 because they are cheaper and the carry case charges the headphones. I am still using the Shokz for running & cycling at home |
| Head Torch | Petzl Actik Core | Petzl Actik Core | I would never adventure without a headtorch and this one did great, though I only used it a couple of times |
| Sattellite tracker | Garmin InReach Communicator | Garmin InReach Communicator | This worked really well. I intended to use it for tracking but due to the long period of movement each day, I opted just to check-in during the day to save battery. |
| Solar charger | Powertraveller Adventurer Solar 2 | Anker PowerPort Solar Lite | I took this because I thought I would benefit from the powerbank/solar power combo, but sadly the solar didn’t work so I ended up ditching this and had no solar. I might try the Anker PowerPort Solar Lite next time |
| Power Packs | Nitecore NB 10,000 | Nitecore NB 10,000 x 2 | I took two of the Nitecore NB 10,000 batteries and loved them. Best lightweight, fast charging powerbanks I have used. |
| FILMING KIT | |||
| Camera | DJI Osmo Action 3 | DJI Osmo Action 3 | Didn’t work as well as I had hoped but that might be because it is new. I might have been tempted to use a Insta360 or Go Pro 11 Black |
| Camera Case | SMALLRIG OSMO Action 3 Cage | DJI cage | I opted for the lighter DJI cage for this adventure |
| Batteries for Cam | Osmo Action 3 Battery Charging Cradle | 2 spare DJI batteries | I opted to just take the batteries without the charging cradle |
| Selfie stick | Osmo Action 3 1.5m Extension Rod | Osmo Action 3 1.5m Extension Rod | This worked amazingly |
| Phone | iPhone 11 pro | iPhone 11 pro | Used this for mapping using the MapOut app, which is amazing! |
| Small tripod / stand | I had to ditch my tripod because it was too heavy. Need to find a better lightweight tripod that works with the Osmo Action Extension rod | ||
| Food | |||
| Firepot meals | 5 in pack – 15 with friends for drop offs | Firepot meals | Once again, Firepot Meals were a lifesaver. I was on the trail for about 12 hours a day and having a 800-900kcal meal every night made a huge difference and ensured I had the strength to continue. Favourite flavours – Spicy Pork Noodles, Orzo Pasta Bolognese, Chicken Keema Curry, Barbecued Pulled Pork, Green Gumbo |
| Chia Charge | 5 in pack – 15 with friends for drop offs | Chia Charge | A brilliant snack with a whopping 400kcal. Great as a breakfast alternative if weather makes boiling water an issue. |
| Clif bar | 5 in pack – 15 with friends for drop offs | Clif bar | Another great snack that helped pick me up when energy was low |
| Tailwind Sticks | 5 in pack – 15 with friends for drop offs | Tailwind Sticks | I really noticed a difference when I used these. Felt more energised than just drinking water. |
| Snickers | 5 in pack – 15 with friends for drop offs | Snickers | Nighttime and emergency snack |
| Mission Tea | Perform + Recovery | Mission Tea | First adventure I haven’t drunk any coffee. These teas were awesome. I would have a Perform every morning and a Recovery with every dinner. |
| Quaker Oats (big bowl) | x 5 – 15 with friends for drop offs | Quaker Oats (big bowl) | These are my go to lightweight breakfast. I would avoid the plain ones though! |
| Electrolytes | Powerbar 5 Electrolytes | Powerbar 5 Electrolytes | I had 2 tubes of these on me at all times. Had a least 2 tablets a day |
| Haribo | Haribo | Great on the hard days but also hard not to just eat in 5 minutes! | |
| Wish I had taken | |||
| Soap | LifeVenture Biogdegradable Soap | LifeVenture Biogdegradable Soap | Really wish I had brought some of this. 19 days is a long time without soap! |
