The Gear List
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2 min read
No trekking blog is complete without a gear list, and I’m not about to break with tradition. As the most tangible aspect of the planning that goes into a trip, it’s easy to spend a good while building the list and selecting exactly which items to bring. Some parts of the list stay rather static, such as the pack, tent, and sleeping system (”the big three”). Other sections see lots of change in the days leading up to the trip and require more thought.
The final list is very personal: trusted gear has earned its place and is like a close friend won through hard experience. New items have to be evaluated, compared to alternatives, and ultimately judged on the balance of utility, weight, and cost. One is always reviewing their inventory, evolving their list as they gain experience and as gear wears out. Packing for a trek is a task that affords plenty of challenge, with the reward of a more enjoyable hike.
My Packing List for the GR5
I organized my list into eight sections: hiking, camping, cooking, clothing, personal / hygiene, first aid, electronics, and miscellaneous. These groupings line up pretty well with how I organize my pack. My target carry weight is 14kg (about 30 pounds), with food and water. Writing out each item with its weight helped me keep the list under control and serves as a final packing list.
The sections of the GR5 that I’ll be walking are mountainous, so I need to carry gear for all conditions. For bad-weather gear I have a wool beanie, gloves, rain jacket, down jacket, two long sleeve shirts, and one pair of long underwear. We’ll see whether I wish I’d brought rain paints. For day-to-day hiking I have two lightweight, collared trekking shirts, hiking pants, running shorts, three pairs of wool socks and three pairs of athletic briefs.
Everything I’m bringing is in the photo above. Going roughly clockwise, I have: my pack and pack cover, water reservoir and filter, clothesline, trekking poles, tent poles, tent (green bag), sleeping bag (blue bag), sleeping pad (bright green bag), sleeping bag liner (small blue bag), a couple dried meals, cooking pot with multi-tool, stove, cleaning towel, toiletries, first-aid kit and ibuprofen (”Vitamin I”), camera, batteries and chargers (left of camera), e-reader, cables, phone, headphones, guidebook, passport and rail pass, headlamp, watch, belt, hiking clothes for first day, the first hat I’ve ever liked, hiking boots, wool hat, down jacket, clothing (red bag), and rain jacket.
That should be enough for fifty days, I think.