And so - though we were not able to publish our article in the magazine - we happily share our journey of trying to find gear that is both easy on the back and budget with those who have been following our adventure via blogs. Enjoy!
Though the idea of setting off into the wild can be an extremely exhilarating thought – the process of trying to find adequate gear to fit the style of your journey and budget of your pocket can become incredibly overwhelming. With so many different types, prices and weight of gear available to the average trekker worldwide, it is often hard to know where to begin.
For ourselves – Alex Ward (England) and Shalane Hopkins (Canada) – we have had numerous experiences of day, overnight and long distance trekking worldwide. And we have done it all within a limited budget. At this point in time we are planning and preparing for our greatest trek to date. At an estimated length of 3000km, Te Araroa Trail stretches from Cape Reinga to Bluff, taking adventurers the entire length of New Zealand.
When the idea first formed, we agreed immediately that we would need to invest in gear that would last us the distance as the trek itself will take us five months to complete. Up until this point both of us have made do with what we had at hand. Instead of proper trekking boots, we’ve used trail runner shoes. Instead of quick-dry trekking pants, we’ve used cargo pants and leggings. We didn’t even know what merino was. We decided this journey would be different. This time we would make an effort to get as much “proper” gear as possible for our adventure. Essentially, we would be starting from square one.
That being said, there was no way that we would be able to buy everything we needed and still have money left over for things such as food and other such necessities on our multi-month trek. So we put our heads together and decided that since we are doing the trek to raise money for Indigo Foundation, it would only make sense to try and get some outdoor gear companies on board through sponsorship. And that we have done.
And as such, we have come down to our last few weeks of preparation and we have managed to obtain all the gear needed for our trek. Some was through sponsorship. Some was purchased brand new and some we even were able to use again from our past endeavors. Regardless, through our preparation journey we have learned a thing or two about the importance of choosing gear suited to its purpose, while still being lightweight and within our budget. Easier said than done.
So in trying to maintain this delicate balance when making our gear choices, we had a few simple things to keep in mind when planning our adventure. First off, there are things that we simply cannot do without because of health and safety reasons. Then, we have prioritized our gear into whether it meets the necessary basic requirements of comfort, fit and purpose. Weight and price were a toss-up, varying simply on which piece of equipment we are referring to. Finally, we have assessed our gear based on how durable the product will be in the long run.
With regards to the “must haves,” we’ve classified these as the items related to hygiene and first aid. But how does one begin to decide? Band-Aids and toothpaste tubes are one thing, but there is a multitude of other options available for use in the great outdoors. Fortunately, we were able to get sponsorship from First Training, a first aid training company in New Zealand that provided us with two days of training for outdoor first aid. After completing that course we were able to better assess what we figured we needed to take on our trek. Shampoo was replaced with multipurpose biodegradable soap. Beach towels were replaced with quick-drying/absorbing trekking towels. Our collapsible scissors were removed. A Swiss Army knife could do the same job. We added an emergency blanket, waterproof matches and magnesium stick. We also made sure the basics such as blister packs were accounted for.
New Zealand’s alpine conditions can be quite cold and the weather unpredictable, even in the summer time. Most of the mountain ranges Te Araroa Trail explores are areas of which we’ve been warned can be difficult to navigate through. Sure, we have had plenty of combined experience trekking the great outdoors, but as our trek will take us across an entire country of which weather will vary greatly and our chances of getting lost and/or injured could be expected to be higher, we figured it is more important for us to suck up the weight of these items than sacrifice ourselves in a country unknown to the both of us.
Once the health and safety items were accounted for, the fun could begin. For us, there were certain items for which fit, comfort and weight took priority over the budget. These things include trekking boots, socks, tent and backpack. Both of us have experience in purchasing things we figured would work for our previous journeys only to find all too often that our choice of siding with the cheaper option caused us much pain in the end.
Prior to preparing for Te Araroa in New Zealand, Shalane had trekked the width of British Columbia in her home country, Canada. Doing a distance of about 1000km in none other than trail runners, she learned all too quickly the importance of making sure her feet were well supported for the journey at hand. Though during British Columbia Shalane had carried a heavier pack (estimated weight: 25-28kg), the thought of doing a trek three times the distance of her trek in British Columbia in something less than a well made hiking boot was out of the question. And that went for socks too. Good quality boots, socks and insoles chipped deeply into our budget, but we had no regrets.
Another important gear item we highly valued was our packs and ensuring they were adequate for our journey along Te Araroa. Fortunately we were able to save money and plan to use our packs from previous endeavors, but we still had to check out a few things. There are portions of Te Araroa of which it is warned there are limited fresh water sources for trekkers. As such, it is recommended to make sure that one has the ability to carry adequate amounts of water to travel onwards. We estimated that to be 6L of water –Each. Being budget-conscious trekkers, this is where we had to bite back the thought of how much this would weigh on our backs. Sure – we might have made the choice to invest in something like a water filter to allow us the ability to travel more lightly and still be able to get the required amount of daily water. Unfortunately something like that – even the most basic designs – generally start in the hundreds of dollars. Instead, we opted to carry our extra water and purify it through drops and tablets. Due to this choice we had to consider whether or packs could carry 6 liters of water.
Next up is the tent situation. At the beginning there wasn’t even a “situation” to be had. Shalane had shipped her tent from Canada that she used in British Columbia and it was perfect. At 2.3kg weight, the two-person, three-season structure was built to withstand New Zealand’s weather conditions. We knew full well that some days might be completely lived within the tent to wait out common and spontaneous storms in New Zealand’s wild.
But then the unfortunate happened. When we got it set up at the hostel we had been using as a home base in Auckland for preparations, we immediately discovered that the waterproof coating had worn off the tent. Not just the seams but the entire fly of the tent soaked in any rain that hit it. And then the floor of the tent did nothing to stop the water from seeping up from the ground. Not exactly what we wanted when facing a five month journey across a country known for its excessive wetness.
The budget fix-it solution was to phone up the company that made the tent and request a trade as it was still under warranty. This would have worked, but as we were in New Zealand and the tent was made in Canada, we did not have enough time to wait for it to be sent there, assessed and a new one sent back. At the time we were due to start trekking in a month. So Plan B was to check out temporary water proofers that one can spray or paint on the tent material to protect it from wet elements. But trying to find one that could guarantee us longtime wear out of its usage was like trying to find a unicorn. And so we reluctantly decided to go tent shopping. After many stores and many discussions with numerous store employees of what we had in mind for a tent to take us the distance, we found what we were looking for at one of our sponsors – Macpac. They happened to be having a massive tent sale and so we were able to snag one with all our requirements for half price. Turned out to be a bonus that it was even lighter than the one we had before. At 2.0kg, this two man tent was the answer to our problems.
After that, finding things such as a sleeping bag, pants, shorts, compression sacks and much more proved to be relatively easy in comparison. We still managed to maintain some sort of strategy to find the best price, weight and fit for the remaining items. Armed with our notebooks and pens we’d head out in the direction of Auckland’s Newmarket area and start at the beginning. From there it became a process of attempting to find everything on our list within that one store, try it on and then record the price and weight of the item in our notebooks. Anything we thought we might come back for we put on hold and then headed to the next store. By the time we finished our rounds, we were able to assess which items were the best buys at each store and then go back in for the purchase. These mammoth days proved to be exhausting and if it were not for all the helpful staff at each of these stores we wouldn’t have been able to do it.
Once our lists neared the end, all that was left was to pack it all up and go on a trial trek. We chose Hillary Trail in the Waitakere Ranges as it offered a variety of terrain and conditions that would maximize our ability to sort out which of our gear we’d keep and which we’d leave behind when we officially set out on Te Araroa.
Those six days became quite a learning experience, as we originally set out with packs at about 22kg, water, food and everything included. After days of beach walking, road trekking, mountain climbing, mud avoiding, sun baking and rain tramping we arrived back in Auckland more confident about what we needed for Te Araroa and what we didn’t. Out went the extra pair of pants. No more gloves – socks will do. No need for an extra long sleeved shirt when thermals will do the job. Packing hygiene items in zip-lock bags rather than a canvas case will help with weight. Not to mention our ability to organize our packs better to maximize our use of the space and compression sacks. We also came back with the mission to spray our packs down with water proofer as this will protect them better against the wet conditions. We came back with lighter packs – our goal is now 15kg packs (excluding water). We came back ready for the five months ahead of us.
Quite simply, when it comes to trying to backpack light and stay on a budget, it all comes down to getting creative. When money’s not an issue, you can just purchase whatever is on the rack that’s going to be the lightest in your bag. For the rest of us, preparing for a long distance journey can become something so intimidating we wonder why we didn’t take up a love in something like chess instead. So if you have the idea in mind, try to plan as far in advance as you can. Things such as seasonal sales can come in handy along with the many membership opportunities available at most large outdoor gear stores. Take the time to shop around. What seems like a good fit, weight and price at one store may not be the best find yet. Try to aim somewhere middle range to maximize your dollar and your back muscles. Also, sometimes it is simply better to spend the money in order to get something long lasting. It can mean the difference between having to spend a couple hundred or a couple thousand the next time you plan a long distance journey. At the very least, try to invest in items that will last the duration of your journey – or know that you may have to do a little mid-trip shopping along the way.
Backpacking light does not have to mean breaking the bank to get the top of the line gear. It does not have to mean sacrificing your comfort level to the point that you feel like a cave man (or woman). Backpacking light simply means cutting your gear of all the things you deem unnecessary. It means being able to still enjoy your journey and possibly have room in your pack to bring a camera to capture the moments along the way. Or not. Backpacking light can mean carrying a pack of 5kg and having little more than the clothes on your back and a tarp to sleep under or it might just mean that you chose to leave your mascara at home. Whatever it means to you, backpacking light is about challenging yourself to connect further with nature and less with the material possessions we deem necessary to survive it.
Check out our gear list for our five month trek below and feel free to follow us on our journey as we trek New Zealand’s newest long distance trail, Te Araroa in order to raise $10000AUD for Indigo Foundation and their Solomon Island project.
Shalane Hopkins (http://www.onelifeadventures.com/)
Alex Ward (http://www.missionlivelife.com/)
And - as many have hinted at and even requested - the following is my gear list. I have quite simply stuck to what I am bringing in my own pack, so there will be some differences based on what I am planning to carry and what Alex is carrying. Feel free to check out her blog to see what her gear looks like (http://www.missionlivelife.com/). There have been a few things that were left out as we were not sure if we'd be taking them or not, so if you have any questions - feel free to ask. I will be doing a follow up of our gear at the end of our journey to reflect on what we actually did use, what we wish we had and what we could have done without. Please note that in this compiled list, there is only one of each item unless otherwise indicated.
Necessities
- Sleeping bag
- Sleep sheet
- Sleeping mat
- Headlamp
- Survival kit
- Trowel
- Toilet Paper
- Rope
- Water Bottles 1L (4)
- Camelback 2L
- Pot
- Bowl (2)
- Spork (2)
- Stove
- Gas canister
- Sunglasses
- Toothbrush/toothpaste
- Trekking boots
- Water shoes
- Socks (3)
- Underwear (2)
- Bra
- Convertable trekking pants
- Shorts
- Thermals (1 set long sleeved)
- Camisole
- Singlet
- T-shirt
- Zip-up
- Fleece
- Rain jacket
- Rain pants
- Beanie
- Camera (small) - includes spare battery and memory cards
- Camera (large) - includes spare battery and memory cards
- Journal/pen
- Decks of cards
- Breakfast
- Oatmeal
- Dried fruit
- Dried milk
- Tea
- Lunch
- Muesli power bar
- Dried fruit/veggie fibre bar
- Snacks
- Trail mix
- Dinner
- Freeze dried meal
And that is all she wrote.... until next time.
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