In my last post I wrote about planning my Three Peaks challenge. I looked briefly at the routes, accommodation and transportation.
In this post I will write about the equipment I used and why. The kit list below is the one I used in preparation of the Three Peaks.
Mandatory
Walking boots (with ankle support, not trail shoes or trainers)
Waterproof jacket and trousers
Hiking socks (wearing a single pair recommended, rather than using a liner sock)
Backpack (approx. 20-40 litre size)
Water container (bottle or Camelbak-style, 1-2 litres)
Food & hill snacks (pasta, cereal bars, dried fruit, nuts)
Gloves
Hat (covering ears)
Recommended clothing
Walking trousers (lightweight hiking trousers, not jeans or tracksuit trousers)
Sports top (not cotton)
Warm outer layer
Changes of clothes
Recommended, optional
Sunglasses & suncream
Walking poles
Light shoes / sandals
Thermal underwear
Backpack raincover
To be honest when I looked at the list for the first time I was not sure where to start. I should have started at the top of the list with the boots because depending on the type of boot you may need to break them in and can take months.
To be honest there was so many options I got a little overwhelmed.
I instead decided to start with a waterproof coat. I was looking for a coat that would be waterproof, windproof and have good reviews but not be to expensive. Reading about changing temperatures and conditions on the mountains I decided I needed a substantial coat to fight the elements.
I looked at a few options online but wasn't sure exactly what I wanted or needed. Eventually I decided upon a Craghoppers jacket.
This decision would affect my rucksack decision quite a lot because when the jacket arrived I realized it would take up quite a lot of space when not being worn. The jacket itself was fantastic and did exactly what it was meant to do.
Having purchased a jacket I did a quick research trip to my local Millets where instead of just looking I ended up buying a rucksack. Millets own brand Technicals 40 + 5. The pack was a little bigger than I really wanted but I needed the space for the coat. It did have a built in raincoat and various pockets which I thought would be useful.
Most of the clothing I bought was made by Craghoppers. I am not sure if I decided on Craghoppers gear because I loved the coat or because it was advertised by Bear Grylls.
I bought a few hiking t-shirts, a base layer, fleece, a couple pairs of pro stretch trousers and some shorts.
I had no idea about Hiking socks so just bought a pack off Amazon with a good rating and hoped they would be ok.
I had been keeping an eye out for boots and a head torch as the first practice hikes came onto the horizon and eventually decided on a Petzl actik head torch. I watched a lot of videos and reviews to make sure I had chosen the best option for me.
I spent what seemed like months looking at different boots and reading reviews. I eventually opted for a paid of Merrell Moab 2 boots. I choose these because in the reviews they didn't need breaking in and they were waterproof.
I must admit I love the boots. Comfortable from the start. I am now on my third pair after wearing out the first two pairs.
The last piece of gear I purchased was a Source Hydration bladder. I was concerned about running out of water over the three mountains so purchased a 3l bladder. It is a really good product with an insulated case which keeps the water inside cold on hot days. It is a bit big for what I needed but as it was my first time buying equipment I didn't know exactly what I needed so purchased many products which were bigger than what I needed but are really useful for day or over night hikes.
The remaining gear I took I already owned. Thermal gloves, hat, snood and some old waterproof trousers and some Leki poles I borrowed from my parents.
I hope you join me for the next post.