one week (tomorrow)

I know of people who walk with packs weighing under 4kg….and me? I’m a 6kg girl. For a start, the pack itself weighs a kilo and a half, which is quite heavy when you consider you can get an ultralight one for a third of that, but I don’t mind, because it fits me perfectly and is so very very comfortable. Plus it has pockets in all the right places – one on the side for a drink bottle – one on the other side for toothpaste and toothbrush (so I don’t have to dig through everything whenever I want to brush my teeth) – one on the hip belt for pole tips – one on the very top for loo paper – one tucked under the top to keep my Theraband from getting tangled up – a nice long one at the front, which is perfect for keeping a paper copy of accommodation details and my spare sketchbooks not-too-dog-eared – and one for a hydration bladder, which I won’t need this time, but can slip a surgical mask or two into it. Just in case. A sleeping bag compartment at the bottom, which has its own zip, is perfect for keeping all my clothes in (except for the raincoat, which has its own special spot elsewhere).
And of course, there’s the main compartment. In sunny weather the raincoat sits at the base of that, an insurance policy hopefully to be forgotten, and if rain is threatening the raincoat goes at the top, or is even attached to the outside of the pack – it has snazzy elastics to secure it to the pack even if you’re not wearing it. Then everything else slots in – the first aid kit – the bathroom and laundry kit – sleeping bag and silk liner – slides in a drawstring bag (which also doubles as a carry bag for taking stuff to the shower or for taking clothes to the laundry sink or for carrying groceries from wherever they are bought – and on one occasion it became a very satisfactory pillow when stuffed with clothes and wrapped in a fleece jacket).

Now, about that wardrobe compartment. It doesn’t need to be too big, because I don’t take a lot of clothes, although I *am* taking more this time than I did on my last spring walk when it rained every day for over a week at the beginning. I’m treating myself to an extra pair of undies (4) and walking socks (3) this time, and a fleece vest to wear whilst walking if it’s cold. Apart from that I have a hiking skirt with integrated tights and a long sleeved shirt. Silk scarf, buff, merino flip-top mitten/gloves, raincoat, sun hat as required. After walking I have options! My girls have taught me you need options. If required, there are thermal long johns, a merino long sleeved top, a fleece jacket and merino socks. Some people would say there’s overkill in that list, but I remember the week-in-the-rain and how cold we were at the end of the day and I consider every single piece has earnt its place in my pack. With or without those items, there can be pants with a little top or a tunic with them both or the tunic worn alone as a dress when it’s hot. Options, I tell you.

Some people switch between two sets of clothes – wash one when they finish walking each day and put the new set on to wear for the rest of that day and for walking the next, but I prefer to have one set for walking, which gets washed each day and one set for “after walking”, which doesn’t need such frequent washing. I have found this to be particularly useful when it’s cold and wet and clothes don’t dry overnight. It’s so nice to be able to look forward to putting on dry clothes at the end of the day.

A walk in the rain last week prompted me to pop in a spare pair of insoles for my shoes (shout out to Shoe Science Mt Eden for giving me spares and for spending a great deal of time and effort trying to find the right shoes for me)…..and discovering that tendonitis sufferers are more likely to get DVT prompted me to buy a pair of compression socks too – neither item I’ve ever taken before, but they could prove to be beneficial. The sun hat, a new much-more-shade-producing version than I’ve used in the past, might turn out to be overly optimistic. We’ll see.

PS For the one person who reads this, who likes details….
First Aid Kit:
1 gauze dressing
1 nonstick dressing
1 tegaderm
1 packet steristrips
3 strips regular fabric plaster
1 alcohol swab
16 ibuprofen
16 paracetamol
1/2 tube quickeze
Nonwoven surgical tape
Micropore tape
Elastic bandage
Titree and lavender oil
Sunscreen
Ventolin

Laundry Kit:
1/2 bar Sunlight soap
8 nappy pins
length of cord
needle & thread

Bathroom Kit:
Muslin towel
Shampoo bar
Rosehip oil
Nail clippers
Emery board
Tweezers
Cotton buds
Comb
Hair ties