Equipment for walking the Routeburn Track

 The equipment I will carry on the Routeburn Track...

The second part of my preparation for walking the Routeburn Track is gathering all the equipment I will need for the tramp. I have honed this gear list down over the last decade and have removed all extraneous equipment and excess weight. 

 

Packing up my kit in Howden Hut back in 2020

My over arching plan with this equipment is to carry as little weight as possible without compromising safety. I could certainly take less gear with me but I would not be self sufficient in an emergency. I have no wish to appear on your evening news as another of those "daft trampers" in trouble because I didn't take enough gear to support myself...

Gator don't play that way!!!

Overview of my gear:

I have a set of packing lists which I use when I am preparing my gear for a trip. I have one for day tramps right through to multi day expeditions and I tick items off the list as I gather the gear and pack it. I use the same basic set up for a Great Walk and a tramp of 1-3 days. There is just enough gear here to keep me safe, warm & reasonably comfortable.

My usual set of gear for a Great Walk

Here is a list of the gear I carry excluding specific sub groups I will discuss below...

Pack: Osprey Atmos 50 AG with raincover and packliner

Sleep system: see below

Cooking kit: see below

Clothing: see below

Emergency equipment: ACR ResQLink PLB, First Aid kit, SOL mylar bivy bag

Electronics: Samsung A12 phone, Canon SX410IS camera with 6 batteries, Kindle Paperwhite, 20 000 mAh power bank with cord, Black Diamond headtorch + spare batteries 

Navigation: Silva Ranger compass, topographic maps of the track

Toiletries: Sea to Summit Drylite towel, tooth brush, tooth paste, comb, insect repellant, sun screen, anti chaff, Luka tape

Accessories: jandal's for hut shoes, strapless digital watch, general repair kit, bandanna, wallet (drivers license/hut pass/cash/credit card), car keys, camera pouch fitted to my pack hip belt, 

All up my gear weighs 9.7 kg's without food or water which is not Ultra Lite but is manageable. The gear I would take on a Great Walk is basically the same as what I would haul for any tramp. This equipment (with regular food resupply) would allow me to stay on a long trail for several months at a time. 

Specific equipment sub groups:

Some of the equipment I carry warrants its own sub grouping.

Clothing: Worn

Worn clothing refers to the clothes you wear day to day and therefore does not take up space in your pack. I'm from the start cold-warm up school so I am usually attired in the bare minimum of clothing when I start out in the morning. My usual tramping attire will be some type of short sleeved shirt, shorts, underwear and my boots or shoes. 

My tramping uniform: shirt, shorts and boots...

I use generic clothing from the Warehouse (the local Walmart...) or Hunting and Fishing made from a moisture wicking technical material. I have recently taken to wearing collared shirts so I can flip the collar up for extra sun protection. I will wear a hat most of the time as the sun here in Kiwiland is savage...

Jon standing outside Saxon Hut in December 2021

Worn clothing consists of:

Short sleeve shirt, shorts, technical underwear, socks, foot wear, sun hat

I will use mountain trainers or boots depending on the trip and the socks I use are either Bridgedale or Icebreaker.

Footwear: worn

The Routeburn is a rough & rocky track in places through high Alpine terrain and good footwear is essential to a successful trip. I will be wearing my old faithful Lowa boots on this tramp as I have on so many others. 

Lowa Ranger III boots for the Routeburn

I use Lowa Ranger III boots in a size 14US or 13UK....my current pair have been in use since 2018 and still have many years of use in them. Lowa are a German bootmaker who have been in business since the 1920's and they make some of the best outdoor boot products on the market. As you would imagine with a German manufacturer they are well made and super comfortable to wear...I have never had blisters with these.

My Lowa boots on the Heaphy Track in Decmeber

Good boots need good socks to work at their peak so my go to sock brand is Bridgedale...I wear their merino blend Trekker socks and have been very happy with my choice. I have a brand new and freshly laundered pair for this trip and I carry a spare pair of the same for hut wear and in case something happens to one of my day to day socks. 

Bridgedale Trekker socks are my go to brand

I have gaiters but do not wear them on Great Walks as the tracks are usually wide enough and well formed enough to make them surplus to requirements. That said I could have used them on the Heaphy track last December...it was muddy!!!

Clothing: Warm/Spare

I have a set of warmer clothes that I take with me when I go out tramping..the weather here in New Zealand is very changeable so you have to be prepared for all weather from baking sun to blizzard. As I have already stated I am usually to be seen in a short sleeve shirt and shorts so this warm gear stays in a dry bag in my pack most of the time. 

Wearing one of my merino tops on a trip to the Hawdon Valley

I carry the following warm gear on every Great Walk tramp:

H & F fleece pullover, merino long sleeved top, merino leggings, nylon track pants for the hut,  merino Bennie (2 incase I lose one), gloves, spare socks

Great Walk specific clothing includes:

Spare short sleeve shirt, nylon track pants (both for use in the hut)

In actual fact I have only needed these warm clothes 6-7 times over the last decade but I would never leave them behind. I wear my warm fleece on every trip once it starts getting cold at sundown...

Clothing: wet weather gear:

You spend most of your time on the Routeburn up above the bush line so the chances of encountering some serious rain are quite high. Ideally I would have a heavy duty E-vent or Gortex parka but what I will be carrying is my usual wet weather gear.

My wet weather gear: jacket, pants and over-mitts

Both my jacket and over trousers are from Stoney Creek...the Stow It jacket and a pair of Dreambull wet weather pants. Both items have a 24 000 water head and are fully seam sealed with a generous adjustable hood on the jacket. I have recently renewed the water proofing on my jacket so it should be good to go for this trip. 

Stoney Creek Stowit jacket

I have worn these in heavy sustained rain and they have kept me warm and safe if not always comfortable or 100% dry. If it rains enough every jacket is going to soak through eventually. I wear these with a wicking undergarment and a baller cap to keep the hood off my eyes. 

In my wet weather gear on the Paparoa Track in 2021

My wet weather gear is:

Stoney Creek Stowit Jacket, Stoney Creek Dreambull trousers, Outdoor Research Mitts, Baller cap

I also have a pair of Outdoor Research Gortex over-mitts for my hands so I can basically be cocooned from my head to my feet in water proof gear. 

OR Gortex over mitts for use in the rain...

I really need a heavier duty jacket just for tramping in Fiordland but it is not something I am going to acquire before this tramp. 

Sleep system:

I am a hot sleeper so I will not need to take one of my heavy duty sleeping bags with me on this trip. All of the huts on the Routeburn are less than 40 years old so they will have good insulation and are likely to be full of hot heat pumping humans.

 What I will be using is my Macpac NZAT down quilt...

My Macpac NZAT quilt at Ces Clarke Hut in 2020

I have been using the quilt for nearly four years now and it is a really awesome bit of kit...it is lite yet warm and comfortable to sleep under. Quilts are the go...they are much less constricting around the body and lighter as there is no down under you. This one is good down to zero degrees and I usually find I am still too hot even when it is that cold...

My favored position in Lakehead Hut, Nelson Lakes NP

My sleeping system for this track will include:

 Macpac NZAT zero degree quilt, Sea to Summit Aeros pillow, silk sleeping bag liner

The other parts of my sleeping kit are a Sea to Summit inflatable pillow and a silk sleeping bag liner that I tend to use as a bottom sheet so I am not sleeping directly on the nasty DOC hut mats.

I carry a Sea to Summit Aeros pillow

I have be using this set up for the last four years and I think it works well. 

Cooking kit:

I will be taking a lighter version of my standard cooking kit with me on the tramp including my Toaks cooking pot and Firemaple stove. All the main huts on the Routeburn have gas cookers but I like to carry a cooking kit for emergencies and for on trail tea/soup breaks. 

My standard cook kit...Great Walk edition

Additionally I will have two 1 liter plastic bottles for water...I have been using recycled Just Juice bottles for the last decade and they work really well. 

Recycled juice bottles are great for water carry...

My cook kit will have the following items in it:

Toaks 1.3 liter titanium pot, Firemaple TI stove, plastic Sea to Summit Delta mug, TI fork and spoon, Victorinox folding knife, 110gm gas cannister, lighter, liquid camp soap, carry bags

If I have enough water I will brew up for lunch at Harris Saddle Shelter, Lake Howden Shelter and at the end of the track. I only need a small 110 gm gas cannister for these occasions. 

Ancillary gear:

Here is some ancillary gear I will carrying with me when I am on the Routeburn Track. This gear does not easily fit into the sub groups mentioned above and needs explanation.

Food...

As you will know I have made a separate post just about the food I will be using on this trip. I will be taking meals for four days with breakfast, lunch and dinner catered for. I am more than happy to just eat freeze dried meals the whole time...hey it is only four days and I can eat healthier options before and after the tramp.

My Routeburn Track menu...

My food is the heaviest and bulkiest item I am carrying in my pack. It weighs in at 2.4 kg's but I will eat almost 1 kg of that total before I start the real climbing up out of Routeburn Falls Hut. Food is energy to tramp so this is an area you cannot skimp on...

Trekking poles...

I have been using trekking poles for the last decade...they assist with stability, make crossing smaller streams easier and relieve pressure on your hips, knees and ankles. As I get older I find them more and more useful and would not think of going for any extended tramp without them. My go to brand is Leki and I am currently on my second pair. 

Ye gawds...lift those pole tips Jon!!!

The poles I am currently using are Leki Traillite poles...these are the traditional Leki poles with the screw action for changing the length of the poles. I have been using these since 2020 after my previous poles broke on the Travers -Sabine Circuit. 

My pack and poles at Gouland Downs Hut

Up until last year I was just carrying the one pole but have starting carrying two as using the one pole was giving me joint pain. Trekking poles are fantastic when you are climbing and descending slopes and are useful even on the flattest track. 

Using the Leki poles on the Heaphy Track

If you have never used trekking poles before you should think about it. There are a ton of suppliers and lots of information online about the techniques and pros/cons of using them.

So that is the gear I will be using on the Routeburn Track in two weeks..