The Gear

So now we are back in Christchurch and reality. We had an awesome trip but are not really that sad its all over as that means we can plan our next adventure! We have a non recreational goal and another walk to plan over the next few years so we will be kept very busy.

Some people have asked us about our gear so we thought we would describe here what we took with us. It made so much difference for our enjoyment to take light weight gear and be really ruthless about what we really actually needed.

- Ultralite Adventure Equipment circuit 60 litre http://www.ula-equipment.com/ (Johno)
- Golite Pinnacle 60 litre http://www.golite.com/ (Corrine)
- Western Mountaineering Ultralite Sleeping bags http://www.westernmountaineering.com/
- Black Diamond Beta Mid Tarp and Inner http://www.backcountry.com/

These were all purchased online from the USA although you can buy Golite packs in New Zealand now as well. We originally had just the tarp which we use for tramping in summer in NZ but decided due to the unpredictable weather in Spring when there can be a lot of rain perhaps a floor would be a good idea so we bought the inner of the tarp to go with it. We are very glad we did this!! We also thought it would keep a lot of sandflies from deciding to share the tent with us (although somehow some still made their way in)!

Our sleeping bags proved a little hot in summer but we didn't want to purchase another 'summer' one and already had these but they are great as they open up into a duvet so work well and are great for the NZ winter.

Misc
- Leki ultralite walking poles (double up as tent poles in the middle of the tent, great for the love life for 5 months!!)
- Foam sleeping pads (you walk long enough, you sleep on anything)
- Locater Beacon - definitely recommended for this trail, there was a 9 day stretch through the Richmond Ranges where we saw 1 other person.
- Garmin etreck Legend GPS - definitely recommended for this trail, although won't be needed so much once the trail is all marked but still a good idea as that bad weather creeps in fast and if you can't see on the mountain tops this is needed.
- Ipod Shuffle - for when we get bored of listening and talking to each other!

Kitchen
- Pepsi can stove - just google how to make one, we have used the same one for 3 years now.
-MSR pot (already had this and refused to pay $300 for a titanium one for a few grammes in weight
- Coca Cola bottle for fuel (meths)
- Sea to Summit Titanium Sporks (we bought these after our other plastic ones broke)

Clothes - we both took the same, apart from Corrine took an extra polypro top as feels the cold more than Johno
- 1 x pair polypro longjohns
- 1 x polypro long sleeve top
- 1 x Icebreaker long sleeve top (posted back home in January when it got warmer)
- 1 x short sleeve cool mesh running top (great to rinse out at night and be dry the next morning)
- 1 x running shorts
- 1 x polartec fleece
- 2 x socks (although we both wore the same ones every day and kept the other pair for wearing at night in the tent as our feet were wet every day)
- 1 x beanie (hat)
- 1 x boxers (Johno), 2 x undies (Cos)

Rain Gear
- Mountain Hardwear gortex paclite Jacket
- Mountain Hardwear conduit rain pants

Misc
- Short Gaiters (Johno OR brand, Corrine Sea to Summit)
- Montrail Hard Rock Trail running shoes (2 pairs each) although the second pair is with us in Christchurch and has heaps more wearing still to go.
- Petzl Tikka Headtorch (Corrine)
- Solar Light Cap (Johno) http://www.solarlightcap.com/

We wore our rain pants heaps more than we thought we would, not only in rain but as a great protection from the wind. We also ended up wearing them around town when we got in to resupply for food as they looked like normal pants; Corrine even managed to roll them up to look like 3/4 length pants. We didnt take any spare 'going out' clothes and wore our rain gear whilst waiting for our clothes to wash and dry.

With regards to trail running shoes versus boots; we are used to wearing these and do quite a bit of off road running so are used to uneven terrain, our packs are also fairly light so we had no ankle issues. We have tramped in trail runners for the last few summers and decided these were best for us as they pump out the water from the rivers and dry quickly and your feet are a lot lighter in them. We are not saying these are good for everyone. If anyone is interested in light weight tramping then have a look at http://www.rayjardine.com/

The solar light cap was given to us to trial and was great. We only carried the headtorch as a backup really and apart from using it in the tent to read we hardly used it at all. The solar light cap had power every day even when the weather was dull. Go buy one!

Our base weight of the above was about 5-6kg then food and water added on top obviously. If anyone would like to contact us for any information, they can on corrine.early@gmail.com

If you enjoyed the trail please support the Te Araroa Trust by giving a donation.

Happy Tramping everyone