It is the eve of my departure to Southland and it has been a busy week preparing kit for the 5 or so months of adventure that lies ahead. Not being a tramper it has been quite an expensive exercise, to the tune of $3000 so far, but happily I can take stock that I will have gear for future walking adventures ah… the Camino anyone?

When I tell folks that I am going to walk the length of the country one of the first questions I often get asked is am I doing it with a group? Nope. I had not actually considered getting a group together but felt it would always be a personal journey of discovery, both of the country and myself. And with that means having to be self sufficient as I am plodding along with sometimes a week or more between towns or restocking locations. Restocking for food essentially. However no one wants to be lugging a massive heavy pack about, especially me. I needed to learn what was not necessary to take, what was indispensable and of that equipment what was also lightweight. So I scrolled through websites and blogs, watched videos and sought welcome advice from past TA walkers with a list of kit. Eventually items borrowed, bought and bartered for accumulated into the basis of my pack and contents which you can see above. At the moment it is just over 11 kg plus to this I will add food and water. Not too bad I think but then I haven’t been tramping with the full pack yet so I will keep you updated on what I jettison along the way in order to reduce weight.

So what does my pack consist of you ask? Well here is a list and the very approximate weight (c/o Mum’s kitchen scales) :

• Sleeping bag        840
• Sleeping mat       600
• Pack cover              90
• Tent                      2170
• Phone & Tech       175
• Head lamp              80
• Water bottle         350
• Sunscreen               75
• First Aid                230
• Toiletries              300
• Knife                      175
• Matches                 25
• Dry Bags                 50
• Gaiters                   200
• Maps                      400
• Back Pack           1040
• Hiking Poles        500
• Rain Jacket           600
• Gloves                      25
• Shirts x 3               445
• Cooking equip     380
• Socks x 3               200
• Underwear            130
• Towel                       80
• Shorts                      60
• Fleece Top             595
• Trousers                450
• Longjohns            200
• Beenie                     30
• Trowel                   100
• Sunnies                  20
• Solar Lamp          150
• PLB                        120
• Pillow                     50
• Auckland Museum Cap                 priceless