I have been asked by several people to write a retrospective about the equipment that I took to NZ and
lessons learned during the walk. So, with no further ado:
Key Lesson – Even small differences in bag weight can make a huge difference. I didn’t fully appreciate
this before embarking on the trail, as it superficially makes little sense. 1kg difference in bag weight is a
trivial difference when set against my overall body weight, approximately 1/75th, so the overall load
being carried barely changes. However, from experience, even 250g is noticeable and 1kg can easily
make the difference between a fun day and a real struggle.
Also, the TA route often requires that you walk a certain number of Kms in a day. This is typically
because there is no camping allowed for the stretch, but it does limit the feasibility of carrying more
weight with the intention of just walking shorter days.
Rucksack – Osprey Aether 70 – I developed a decidedly love/hate relationship with this bag. On the one
hand it has survived 5 months of being fallen on, pushing through spiky bushes and carrying heavy
weights with no more than some damage to the rear mesh pocket, so with respect to durability it has been
excellent. On the other hand, the durability and many compartments which make organisation so easy
cause this bag to be far heavier than competitors designed specifically with thru-hikers in mind. Also,
70L is far more space than I needed. Even on the longest stretches between resupply it was never full and
60L would have been adequate.
Rucksack – Rain Cover – I started the trail without a rain cover, instead relying on dry-bags to stop
things getting wet. I discovered the flaw of this approach on day 3 when persistent rain created a puddle
at the bottom of my rucksack, where I was storing my sleeping bag. Over the course of the day water
soaked through the dry bag and left me with a wet sleeping bag. Moral of the story, a lightweight rain
cover is a worthwhile investment.
Tent – MSR Hubba Hubba NX – I used this tent for the first 900km, before changing to the 1 person
MSR Hubba NX tent. For the amount of time that I was using the tent vs carrying it, having a 2 person
tent wasn’t worth the weight penalty.
Mattress – Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite – I really liked this mattress. Comfortable, good thermal
insulation and doesn’t take too much blowing up. However, I still sent it home. Having to roll up the
mattress to get the air out, before unrolling, folding into 3rds and then rolling for a final time, is more
hastle than I wanted given the space limitations of a 1 person tent. I changed to the Thermarest Z Lite
foam mat in Wellington and found it to be adequately comfortable and required only seconds to fold or
unfold.
Down Quilt – Enlightened Equipment “Revelation” – I was really happy with my quilt. Small,
lightweight and just warm enough. To save weight I opted for a quilt that is only comfort rated to -1c,
which was warm enough for most of the trip. However, on the South island there were times when I slept
in thermals, trousers, coat and hat. Once layered up I was never cold at night though.
Platypus Soft Bottles – Super light weight, but suspect durability. Of my original 4 bottles, only 2 are
now leak free. In future I may reserve these bottles for occasional use when I need to carry more water
than usual.
Water Filter – Sawyer Mini – Cheap, lightweight and wonderful for teaching patience. I found myself
not filtering water much as the trip progressed because I was sick of how long filtering took. It’s fine for 1
person, but perhaps consider the Sawyer squeeze for a quicker flow rate if you’re not of a patient
disposition.
Sea to Summit X-Pot 1.4L – The plastic lid developed a crack within the first 400km. I can’t be sure if
this was due to a manufacturing defect or me falling over, but either way it was consigned to the dustbin
in Auckland. Owing to limited selection and high gear prices I replaced it with a relatively cheap
stainless steel pan, which performed really well, although is considerably heavier than the higher priced
aluminium or titanium pans.
Marmot Trient LS Trekking Shirt x2 – Simply too warm for the unusually hot spring/summer
conditions. I switched to wearing long sleeve Icebreaker merino wool tops in Auckland, which were both
excellent. Apart from sun bleaching they are both still in remarkably good shape considering the rough
wear they have been treated to. I did miss having a collar for the extra sun protection though.
Rab – Vertex Pants | Longitude Pants – I retained 1 pair for use in town, but hiked nearly every day in a
cheap pair of Outdoor Research shorts that I bought on a whim in Auckland before heading to Cape
Reinga. The heat, mud and high number of river crossings make shorts a much better choice for this
walk. Legs are easier to wash and dry quicker than trousers.
Socks – I replaced my original socks with merino ones from Icebreaker. That’s no criticism of my Point6
socks, just a reflection that walking every day is tough on socks. I would highly recommend Icebreaker
and their lifetime guarantee though. Simply bring your hole filled socks (preferably washed) to any store
selling Icebreaker and they will replace them with no questions asked. Amazing!
Gloves – Lowe Alpine Lightflite – Never used. On cold days I was glad of my merino fingerless gloves,
but never felt the need for anything else.
Boots – Altberg Jungle Microlite – I like these boots, but so much of the TA route doesn’t require the
ruggedness of boots, especially in the North island. Having switched to trail runners on my return to
Auckland, I am a convert. There were times when I missed the thicker sole of my boots, particularly when
walking on gravel roads, which could become really hard on the feet, however, on balance, I would wear
trail runners for any future thru-hikes. The Soloman Speedcross shoes that I wore for the entire South
island in particular provided an excellent level of grip and comfort. Consider carrying a spare pair of
insoles though as I found mine shredded after 500km, which was less than comfortable.
Down Jacket – Rab Continuum Hoodie – A great jacket, but most of its use was as a pillow. It was only
during the last month of the trail that I wore it most mornings and evenings.
Camera – Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II – A contentious choice, but an item I was ultimately glad to
have with me. Finding new escapades for Lego Ben kept me amused and taking photos every day allowed
me time to develop my skills and play with new techniques. However, it was annoying when scrambling
over fallen trees and is another thing to worry about getting wet.
Solar Charger – MSC 12W Panel – Survived being left for too long on a sun baked hut doorstep with
only minor warping. In retrospect, given the abundance of power sockets in every campsite and hostel I
would take a larger powerbank instead of the panel for ease and reduced bulk. However, a really good
item and I would consider taking it on more wilderness type trails in future.
Compass – I never had cause to use this, instead relying on my GPS app. The waymarking on the trail
was almost always superb, so navigation was almost never an issue. However, I was fortunate to rarely
walk in conditions which made navigation difficult.
Personal Locator Beacon – Fortunately, I never had cause to use this. However, the terrain is frequently
rugged, you usually won’t have phone signal and you may be days from civilisation, so I was glad to have
it. There were however, many people on trail who didn’t carry one, instead trusting to providence and that
there are usually other hikers nearby. My concern about this rational is that if everyone thinks this way,
nobody will be carrying a PLB, so in the event of a serious injury, even if there are other hikers nearby,
they are unlikely to be able to do much to help. Personally, I think it’s worth the weight and expense, but
everyone has to make a judgement about the risks for themselves.
Anyway, I hope this has been of help or interest to people. If there are any questions give me a shout in
the comments and I’ll try to clarify.
Addendum
To provide additional context for my sleeping bag and clothing choices, I tend to be a warm sleeper and
overheat quite easily when walking.
