|
Quite early in our planning we began thinking about what equipment we would need and what we already have, because it is one thing spending summer holidays and the odd day here and there in the mountains and something quite different planning to move from rain forest to arctic and back in a week. To put it another way, we have to ensure we have the right mix of clothing for the 7-day trek to stop us roasting in the 30 degree heat at the bottom or freezing in the minus 40 degree wind chill at the top. And all that in less than 15kg total kit allowance for the bag carried by the porters. In terms of cold weather gear we had not done anything serious since the kids came on the scene, so everything in the cupboards was at least 20 years old. In terms of the rainforest we would be starting pretty much from a blank sheet of paper but at the very least we would need something to keep the water out of our old and no longer waterproof kit. We therefore scurried away to retrieve everything we own that relates in some shape or form to enabling a safer passage to the top of a mountain during any of the four seasons of the year but what we found shocked us: in common with its owners, it's got old! On closer examination it didn’t take long to realise that while we could both rely on our trusted footwear and trekking poles the rest of our old gear was, not to put too fine a point on it, past its use-by date. We therefore set about drawing up a list of necessary and desirable items and taking advantage of the January sales to procure as much as possible before they ended. After all the planning, thinking, buying and weighing to ensure we come within the 15kg limit we ended up with this lot for Gary and the same again for Barbara!
It looks a lot and it only just fits in the porter's duffle bag (hiding underneath the day pack top right) but by the time boots, clothes to wear on any day, items for the day pack like first aid kit and spare clothing, not to mention cameras, are removed the porter's bag weighs in at just over 12kg. For those having difficulty identifying every last piece of kit, the following list may help.
|
|
)
