Tag clothing

Walking SW Ireland #2 – Gear

Robert Bradt


Between mid-May to late June 2024, I will be walking along the SW coast of Ireland, taking in the Kerry Way, the Dingle Way, the North Kerry Way, and parts of the Burren Way in Clare and the Western Way in Galway. This is the story of part of that journey.

A big thank you to everyone who has bought me a coffee over the past year. The Buy Me a Coffee service allows patrons like you to fund writers like me, to cover things like the costs of running this blog, new shoes and gear, and journeys like this. If that sounds like a worthy idea to you, then go ahead – keep buying me coffees.

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So having decided to walk about in Ireland, I went through the gear I took last year in walking about Nova Scotia, and told myself that I needed to pare down the weight.  I schlepped the best part of 40 lbs with food, water, stove fuel, plus all the other stuff – tent, sleep system, cooking gear, spare clothes, etc.

It was right at the limit of what I could carry, and knowing that, I made some choices to either leave stuff out for this trip, or replace it with some lighter kit.

So here’s the list of what I am planning to carry.  I’m down from about 14 kg (32 lbs) base weight to more like 9 kg (20 lbs), and with Ireland being well supplied with corner shops for food and wee streams for water, I can carry less weight there too.  I am hoping that most days I’ll be at about 11 kg (25 lbs), with about 12.5 kg (29 lb) max if I have 2-3 days of food and full water.

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Gear

I bought all the gear myself – I didn’t receive anything from any supplier as a promo or in exchange for a review.  I bought most of my stuff from the following:

Pack

  • Osprey Exos Pro 58L pack, with rain cover
  • All my gear fits either inside the pack or in the outside stuff pockets 

Trekking poles

  • Black Diamond Trail collapsible poles – they are almost always in my hands, but I can tuck them into one of the outside pack pockets if needed

Shelter system

  • Durston X-Mid 1P tent, with the optional groundsheet
    • Durston tent stuff sack
    • 6 MSR Mini Groundhog stakes plus 2 Durston shepherd hook stakes
    • 8 spare mini titanium stakes plus a set of 4 MSR spare guylines – I’m anticipating windy conditions 
  • A piece of plastic salvaged from a shipping bag as a small  vestibule groundsheet to keep my pack off the wet grass
(The tent on the left is the Durston)

I agonized over this choice, by the way.  It will rain, often, this being Ireland, and I thought the bigger 2-person MEC tent that I have would be nice if I’m hunkered down for hours out of the wet.  

But it weighs about 800g more than the Durston, so in the end I decided to go with the lighter tent.  Besides, I like the coziness of the Durston having used it last year, and it has the advantage of allowing a quick fly-first pitch so that the inner stays dry if you are setting up in the rain.

Sleep system

  • Therm-a-Rest Vesper 0C rated down quilt
  • Therm-a-Rest Prolite Short self-inflating sleeping pad
  • Appalachian Gear Company Alpaca sleeping bag liner
  • MEC inflatable pillow with a merino wool buff as a pillow case
  • a pair of light sweatpants used as pajamas
  • a long sleeve T shirt used as pajamas
  • a 10L dry bag to hold all the sleep gear

Clothes

  • What I will wear every day
    • a pair of walking shorts, merino wool socks, athletic underwear, and athletic wick away T-shirt, and an athletic wick away long sleeve shirt
    • A MEC baseball style sun hat
    • a pair of Merrell Rogue high top hiking shoes
  • In the pack is a 10L dry bag with spare clothes
    • 1 pair of walking pants (convertible to shorts)
    • 1 wick away synthetic material athletic T-shirt
    • 1 pair of merino wool hiking socks
    • 1 pair of wick away synthetic material athletic underwear
  • Also in the pack are my outer layers
    • 1 lightweight fleecy
    • 1 lightweight Patagonia Houdini water resistant windbreaker 
    • 1 Sea to Summit rain poncho (converts to a tarp if needed)
    • 1 MEC light down puffy jacket
    • 1 pair of runners lightweight gloves
  • A pair of camp flip flops
  • A dirty clothes bag – just a reusable cloth grocery store bag that I could wash

Cook System

  • A MSR Pocket Rocket stove w 110g fuel canister and MSR stove supports
  • A Vargo titanium mug
  • An MSR titanium 700 ml pot
  • A Vargo long-handled titanium spoon
  • A plastic spork
  • A fire steel sparker 
  • A back-up small disposable lighter in a Ziplock bag
  • A small scrubber, a washcloth, and some Wilderness Wash soap, in a Ziplock bag
  • A leather pot grabber made from scraps I got from our local cobbler
  • Salt and pepper in little packets inside a small watertight container

Health and Safety

  • A toiletries kit in a 3L dry bag with a quick dry camp towel, a small washcloth, deodorant, nail clippers, toothbrush, regular toothpaste, and a salt/baking soda tooth cleaning mix for when I am in a wilderness spot
  • A first aid kit with tick tweezers, blister & regular bandages, KT tape, petroleum jelly, alcohol swabs, scissors, allergy tablets, and ibuprofen tablets
  • A headlamp
  • A bug net to wear over my hat
  • A whistle (built-in to the pack’s sternum strap)
  • A VersaFlow water filtration kit + a CNOC 2L Vecto collapsible water bag
  • A supply of water purification tablets (if in doubt about the water source, I like to filter plus use the tabs, to be safe)
  • A Vargo titanium shovel for digging cat holes, aka the poop shovel
  • A small supply of toilet paper in a zip lock bag
  • A package of compostable disposable wipes
  • A packet of Sea to Summit travel wash soap leaves
  • A bottle of Sea to Summit Wilderness Wash concentrated all-purpose soap
  • A mini tube of sunblock
  • A small container of hand sanitizer 

Electronics

  • Electronics in a small dry bag
    • iPad mini
    • A couple of multi-connector cables
    • A Nitecore 10,000 milliamp power pack
    • A dual port charging brick
    • A Canada to Ireland plug adapter 
    • Apple earbuds
    • A headlamp

Tools and Repair Kit

  • A fix-it kit with some safety pins, a couple of small ring clamps, a short roll of duct tape, a mini sewing kit, and some inflatable-gear patches
  • A spare bootlace that doubles as a clothes line
  • A food hang kit – 10m of paracord with a carabiner attached to a loop on one end, plus a small drawstring sack used as a rock bag
  • A few small carabiners
  • 4 plastic clothes pegs
  • 2 mini bungee cords
  • My sunglasses in a zip lock bag
  • My Swiss Army knife
  • A few disposable eyeglass wipes 
  • A reflective arm band
  • A Crunch-It fuel canister recycling tool

Consumables

  • A 20L KINStudio Kevlar critterproof food bag that holds my cooking gear plus
    • Trail snacks – some combo of granola bars, raw pumpkin and/or sunflower seeds, dried fruit, turkey jerky, banana chips, sesame bars, etc.
    • 1 day’s worth of food (usually, but I will have a couple of short stretches where I will need 2-3 days worth)  – tortillas or pita breads, cheese, noodles, ramen, canned fish, oatmeal, etc.
    • A ziplock bag with instant coffee packets and tea bags
  • A fuel canister for the stove
  • 1L of water, at start of day
  • If I am far from a water source for the night, I will use my 2L CNOC bottle for extra

What I’m Not Taking

The stuff I’ve omitted to save weight is perhaps as interesting as what I am taking.  

  • Swapping a Gregory Baltoro 65L pack for the Osprey Exos Pro saves about 1.5 kg
  • Carrying 1 change of clothes instead of 2 saves about 1 kg
  • Carrying less water and food saves about 1 to 1.5 kg
  • Swapping my old MEC rain jacket and rain pants for a poncho and a light windbreaker saved about 500g, more than enough to offset the extra weight of the down puffy jacket
  • Leaving behind the Helinox Chair Zero camp chair saved almost 500g
  • Paring down my first aid kit, toiletries, fix-it kit, and misc gear saved more than 500g
  • Swapping my Vargo alcohol stove for the iso-butane stove saved about 250g on the fuel and associated fuel bottle
  • Buying some other lighter gear like a new fleece jumper, new dry bags, new power bank and charger, etc saved another 250g or so

It’s amazing how little things add up.  Just reducing the number of stuff sacks and zip lock bags was more than 100g in weight savings.  If you really want to save pack weight, put each individual item on a kitchen scale and measure it to the gram, and soon you too will be cutting the ends off your toothbrush.

Tips – Clothing

Robert Bradt

Over the past couple of years of walking I’ve learned a few things about preparing for and enjoying a good long walk, so I thought I would share some of that knowledge. Hope it helps.

What? When I first started going out for long walks/short hikes, I would just wear the regular clothes I already owned – cotton T-shirts, jeans, running shoes, etc. I quickly learned that those weren’t the best choices, especially if the weather tended to extremes of hot or cold, so over the years I’ve acquired a walking wardrobe that helps me prepare for most conditions.

When? These tips apply to any season, bearing in mind that the clothing choices you make can vary a lot by temp and weather conditions.

Tips: Where, when, how, and why

  • As Shrek said to Donkey, ogres are like onions because they have layers. Your clothing choices should be like that too. Being able to add or subtract a layer on the fly while you are walking can make a big difference in comfort.
  • Layers with zippers are handy – for example, a zippered fleece sweater under a rain jacket can be enough warmth for a 5-10 C day, and if you get too warm you can just open it up without having to take it off
  • Breathability is key. Look for things like zippers under the arms on rain jackets, or armpit air holes, or breathable water-resistant materials like GoreTex. There’s nothing worse than working up a sweat and feeling that moisture trapped against your body because your clothes won’t let it evaporate.
  • Avoid cotton, it traps moisture as you perspire and that can lead to chafing and blisters. Damp or wet cotton also wicks heat away from your body, which is bad news when it’s cold – you don’t want to work up a sweat while wearing a cotton T-shirt and find you’re chilled when you sit for a rest break.
  • Look for natural fibres like wool and silk. These breathe well, they wick moisture away from your body, and keep you warm even when wet. I like Merino wool because it’s light and soft. Try to use these as your base layers next to your skin.
  • Synthetic fibres like fleece work well too, like the moisture-wicking materials used in exercise gear that also often have some elasticity to allow you to move and stretch easily. Just remember that these materials shed plastic micro-fibres every time you wash them which eventually work their way into water systems creating long-term environmental problems. So yes, they work, but natural materials are best.
  • Try then buy. I like to buy one example of something – socks or underwear or whatever – and wear it a few times on different walks in different conditions. If that works well, then I buy more of the same thing.
  • Remember your pack. It’s important to try on clothes, especially outer layers, with your backpack. You don’t want to find out there are pinch points or chafing areas after you’ve bought the clothing item. Take the pack with you to the clothing store if you can and try on both together. This also lets you fiddle with zippers on jackets and fleecies to see how well that will work while wearing a pack with a waist belt and sternum strap.
  • Especially in summer, it’s amazing how many sets of clothes you can get through over a few days. I usually come in dripping so everything goes straight into the wash, and unless we’re doing laundry constantly I find I need at least 3-4 pairs of underwear, socks, etc. in order to go out everyday.
  • You get what you pay for, in clothes as in anything else. Good stuff will cost more but it will last longer, so over time it’s usually better value.
  • Maybe it’s just me, but I’d rather be comfortable than stylish. I look like a middle-aged guy in hiking gear when I’m out, because I am a middle-aged guy in hiking gear. So what.
  • Start with your feet. Your shoes or boots will make or break your comfort on a walk, and blisters can stop you in your tracks, so to me it’s more important to spend money on footwear and skimp on the other clothing layers if needed. You can always take off a layer of clothing if you get hot or add a layer if needed, but you can’t take off your footwear and keep hiking. I look for wearability and comfort first of all, and style is way down my list of priorities.
  • For a moderate 10 km hike, my clothing choices will be something like this
    • Spring
      • Base layer – workout underwear, top and bottom – moisture wicking synthetics
      • Upper body Insulating layer(s) (the colder the temps, the more layers) – long sleeve work out T-shirt, and/or light merino wool jumper, and/or light zippered fleece jacket
      • Lower body – synthetic breathable hiking pants with lots of cargo pockets. If the temps are above 15 C, then walking shorts, also in synthetic material with cargo pockets
      • Outer layer – water resistant rain jacket, non-insulated if it’s above about 5 C, or a light down jacket if it’s below that. Also light running gloves, if it’s forecast to be below about 5 C.
      • Socks – compression fit, light merino wool
      • Footwear – hiking boots or running shoes depending on weather and terrain
      • Head gear – water resistant baseball style hat, with a backup light toque if it’s under 5 C
      • Optional – if there’s rain in the forecast, I’ll wear or at least carry in the pack a pair of light rain pants
    • Summer
      • Base layer – same as spring. I’ll carry a spare T-shirt if it’s over about 30 C so I have something dry to change into if needed. If it’s especially sunny, I’ll use a SPF 40-50 rated exercise T-shirt
      • Upper body insulating layer – none, unless it’s forecast to drop below about 15 C
      • Lower body – synthetic breathable hiking shorts
      • Outer layer – light rain jacket in the backpack unless there’s about a 0% chance of rain in the forecast
      • Socks – compression fit, synthetic materials. I might carry a spare pair if I’m going to be out for 3-4 hours or more so I have change to dry ready
      • Footwear – running shoes
      • Head gear – baseball-style running hat or a broad-brimmed sun hat, depending on forecast.
    • Autumn
      • Overall, same as spring. Layers adjusted depending on forecast temps, keeping in mind that it gets darker earlier so the temperature drops can hit you earlier than in spring
    • Winter
      • Base layer – usually the same as other seasons, but if it’s below about -10 C and particularly if there’s a significant wind-chill, then add merino wool long johns.
      • Upper body and lower body layers similar to autumn, adding a layer of winter rain pants if it’s wet or below about -15 C
      • Outer layer – down-insulated winter parka + light running gloves with down-filled over mittens if it’s below – 5C
      • Footwear – hiking boots, with gaiters if it’s really snowy/slushy
        • Bonus tip – non-slip crampons for street walking work well over your boots, to give you grip on ice
      • Head gear – toque usually, or else a rain-resistant baseball style cap that fits under the hood of the parka

Disclaimer: All opinions contained in this post are my own. I’m not a nutritionist, physiotherapist, or doctor. Take my advice as given – caveat emptor.

Gear – Tilley T3 Hat

Robert Bradt

Blog posts are a labour of love for me, and yet there is a cost to running this site and organizing my walks. If you’d like to help with that, I’d really appreciate something for my tip jar. The Buy Me a Coffee service allows patrons like you to fund writers like me.  If that sounds like a worthy idea to you, then go ahead – keep buying me coffees. Thank You Very Much to everyone who has contributed already!

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Over the past couple of years of walking I’ve gone through a fair amount of gear, so I thought I would share some feedback for stuff that’s tried and trusted. Hope it helps.

What is it?: Tilley T3 Cotton Duck hat. It’s Canada Day, so let’s talk about Canadian icons!

How much?: I bought it in Sydney Australia in 2007 and now I can’t remember what I paid. Today you can buy it from Tilley for $85 CAD + tax.

Where, when, how do I use it?: This is my go-to summer hat. As I said, I bought it in Australia. I was posted there on a work assignment in January 2007, at the height of summer, and quickly learned how fierce the Aussie sun can be. We lived in a flat near Circular Quay, and close to that is an area known as the Rocks. This cluster of renovated old stone buildings is today a buzzing little shopping district, amongst which was a hat shop. I popped in on Australia Day (Jan 26) when we were out in the crowds enjoying the celebrations and I was getting scorched.

At the time, I was just looking for a basic hat, but when I saw the Tilley I immediately knew I had to buy this iconic Canadian classic and uphold my maple-leafness downunder. I wore it most days as we explored the countryside, and it’s been a summer staple since.

It’s getting a little battered and sweat-stained, but 13 years later it’s still going strong. I wash it occasionally, taking care to stretch out the band while it’s still damp so that it doesn’t shrink. Otherwise, since I started my walks in 2016, it just gets folded up and carted around and stuffed in knapsacks and worn in the sun. It has one job, and it does it really well.

I can’t think if any real issues with it. The light colour is reflective, it breathes pretty well through the vent holes, the absorbent brim keeps sweat out of my eyes, there are proper chin ties in case it gets really windy, and it floats if it falls in the water. You can even stuff an emergency $20 into the secret pocket in the top.

Inside, there’s information on how to get a replacement if it ever breaks down. Alex Tilley, who designed, says it’s the finest hat in the world. I’m not going to argue.

Would I buy it again?: If I ever lost it, then yes absolutely, though I won’t have to because it’s insured against loss (you get that when you buy it). But barring that, I can’t see how I’ll ever wear it out. You buy a Tilley hat once. I like that.

Disclaimer: This is not a “review”. I don’t go around sampling things, instead this is a summary of my own experience with a product I have used a lot. All opinions contained in this post are my own. I offer no warranties or assurances for your experiences with the same product. I bought the gear with my own money and have not received any form of compensation from the manufacturer. Take my feedback as given – caveat emptor.