West Highland Way 2021.

Kit for my West Highland Way walk during August 2021. Just got to get it all in a 44L pack! With food and water comes in at 10.5kg which I’m pretty happy with.

Update: A few ‘on reflection’ comments regarding some of my kit choices:

Montane Trailblazer 44L pack. I bought this to keep my kit to the minimum and took this instead of my normal Osprey Exos 48L pack. In hindsight I wish I’d taken my Osprey, don’t get me wrong the Montane is a decent pack, but it just didn’t sit comfortably on my shoulders at all. I was constantly readjusting the waist strap, shoulder straps and chest straps. I also found that the should straps dug in under my arms too. I looked up the ideal weight for this pack and it’s broadly 10kg – personally I’d use this pack for much less, maybe 6 or 7kg max.

Lanshan 2 person tent. I’d tested this a few times prior to Scotland so I was well used to putting it up quickly and packing it away. I love this tent – it’s a 2 person tent but if like, you prefer to have your kit in the tent with you rather than outside, then it’s perfect. The condensation wasn’t great but this was as much to do with keep it zipped up to keep the midges out than anything else!

Alpkit SkyeHigh 500. Packs down brilliantly, super warm but a little restrictive at the bottom. I just prefer my feet to be out the bottom and free to air! I’ll be switching to a quilt from here on. No complaint about the bag though, it’s a great bit of a kit at a great price for a 3 season sleeping bag.

Sea to Summit Ultralight Sleep Mat. Frankly I’m too wide for this mat. I ditched my larger, heavier Trekology mat for the Sea to Summit for this trip – big mistake!! I kept rolling off the thing! It’s probably fine for a 11 stone person who sleeps on their back, neither of which are me! I’ve sold this on already.

Evazote Foam Pad. Stops the sleep matt sliding around, gives some extra protection and warmth, use as a sit pad or for stretching at the end of the day, super light weight. Brilliant piece of multi-functional kit. Love it.