Listed below are my suggestions for a good-quality Te Araroa Gear record. The Te Araroa has a status for being exhausting on gear, with a lot of rain and dust.
After I hiked the Te Araroa, my gear record was round 6kg (13lb), which put much less stress on my physique in contrast with another hikers who carry heavier hundreds. As I’ve hiked many long-distance thru-hikes, I accomplished a light-weight gear record for the Te Araroa.
Ultralight Te Araroa Gear Checklist
As talked about above, the mud, the chilly, and the tough terrain make the Te Araroa path a troublesome path for gear. Nevertheless, it’s attainable, however you need to take high-quality light-weight gear on the path.
Greatest Light-weight Tent for the Te Araroa
The perfect tent for Te Araroa will likely be light-weight, waterproof, bugproof, and capable of face up to windy situations. Here’s a record of the perfect light-weight 1-person, 2-person, and 3-person tents.
Greatest 1P Tent for Te Araroa
Greatest 2P Tent for Te Araroa
Greatest 3P Tent for Te Araroa
Greatest Backpack for Te Araroa
The perfect backpack for the Te Araroa will likely be light-weight and have sufficient capability to hold all of your meals and kit for as much as round 5 days. For many light-weight via hikers a 50 litre pack will likely be sufficient. Some hikers who haven’t dedicated to carrying a light-weight and compact load might have a barely greater pack.
Greatest Sleeping Bag for Te Araroa
There are a lot of selections of ultralight sleeping luggage for the Te Araroa Path. Listed below are my suggestions.
Greatest Ultralight Quilts for Te Araroa
Lately many ultralight hikers have moved from sleeping luggage to ultralight quilts. I believe they’re a greater and lighter choice for most individuals. They perform properly till the temperatures get a few levels beneath freezing. At that time, a sleeping bag turns into a greater choice because it features higher in colder climate.
Greatest Sleeping Mat for Te Araroa
Light-weight and compact with good insulation is what you want in a sleeping pad for the Te Araroa. Listed below are some nice choices.
And don’t overlook high quality ultralight pillow and a pack liner to make sure the whole lot stays dry through the inevitable moist climate.
Footwear for Te Araroa
I wore 3 completely different pairs of path running footwear on my hike to see which one I preferred finest.
However will Path Operating Sneakers make your ft happier?
You will have a selection of sporting Light-weight Mountain climbing Boots, Light-weight Sneakers, or Path Runners. There are execs and cons for every. I wore path runners however discovered they carried out poorly within the muddy situations. Mountain climbing boots put an excessive amount of stress in your ft through the lengthy street stroll sections and light-weight climbing footwear don’t carry out as properly throughout mud. So which is finest?
The reply is, there is no such thing as a reply. I hiked with path runners they usually carried out very properly on all sections of the path besides the very muddy sections on the North Island. Specifically the mud close to the very northern sections of the path and the Tarraroa Vary within the southern part of the North Island. The mud and tree roots destroyed my path runners.
Possibly light-weight climbing boots for the North Island and Ultralight Path runners for the South Island.
Listed below are my 3 suggestions for the perfect footwear and boots for the Te Araroa hikers with huge ft.
Listed below are my 3 suggestions for the perfect footwear and boots for the Te Araroa hikers with slender ft.
Don’t overlook pair of climbing socks. I just like the New Zealand which you’ll simply decide up on-line in NZ. If coming from abroad then Darn Powerful Socks are top-of-the-line choices.
Insulating Layers – Down Jackets / Fleece / Baselayers
A great layering system that features a heat down jacket, fleece mid-layer, and a light-weight base layer will likely be wanted and far appreciated on the Te Araroa. One of many key issues about this layering system is to not overdo it, or overthink it. Take objects of clothes that may work, are prime quality, and can be utilized together to see you thru all types of climate situations. For essentially the most half, there is no such thing as a must look any additional than New Zealand model Macpac.
Down Jacket
- Macpac Icefall Down Jacket – This jacket appears to be on clearance so is kind of low-cost, if you will discover one be certain and purchase one as they’re excellent for the Te Araroa!
Fleece Mid Layer
Baselayers
- Macpac Merino – For lovers of excellent high quality Merino Wool.
- Macpac Geothermals – Low cost however ok
- Macpac Prothermals – The Very best quality, lightest, and highest high quality base layers out there. I’ve been sporting a pair of tops and bottoms for greater than 5 years, and love them.
Don’t overlook underwear, once more check out Macpac. I like the Merino Underwear.
Mountain climbing Pants / Mountain climbing Shorts / Mountain climbing Shirts
Identical to your layering system of insulation talked about above you must take take a look at what sorts of Shirts, Shorts, and Pants you may be sporting.
Mountain climbing Shirts
Mountain climbing Pants
- Macpac Trekker Pants – Light-weight softshell. I’ve been sporting them for the final couple of years.
Mountain climbing Shorts
Gloves / Hats / Sun shades
Check out a few of the climbing gear guides that may advise you on the perfect gloves, Hats, and Sun shades for the Te Araroa.
Raingear for Te Araroa
It’s going to rain quite a bit when thru-hiking Te Araroa. Be ready with a high-quality light-weight rain jacket and rain pants. Listed below are a few of the finest for 2024:
Mountain climbing Poles
Do you want climbing poles for the Te Araroa? Quick reply, not likely. However if you’re like me and you employ them when long-distance climbing then check out my information beneath. Or for one thing light-weight from Macpac, check out the Macpac Carbon Trekking Poles.
Cookware – Stoves & Pots for te Araroa
You’ll admire a heat meal at night time and perhaps a sizzling espresso or tea within the morning. Listed below are some cookware units, stoves, pots, and different gear you will have for the path.
Water on the Te Araroa
General the water high quality on the Te Araroa is kind of good however as with virtually each backcountry journey, you must deal with the water and carry sufficient in your wants. Listed below are some beneficial water remedy units and water storage bottles and bladders.
Cameras and Electronics
With so many electronics that we tackle the path as of late, it may be exhausting to determine what to take and what to depart behind. Check out a few of the objects you might want and observe the hyperlinks to my detailed guides about which of them are the perfect.
- Greatest Cameras for Mountain climbing – For the photographers. Most individuals will likely be glad sufficient with the standard of their smartphone.
- Greatest Battery Financial institution for Mountain climbing – Crucial to have a high-quality battery to recharge all of your electronics.
- Greatest Mountain climbing GPS – Not wanted for the path as most individuals can navigate OK with a smartphone App.
- Greatest GPS Watch – Increasingly more persons are climbing with a GPS watch. They’re nice however will want charging each night time so you should definitely take a conveyable battery financial institution with you.
- Greatest PLB and Satellite tv for pc Messenger – Extremely beneficial for thru-hiking the TA. Many individuals get into issue on the path and one in every of these can save your life.
- USB Wall Charger for New Zealand /Australia+ Cables.
Different Gear
- Plastic zip lock luggage
- Cash / ID / Credit score Playing cards
- Blister pads
- Strapping Tape
- Foot an infection anti-biotic
- Ibuprofen
- tweezers
- Toothbrush and Toothpaste
- Security Pin
- Needle
- Deet insect repellent
- Sunscreen
- Lip Balm
- Rest room tissue
I hope this helped along with your planning in a roundabout way. In the event you want extra assist with all the perfect light-weight climbing gear then check out my Gear Guides.
BikeHikeSafari Gear Overview Course of
The creator, Brad McCartney from BikeHikeSafari is a small impartial adventurer and outside gear tester who owns and runs BikeHikeSafari.com.
BikeHikeSafari will not be half of a big weblog community and is proudly impartial. All critiques on this web site are impartial and sincere gear critiques of out of doors merchandise by the creator.
The creator, Brad McCartney is a really skilled triple crown thru-hiker, adventurer, and bike tourer having spent 1000s of nights sleeping in a tent and sleeping bag (Learn extra). He was a supervisor of an outside retail retailer and may be very skilled in what’s vital when utilizing and testing gear for critiques like this.
BikeHikeSafari won’t ever obtain any cash for critiques and they don’t settle for sponsored critiques on this web site. All of the feedback in regards to the gear critiques are from the creator based mostly on his years of expertise. Hope this impartial overview was useful for you.
