Te Araroa Gear List
My starting base weight for Te Araroa was 6.1kg, I made a few changes along the way so it was probably more like 6.5kg by the time I got to Bluff. Overall, I was pretty happy with my gear but but the was a couple of things I would change if I hiked the trail again. Below is a list of all the gear I started with and details of what worked, what didn’t and what I’d change if I was to do it again.
Big 4
Pack - Osprey Levity 45l - 810g
This pack has since been discontinued by Osprey and to be honest I find it hard to recommend for thruhiking. Mine was almost new at the start of the trail and only just made it through. To be fair to Osprey, I sent it back for repairs once I finished the trail and they repaired it, for free, no questions asked under their “Almighty Guarantee”. The pack is very light for a framed pack, is very comfortable and handled the longer food carries well. It’s just a shame it isn’t very durable. I’ve since bought an Osprey Exos 48l which will be my through hiking pack going forward, but I’ll keep my Levity for shorter multiday hikes.
I used a heavy duty bin bag as a pack liner (70g) and I ended up buying a pack cover as well. I don’t normally use pack covers but I found it useful In New Zealand due to how often it rained! Nothing will keep your gear completely dry in sustained rain for days on end but a pack liner and cover can help.
Tent - LanShan 2 Pro - 1.16Kg
This has been my go to tent for a few years. I used it on the Cape Wrath trail, the CDT, the TA, countless multiday hikes and it’s still going strong. It cost me just over £150 when I bought it which is insane value for money. As with any single wall tent condensation can be an issue. This was particularly noticeable on the TA as New Zealand is very wet!
Quilt - Cumulus 350 - 600g
This was my first time using a quilt instead of a traditional sleeping bag and I’m converted now! The Cumulus 350 has a comfort rating of 2°C (35°F) which I found a little too warm most of the time on the TA but it was just right for some of the colder nights on the South Island, I am a warm sleeper though. The great thing about a quilt is if you’re too warm you can stick a leg out or throw it off you a bit.
Sleeping Pad - Nemo Tensor Insulated Regular Wide - 613g
I’ve had this sleeping pad for a few years and I love it. It’s really comfortable and warm on colder nights. I did get a couple of punctures on the TA but I was able to patch them on the trail. When I have to replace it I’ll probably get the normal width just to save some weight.
Pillow - Trekology - 103g
The seams started leaking pretty early on so I ended up replacing this with the Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight which is only 60g and does the job.
Foam mat - 114g
I took a 3mm thick piece of Plastazote foam with me. Probably unnecessary but I found it useful as a sit pad, yoga mat and to put under my sleeping pad for a bit of extra protection.
Cooking & Water
Stove – MSR Pocket Rocket – 73g
Pot – Toaks 900ml – 136g
Titanium Spork – 17g
Knife – 45g
Bic Lighter – 25g
Filter – Sawyer Squeeze — 94g
1l Smart water bottle – 42g
Water bladder – 2l CNOC – 77g (doubles as a beer chiller)
I was happy with this setup. Water is abundant in New Zealand and I rarely had to carry more than a litre. I used my CNOC “dirty” water bag for extra capacity on the few occasions I needed to carry more. Locals swear that the water in New Zealand is safe to drink without filtering or purifying. Personally, I like to filter it anyway for peace of mind.
Clothing
Worn
Sun Hoodie – Outdoor Research Echo 115g
Shorts – Patagonia Nine Trails 105g
Underwear – Outdoor Research Echo Boxers 42g
Shoes – Topo Ultraventure Pro 594g
Socks – Injinji Trail 2.0 72g
Gaiters – Altra Running Gaiters 27g
Cap – Patagonia Duckbill Trucker 66g
Sunglasses – Vans – 41g
Hiking Poles – Black Diamond Trail Ergo – 512g
Very happy with all of the above didn’t make any changes from the start to the end just had to replace my sun hoodie, socks and shoes along the way.
Packed
2nd pair of Socks – Injinji Trail 2.0 – 72g
2nd pair of underwear – Uniqlo Airism – 42g
Rain Jacket – Patagonia Torrentshell 2 – 324g
Rain Pants – Generic Over trousers – 134g
Fleece – Patagonia R1 – 270g
Beanie – Patagonia Rodeo – 82g
Long Johns – Uniqlo Heattech – 42g
Buff – 42g
Pretty happy with most of these too. The Patagonia Torrentshell is maybe a little heavy but it works.
Electronics
Anker 20,000mAh PD Power bank – 357g (10,000mAh would have been enough)
25W Cygnett USB C Charger – 50g
Petzl Actik Headlamp – 80g
USB C Cable – 17g
Mini USB Cable – 11g
Headphones – 14g
First Aid/Misc
Razor – 45g
Nail Clippers – 12g
Tweezers – 7g
Sewing kit – 12g
K Tape – 21g
Plasters – 7g
Rehydration Sachets – 12g
Water Purifying Tablets – 33g (Back up)
Tenacious tape – 12g
Lip Balm – 22g
Sun Cream – 129g
Scissors – 21g
Deet – 46g
Moisturiser – 56g
Trowel – 33g
TP
Things I added along the trail
Usually, I like to pack reasonably light but I did add a couple of luxuries on the TA:
Camp Shoes
I don’t normally bother with camp shoes but I picked up a cheap pair of flip flops which were nice to have for camp/huts and zero days. Especially since my shoes were rarely dry.
Swimming Shorts
There’s quit a lot of opportunities to swim along the TA. You could of course just wear underwear or not bother in more remote sections. I found I liked having them to wear whilst doing laundry too.
Pack Cover
I normally just rely on a pack liner but it rained so much during the trail that I found a pack cover helped.
Conclusions
Overall I was pretty happy with my gear, If I hiked the trail again I’d probably take my Osprey Exos 48l (or maybe try the new Exos Pro) even though it’s heavier than the levity, since its also more durable. This would probably allow me to ditch the pack cover as the Exos is more water resistant too.
When considering clothing I’d recommend thinking about sun protection as the sun is pretty intense in New Zealand. I’d also recommend decent rain gear as it rained frequently and heavily during my hike (maybe I was unlucky).
If you’re interested you can see my LighterPack here.
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