Equipment and appraisal

 

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This is a list of the items I took on the walk together with an appraisal of the performance of the most important items. I aimed to travel light and wash the clothing as I went along. I met some on the walk who were obviously struggling with the heavy loads they had.

 

 

I bought these a few months before the walk and specifically for the walk as I thought they would be more waterproof than the boots I had. They were. Used in combination with the gaiters,they stood up to days of walking through bogs and marshes without ever letting in a drop of water. They were also extremely breathable and my feet reminaed dry throughout the entire walk. This was a major factor in succesfully completing the walk as wet feet often equal blistered feet! I met several people who had bad blisters and all of them also had leaking boots. The boots were extremely comfortable once broken in They only really became 100% broken in after a few days of getting very wet so in future I would include this as part of my breaking-in procedure.
 
I had one slight problem with the boots, however, and this was with their gripping properties in the wet, particularly on rock and stone. I fell several times on day seven, the first wet day. Thereafter I had to take it very carefully in the wet. I sent the boots back to Scarpa on my return for examination and they found that a defect existed in the way the sole of one boot was connected to the upper. Scarpa were very concerned and attentive to my complaints and have replaced the boots, upgrading the replacement to a more expensive boot, the Supertrek. I have yet to test the new boots, and it will be some time, if at all, before they are subjected to the same treatment as my boots had been on the Pennine Way!
 
I can't fault the performance of this jacket. It was light, packed up to a small size into its own stuff bag
and was totally waterproof and as breathable as anything I've ever worn. The hood is well designed and doesn't
intrude on visibility as some hoods do. I'd rate it 10 out of 10. Excellent value for money - most suited to summer walking.
Light, quick drying and full of pockets with zips. Excellent and another 10 out of 10.
 

 

Totally waterproof - not as breathable as I would have liked though they were fairly inexpensive - the quality is reflected in the price. Good value for money, then, eight out of ten.
Excellent! Don't leave home without a them - invaluable on a walk of this sort and another ten out of ten.
Found these useful on a few occasions - it can get cold on the Pennines, even in July!
They are very light and dont take up much space. Something waterproof would have been better, though.

 

This is an excellent rucksack - the best I've ever used. The weight ends up on your legs - you can't feel
anything on your back. Eleven out of ten.

Other items

Whistle, compass, emergency bag, small sony radio (for evenings only), sun-hat, 2 wickable short-sleeved t-shirts for walking, 1 'Columbia' shirt for evenings, 1 pair Craghopper trousers for eveninigs, 1 pair of light shoes for evenings, 1 Spray way Polartec Powerstetch as an extra layer, 2 pairs walking socks, 2 pairs ordinary socks, underwear , toiletries, numerous blister plasters (not used) GPS (not used) (can be purchased online at Dixons.) or , 1 tube Travelwash (used every evening)and two 1 litre water bottles.
 

 

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