February 17th, 2009
Weekend Gear
Clothing
| Good waterproof raincoat |
PVC is good but must be rain proof not ‘shower proof’. Reflex, Gore-tex and similar fabrics are also OK, but more expensive. |
| Sturdy Boots |
Ask your trip leader if you are unsure about whether your footwear will be appropriate. |
| Socks |
Take a spare pair as well as the ones you will be wearing. Should be wool or polypropylene. |
| Hat / Balaclava |
Keeps you warm. Preferably wool, polypropylene or polar fleece. |
| Gloves / Mittens |
Keep you warm. Preferably wool, polypropylene or polar fleece. |
| Jersey / Jumper / Bushshirt |
Carry at least one. Wool, polypropylene and polar fleece are best. |
| Shorts |
Shorts should be nylon, not cotton, so they dry quickly. There is nothing worse than putting on wet shorts and t-shirts in the morning. DON’T take jeans. |
| Longjohns |
Both top and bottom. Currently preferred material is polypropylene but wool also does the job well Take at least one pair if possible and preferably two. |
| Sunhat |
Especially important during tops travel in clear conditions. |
| Sunglasses |
Only essential for trips expecting to encounter snow. |
| Gaiters |
Not strictly necessary but they can make tramping in snow a lot more pleasant. |
| Overtrousers |
Come into their own during winter travel in exposed, windy conditions. Very good at lowering wind chill. |
| Hut Clothes |
Spare clothes for wandering around the hut in. Footwear is also quite handy as putting on wet boots to go outside is a bit of a chore. Remember however that you will have to carry these hut clothes, so make decisions on what to take accordingly. |
Equipment
| Pack |
Should be good quality and carry at least 60 litres of equipment. |
| Waterproof Liner |
Put all the things to go in your pack in the liner so that if the pack gets wet all of your things inside don’t. You can buy a plastic liner from R and R Sport or Bivouac in town. |
| Sleeping Bag |
should be good quality and at least three or four seasons, particularly if you are tramping in winter. Both synthetic and down are satisfactory. |
| Snowfoam / Thermarest |
You sleep on this so that the cold ground doesn’t make you cold. Snowfoam is cheaper. |
| Torch |
Take spare batteries as well. |
| Lighter |
Useful for making fire. Make sure you know of any fire bans in effect. |
| Pocket Knife |
For cutting up Salami at munchtime. |
| Cutlery, Bowl & Cup |
To eat and drink with, after a hard day’s tramping. |
| Water Bottle |
A 1.5 or 2 litre plastic soft drink bottle is sufficient. |
| Toilet Paper |
Hopefully, everyone knows what to use this for! |
Extras
| Personal Medication |
Make sure your trip leader knows of any medical conditions. |
| SunBlock |
Essential if you are going near snow or Ice, and most of the summer. NZ is under a hole in the Ozone layer! |
| Insect Repellent |
Biting insects like your blood, try to keep some of it. |
| Camera |
You might get the opportunity to take some photos, if the weather is OK… |
Borrowing Gear
Club Gear
Below is a list of all the gear that you can borrow from the club, we require a deposit of $20 and all gear is borrowed on the understanding that in the event that it is lost or damaged it is replaced promptly at the cost of the person to whom it is signed out. Replacing gear means we can’t get new stuff, so be honest!
- Crampons
- Ice Axes
- Helmets
- Harnesses
- Transceiver, Probe, Shovel sets
- PLB (406MHz GPS Distress Beacons)
- Tent Flys
- Coleman Liquid Fuel Stoves
- Kovea Gas Stoves
- Billys
- First Aid Kits
Available to hire from RnR sport
- Shovel, Probe, Transceiver
- Boots
- Crampons
