Gear

Good stuff makes being outside fun. Bad stuff makes you wish you never came instead. Let's talk about stuff and what I think is needed.

First, we talk about what I brought to Europe, what I bought there, and then I highlight the best items and worst items.

Gear by Categories

Sleep System

Hammock: pretty great. Lots of space, comfy once you get used to it, sleeping pad is essential for sure. I like that my sleeping pad is nice and thick, especaially for those nights I'm sleeping on the ground. Having a bug net is essential but I have no strong feeling about the particular one I had. The rain tarp was okay, it worked when I needed it to, wasn't too heavy nor annoying to set up. I think better bug nets exist but I'm in no rush to replace it. I love the quilt, it's super comfy, doesn't feel sticky at all if that makes sense? I like it being made out of ripstop nylon, and the down fill packs up super small and light, perfect for keeping inside a pack.


Everything else directly "trekking" related

My pack is many years old and a generation before what you can buy now, but it's holding up great, so big win there. The stove really impressed me, the pot was great too except I broke the lid on the way home (but that one was on me). I'm 50/50 on my water filter, something like a sawyer squeeze would have worked better than a gravity bag as it wasn't super fast flowing + I was refilling my water on the trail more often than at camp. I will say though that I'm glad I brought a water filter, even if they're less common in european kits, they're super light and also it did function as a 3L water bladder when I was moving about instead of taking along an extra 2L water bottle from Aldi/Lidl. Bring a first aid kit. Keep the small things small and manage the bigger things until you can get what you really need. Include pain meds in it for a shitty morining, idk, this shouldn't be a hot take. Prescription sunglasses are so good if you regularly wear glasses, idk what else to say about that one. Respect the sun and the bugs, anti-bug clothing is important but so is bug spray, and a sun hat is great. My Nalgene is pretty much indestructable and 1L is big enough for walking around towns, fits great in my day pack, which I'm also glad made the cut as city wandering with a giant pack is not the move. I hate washing plastic things so metal cutlery is nice, I also want stuff that I'm confident won't break on me, so that's nice, even if it weighs a bit more. Oh yeah. Bring a hairbrush.


Clothes

Learned a couple of things: wool socks are magic. Cotton underwear was a bad idea. A good raincoat pays crazy dividends. Besides that, I was quite happy with my picks for what clothes came with. Other noteable items are my city shoes (I've become a total wildings/barefoot shoe convert, can't say enough nice things about them), I FUCKING LOVE CLIMBING PANTS and am sad it looks like the model I have are discontinued. The integrated belt was super nice. Overall, you don't need that many pairs of clothes to do the distance so long as you stop to rinse out or do laundry every once in a while. Yes you can wash stuff in hostel sinks, no it is not nice. Rivers are better than that. Also, nothing dries in Ireland/the UK. Especially cotton underwear.


The Magic Pocket of Catch-All

  • Nail Clippers
  • Toothbrush & Toothpaste
  • Floss
  • Travel Sewing Kit
  • Swiss Army Knife
  • Tin of Lip Chap
  • Hair Elastics
  • Earplugs

You want these things. Trust.


Electronics

  • Samsung S20
  • iPhone 13
  • USBA-USBC Cable
  • USBC-Lighting Cable
  • US->USBA Adapter
  • EU->US Adapter
  • (Purchased) Combo USBA + USBC EU Charger

I had 2 phones so I brought 2. Charging was a little scuffed but super doable. There's so much service coverage in Europe I didn't really bother with a GPS or anything like that.



The Winners

Things that I liked way more than I thought I would. Not specific to the particular one, just that surprised me.

  • Wool Socks
  • Sleeping Pad
  • First Aid Kit (keep stuff for blisters too!)
  • City Shoes
  • Climbing Pants

The Losers

Things that don't make it the next time around

  • Cotton Socks
  • Cotton Underwear
  • EU->US Adapter
  • US->USBA Adapter

Okay. So, wool socks really are that special, putting a sleeping pad in a hammock makes it 3x as nice, having a first aid kit is useful when you need it, being able to change out of hiking boots is SO NICE, and climbing pants are phenomenal for hiking. Additionally, USB outlets are common enough, cotton intimates suck, and honestly who needs power adapters anyways. If you need something that badly buy a new charger there, you'll use it again probably.