A glance at the gear Three Points of the Compass has packed for a weeks wander in the Scottish Borders. I have a mix of official campsites and wildcamping, and because this is in May, I can anticipate low to mid-high temperatures and dry or wet conditions.

May in Scotland can be a challenge. Not usually because of extreme cold or heavy snow, but because it can present almost anything conditions wise and it can be difficult to decide on what gear to carry. My list here might aid those new to this. Or may not.

Nights can be cold, interspersed with often fine weather during the day. The gear taken needs to be fairly flexible. My pack contents are not that different from many a trip I undertake. If it were the Highlands, little in my pack would alter. The shelter might differ at another time of year, specific clothing I might take may vary a little, but in general, this is my typical gear. I have not included much in the way of weights as that is largely an irrelevance to me. I prefer to decide on what I wish to carry, then look for the best and lightest options that I can afford. If I cannot afford it, I’ll save up, look for an alternative, or do without. What I show here is simply what Three Points of the Compass is (mostly) familiar with and comfortable using. I have included some links where I have looked in greater detail at some particular aspects of gear.

While I normally hike in a short sleeve merino polo shirt, I have recently been trying out various long sleeve tops, this trail I’ll be wearing a merino long sleeve from Patagonia. Skiddies are ExOfficio Men’s Give-N-Go Sport Mesh 9″ Boxer Briefs coupled with Under Armour Launch 9″ shorts. I have Silverlight merino/synthetic mix socks with added silver yarn and Altra Lone Peak 6 trail shoes with replacement Arch Angel insoles. Invariably I’ll also be wearing my Tilley Airflow LT5 hat.

My load is under eight kg so I do not require my framed Gossamer Gear Mariposa pack, capable of heavier loads. Instead, I have the lighter, frameless G4-20 pack for this hike. Gossamer Gear packs can have one of three different sitpads inserted into the back panel and I am taking the lightest and simplest, with an additional rectangle of 3mm closed cell foam, that will go under the inflatable pad at night, behind that. Also kept here during the day is my folded Thermarest pad. My water bottle is clipped to one shoulder strap and a Gossamer Gear Shoulder Strap Pocket for my phone and tripod to the other. There is also a small PackTowl clipped to a shoulder strap that can, if wet, be left dangling in the passing breeze to dry. This is the only towel I carry. Poles are currently stowed for travel to trail on various trains and their tips are protected with my Swedish Cloth. This is more usually utilised on trail for wiping down condensation in the shelter etc.

I am trying out a new (to me) shelter this year. This is the Durston Gear X-Mid two-person Solid. This is a trekking pole tent so I don’t need to carry tent poles and instead use my two Black Diamond Trail Ergo Cork poles. This silicone coated woven fabric tent is heavier than the DCF shelter I normally use but is still lightweight. The outer weighs 642g and inner 454g, plus stuff sack and pegs. It comes with good pegs but I don’t think these are up to the varied ground conditions I typically encounter in the UK, so, as usual, these are swapped out to a selection of MSR Groundhogs and Mini Groundhogs, plus a couple of Ti pins and two wide V stakes.

It is still spring so despite potentially warm days, the temperature can still drop dramatically at night, so I am still using my heavier and warmer Katabatic quilt. It isn’t cold enough for my Thermarest X-Therm so I have a lighter, full length NeoAir Xlite (I am upgrading to their NXT model later in 2023). There is a 7.6g prototype Pad-Pal inflator for this in the electronics pouch. I use dedicated sleep clothes, these are very light and thin Rohan Ultra silver long sleeve top and Rohan Ultra silver bottoms, plus thin merino sleep socks.

During spring in Scotland, it’s going to rain, I guarantee it! However this is a low level hike so I am only carrying a Froggtoggs waterproof jacket which is fine for most UK conditions where it isn’t going to be ripped to shreds on thorns or barbed wire. I don’t often use waterproof trousers now, instead opting for a ULA rain kilt.

If it is just a brief little drizzle, I normally put up with it and get damp, or if it is also cool or breezy, slip on a Patagonia windshirt. While I also carry Mont-bell Dynamo windpants, these are seldom put on during the day, but more often pulled on over my shorts at longer halts or at the end of the day when I am in camp and start to cool down.

I always have a puffy jacket in my pack regardless of what month of the year it is. Usually this is synthetic, but for this hike I have my Ghost Whisperer down jacket. If it does get cold I have a little further insulation, a Yak wool Esker Beenie from Kora, thin merino gloves and a merino buff. The buff is also slipped over my makeshift pillow of a night to make it more comfortable to the face.

I take far more extra clothes than many backpackers. I care not. I have quite a bit of travelling by train to and from the trail. Especially coming home I want cleanish fresher smelling clothes. I am also expecting to venture into a couple of towns in search of an evening meal. So I have a very light synthetic short sleeve shirt from Rohan and Patagonia Terrebonne Joggers. I have another pair of skiddies and shorts, the latter have an internal brief. I have another pair of Silverlight socks and a 70g pair of waterproof Sealskinz. I don’t carry any other footwear such as camp shoes, instead opting to wear the Sealskinz over cleaned feet inside the still grubby and possible wet trail shoes in camp, around town of an evening or when required. If it is cool weather and shorts are not sufficient by themselves, I have a pair of Arc’teryx Phase SL bottoms to wear under them while hiking.

We all like our bits’n’pieces don’t we? Well I do! From left to right of the above image, I carry a decent bespoke First Aid Kit (2023 kit looked at here). Basic toiletries, electronics baggie (2023 kit looked at here), ditty bag, poop kit, spare glasses in the lightest crushproof case I can find, these are prescription sunglasses. Despite being a bit early for midges and the nights should be too cold for them to be emerging, this is Scotland, so I have a midgey headnet, just in case. I am including a generic plastic carrier bag for any resupply shopping I might do. Not shown here, I have a Storm Whistle inside the top pocket of the pack.

My ditty bag has a hank of thin cordage, usually used as a washing line. Two quilt pad-cords should I need to properly fix down the quilt of a night if it is cold or draughty, though they also double as extra guys. I have some water sterilization tablets should the BeFree get damaged, lost or frozen. I keep a sole Dragon Fuel gel that will do a single boil if the gas stove packs up. Some repair patches for the shelter, pad or whatever and a small baggie with a handful of little items that I have found useful over the years.

While I might occasionally cold-soak, I like a hot brew and hot food on trail so invariably include a cook-kit. Winter will be either a multi-fuel stove or carefully thought out gas set-up. An alcohol/meths/solid fuel/gel set-up is occasionally played with during the remainder of the year, just to remain familiar with these fuels, but I prefer gas for most three-season backpacking. For this next hike I am probably cooking evening meals on four nights and will search out town food other nights. I’ll include a breakfast for every morning but the number of lunches is an unknown. So I am carrying some food and snacks (image below). I note that I probably need to replace my DCF foodbag. I have been using it for over six years and it is now frayed and leaks like a sieve. My hydration gear is what I almost always carry. This is a Katadyn BeFree on 2-litre HydraPak Seeker flexible bladder, 2-litre Evernew roll-up bottle and a 600ml bottle with sports cap clipped to my shoulder strap.

The granola in the picture almost certainly will not get eaten for breakfast. I struggle to eat first thing in the morning and that is what the bars are for, eating on-the-go after an hour or two on trail. The granola is for lunch but I will probably pick up a block of cheese to gnaw on if I see one somewhere. I have three dehydrated meals for the evenings. squeezy peanut butter with Chia seeds for calorie uplift as required, some Snickers and bar of decent chocolate for as and when. I’ll also pick up a slab or two of Tablet once I arrive in Scotland. I have a small Nalgene screw-top bottle of dried milk powder and a stack of teabags. Always take more of these than you think you need! The pan is my favoured 900ml Evernew with a nesting GSI sipper mug, and a long handled spoon. The pan is kept in an insulated DCF drawcord baggie in which I can also leave food to rehydrate while keeping hot. A pinch of some condiment or another can really lift sometimes bland backpacking food, so I include just a little mixed black pepper and smoked sea salt in my foodbag.

While I have my preference for gas stove, I review stoves for this blog so am trying a new (to me) gas stove. This particular stove is probably overkill for a short, low level, mild weather hike, but I am using the Fire Maple Polaris with pressure regulator. This is a fairly lightweight and compact stove. More on that piece of kit in the future. I carry a tiny 15g Deejo knife and a small fire steel, preferring this over a Bic lighter. These are wrapped a piece of Lightload towel.

I do not wear my Zpacks chest pouch across my chest, preferring to have it lower, across my stomach where I can access it easier. I’ll normally have a map in here but do not need one for this particular trail, relying instead on the Cicerone guide book I’m keeping in here. I keep trail journals, so have that and a small propelling pencil in here too. My little zipper wallet has bank card, train tickets, front door key and some cash. My Samsung S20+ phone is stowed in my shoulder pocket, along with an Ultrapod tripod. Mini PackTowl is clipped to a shoulder strap. One hipbelt pocket has some compressed towel pucks and a GoToob filled each morning with water together with a couple of drops of Dr. Bronners. Along with these, I have a small squeezy bottle of sunscreen, mini chap stick. In my other hip pocket is a true luxury, a Leica Monovid monocular. I have a little RovyVon Aurora A5 light clipped to the chest pouch. This has a glow-in-the-dark body so gets charged during the day.

Any shake-down would reduce this gear list a great deal, especially clothes wise. But I am no ultra-lightweight backpacker. I am instead, a ‘lightweight’ backpacker and very content with both the flexibility of gear I carry and the modicum of comfort I include. If ever there was a secret to what backpacking kit to include, it is to have sufficient to stay safe and also be familiar with every item of gear carried.