My WINTER COAST TO COAST Gear
What to take and what to leave behind
This post sums up all my gear planning efforts for the UK's Coast to Coast Path in February 2023. The complete and final gear list with weights and links is published here. Read through the whole thing or jump straight to one of the sections:
Base Gear
Over the years my base 3 season setup has become pretty much stable:
- I carry a frameless 40-50L ultralight pack, currently this is MLD CFD Exodus
- I walk with a pair of trekking poles, even on flat tarmac
- My shelter is either the Gatewood Cape or Hexamid pitched using one of the trekking poles
- I sleep on an ultralight inflatable mat under a -6C rated down quilt
- That is combined with either a regular bivy, a waterproof Event bivy or a very light groundsheet
Hexamid in action
This time I decided to go ahead with my basic setup, but to upgrade it for some of the specific challenges that this walk presents:
- Going solo
- 4 seasons (cold, wet, ice, etc.)
- Short daylight
- 25+ miles to walk each day
- Expected camping locations
I decided to spend one night at a B&B in Richmond in order to have an opportunity to get dry and resupply or in case I decided to give up early. I will wild camp the rest, however I will have to avoid high ground camps in order to continue using my base 3 season setup. I therefore will be taking the Hexamid coupled with the waterproof and breathable MLD Event bivy.
Navigation
During the last several years I have been relying on a smartphone with off-line capable Gaia GPS navigation app. This set-up worked great in general, but there were two major flaws, which until now I accepted due to not venturing much into the domain of multi-day 4 season hikes, and which I could no longer accept during this upcoming adventure.
The first flaw is the smartphone's touch screen. There was no way I could be using it in the cold and wet. There was no way I could be using it in the bright sunlight. I could simply drop it and that would be the end of it.
The second flaw is the battery, but actually it is also connected to the first one. Together with an active GPS unit they are a huge battery drain. Therefore, if you are using the phone for navigation purposes you run out of power in no time. My otherwise excellent Samsung S22 lasts a ridiculous half a day under heavy usage. And yes, I also want to be taking a lot of photos.
The solution? For me it is the Garmin Forerunner 955 watch. There are other models with similar features, but I just happen to be using this one for my everyday life. How does it help? Everything is operated by buttons, so no touchscreen issues. MIP screen technology allows you to see everything even in the brightest sunlight. Garmin's maps and planning tools (Connect and Explore) are decent (far from perfect though). The battery (while being a mere 300 mAh compared to the 3,700 mAh in my Samsung S22) gives a solid 1.5 days of non-stop GPS navigation. Couple that with a tiny 3,000 mAh powerbank and that alone gives you a wearable, lightweight and self-sufficient navigation solution that lasts 10-15 days.
The first flaw is the smartphone's touch screen. There was no way I could be using it in the cold and wet. There was no way I could be using it in the bright sunlight. I could simply drop it and that would be the end of it.
The second flaw is the battery, but actually it is also connected to the first one. Together with an active GPS unit they are a huge battery drain. Therefore, if you are using the phone for navigation purposes you run out of power in no time. My otherwise excellent Samsung S22 lasts a ridiculous half a day under heavy usage. And yes, I also want to be taking a lot of photos.
The solution? For me it is the Garmin Forerunner 955 watch. There are other models with similar features, but I just happen to be using this one for my everyday life. How does it help? Everything is operated by buttons, so no touchscreen issues. MIP screen technology allows you to see everything even in the brightest sunlight. Garmin's maps and planning tools (Connect and Explore) are decent (far from perfect though). The battery (while being a mere 300 mAh compared to the 3,700 mAh in my Samsung S22) gives a solid 1.5 days of non-stop GPS navigation. Couple that with a tiny 3,000 mAh powerbank and that alone gives you a wearable, lightweight and self-sufficient navigation solution that lasts 10-15 days.
The start of C2C
But that's not all. What I do for every serious hike is to actually visually learn the route using free tools like Garmin Connect and/or Google Earth. You simply import an existing GPX path, switch to the 3D/sat imagery and keep walking through it until you can follow it in your sleep. I also look for photos/videos of potentially difficult parts - there are usually a lot of them on Google Maps, Flickr and YouTube. This may not work for everyone, but if you are a visual person like me, give it a go.
Google Earth
Garmin Connect
Finally, I have an e-version of the Coast to Coast Walk book by Terry Marsh on my phone.
Communications
So what about the smartphone's core functionality - calls and messaging? Again, there are a lot of limitations since I am going to face quite a lot of GSM-blind areas, which is not acceptable for a solo 4 season hike. The only real alternative is satellite communication.
Even though I already had my navigation sorted out, I decided to go with Garmin 66i which has both GPS navigation and Iridium-based satcom. In a nutshell, this satisfies all my communication needs including emergency rescue, provides backup navigation, as well as long battery life and on-demand weather forecast, which is crucial for 4 season hiking.
Even though I already had my navigation sorted out, I decided to go with Garmin 66i which has both GPS navigation and Iridium-based satcom. In a nutshell, this satisfies all my communication needs including emergency rescue, provides backup navigation, as well as long battery life and on-demand weather forecast, which is crucial for 4 season hiking.
Clothing, Footware and Sleeping
When it comes to clothing and sleeping systems, I generally have the following on my mind:
- Walking VS camping/sleeping
- Dressing in layers
- Maximizing gear usage
- Terrain and elevation changes
- Body as a heat source
- Ventilation
These are of course all interconnected one way or another, and so you must look at the whole picture in order to make sense of things, but ultimately these concepts together with expected weather conditions determine what I wear on the move and what I carry in the pack. Based on the current forecast and prior years' weather data I should be expecting something like this:
Here is what I will be wearing:
- Temperatures in the range of +8C to -5C (possibly down to -10C during the night)
- A lot of wind
- Potential wind chill of -15C
- Fair amount of rain and snow, but nothing excessive
- Few icy surfaces
Here is what I will be wearing:
These are some basic scenarios of course, but the important thing is that by combining all that I have, I am able to withstand a wide range of conditions, including those far worse than I am preparing for, both on the move and while sleeping. I can easily accommodate different variations of scenarios above - e.g. fast walking (5-6 km/h) over easy terrain, relatively slow but physically demanding ascents, sudden wind gusts, etc. If I have to, I can even sleep as cold as -15C with this setup for a night or two.
One thing to keep in mind is that the body is a source of heat to be used to your advantage. You need to avoid getting hot when you don't need to. Layering and ventilation are both key to this. Layering allows not getting too hot in the first place. Good ventilation deals with excess heat. Both my thick fleece top and the rain jacket have good ventilation. The rain jacket has zippered side seams which allows having a wide range of ventilation options (e.g. I can even use it as a wind breaker) and making changes while moving. On the other hand, you need to generate and retain sufficient heat to achieve a warm sleep. This is achieved by eating food before sleep and then conserving heat through adequate insulation. It may even make sense to eat a part of the evening meal in the middle of a cold night to keep the heat generation going.
Another important consideration is how you breathe during a cold sleep, especially in a sub-zero environment. The goal here is not to be breathing the cold air directly. I sleep in a balaclava that covers both the nose and the mouth, which creates a warm air buffer. If I need to, I can use my thin fleece layer to build additional face protection for the night.
Now, let's get to the interesting part - the shoes! This is probably the most difficult piece of gear to pick, especially for a 4 season hike. To state the obvious, you want something light and comfortable (to do 25+ miles a day), waterproof (to stay dry and warm), breathable (not to get too warm) and high enough (not to get snow or water over the top). It also needs to dry quickly in case you do get wet. My final pick is the Adidas Terrex Free Hiker Cold.Rdy and I am happy with the test runs I've done so far. I also packed a pair of lightweight Decathlon microspikes for when I need them.
To close the topic for now, I will add that I have had a couple of hikes ruined by bad shoes in the past. If I had to pick the main reason for that it would be the size. To be more specific size too small. In my experience that was the root cause of the majority of the feet problems that I faced. The funny thing is that it took me many years of hiking to figure this out. I am going to end this by saying that until I turned 35, I was convinced my EU size was 42. I have been wearing size 43-44 for the last 5 years and most of my feet issues disappeared.
One thing to keep in mind is that the body is a source of heat to be used to your advantage. You need to avoid getting hot when you don't need to. Layering and ventilation are both key to this. Layering allows not getting too hot in the first place. Good ventilation deals with excess heat. Both my thick fleece top and the rain jacket have good ventilation. The rain jacket has zippered side seams which allows having a wide range of ventilation options (e.g. I can even use it as a wind breaker) and making changes while moving. On the other hand, you need to generate and retain sufficient heat to achieve a warm sleep. This is achieved by eating food before sleep and then conserving heat through adequate insulation. It may even make sense to eat a part of the evening meal in the middle of a cold night to keep the heat generation going.
Another important consideration is how you breathe during a cold sleep, especially in a sub-zero environment. The goal here is not to be breathing the cold air directly. I sleep in a balaclava that covers both the nose and the mouth, which creates a warm air buffer. If I need to, I can use my thin fleece layer to build additional face protection for the night.
Now, let's get to the interesting part - the shoes! This is probably the most difficult piece of gear to pick, especially for a 4 season hike. To state the obvious, you want something light and comfortable (to do 25+ miles a day), waterproof (to stay dry and warm), breathable (not to get too warm) and high enough (not to get snow or water over the top). It also needs to dry quickly in case you do get wet. My final pick is the Adidas Terrex Free Hiker Cold.Rdy and I am happy with the test runs I've done so far. I also packed a pair of lightweight Decathlon microspikes for when I need them.
To close the topic for now, I will add that I have had a couple of hikes ruined by bad shoes in the past. If I had to pick the main reason for that it would be the size. To be more specific size too small. In my experience that was the root cause of the majority of the feet problems that I faced. The funny thing is that it took me many years of hiking to figure this out. I am going to end this by saying that until I turned 35, I was convinced my EU size was 42. I have been wearing size 43-44 for the last 5 years and most of my feet issues disappeared.
Nutrition
For the first time I decided to rely fully on commercial dehydrated meals. I have packed 12 x 800 kCal meals which should last until Richmond, where I will resupply for the remaining days. This means that my daily nutrition will amount to 2,400 kCal, which should keep me feeling full, but will create a non-critical caloric deficit, which I can easily sustain for 7 days. There are of course other options along the way should I need to make some adjustments.
How does that work? I weigh ~72kg and I know I can safely go down to ~68kg, which gives me ~4kg of body fat that I can use. This translates into ~30,000 kCal which over 7 days spreads into ~4,000 kCal per day. My BMR is ~2,000 kCal, while hiking 40km burns ~2,400 kCal, taking my daily requirement to ~4,400 kCal. Out of that 2,400 kCal gets replenished by the food that I am taking, thus creating ~2,000 kCal deficit which is well within the 4,000 kCal deficit that I can sustain. So as long as the maths works, the next thing that I look for is the actual feeling of being full. In my experience a 800 kCal meal makes me full when staying highly active. Just for perspective - 800 kCal is something like eating a BigMac with fries.
I also take some sweets for when things get tough. It just works!
How does that work? I weigh ~72kg and I know I can safely go down to ~68kg, which gives me ~4kg of body fat that I can use. This translates into ~30,000 kCal which over 7 days spreads into ~4,000 kCal per day. My BMR is ~2,000 kCal, while hiking 40km burns ~2,400 kCal, taking my daily requirement to ~4,400 kCal. Out of that 2,400 kCal gets replenished by the food that I am taking, thus creating ~2,000 kCal deficit which is well within the 4,000 kCal deficit that I can sustain. So as long as the maths works, the next thing that I look for is the actual feeling of being full. In my experience a 800 kCal meal makes me full when staying highly active. Just for perspective - 800 kCal is something like eating a BigMac with fries.
I also take some sweets for when things get tough. It just works!
Other Gear
Here are some bits and pieces that I am taking to cater for the conditions expected during the hike and that deserve a special mention:
Thermos 0.75L
In my opinion a decent quality thermos is essential for 3+ season long distance hiking. It saves gas, energy and even lives! Whatever you get it should be double walled, reasonably light, and hold the heat well. Below is my basic thermos strategy explained.
I boil 1L of water right after waking up. I put 0.7L of water in the thermos and immediately use the remaining 0.3L to rehydrate the breakfast. Depending on the situation I may or may not use a little of the remaining thermos water for drinking tea/coffee. I then carry the full or almost full thermos in one of the side pockets of my pack for the rest of the day. This allows me to do the following:
If during the afternoon I have an opportunity to boil another 1L - I take it and refill the thermos. Should this happen then I am most likely to have enough hot water to even rehydrate my evening meal thus reducing the number of boils to 2 per day.
Thermos 0.75L
In my opinion a decent quality thermos is essential for 3+ season long distance hiking. It saves gas, energy and even lives! Whatever you get it should be double walled, reasonably light, and hold the heat well. Below is my basic thermos strategy explained.
I boil 1L of water right after waking up. I put 0.7L of water in the thermos and immediately use the remaining 0.3L to rehydrate the breakfast. Depending on the situation I may or may not use a little of the remaining thermos water for drinking tea/coffee. I then carry the full or almost full thermos in one of the side pockets of my pack for the rest of the day. This allows me to do the following:
- Make warm drinking water by mixing hot water from the thermos with the cold water I may collect on the way (remember we are in the 4 seasons scenario)
- Have my rehydrated lunch ready in a matter of 3 minutes
- Have a hot tea/coffee whenever I need
- Have hot water readily available in an emergency!
If during the afternoon I have an opportunity to boil another 1L - I take it and refill the thermos. Should this happen then I am most likely to have enough hot water to even rehydrate my evening meal thus reducing the number of boils to 2 per day.
18650 Headtorch
A headtorch is essential for hiking during the winter simply because the days are short, and it gets dark too quickly. A bright and powerful headtorch however greatly increases your ability to walk longer hours, because with experience you can walk in the dark. My own perception of this changed radically over the years after participating in several weekend long distance walking events. In this case (because of my 7 days plan) walking in the dark is unavoidable. I estimate that on average I will need to walk ~3 dark hours each day.
There are things to consider of course (remember we are still in the 4 seasons scenario).
You need to be sensible about this. While it is generally safe to be walking with a headtorch in the dark, there are situations when you simply don't want to do it - climbing of any sort, exposed mountain edges, cliff drops, difficult paths, being excessively tired, snow blizzards, etc.
You need to plan your power supply. Your headtorch should have a battery that can provide several days' worth of 2-3 hours bright shine per day. It should be able to withstand the wet and the cold. This is when 18650 rechargeable Li-Ion batteries come into play - they go up to 3,600 mAh in capacity and you can keep them warm in your pockets until you actually need them. They can also double as a powerbank.
A headtorch is essential for hiking during the winter simply because the days are short, and it gets dark too quickly. A bright and powerful headtorch however greatly increases your ability to walk longer hours, because with experience you can walk in the dark. My own perception of this changed radically over the years after participating in several weekend long distance walking events. In this case (because of my 7 days plan) walking in the dark is unavoidable. I estimate that on average I will need to walk ~3 dark hours each day.
There are things to consider of course (remember we are still in the 4 seasons scenario).
You need to be sensible about this. While it is generally safe to be walking with a headtorch in the dark, there are situations when you simply don't want to do it - climbing of any sort, exposed mountain edges, cliff drops, difficult paths, being excessively tired, snow blizzards, etc.
You need to plan your power supply. Your headtorch should have a battery that can provide several days' worth of 2-3 hours bright shine per day. It should be able to withstand the wet and the cold. This is when 18650 rechargeable Li-Ion batteries come into play - they go up to 3,600 mAh in capacity and you can keep them warm in your pockets until you actually need them. They can also double as a powerbank.
I still find my Ledlenser MH10 to be the perfect headtorch.
Ski goggles
I got a pair of reasonably priced S1+S3 goggles from Decathlon. This is the first time I'd be using these for hiking, but I think it makes complete sense in winter conditions. You need the S1 lens for dull weather as it makes everything nice and bright, while the S3 lens is used for when the sun is out. I made some test runs while cycling in Belgrade in December and I was very impressed, especially with how even the strongest wind seems to almost disappear.
I got a pair of reasonably priced S1+S3 goggles from Decathlon. This is the first time I'd be using these for hiking, but I think it makes complete sense in winter conditions. You need the S1 lens for dull weather as it makes everything nice and bright, while the S3 lens is used for when the sun is out. I made some test runs while cycling in Belgrade in December and I was very impressed, especially with how even the strongest wind seems to almost disappear.
CCF Pad
I think most people agree by now that lightweight inflatable mats are the way to go. I share the same view, however you can really improve the system by adding a thin closed cell foam layer below your inflatable:
Mine is 5mm thick, weighs 100 grams and does the job. I attach it outside the pack so that it is easily accessible and covers the back pocket from rain.
I think most people agree by now that lightweight inflatable mats are the way to go. I share the same view, however you can really improve the system by adding a thin closed cell foam layer below your inflatable:
- It eliminates the problem of your inflatable getting itself cold from being in direct contact with the ground - no claimed R value can save you from this!
- It adds friction - important as inflatables are often slippery
- It adds some puncture protection
- Adds a warm seat during breaks and around camp. Very useful in the morning for when my inflatable goes inside the pack, while I am still packing other stuff.
Mine is 5mm thick, weighs 100 grams and does the job. I attach it outside the pack so that it is easily accessible and covers the back pocket from rain.
External hose gas stove
I usually go with an integrated cooking system during the warmer months. For this hike I decided to go with a dedicated gas stove that allows to connect the gas canister through a flexible hose. Meaning you can keep the gas canister reasonably warm which is important in cold conditions.
I usually go with an integrated cooking system during the warmer months. For this hike I decided to go with a dedicated gas stove that allows to connect the gas canister through a flexible hose. Meaning you can keep the gas canister reasonably warm which is important in cold conditions.