I walked these three trails back to back in June 2018 and this list reflects that time of year.

Starting from the bottom up…

CLOTHES

• Shoes – Brooks Cascadias, non-goretex. Since hiking the PCT in 2015 these shoes have been my favourite hiking shoes and I prefer non-goretex as they dry quicker and breathe better. Most people were wearing boots on the West Highland Way, but I felt fine in these shoes with my ankle brace that I’ve been wearing post ankle-op
• Sandals – i took my Teva Tirra sandals for wearing in the evenings and in the showers
• Socks x 3 – Darn Tough merino socks, two for hiking in and one pair for sleeping in
• Hiking pants – I wore a pair of North Face hiking pants instead of my usual skirt because of the presence of ticks and midges
• Knee braces – for my dodgy knees (both feeling a bit worn out!)
• Long sleeve hiking shirt x2 – Patagonia capilene (I wore one and washed it daily and slept in the other)
• Baselayer pants – to sleep in
• Underpants x 2 – Exofficio
• Sports bra – Patagonia
• Buff – I always take one as it can protect my neck from the sun or keep me warm
• Down jacket – some nights camping were quite cold and I slept in my Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer down jacket, otherwise, it’s so light that it’s good to carry just in case
• Rain gear – TrekMates Poncho – this poncho has been tested quite a lot lately (Portugal, Spain and Japan) and performs fine
• Hat – I’m still using my Prana truckers hat that I wore on the PCT, it’s the only hat I’ve found big enough to cover my nose!
• Sunglasses – Dirty Dog Kee Kee – Polarized – until I dropped them and stepped on them at Glencoe Mountain Resort, then I just had my hat for the rest of the time in Scotland 😦

BACKPACK & ACCESSORIES

• Backpack – Gossamer Gear Mariposa
• Backpack raincover
• Backpack liner – Gossamer Gear Clear Waterproof Pack Liners – these are cheap, see through and last ages
• Dry bags – inside pack to compartmentalise gear
• Guidebooks
• • West Highland Way: ‘Walking the West Highland Way‘ by Terry Marsh
  • Great Glen Way: ‘Walking the Great Glen Way‘ by Paddy Dillon
  • Speyside Way: I hadn’t actually planned to do this walk so I picked up ‘The Speyside Way‘ map by Footprint at the Aviemore Tourist Office and this worked out fine as it was written in the direction I was walking
• Ziplock bags – good for packing out rubbish as well as leftover food
• Water bottle –  I took a Water-to-go 750ml bottle which meant I could fill up from anywhere as it has a water filter within the bottle. I also carried a 2l platypus water storage for days when I needed to carry more water
• Hiking poles – Pacer Poles – I’ve been using these since my very first long distance walk, the Camino Frances in 2013
• Headlamp – Petzl Tikka 2 – I’ll always take it even when I’m not camping, but it really didn’t get dark enough to use this on this trip!
• Clothes Line – I have the lifeventure pegless clothes line and it is the most used item I own!
• Towel – Ultralight Packtowel – this is so light that I keep it in my pack and I did need it at a couple of hostel’s where towels weren’t included
• Ear plugs – useful if you’re a light sleeper
• Eye mask – useful when camping when the sun doesn’t set in summer in Scotland!
• Foldable daypack – Sea to summit Ultra Sil 20l pack – this is a bit of a luxury item but at 68 grams, it’s worth it and I use it around towns or to take my things into the shower

CAMPING

• Tent – Big Agnes Copper Spur UL1 – I took a freestanding tent as I had no idea what type of surfaces I would be pitching it on each night and this tent worked great
• Sleeping bag – Western Mountaineering Alpinlite 20F down sleeping bag, this is the same bag I used on the PCT and for the most part it was too hot for this trip, but there were a couple of nights at the beginning where I was really cold so I would probably stick with this year round and be hot rather than cold. I also took a waterproof compression bag for it
• Sleeping mat – Women’s NeoAir Xlite, the same one I’ve had since the PCT

ELECTRONICS

• Camera – I carried a Fujifilm XT2 with a 10-24mm lens on a Peak Design pro capture clip on my shoulder
• Phone with headphones – I used my iPhone as a second camera and to listen to music
• Garmin 62s GPS
• Chargers – for camera & phone
• Spare batteries – AAA for headlamp and AA batteries for GPS
• Plug with USB sockets

TOILETRIES & FIRST AID

• Multi-purpose Soap – I used a small bottle of Lifeventure multi-purpose soap for shampoo, soap and washing my clothes
• Toothbrush & toothpaste
• Trowel, toilet paper, tissues and ziplock bags
• FirstAid Kit – bandaids, needle and thread, antiseptic cream, sunscreen, lip balm, scissors, tweezers, antibacterial hand gel, painkillers, anti-inflammatories and anti-histamines