Te Araroa FKT Gear List (2.82kg/6.13lbs) In January and February 2024, we (Maddie and Tom) set the self-supported FKT for Te Araroa hiking ~3030km in 54 days 14 hours. The guidelines distinguishing between supported, self-supported and unsupported FKTs can be found here .
Below is the list of gear we took with us. If you have any questions, please feel free to comment on the page or reach out to us via social media!
Total weight in list: 8178g/288.47ozIndividual base weight: 2782g/6.13bs
Sleeping Item Product Notes Weight (g/oz) Tent Durston X-Mid Pro 2 DCF floor. Strong, durable and quick to set up. 509/17.95 Stakes DAC J-stake, RT90 Swiss Piranha 4x DAC (10.7g each) for main tie outs and 4x Swiss Piranah (3.2g each). Stored in 3g Toaks stake bag. 59/2.08 Sleeping mat Plastazote LD15 Carry one each at 68g. 5mm thick and cut to 96cmx92cm. 136/4.80 Sleeping bag Zpacks 0C Twin Quilt Short length (168cm). 530/18.70 Earplugs Not much Total 1234/43.52
Clothes carried Item Product Notes Weight (g/oz) Synthetic jacket Enlightened Equiptment Torrid 202g each. 2oz/yd² CLIMASHIELD APEX synthetic insulation, 7D fabric, fullzip. 404/14.25 Fleece pants Zero G Gear Alpha Direct Pants 90gsm, 95g each. 190/6.70 Buff OR Echo One each at 20g. 40/1.41 Rain jacket Inov8 Raceshell Pro FZ (Tom), GORE R7 Shakedry (Maddie) 194/6.84 Rain pants Zpacks Vertice (Tom), Montbell Versalite (Maddie) 170/6.00 Poncho Emergency poncho One each (45g). With cord added to cinch arm sleeves. 90/3.17 Gloves Polartech Fleece Flip Top Mittens 44g/pair. Excellent. Flip top mitten is versatile and warmer than gloves. 88/3.10 Rain mitts Oven Bags Medium, 10g each. Chord added to cinch around wrist. 20/0.71 Spare underwear ExOfficio Briefs One spare pair each (27g). 56/1.98 Spare socks Injinji Toe Liners 34g/pair. x2 spare walking pairs each and x1 sleeping pair each. 204/7.20 Spare insoles Spenco RX Comfort Insoles Spare insoles that are comfortable for road walking. 50g/pair. 100/3.53 Head net Sea to Summit One each at 10g. Permethrin treated. 20/0.71 Plastic shoe ponchos DIY job Chord to cinch at top, velcro to attach to shoes. 17g each. 34/1.20 Total 1610/56.79
Electronics Item Product Notes Weight (g/oz) Phone iPhone 13 Mini Carried one each at 152g with case. 304/10.72 SOS/Satellite communication inReach Mini For safety, texting, weather forecast and FKT verification. 100/3.53 Power bank Nitecore NB10000 Carried two at 150g each to reduce charging time in towns. 300/10.58 Headphones Airpods Pro Essential gear. 50/1.76 iPhone cable Short length, 1x USB C, 1x USB A. 8/0.28 USB C cable Short length, carried two. 10/0.35 Micro USB cable Short length, USB A. 5/0.18 Cable adapters For redundancy. Carried USB C → Garmin, iPhone → Garmin, iPhone → USB C, USB C → iPhone, USB C → micro. 7/0.25 Head torch Nitecore NU 25 One each at 31g. Homemade UL strap. 62/2.19 Backup head torch Nitecore NU 25 No strap. 24/0.85 Wall plug 20W Carried two (40g), each with two ports for faster charging in town. 80/2.82 Spare headphones Generic For when we accidentally drop our Airpods in the river… 10/0.35 Total 960/33.86
First Aid & Repair Item Product Notes Weight (g/oz) Mini scissors With safety cap. 5/0.18 Needle and thread Also for popping blisters. 2/0.07 DCF tape Zpacks For patching gear. 2/0.07 Superglue For big cuts and repairing stuff. 2/0.07 Cord Zpacks 1.3mm For repairs. 3/0.11 Hiker wool For blisters. 1/0.04 Poron foam PPT. For deflecting pressure. 5/0.18 Total 20/0.71
General consumables Item Product Notes Weight (g/oz) Ibuprofen For pain relief and inflammation. 4/0.14 Paracetamol For pain relief. 4/0.14 Antihistimines For bites etc. 3/0.11 Caffeine tablets 200mg tablets. 3/0.11 Lip balm Carmex Mini. For lips/face. 14/0.49 Water purification Aquatabs 2/0.07 Sunscreen For legs. 15/0.53 Zinc Key Sun Zinke Sticks For face. SPF 50+. 6/0.21 Toothpaste 5ml tube. 6/0.21 Hand sanitiser In 15ml dropper bottle. 15/0.53 Insect repellent Picaridin In 5ml dropper bottle. 6/0.21 Total 78/2.75
Footcare items Item Product Notes Weight (g/oz) Lubricant Gurney Goo 30/1.06 Moisturiser Rawleigh’s Salve 30/1.06 Friction reduction tape ENGO patches Our go to for blister prevention. 10/0.35 Breathable tape Fixomull stretch 3/0.11 Kinesiology tape Rock tape For blisters and injury management. 3/0.11 Rigid tape Leukotape Good for distributing shear load over a broader surface area. 5/0.18 Duct tape Makeshift ENGO patches and for repairing gear. 3/0.11 Adhesive felt 5mm thickness. For deflecting pressure for blisters and changing foot strike pattern. 10/0.35 Toe gels Scholl Multiple sizes. 3/0.11 Splinter probes Puncture blisters. Individually sealed. 1/0.04 Hydrocolloid plasters Various (Compeed, Scholl, BandAid) Various sizes/shapes. For torn roof blisters. 3/0.11 Tincture of Benzoin Tape adherent. In 5ml dropper bottles. 7/0.25 Joint dressing Livingstone – Small (3.8 x 7.6cm) For edge blisters/hotspots. Also for cuts on rest of body. 3/0.11 Epsom salt For foot soaks in the evening. 30/1.06 Baby powder For drying macerated feet. 30/1.06 Total 171/6.03
Miscellaneous Item Product Notes Weight (g/oz) Pack Nashville Bridge 30L 380g each. Extremely comfortable vest-style pack with lots of pockets. 2x chest straps. 760/26.8 Pack liner Nylofume 3x at 28g each. One each for food, and one for clothes/sleeping bag. 84/2.96 Water bottle Woolworths 1L 4 x 1L plastic bottle with 28mm thread and pop top. 132/4.66 Water filter Platypus quickdraw Replaced every 1000km. 63/2.22 Rehydration container Gatorade container. One to share. 34/1.20 Spoon Sea to Summit Tea Spoon One each (6g). 12/0.42 Sun umbrella Montbell Travel UV One each (130g). Used almost every day. Keeps you much cooler. 260/9.17 Dry bags 2x 8L DCF dry bag (25g) for sleeping bag and dry clothes. 50/1.76 Stuff sacks 4x 0.5L (2.5g) for misc items (poncho, buff, head net, gloves etc.) 10/0.35 Toothbrush One each (3g). 6/0.21 Hair comb For Maddie. 2/0.07 Massage ball Practice Golf Ball One each (4g). Used every day on feet muscles. 8/0.28 Exfoliator Lightweight pumice stone. One each (4g). Used every day for foot maintenance. Replaced every 600km. 8/0.28 Bidet Culoclean 11/0.39 Cards ID/debit. 6/0.21 Cash ~$200 NZD. For trail angels, shuttles etc. 5/0.18 Plastic shoe covers 20g/pair and 50cm tall. For nightly foot soaks and dry feet for small river crossings. 40/1.41 Total 1491/52.59
Clothes worn (Tom) Item Product Notes Weight (g/oz) Long sleeve shirt Rab Pulse 1/4 Zip. Super breathable. SPF30. 100/3.53 Running tights Nike Trail Lava Loops Lots of pockets but fabric isn’t breathable enough. 180/6.35 Underwear ExOfficio Briefs 28/0.99 Shoes Hoka Speedgoat 5 2E (wide fit) for more space. 560/19.75 Socks Arma Skin Long style. Excellent for preventing blisters. 40/1.41 Gaiters Trail Gaiters Australia Lightweight but not very durable. 25/0.88 Hat Sunday Afternoons Sport Hat Great sun protection. Trimmed the brim so it doesn’t get caught in the wind as much. 60/2.12 Sunglasses Julbo Shield M Cat 2-4 photochromic sunglasses. 27/0.95 GPS watch Garmin 965 With nylon strap. For FKT verification with good battery life and to navigate courses with topo maps. 42/1.48 Trekking poles Leki Ultratrail FX One Superlite Poles 120cm. Uses their glove system. 270/9.52 Total 1332/46.98
Clothes worn (Maddie) Item Product Notes Weight (g/oz) Long sleeve shirts Rab Pulse 1/4 Zip. Super breathable. SPF30. 100/3.53 Shorts Nike Trail Running Shorts Lots of pockets. 135/4.76 Underwear ExOfficio Briefs 28/0.99 Shoes Hoka Speedgoat 5 2E (wide fit) for more space. 560/19.75 Socks Arma Skin Long style. Excellent for preventing blisters. 40/1.41 Gaiters Trail Gaiters Australia Lightweight but not very durable. 25/0.88 Hat Sunday Afternoons Sports Hat Great sun protection. DIY modification to make brim smaller so it doesn’t get caught in the wind as much. 60/2.12 Sunglasses Julbo Shield M Cat 2-4 photochromic sunglasses. 27/0.95 GPS watch Garmin 955 Solar With nylon strap. Good battery life and navigate courses with topo maps. 42/1.48 Trekking poles Leki Ultratrail FX One Superlite Poles 115cm. Uses their glove system. 265/9.35 Total 1282/45.22
Thank you for sharing
Where did you pick up a Plastazote LD15 Sleeping mat? Clark Rubber?
It was a bit of a pain. We had to get it from the UK in bulk from wearefoam as they were the only place we could find that had a 2 person width.
Thank You
Really well done both of you. You certainly know how to travel but not for us! Keep it up.
Our comment should have come from Anne and Mick!
Did u find the stiff runners helped?]
Did u find the stiff runners helped?
The plastic shoe ponchos?
I’ve never found a light camp shoe. can you elaborate on these please?