My first tramp was in 1976. Over the next 9 years I did a lot of tramping. Mostly in the Tararuas, but also to Aurthur's Pass, (the then) North-West Nelson Forest Park, Tongariro National Park. It was the era of H-framed canvas packs, PVC coats, wollen jumpers and singlets, and heavy leather boots. Closed-cell foam only started to be used a couple years after I started tramping. For cooking it was a white-spirit stove or a fire. So when I think about gear, it's informed by that experience, and in particular by tramping in the Tararuas.
My first tramp was led by our assistant Sea Scout leader, Clarke Halverson. Three years earlier he'd been on a scout trip towards Dundas hut. In bad visibility the scoutmaster got separated from the group and was never seen again. It led to one of the largest unsuccessful search and rescue operations ever in the Tararuas. So right from the start, the fact that people could die in the hills and the importance of good, durable gear was impressed on me. I've always carried more gear than I needed, and more food than I needed, and worried about worst-case scenarios and could I manage if they occurred. Which is not a bad thing! Especially in the Tararuas where the weather can change so quickly. They say you pack for your fears, and basically, every tramp I've been on I've packed for bad conditions in the Tararuas.
But… Gear has changed a lot in the past decades. Most of Te Araroa is not the Tararuas in bad weather. Most of my tramping was done when I was younger, fitter, could carry more, and a heavy pack was a point of pride. And the ultralight rabbit-hole is lots of fun to go down!
The pack on the left is made by Cactus Outdoor. It's waterproof, will stand up to just about anything, will fit everything I need and have room left over. I've used it a lot and it's never let me down. It carries 75l and weighs just under 3kg. The pack on the left is made by Zpacks. It's waterproof, will definitely not stand up to heavy wear and only fits so much in. I've used it for tramps up to 4 days. It carries 38l and weighs 300gm. The two packs sum up to me the difference between handling any conditions in the Tararuas and going ultralight.
When buying gear with Te Araroa in mind, we're going to be keeping both of those extremes in mind. Leaning as much as we can towards ultralight, but keeping in mind the conditions we'll face, the comfort we'll need, and what our bodies will be able to cope with. At this stage in our lives, we're not that constrained by budget, and I've always been a believer in the value of good quality outdoors gear.
We'll document some of our gear purchases as we go along.