#101 What gear for fastpacking?

Fastpacking is a fairly recent discipline, combining the world of trail running with that of trekking. You can see it as a trek covered at running pace, or as multi-day, self-supported trail running. The subtleties of this sport are best appreciated once you have trekking experience and good physical fitness. But covering long distances self-supported and traveling light more than rewards the effort put in! The gear to consider for being able to run for very long stretches without outside help must obviously be very light. After physical fitness, equipment is what will limit what is or isn't possible. Safety on a fastpacking outing will of course come from how quickly you can get yourself out of a tight spot, but also from the personal experience to know when to turn back. Knowing what your gear can do is therefore key to knowing what you can and cannot do. This article is our opportunity to talk to you about gear dedicated to fastpacking. Cooking, electronics, sleeping and carrying are covered, and you will find a complete list of what we take on this type of outing.

The cook kit

To avoid piling on weight too quickly, the strategy to adopt is to carry only the bare essentials. That is:

Rations

Within the cook kit, rations will account for by far the largest share of the total weight. In fact, it is ration-carrying capacity that limits a fastpacker's autonomy. To reduce weight, you can:

One last tip: when preparing your rations, aim for between 2500 and 3000 kcal/day. Any more and you will struggle to eat it all. Any less and you will underperform over time.

Utensils

Carrying titanium utensils considerably reduces weight. Titanium conducts heat very well: it heats up and cools down very quickly. That is a real plus in the field, especially since you don't have to wait for your pot to cool before washing/stowing it. A Spork combines fork, knife and spoon in one single object. Plastic models break quickly, but the titanium one does the job very well. The knife is useless, but if you prepare your food properly beforehand, you rarely need to cut anything. The cup will serve as a bowl for eating and a mug for drinking. The diameter must be large enough that the stove's flame does not spill over the sides but properly heats the underside of the cup. A 115 mm diameter is perfect for that. As for capacity, 700 ml offers a compromise between holding enough for a freeze-dried meal (eaten directly from the pouch) and not taking up too much space. Some models let you store the stove, gas and fire starter inside.

Stove + gas

When it comes to the stove, there are two schools of thought. The first is to take wood-burning stoves. That way, you only carry the stove, not the fuel. The second is to go with very light gas stoves. The MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe really tipped the scales toward the second option. This stove offers very good wind protection, has a piezo igniter to start it, and delivers very high efficiency. All for barely 80 grams. Finally, a fire starter ensures the stove will work. Even if it has a built-in piezo, piezos don't like moisture and sand. A fire steel or matches guarantee you a hot meal at the end of the day.

The electronics

Electronics now occupy a prominent place in our gear. For one, the phone follows us on our adventures, letting us take photos, store route descriptions and navigate on topographic maps. To this means of navigation, you can add a GPS watch with navigation capabilities. The heart rate strap naturally complements the watch. As you already know, we love heart rate zones here at Montagneur. A piece of gear that is perhaps less common around here is the GPS beacon. It is a satellite geolocation and communication device. This gadget lets you share your GPS position live with your loved ones, and/or alert rescue services. It is not common in Europe, because rescue services are usually free, well organized, and network coverage is extensive. But even the United States does not have this combination, and a beacon offers extra insurance in case of trouble. Some models even let you pull weather reports directly from the field. A headlamp may potentially be necessary. Go for a trail-type model if you plan to move at night. However, you can leave it at home if you only plan to travel with the sun. So here we have:

The big downside of electronics is that they need power to work… Depending on the length of your adventure, a power bank can be an option to guarantee juice over the long haul. These batteries are heavy, and we advise you instead to save as much energy as possible. You can put your phone in airplane mode, reduce your watch's recording frequency and avoid talking to the whole world with your beacon.

The sleep system

Unlike ultratrail, not sleeping at night is not a good strategy in fastpacking. It is possible to skip one night, but your brain will no longer be alert enough on the second day to move safely, all the more so since you don't have the support framework a race provides. You will need to plan something to rest for a few hours. And this time, unlike trekking, don't expect to spend comfortable nights here. In our view, the kit here includes:

Once again, you will need to keep weight under control, and the best way is to undersize your protection. That starts with leaving the tent at home and opting for a bivy. A bivy is a waterproof sack into which you slide your sleeping bag and pad (to protect it from the ground). The bivy's weight should not exceed 500 grams; otherwise, you might as well go with a tent. Another advantage of the bivy is that there is no need to pitch it. If rain is on the way, you can keep running, then collapse from fatigue into the bivy at the end of the downpour. The bivy is also more robust (no poles to break). For the sleeping bag, you will need to go with ultralight models and not rely on it too much. Taking a bag with slightly less fill also saves weight, and you can always supplement it with a puffy jacket and a fleece. Finally, the sleeping pad must have a good R-value (\>3) while remaining light. Nothing better to solve this equation than going with short inflatable pads. Don't forget the patches. With an Outdoor Reseach Helium bivy + Therm-a-Rest Hyperion 0 + Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite Small = 1200 grams.

Carrying and hydration

The backpack mirrors the discipline: a mix between trail running and trekking. The chest section features flask holders and a multitude of pockets for storing food and other small items. The rear section is one large storage volume, without too many accessories, to keep weight to a minimum. A 25-liter capacity is a minimum to preserve future flexibility, and 35 liters is an absolute maximum to keep running enjoyable. Hydration is handled, according to your preferences, by flasks and/or a hydration bladder. If the water must be treated before drinking, a fast water filter comfortably replaces Micropure-type tablets. Although less effective, a filter lets you drink right away, and therefore carry less water for the stretch ahead. A dedicated filter makes more sense than bottles with a built-in filter if you like drinking electrolyte mixes during exercise. Few gear makers offer packs suited to fastpacking. We can nevertheless count on Salomon and Ultimate Direction to offer us their XA (unisex) and FastPack (men's and women's versions) series. Raidlight and Oxsitis also have interesting models, but beware of the fragility of these products. Especially if you plan to carry an ice axe.

The rest

The remaining items are not specific to fastpacking. Below we give you the rest of our list with product examples. With this selection, you end up with a dry weight (no water or food) of 6.5 kg. Note that this is not the weight you will carry, since it includes the clothes and shoes you will be wearing.

The complete list

Finally, to wrap up, here is the blank list as a source of inspiration.

This gear is not necessarily suited to every situation. This list is an example, to be adapted to the conditions you are going to encounter.