This is the gear list for my walk and wild camping trip around Norfolk in March 2020. It was planned so I could be as self sufficient and isolated as possible due to the Covid-19 outbreak. I did make changes to the walk and the gear list during the walk. How the gear performed and the reasons for these changes are explained at the end of the list.
Link to my 200+ mile walk around Norfolk notes.
Update May 2020 I’ve added a second gear list for the second half of the walk, completed in May and much warmer weather.
| Around Norfolk Walk March 2020 0 to +20 | ||
| Norfolk Coast Path, Iceni Way and Angles Way. | ||
| CATEGORY | ITEM | WEIGHT |
| Rucksack | AtomPacks – Prospector – 60L | 1050 |
| Pack liner – Sea to Summit drybag – small | 80 | |
| Shelter | Tent – Lightwave S10 Sigma | 978 |
| Bag for above – Sea to Summit 13L drybag | 28 | |
| Pegs – various sizes including bag and spares | 167 | |
| Cloth – for tent condensation | 5 | |
| Sleep system | Mat – Klymit Inertia O Zone | 358 |
| Bag for above | 17 | |
| Sleeping Bag – PHD Hispar 400 K series | 744 | |
| Bag for above – Dyneema | 16 | |
| Socks – EDZ Liner 92% merino | 64 | |
| Baselayer – EDZ crew neck long sleeve top – 100% merino | 235 | |
| Baselayer – EDZ leggings – 100% merino | 215 | |
| Balaclava – EDZ 100% merino | 44 | |
| Jacket – Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer hooded jacket | 213 | |
| Bag for above – Dyneema | 12 | |
| Cook bag | Stove – Vargo Titanium Triad multifuel stove (meths) | 30 |
| Windbreak and alloy base | 43 | |
| Pot + Lid – Evernew 600ml | 92 | |
| Mug – Alpkit 400ml | 62 | |
| Knife – Deejo Naked pocket knife | 15 | |
| Spoon – Sea to Summit | 10 | |
| Matches – 1 box | 8 | |
| Gas Lighter | 21 | |
| Bag for above – Sea to Summit extra small | 15 | |
| Bag | First Aid Kit + Mirror bag | 218 |
| Repair Kit bag | 107 | |
| Wash Kit bag – inc. Towel and Soap Leaves | 90 | |
| Charging leads for Phone/Head torch & Ipod | 53 | |
| Bag for above – Dyneema | 13 | |
| Outside pack + | Phone/Camera/GPS/Mapping – Ulefone Armor 3W | 361 |
| in pockets | Compass | 34 |
| Head torch – Petzl Bindi rechargable 2/3/50hrs | 35 | |
| Reading Glasses + soft case | 35 | |
| iPod and ear phones | 156 | |
| Dry bag for above – Dyneema 1L | 12 | |
| Rubbish bag – Sea to Summit XS | 17 | |
| Water bottle – 2L Evernew | 40 | |
| Water bottle – 1L | 45 | |
| Waterfilter – MSR Guardian Water Purifier Pump | 640 | |
| Bag for above – MSR | 66 | |
| Toilet bag | kitchen roll and antibacterial wipes (for the day+) | 56 |
| Toilet trowel – The Duece 2 | 16 | |
| Dry bag for above – Dyneema 1L | 12 | |
| Spare clothes | Socks – EDZ Liner 92% merino | 64 |
| often in pack | Pants – EDZ Briefs 100% merino | 66 |
| Baselayer – Inov-8 AT/C short sleeve 64 % merino | 112 | |
| Jacket – Rab down bodywarmer | 287 | |
| Jacket – Rohan waterproof | 325 | |
| Trousers – EDZ innershell leggings (windproof & water resistant) | 64 | |
| Gloves – EDZ grip – merino | 41 | |
| Head Band | 21 | |
| Hat – EDZ Beanie 100% merino | 44 | |
| Dry bag for above – Sea to Summit Nano 13L – for wet clothes | 28 | |
| TOTAL = | 7580g | |
| Wearing | Boots – Inov-8 Roclite G 370 size uk 9.5 | 740 |
| Socks – EDZ all climate boot socks 34% merino | 98 | |
| Pants – EDZ boxers 100% merino | 90 | |
| Baselayer – EDZ zip collar long sleeve 200g 100% merino | 254 | |
| Jacket – EDZ microfleece full zip | 278 | |
| Trousers – Marmot | 395 | |
| Neck tube – EDZ – 100% merino | 51 | |
| Sun hat – Rohan | 100 | |
| Watch – Lorus | 64 | |
| Wallet – Cash, credit/debit cards, ID. In plastic bag | 100 | |
| TOTAL = | 2170g | |
| Consumables | ||
| Fuel – Methylated spirit | 500 | |
| Food | ||
| Loo Roll (kitchen roll) 100 | ||
| Wet Wipes (Antibaterial) 40 | 217 | |
| Resupply | ||
| Water 5L | 5000 | |
| Power pack – Anker Power Core 20000 mAh | 342 | |
| Food | ||
| Fuel – Meths | 500 | |
| Antiseptic wipes and Kitchen/Loo roll |
Reasons for the gear choices
My gear list allows for the fact that I live in the centre of Norfolk. This made it possible for my wife to resupply me every 3 or 4 days. The weather forecast was so good, so I didn’t end up taking the waterproof jacket listed above and I was only carrying a maximum of about 3kg of food, at anyone time. But it’s not always possible to filter water because of the low lying farmland nature of Norfolk, so at times I was carrying another 5kg of water. This would be less of an issue if you were not wild camping and eating dehydrated food all the time. It would have been easy to eat out more and stay in accommodation, if it hadn’t been for Covid-19.
Changes I made during the trip
The weather was dry as forecast but the wind was a lot colder than expected so I swapped the Rab bodywarmer for a Helly Hansen Lifaloft insulated jacket. This worked well and only added 38g to my pack weight.
I also found that I could feel the cold ground through my Klymit blowup mat. (The temperature had been dropping below freezing overnight). So I changed it for a Thermarest NeoAir Xtherm blow up mat, it takes a lot more blowing up, requiring me to take the pump sack as well as a separate pillow. It’s a bit of a pain not having the pillow attached to the mat as it is with the Klymit mat. This all added 168g to my pack weight but I was a lot warmer, more comfortable and I slept better, so I’m glad I made this change despite the extra weight.
Gear performance
The gear list for my walk around Norfolk was good for the weather conditions encountered and I would happily take it all again. But for the reasons described above, I would probably have made the changes from the start.
All the gear performed well and is mostly my usual wild camping set up, used and abused on many previous trips. The only item on the list that I hadn’t used before was the new Lightwave S10 Sigma single skin tent. I’m very pleased with it so far, because it was easy to pitch, stood up well in the wind and only had a minor issue with condensation. You can read my full review the tent here.
2nd Gear List for the Around Norfolk Walk
| Around Norfolk Walk – 2nd half May 2020 +8 to +25 | ||
| CATEGORY | ITEM | WEIGHT |
| Rucksack | AtomPacks – Prospector – 60L | 1050 |
| Tent | Tarptent Notch Li | 554 |
| Bag for above – Tarptent dyneema tent bag | 12 | |
| Pegs – including bag and spares. | 117 | |
| Sleep system | Quilt – Big Angus Kings Canyon – 227g primoloft silver synthetic insulation | 443 |
| Bag for above | 13 | |
| Sleeping mat – Klymit Inertia O Zone | 358 | |
| Sleeping mat – Thermarest Neo Air – small | 204 | |
| Pants – Rohan Alpha silver briefs | 51 | |
| Bag for above | 13 | |
| Cook bag | Stove – Vargo Titanium Triad multifuel stove (meths) | 30 |
| Windbreak and alloy base | 43 | |
| Pot + Lid – Evernew 600ml | 92 | |
| Mug – Alpkit 400ml | 62 | |
| Knife – Deejo Naked pocket knife | 15 | |
| Spoon – Sea to Summit | 10 | |
| Gas Lighter | 21 | |
| Bag for above – Sea to Summit extra small | 15 | |
| Food Bag – Ultrasil zip | 28 | |
| Bag | First Aid Kit + Mirror in bag | 218 |
| Wash Kit bag – Towel and Soap Leaves | 90 | |
| Outside pack | Maps | 35 |
| and in pockets | Phone/Camera/GPS/Mapping – Ulefone Armor 3W | 361 |
| Compass | 34 | |
| Head torch –Petzl Bindi rechargable 2/3/50hrs | 35 | |
| Water bottle – 2L Evernew | 40 | |
| Toilet bag | kitchen roll and antibacterial wipes (for the day+) | 56 |
| Toilet trowel – The Duece 2 | 16 | |
| Dry bag for above – Dyneema 1L | 12 | |
| Clothing | Socks – Rohan | 52 |
| often in pack | Midlayer – Rohan Microgrid Stowaway crew neck | 280 |
| Jacket – Montane windproof | 160 | |
| Jacket –Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer | 213 | |
| Head Band – Buff merino | 15 | |
| Hat – Buff merino | 20 | |
| Neck tube – Buff merino | 40 | |
| Bag for above – Dyneema | 16 | |
| TOTAL = | 4824g | |
| Gear worn or | Boots – Altra Lone Peak 4 mesh trail shoes – size uk 9 | 622 |
| carried in hands | Socks – Darn Tough Light Hiker 43% merino | 55 |
| Underwear – Rohan | 40 | |
| Baselayer – Rohan Equator Shirt | 184 | |
| Trousers – Rohan Trailblazers | 348 | |
| Sun hat – Rohan | 100 | |
| Walking Poles – Fizan – pair | 354 | |
| Watch – Lorus | 64 | |
| Wallet – Cash, credit/debit cards, ID. In plastic bag | 100 | |
| Total = | 1867g |
Further reading
How I plan a successful long distance walk
Cicerone book – The Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path
My Scottish National Trail gear Lists
My 1100 mile Dover to Cape Wrath walk
Wildwalkinguk is a blog run by myself in spare time, and I pay for its running costs myself. I do have some Amazon affiliate links and adverts on the site. If you click on these adverts or links and buy what you need (it doesn’t have to be the item I’ve linked to), the company will pay a small commission to us. This money goes towards the costs of hosting the blog. I would be extremely grateful if you could consider using our links when you next need to buy something from our advertisers. Alternatively, you can buy me a coffee here. Thank you so much for your support. Mark.
Love the photo of you camping on the beach. Curious on how found found stocking up on supplies during your trip? I struggled a bit with finding shops that were open on parts of the Peddars Way way when I did it in September.
Hi Richard
I carried a lot of dehydrated meals so I didn’t needed to resupply in shops during my walk around Norfolk. Due to Covid-19 I stayed away from people as much as possible. I live in Norfolk so I was lucky that my wife met up with me a number of times. She brought out more meals and most importantly, water. Water was the most difficult part of the walk and hard to find. I was often carrying 3 or 4 litres because there’s very few places to filter or buy it.
Thanks for your message.
Mark
Hi Mark,
I’m new to all this, I live just over the border in Lincolnshire and intend to do the peddars way and generally trapse around Norfolk wild camping when possible as the covid regs ease up.
Your comment about filtering water not being possible due to Norfolk being low lying caught my attention. I have recently just brought a grayl geopress with grand ideas of being able to filter water from the Broads (away from the sea end to avoid salt water) but though pretty much all other water sources would be fair game using a milbank bag and geopress.
Please educate me.
Love the blog, learning lots!
Cheers
Marc
Hello Marc
The filter system you have is reasonably basic and is best used from mountain streams or generally clean water. No filter suitable for hiking, that I know of filters chemicals. A lot of farmland and roads have chemical and oil run off into the rivers which can build up in the lower lying slow running rivers. I would guess this is especially a problem with broads water because it is extremely slow flowing and there are a lot of diesel and petrol boats. Sewerage is not uncommon in watercourses. The Broads are also tidal for a surprisingly long way inland so the same water can be flowing out and in again as the tide changes. Also I don’t know how far the salt water gets inland during the incoming tide.
Peddars Way is a good walk but hard to find water, so plan well. You’ve already done better than me, when I walked it I hadn’t considered the water and ran out and was thirsty for much of the walk.
I would set off with all water needed if possible or buy from shops and refill your bottles in pubs. Plan these resupplies at the start so you can predict how much to carry.
With the wild camping – it’s not strictly legal outside of Scotland and I get away with it because I put a lot of effort into not upsetting the land owners. Camp out of site, camp late, leave early, do not damage anything or leave litter of any sort, definitely no fires and keep the noise and lights low.
Norfolk and the whole country has good walks and is interesting, so I hope you enjoy your new hobby.
Many thanks for your message.
Mark
Thank you for such a swift and detailed reply.
All advice is taken on board.
I am hoping to keep to the lighter end of the scale as I thought turning 30 was hard, then I turned 40 and really noticed the physical decline 🤣🤣
So stocking along the way (where possible) will be the plan, although despite the lighter end of the scale I am in it for enjoyment, so won’t be going to the extremes of putting myself through extra hardship just to shave off that extra few grams.
I have some ‘wild camping’ experience but not of multi day longer distance walks. My ambitions are smaller than yours as I just wish to remain in the UK. At present though I am content to build up experience, kit, skills etc in the local area.
I agree completely about the leave no trace and respect etc principles I have read elsewhere on your site. I wish others did as well.
Anyways, I am waffling.
Thank you Mark, all the best and safe travels.
Thanks Marc, your message is much appreciated. And yes it’s all about enjoyment, not whos got the smallest – lightest pack.
Best of luck on your hikes.
Mark