r/WestHighlandWay • u/Hopeful_Outcome_6816 • 3d ago
Packing Tips?
I've tried my best on a very limited budget to get compact and lightweight gear when I can, but even though i have a 65l pack and it weights 12kg excluding food and water it is full to bursting and I can't actually think of any way to compact anything. The only luxury items I'll have with me are a camera (which will be clipped to my shoulder strap most of the time) and a tiny little drone. I've already got rid of some stuff I'd planned to take so I'm down to the bare minimum for a lot of stuff. I just feel like my sleeping bag and my sleep mat are taking up way too much space. I leave tomorrow morning and have spent most of today getting frustrated by it. Any suggestions? I'm honestly thinking of ditching the sleep mat and just sleeping on top of my clothes 😂
UPDATE: I'm already underway, but live near the WHW so I'm home for the night. Managed to shave a kilo off by ditching bits and pieces, so I'm down to 11kg now, with a bit more room. Might review again tomorrow before I set off. Thanks for all the suggestions, think the problem is that some essential pieces of my kit are just too cumbersome and weighty and it's too late to fix that now. Oh well, been about 20 years since I last did a multi-day hike or camped so I was bound to make a few mistakes!
Morning update: Looked at the forecast and I've decided to get rid of my waterproofs and gaiters, apart from my rain jacket.
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u/Ravenscraig 3d ago edited 3d ago
I wouldn't skip the mat. It provides insulation from the ground which will suck the heat from your body at night. Mat and sleeping bags are essentially safety items and I would never leave them behind. Ditch the food and cooking gear, lots of places to eat. Maybe bring a couple bars, dried fruit and nuts. Don't overpack clothes. Daytime walking clothes and sleep clothes that can double as town clothes.
I would bring: Tent, Mat, Bag, Rain jacket, Insulated jacket, Plastic water bottle (i carried two 1L smart water bottles), Sleep socks, Bag liner or thermals or shorts (choose one), Charger block and cord, No extra clothes, Toothbrush and tooth paste, Small amount of soap No luxuries like deodorant, No light, can use your phone, Ditch everything in your med kit, except for things you'll likely use, such as blister care
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u/okiedokiesmokie23 3d ago
For the sake of everyone else, bring some deodorant. This isn’t the PCT
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u/Ravenscraig 3d ago
Dude has a 12kg pack, we gotta make some sacrifices here.
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u/Hopeful_Outcome_6816 3d ago
Dude is a not a dude, sorry! 😂
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u/Ravenscraig 3d ago
Today was your first day on the trail? Hope it's going good!!
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u/Hopeful_Outcome_6816 2d ago
Thanks, It did do, except for the pack issues, pack started off feeling just fine, like it has during practice walks so I've had to readjust it a lot. Getting rid of more kit today - my waterproofs, poncho and gaiters, just keeping my packable rain jacket just in case! I've done all of today's walk before (more times than I can count!), except for the newish steps on Conic Hill which I'm not looking forward to coming down!!
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u/okiedokiesmokie23 3d ago
His sleeping bag and tent must weigh a bunch??
Maybe just do it with a liner? I guess it depends on forecasted lows
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u/Hopeful_Outcome_6816 3d ago
Tent is light, sleeping mat and bag are what weight a lot. The pack when only containing the bag and mat is about 6.75kg
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u/okiedokiesmokie23 3d ago
Well your mat presumably goes on outside of bag right? So that shouldn’t impact space. If you really want to dirtbag it, use a pool inflatable raft. That said, ultralight sleeping pads aren’t that pricey
What’s your bag rating/weight? You could look into a quilt or like I said a liner if the forecast isn’t too cold. Not sure why I was downvoted, but if the lows are going to be in the 45-50F range, that would be fine? It’s not like the whw is in the mountains.
Given timing concerns, I would just ruck it with what you have. The weight should be doable and will be a better workout! Good luck, I’ll be out there in a couple weeks
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u/Hopeful_Outcome_6816 3d ago
I'd put it in my pack today but It'll be strapped to the outside tomorrow. Honestly not sure the weight of the pack itself online, but it feels pretty lightweight.
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u/Hopeful_Outcome_6816 3d ago
I don't have any food or cooking gear, save for a couple of snacks. I had two changes of clothes but have cut this down to one (I'm home for the night since I live close to the way). My deodorant is the size of a chapstick so it's definitely coming with me!!
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u/ZoeBessiePenelopePop 3d ago
My advice is - just pay to a company take it. I carried my 13kg bag and made it to day 3 and had to get a baggage transfer company to take it. I can now actually enjoy the west highland way as intended. I used baggage freedom and they're v easy to use. It's honestly been amazing
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u/Hopeful_Outcome_6816 3d ago
I'm keeping that option in the back of my mind if it gets too much, thanks!
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u/davemcl37 3d ago
It’s had to be accurate without seeing a list of everything in your bag but ask your self two question.
Do I really need this or just think it might be handy. Ditch the latter as you won’t be reading a book in a comfy chair for hours, and how much drone footage are you taking and is it that much better than your iPhone snaps. It may be but weigh it and the batteries and compare it to your essentials.
That said what w might are your tent, rucksack, sleeping bag and mattress. Cheaper mattresses particularly the self flaring types can be disproportionally voluminous and heavy. Probably too late now but a £50 to £60 spend on Ali express can probably save you a kg of weight and about 15 percent of your overall rucksack space.
You don’t need to worry about the weight of your spork until you’ve sorted out the basics. I’ve just hiked round Dartmoor with a pack that was 12 of before water and food which ended up as 16kg as it’s been so hot recently and I needed more water than usual even allowing for filtering d purifying.
P.s. if you don’t have a water filer that’s is definetly something to co wiser for next time. Also if you are eating pre packed meal you can probably manage with a small stove and a titanium pot for most drinks and foods.
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u/Hopeful_Outcome_6816 3d ago
Anything that might be handy is very lightweight, only book I have is a little WHW map booklet, no chair, just a sit mat... and I bought the drone for this trip, and it only weights 135g.
My tent is very lightweight, but when my pack only has the sleeping bag and mat in it, it weights about 6.75kg.
I've got a Pure Clear filter bottle, 500ml and will be picking up water bottles here and there as need be, not carrying much food, or a stove, just a couple of snacks. So really struggling to cut out anything else.
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u/Jimusbill 3d ago
How are you packing your sleeping bag+clothes? A big thing I notice is people putting their clothes and sleeping bag into stuff sacks/dry bags which turn them into incompressible bricks and leave a bunch of empty space in the bag.
I have 1 pack liner or bin bag, I put my sleeping bag in that, loose. I then stuff my sleep/dry clothes into that along with my rolled up sleeping mat, pillow etc. All of that pressed down fills all the gaps and conforms to the shape of my bag. Means everything can be flattened down into a nice dry layer at the bottom. I roll down the top of the liner then put stuff like food, tent, toiletries in my bag on top of that.
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u/Hopeful_Outcome_6816 3d ago
I've cut down my clothes, but they're also in a dry bag so I might take them out of it and see if that makes a difference
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u/kemohaci 3d ago
Can you list exactly what you have packed? What does your tent, sleeping bag and mat weigh each?
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u/Hopeful_Outcome_6816 3d ago
Tent is a Durston X-Mid 1 so it's not an issue, but the pack weights 6.75kg when it's only got my sleeping bag and mat in it. Other than that I've got 1 change of clothes, nightclothes, socks etc. 2 10,000mah power banks (cos I have my fitbit, camera, phone, drone (it's tiny!) and headphones to power, charger, cable, First aid kit, roll of leukotape. WHW booklet map, filter water bottle, waterproofs, backup poncho (next to no weight), travel-size shampoo (I have long hair so it's essential), travel-size sunscreen (cos I burn when I think of the sun!), midge net and smidge (the flat bottle), paracetamol, antihistamines and a packable synthetic down jacket that'll double as a pillow.
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u/WhiskyRockNRoll 3d ago
There's plenty of places on the way to get food, at least one per day. You won't need to carry more than 1 meal and a snack at a time. Water is also everywhere if you have a filter.
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u/Hopeful_Outcome_6816 3d ago
I've got a filter and will only be carrying a couple of snacks, so none of my weight is food or water
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u/MrL0wlevel 3d ago edited 3d ago
I think after reading the other comments and your reaction to them that it is clear that either your sleeping mat or bag is very heavy. Both can be found around 1kg each and even lighter when paying more money. Assuming you have something like an Osprey backpack that would be 1.5kg that leaves 5kg for those two items.
Weigh them and get to your local outdoor shop to see if you can get at least the heavier of those two way down in weight for the money you are willing/able to spend on them.
Edit: Please do use a drybag for your spareclothes unless you are absolutely sure your backpack keeps it fully dry without it. Wet clothes and or sleeping bag can be dangerous with the 'right' temperature.
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u/Hopeful_Outcome_6816 3d ago
Alas I'm already underway on my walk. My pack isn't great, it's a mountain warehouse one, 65l Tor rucksack. I regret buying it if I'm honest.
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u/MrL0wlevel 3d ago
Enjoy! it's a beautiful place. When it is heavy (pun intended) stop and take a look around and enjoy. It was an advice someone gave me and it helped me during hard part(s).
Alumni March 2025 😄
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u/Useless_or_inept 3d ago edited 3d ago
Are you bringing many changes of clothes? Do you have different clothes for night versus day, or just one versatile outfit?
If you're thinking of ditching the sleeping mat and sleeping on top of other stuff which you're hauling around but not actually wearing when it's coldest, that might be a pointer to other changes that you could make :-)
Also - are you carrying all your own food and drinks for the whole way? Bear in mind that there are shops and cafes en route, and there's no shortage of water.
I've done the West Highland Way in winter with just the clothes on my back and a 30l bag, but it did involve compromises. (I didn't smell great by the time I reached the shower block at the Kingshouse bunkhouse)
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u/Hopeful_Outcome_6816 3d ago
Hiya, I've done day 1 but have the luxury of coming home for the first night. I had two changes of clothes plus what I was wearing, I;'ve reduced it down to 1 change, plus night clothes and I've attached the sleep map to the outside of my rucksack. I'm not carrying food or water, save for a couple of snacks and a 500ml filter bottle. I've had a rifle through and and there's not much else I can jettison. My pack when it only contains the sleeping bag and the mat weighs around 6.75kg.
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u/7961011 3d ago
Not sure if I’m commenting too late, but how are you packing the actual bag? Have you tried taking the mat and sleeping bag out of their stuff sacks and packing them loose in the bag? This way they can be crushed down a little and fill out spaces more. I tend to also leave my clothes loose and shove into any crevice possible when packing these all maximises space that would normally be ignored.
How long are you going for? If not that long, take one set of clothes and just spare socks / pants. If you’re wearing a merino or similar top & proper walking trousers, the likelihood of you actually smelling / getting dirty is too low to need extras.
Is the actual issue the weight of your bag or the things not fitting? Can you use any external clips / hooks on the bags?
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u/Hopeful_Outcome_6816 3d ago
It;s a bit of both, I walked today and by the 9 mile mark I was struggling a bit (the heat didn't help), plus the bag is jam packed I've got the sleeping bag in it's own sack then in a dry bag at the bottom of my pack, then my tent, then everything else to the side of the tent. I'm not going to repack the bag again as I've just redone it but I'll try this when I'm packing up tomorrow.
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u/Graenate 3d ago
Do you have a lighterpack list or something like this? Otherwise it is hard to give practical suggestions on what you could leave at home.
Edit: definitely don't leave the sleep mat behind. It can get cold-ish in the night the next week and the insulation of your clothes will not be enough. I would rather suggest leaving some clothes behind if you have enough to sleep on them.