Gear List for Running the Sahara
Gear/Food List for Racing the Planet, Sahara Desert, Egypt.
My name is Terri and I’m a gear freak. For those with similar addictions, reap the benefits of my research and ongoing, destructive, product testing. Within the religion of going light and fast, this stuff works and I’ve spent way too much time thinking it all through to not share the wealth with you all.
In any case, I’m stuck with this stuff in the Sahara Desert for 7 days. The list is detailed, but for those of you thinking about doing some ultrarunning, fast-packing, ultra-triathloning or just crazy, cool, adventures where you wish to stay strong, go light and be coherent – it’s a solid reference.
Mandatory Equipment List (this are items required by the race organization):
My gear choices and why:
Backpack – Gregory, ISO, 20 liter. After scouring the Summer Outdoor Retailer Tradeshow for the perfect pack for this race, the ISO came out on top. This event will be a product test of this pack. It will be in shops in ‘06.
The ISO is ultra-light, compact, comfortable with all the features necessary for an event of this type—including:
• mesh pouches on both sides of the pack for bottles. mesh zipper pouches on both sides of the waste belt for easy to reach running food and camera
• small, thin and light compression straps
• rear zipper opening to allow you to refill your water bladder without removing the bladder from the pack
• Shoulder straps that are padded without overkill
• outer expandable compartment that zips closed when not in use
• NO extra/unnecessary bells and whistles. Simple, complete, ultralight.
If you want to go fast with excellent capacity – this is the perfect pack.
Sleeping Bag – Montbell, Super Stretch Down Hugger #5. Packs shockingly small, hugs the body for extra warmth, Minimum Temp: 28.4F, Total Weight: 1 lb 10 oz, Insulation: 650 Fill Down.
Headlamp and back up headlamp – Petzl Myo XP and a tiny pen light. The XP is light and small yet lights up the woods at night with 3 lighting levels. It uses 3, AA batteries that last for up to 170 hours – huge bang for its size, no need to bring back up batteries.
I may need my main light for our 50 mile day so it needs to be bright enough to run with. Got the smallest pen light I could find at a drug store.
NOTE: I used 2 Myo XP’s on a waist belt for Western States 100 – the battery packs as well as lights slid right onto a piece of tubular webbing attached with a fastex buckle.
Compass – my compass is in my HighGear Axis watch.
Safety pins (20)
Knife – Spiderco Ladybug – I will actually be using my knife in this race so I wanted one that would cut plastic, tape and fabric repeatedly, yet was light and small…it’s very cute as well :)
Whistle – The smallest I could find – a piece of mandatory gear that will probably get a ride through the desert without ever being touched – BUT a good thing to have along in a pinch
Space blanket – Smallest – good chance this will get used. Always carry a space blanket in any wilderness adventure. I have used mine countless times and it’s saved me from potential hypothermia. They are uncomfortable, non-breathable and loud, but are an excellent vapor barrier.
Signaling mirror – A small piece of plastic mirror made for backpacking. I bought the full mirror at an outdoor store and chopped a small piece off - a piece of mandatory gear that will probably get a ride through the desert without ever being touched - BUT a good thing to have along in a pinch.
Baseball cap or similar – Outdoor Research Solar Roller Hat; wide brim, lightweight –more coverage than a running hat, yet light and breathable – also SPF 30.
Sunglasses – Revo wraparound glasses with polarized lenses.
Windproof Jacket – Ultra-lightweight Patagonia Dragonfly – 4 oz. – packs into a bundle small enough to fit in your fist. Serious warmth from a feather weight jacket. This one saved my ass while sleeping on a jungle floor in a rainstorm in Fiji.
Running/Trail Shoes – Montrail, Hardrock – never leave home with out ‘em. I’m using a half size bigger than what I train in to accommodate for foot swelling. My all time favorite shoe. Stable, comfortable and bombproof on crappy terrain. These absorb a lot of foot shock – even with a heavy pack on. I used them recently/comfortably to climb part of Mt. Shasta while carrying a 40lb pack.
Electrolytes for 7 days – Succeed Electrolyte tabs – enough to take 1-2 every hour or so while running – these tabs have the highest grams of sodium and potassium per capsule so I can carry less and take them less often – also see recovery drink...
Blister Aid Kit –
- Injinji tsoks – what a cutting edge product! Each toe has it’s own little,
dry, friction-free, space in which to move and be happy.
- Elasticon tape – 3” – for heels - a few feet or so wrapped around a chopped off chopstick.
- Leukotape – 1.5” – for heels - a few feet or so wrapped around a chopped off chopstick.
- tincture of benzoin (put this on the skin before the tape job and the tape will stick for a few days).
- Silicon gel caps (3) – for 2 toes that always seem to blister no matter what.
- Hydropel – lubricates as well as keeps moisture out
- Engo pads – these are wrapped around the heel cup of my orthodics for a frictionless surface: to prevent sub-callous-deep-heel-blisters from forming (the religiously-painful kind). You can use these pads for any part of your shoe that creates excess friction or tension. Finally a pad to modify the actual shoe – NOT the foot!
7 day supply of food (the race requires that we bring a minimum of 2000 calories per day; I will bring approx. 2000 cal. per day plus running food. A typical day looks like the following:
- Breakfast: Alpine Aire dehydrated eggs or omelet or hot cereal, luxury item: Peets coffee, creamer (small metal mesh cup for brewing coffee)
- Running calories (approx. 1000-1500 per day – more for the 50 mile day): Carbo Pro and Perpetuem powders – both will be mixed into a thick paste and put in separate gel flasks (simple functional calories). I’ll be product/heat testing Clif Blocks (yummy new product – thanks Clif!), Gu2O sports drink (light and easy to put down when warm), water (provided by race organization). I may eat some of my snack foods if my stomach is off a bit.
- Post Run Recovery (taken immediately following each day of running: Ultragen recovery drink (2 scoops – 320 calories) mixed with packet of Oral Rehydration Salts (the Salts are like taking an oral IV – sodium 3.5 g., potassium 1.5 g. and glucose 20 g.). Ultragen has the perfect 4/1 ratio of carbo/protein as well as a serious dose of minerals, vitamins and electrolytes – a perfect recovery drink with a light clean flavor easy to toss down in a few minutes.
- Post Run Snacks: soup powders with cous cous added (chicken, split pea, corn chowder, miso – soup is my comfort food), Alpine Aire dehydrated soups or Ramen Noodles. Luxury items: almonds, potato chips, sunflower seeds. Herb tea.
- Dinner: Alpine Aire dehydrated meals of various types, as well as mashed potatoes, brown rice.
Other Equipment I’ll Bring:
1 running shirt – Patagonia Airius short sleeve T-shirt
1 running short – Patagonia long haul runners
1 long sleeve shirt – Patagonia Airius long sleeve-T
1 tights – Patagonia Silk weight Capilene
Note: I am planning on starting in the short sleeve/leg stuff and lots of sun screen because this is how I am most comfortable in a hot climate (allowing air to flow over skin). I will wear long stuff at night and “wash” running clothes. If I get fried too badly, I can run in long sleeves and tights needed.
4 pair Injinji tsoks
1 Buff – a very cute print – for warmth at night and to wrap the head in sandstorms
Thongs - 1 pair pink, cheap, light plastic
Watch - HighGear Axis– with Altimeter, Barometer, Compass, Temperature, Time, Alarm, Chronograph – the perfect light bundle of useful information for this type of adventure.
Gaiters – CRITICAL piece of gear. Modified version of the Outdoor Research Flex-Tex Gaiter—extending the lower part of the Gaiter to cover the entire shoe upper. The Gaiter will attach to the shoe with Velcro that is sewn onto the shoe upper, thus the entire shoe upper will be covered as well as my ankle and lower leg. These Gaiters are lycra and fit snug on the ankle—so NO rubbing (swoosh noise) on the other shoe from excess fabric (a running noise pet peeve of mine.)
3 water bottles: 2 handheld Amphipod bottles as well as 1 Ultimate Direction large capacity bottle with a long tube to sip from (the Ultimate bottle and one of the handhelds will sit in the side mesh pouches on my pack).
2 gel flasks – for Carbo Pro and Perpetuem
Lip sunscreen – Dermatone SPF 23 – stays on longer than most.
Sunscreen – ProTech SPF 30. Non-greasy – doesn’t make you feel claustrophobic when hot. I’ll take sample packets so that I can throw wrappers away each day to eliminate excess weight.
Drug Bag: Advil, Aleve, Cipro, Voltaren (lower back security blanket), Pepto Bismol tabs.
Part of a Nalgene bottle (the top half sawed off). For tea, coffee, soup, hot food.
1 lightweight backpacking spoon
Wet Wipes – 3 per day. These are for daily “showering”
Toothbrush – handle sawed in half
Toothpaste – very small tube
Dental Floss – can’t sleep if I don’t floss – also comes in handy if I need to sew anything – a length wrapped around a chopped off pencil
Duct Tape – a few feet or so wrapped around the above chopped off pencil
Sony Cyber-shot – slim/light digital camera with an extra charged battery
Earplugs – silicon
Paper to write on
Pen
Favorite pair of running earrings
2 favorite necklaces, favorite bracelet
½ a comb
3 hair ties and a barrette
Money – goes a loooooong way for anything in any country
Picture of Gryphon (my dog and favorite running buddy)
A few good jokes
My name is Terri and I’m a gear freak. For those with similar addictions, reap the benefits of my research and ongoing, destructive, product testing. Within the religion of going light and fast, this stuff works and I’ve spent way too much time thinking it all through to not share the wealth with you all.
In any case, I’m stuck with this stuff in the Sahara Desert for 7 days. The list is detailed, but for those of you thinking about doing some ultrarunning, fast-packing, ultra-triathloning or just crazy, cool, adventures where you wish to stay strong, go light and be coherent – it’s a solid reference.
Mandatory Equipment List (this are items required by the race organization):
My gear choices and why:
Backpack – Gregory, ISO, 20 liter. After scouring the Summer Outdoor Retailer Tradeshow for the perfect pack for this race, the ISO came out on top. This event will be a product test of this pack. It will be in shops in ‘06.
The ISO is ultra-light, compact, comfortable with all the features necessary for an event of this type—including:
• mesh pouches on both sides of the pack for bottles. mesh zipper pouches on both sides of the waste belt for easy to reach running food and camera
• small, thin and light compression straps
• rear zipper opening to allow you to refill your water bladder without removing the bladder from the pack
• Shoulder straps that are padded without overkill
• outer expandable compartment that zips closed when not in use
• NO extra/unnecessary bells and whistles. Simple, complete, ultralight.
If you want to go fast with excellent capacity – this is the perfect pack.
Sleeping Bag – Montbell, Super Stretch Down Hugger #5. Packs shockingly small, hugs the body for extra warmth, Minimum Temp: 28.4F, Total Weight: 1 lb 10 oz, Insulation: 650 Fill Down.
Headlamp and back up headlamp – Petzl Myo XP and a tiny pen light. The XP is light and small yet lights up the woods at night with 3 lighting levels. It uses 3, AA batteries that last for up to 170 hours – huge bang for its size, no need to bring back up batteries.
I may need my main light for our 50 mile day so it needs to be bright enough to run with. Got the smallest pen light I could find at a drug store.
NOTE: I used 2 Myo XP’s on a waist belt for Western States 100 – the battery packs as well as lights slid right onto a piece of tubular webbing attached with a fastex buckle.
Compass – my compass is in my HighGear Axis watch.
Safety pins (20)
Knife – Spiderco Ladybug – I will actually be using my knife in this race so I wanted one that would cut plastic, tape and fabric repeatedly, yet was light and small…it’s very cute as well :)
Whistle – The smallest I could find – a piece of mandatory gear that will probably get a ride through the desert without ever being touched – BUT a good thing to have along in a pinch
Space blanket – Smallest – good chance this will get used. Always carry a space blanket in any wilderness adventure. I have used mine countless times and it’s saved me from potential hypothermia. They are uncomfortable, non-breathable and loud, but are an excellent vapor barrier.
Signaling mirror – A small piece of plastic mirror made for backpacking. I bought the full mirror at an outdoor store and chopped a small piece off - a piece of mandatory gear that will probably get a ride through the desert without ever being touched - BUT a good thing to have along in a pinch.
Baseball cap or similar – Outdoor Research Solar Roller Hat; wide brim, lightweight –more coverage than a running hat, yet light and breathable – also SPF 30.
Sunglasses – Revo wraparound glasses with polarized lenses.
Windproof Jacket – Ultra-lightweight Patagonia Dragonfly – 4 oz. – packs into a bundle small enough to fit in your fist. Serious warmth from a feather weight jacket. This one saved my ass while sleeping on a jungle floor in a rainstorm in Fiji.
Running/Trail Shoes – Montrail, Hardrock – never leave home with out ‘em. I’m using a half size bigger than what I train in to accommodate for foot swelling. My all time favorite shoe. Stable, comfortable and bombproof on crappy terrain. These absorb a lot of foot shock – even with a heavy pack on. I used them recently/comfortably to climb part of Mt. Shasta while carrying a 40lb pack.
Electrolytes for 7 days – Succeed Electrolyte tabs – enough to take 1-2 every hour or so while running – these tabs have the highest grams of sodium and potassium per capsule so I can carry less and take them less often – also see recovery drink...
Blister Aid Kit –
- Injinji tsoks – what a cutting edge product! Each toe has it’s own little,
dry, friction-free, space in which to move and be happy.
- Elasticon tape – 3” – for heels - a few feet or so wrapped around a chopped off chopstick.
- Leukotape – 1.5” – for heels - a few feet or so wrapped around a chopped off chopstick.
- tincture of benzoin (put this on the skin before the tape job and the tape will stick for a few days).
- Silicon gel caps (3) – for 2 toes that always seem to blister no matter what.
- Hydropel – lubricates as well as keeps moisture out
- Engo pads – these are wrapped around the heel cup of my orthodics for a frictionless surface: to prevent sub-callous-deep-heel-blisters from forming (the religiously-painful kind). You can use these pads for any part of your shoe that creates excess friction or tension. Finally a pad to modify the actual shoe – NOT the foot!
7 day supply of food (the race requires that we bring a minimum of 2000 calories per day; I will bring approx. 2000 cal. per day plus running food. A typical day looks like the following:
- Breakfast: Alpine Aire dehydrated eggs or omelet or hot cereal, luxury item: Peets coffee, creamer (small metal mesh cup for brewing coffee)
- Running calories (approx. 1000-1500 per day – more for the 50 mile day): Carbo Pro and Perpetuem powders – both will be mixed into a thick paste and put in separate gel flasks (simple functional calories). I’ll be product/heat testing Clif Blocks (yummy new product – thanks Clif!), Gu2O sports drink (light and easy to put down when warm), water (provided by race organization). I may eat some of my snack foods if my stomach is off a bit.
- Post Run Recovery (taken immediately following each day of running: Ultragen recovery drink (2 scoops – 320 calories) mixed with packet of Oral Rehydration Salts (the Salts are like taking an oral IV – sodium 3.5 g., potassium 1.5 g. and glucose 20 g.). Ultragen has the perfect 4/1 ratio of carbo/protein as well as a serious dose of minerals, vitamins and electrolytes – a perfect recovery drink with a light clean flavor easy to toss down in a few minutes.
- Post Run Snacks: soup powders with cous cous added (chicken, split pea, corn chowder, miso – soup is my comfort food), Alpine Aire dehydrated soups or Ramen Noodles. Luxury items: almonds, potato chips, sunflower seeds. Herb tea.
- Dinner: Alpine Aire dehydrated meals of various types, as well as mashed potatoes, brown rice.
Other Equipment I’ll Bring:
1 running shirt – Patagonia Airius short sleeve T-shirt
1 running short – Patagonia long haul runners
1 long sleeve shirt – Patagonia Airius long sleeve-T
1 tights – Patagonia Silk weight Capilene
Note: I am planning on starting in the short sleeve/leg stuff and lots of sun screen because this is how I am most comfortable in a hot climate (allowing air to flow over skin). I will wear long stuff at night and “wash” running clothes. If I get fried too badly, I can run in long sleeves and tights needed.
4 pair Injinji tsoks
1 Buff – a very cute print – for warmth at night and to wrap the head in sandstorms
Thongs - 1 pair pink, cheap, light plastic
Watch - HighGear Axis– with Altimeter, Barometer, Compass, Temperature, Time, Alarm, Chronograph – the perfect light bundle of useful information for this type of adventure.
Gaiters – CRITICAL piece of gear. Modified version of the Outdoor Research Flex-Tex Gaiter—extending the lower part of the Gaiter to cover the entire shoe upper. The Gaiter will attach to the shoe with Velcro that is sewn onto the shoe upper, thus the entire shoe upper will be covered as well as my ankle and lower leg. These Gaiters are lycra and fit snug on the ankle—so NO rubbing (swoosh noise) on the other shoe from excess fabric (a running noise pet peeve of mine.)
3 water bottles: 2 handheld Amphipod bottles as well as 1 Ultimate Direction large capacity bottle with a long tube to sip from (the Ultimate bottle and one of the handhelds will sit in the side mesh pouches on my pack).
2 gel flasks – for Carbo Pro and Perpetuem
Lip sunscreen – Dermatone SPF 23 – stays on longer than most.
Sunscreen – ProTech SPF 30. Non-greasy – doesn’t make you feel claustrophobic when hot. I’ll take sample packets so that I can throw wrappers away each day to eliminate excess weight.
Drug Bag: Advil, Aleve, Cipro, Voltaren (lower back security blanket), Pepto Bismol tabs.
Part of a Nalgene bottle (the top half sawed off). For tea, coffee, soup, hot food.
1 lightweight backpacking spoon
Wet Wipes – 3 per day. These are for daily “showering”
Toothbrush – handle sawed in half
Toothpaste – very small tube
Dental Floss – can’t sleep if I don’t floss – also comes in handy if I need to sew anything – a length wrapped around a chopped off pencil
Duct Tape – a few feet or so wrapped around the above chopped off pencil
Sony Cyber-shot – slim/light digital camera with an extra charged battery
Earplugs – silicon
Paper to write on
Pen
Favorite pair of running earrings
2 favorite necklaces, favorite bracelet
½ a comb
3 hair ties and a barrette
Money – goes a loooooong way for anything in any country
Picture of Gryphon (my dog and favorite running buddy)
A few good jokes
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1 Comments:
Terri: Thanks for all the info. I found it very helpful as I am registered to do the Gobi March in Mau of '06. Any other suggestions would be very much appreciated!
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