Example Gear Lists
Please Read This!!
You must be appropriately dressed and have the required equipment to take part in club hikes. Exceptions are made for the beginner's weekend because the hikes are much easier. After the beginner's weekend you must have a pair of suitable boots and have should also have correct rain gear and warm clothes. If you aren't properly equipped the Meets Secretary might have to send you home so try your best to get the gear you need. Don't forget clean clothes so that we don't dirty the bus.
DO NOT BRING
Jeans, you won't be allowed on the bus.
Runners - except for beginner's weekend, it's a bit more serious after then.
PLEASE BRING, (PRETTY PLEASE)
| Items | Do I need it? |
| Boots | You must have them! |
| Thick socks | A no-brainer when wearing boots |
| Breathable waterproof trousers | You think Ireland's wet? Try the Irish mountains. |
| Gaitors | You might look sad but they work. |
| Shorts / Powerstretch / Other trousers | Recommended unless nudity is preferred |
| Synthetic base layer, e.g. t-shirt, thermals | Would you rather freeze? |
| Synthetic mid layer, e.g. fleece top | Everything else is a no-brainer |
| Breathable waterproof jacket with hood | Obviously, there's always the possibility of rain. |
| Spare layer | Be prepared! |
| Headwear & Gloves | Oh it's getting chilly.... |
| Waterproof map of area | Optional, club provides equipment for leaders |
| Magnetic compass | Same as a map |
| Wristwatch | Handy |
| Whistle | (Safety item, you should have one) |
| Headtorch, spare batteries and bulb | We'll make you take one when the evenings get short and obviously on night hikes. |
| Survival bag | Invest in one at some point |
| Personal medicines and first aid | (Safety items, use your common sense) |
| Sun cream | Sun-burn is not sexy and sore |
| Insect repellant | If you think you need it |
| Mobile phone | Handy, but not practical to rely on |
| Money for drink and bus | Required unless you plan on hitching home and going thirsty. |
| Change of clothes | Recommended to avoid angry bus drivers. |
| Rucksack, e.g. 25 - 45 L | Unless you have huge hands |
| Food | Going hungry is not fun |
| Water, 1L | Very essential |
| High energy food, e.g. lucozade sweets | Whatever you think yourself |
| Items | Do I need it? |
| Climbing shoes or runners | You don't need climbing shoes but you should invest if you want to make progress |
| T-shirt | What do you think? |
| Shorts or pyjamas | You have to wear something |
| Chalk and chalk bag | Invest if you want |
| Belay device | Your climber will need a big pair of balls and a parachute if you don't have one. Don't worry the club will provide you with one for loan. |
| Locking carabiner | Provided by the club |
| Sit harness | Hmm... We'll make sure you have one on. |
| Climbing rope | Provided by the club, (somewhat essential) |
I assume you will be going hiking or climbing? I suggest you bring some gear so! In relation to gear that is specific to camping, you need to consider where you will be camped and for how long it will be. If you are going camping in the wild what you will bring might be quite different to what you would bring for using a campsite. Some universal items:
Sleeping Bag
One season sleeping bags are fine in summer, (that being the one season). For camping trips members are advised to bring bags with good insulative properties. In practice this means a good quality 3/4 season bag. Bear in mind that the majority of the time in Ireland it's fairly chilly to be sleeping outdoors. There is no rigorous standard that is applied to the rating of sleeping bags. The "comfort" and "extreme" temperatures are based on standards that vary between manufacturers. In theory you can sleep in a comfort 3 degree bag in your boxers and shiver all night long fully clothed at -20 degrees in a -20 degree extreme bag, at -21 you stop shivering and promptly die. Some questions for the know-all shop assistant: Was is windy when they tested the bag? Was the person fat or thin? How comfortable were they at the comfort temperature? Who knows, shop around and ask your mates.
Tent
Don't forget a tent! Obviously you can share a tent between a number of people. You can buy really cheap tents from Lidl, Argos and Aldi. More expensive tents are lighter, more weatherproof and more durable. You are looking for one with a good ground sheet. 5000mm water column ground-sheets are fine and will work well even over a number of rainy days. Always try to get a model with a flysheet that is separate to the tent part and make sure that they don't touch each other when the tent is up. Look for a tent with a porch if possible, it makes things handier on trips where you have a lot of gear. You can cook in a porch too. Things will always get damp even if you spend hundreds of Euro.
Cooking Equipment
If you plan on eating you will need to cook your own food. Stoves can be bought in any camping shop - look for a nice portable one, not the "happy-camper" type that look like someone stole the top of their cooker and put it in the back of the car. You're looking for either a gas stove with a remote burner such as an MSR "WindPro" or a petrol stove like an MSR "WhisperLite". Avoid the type of stove that requires you to balance a pot on top of a burner on top of a big gas bottle, things have moved on a little. Get one with a tube, a "remote canister" stove, (much safer). If you have a Trangia or another archaic relic, leave it at home, beside the bin preferably. Petrol stoves are as powerful as gas ones and have all the advantages of remote canister gas stoves as well as being a lot cheaper and running on almost anything, (including whiskey - perish the though). They are slightly bulkier, heavier, smellier and dirtier than a gas equivalent but are better if you don't want to bother with having to deal with the hassle of getting gas abroad.
You will also need some pots or mess tins and a lighter. There are vast numbers of types of pot, pan and tin out there. Stay away from plastic handles and cast iron. Going to a campsite? Check if disposable barbeques are allowed on site before using them. They're very handy for cooking meat.
What will I cook? Believe it baby anything is possible. You name it, all you need is a little luck, an bit of patience and some imagination. Dolmio and pasta is handy for a day or two but after that you'll be bored and constipated. Contrary to popular belief cooking while camping does not take long, in fact if you're set up properly and switched on to cooking you'll produce food quicker than at home. Remember the burner on an MSR has about four times the heat output of a domestic cooker. If you want to spend the rest of your life watching pots then try a Trangia.
Bring detergent and scrubbers if you're in a campsite, forget about it if you're in the wild. Don't even dream of polluting a watercourse!
Water Container
It's a good idea to keep some water with you during the night in case you're feeling dehydrated. A small container is always useful for the cooking water as well.
Torch
It has to get dark sometime. You should always have a head torch out hiking or climbing anyway.
Toiletries
Bring all your normal stuff if you're at a campsite. You should only need toothpaste, a toothbrush and soap, (Dove if your clever - doesn't dry out your skin like soap does). Shampoo and all the rest is unnecessary if you're sensible. If you're camping on the wild you'll be taking none of this of course, don't even think about it...
Insect Repellent
This deserves a special mention because generally we think of mosquito and the like when thinking about bug spray. In Ireland you will be eaten alive by midges in the cool dry evenings of April May and June, (good climbing weather). If you are camped close to water, a swamp or a bog then expect an attack.
Clothes
If you don't bring spare clothes you will smell and people will start ignoring you. Also you are bound to get wet at some stage during a trip.
Money
Always handy for paying for things.
This list is a suggestion of what to bring to Scotland or the Alps when going mountaineering in snow and ice. These list are not supposed to be exhaustive but should point you in the right direction for budgeting and finding out what you need to borrow/steal.
Equipment For a Mountaineering Course in the Alps or Scotland:
The organiser will generally provide their own gear lists for these events when they are offered each year. You should check these lists to ensure that you are not missing any items.
Equipment for Overnighting on the Move, (not needed for courses)
Firstly, the best thing to do is be sensible and use the huts where possible. It is hard to bivvy and climb well at the same time, you will be weighed down with gear, food and be slow and cold all the time. Bivvying sounds very hardcore but it's not the way we do things nowadays, (just use the huts).
Advantages of using huts:
1) Food, warmth and sanitary facilities provided. Food for more than a day at the rate you will burn calories will exceed 2kg. Fresh water is hard to come by in the mountains and melting snow is very hard on fuel not to mention being very slow.
2) Modern Alpinism is all about light weight climbing, you are not an SAS Commando, you will not move well with a 12-14kg pack on your back.
3) Pre-prepared breakfast improves the Alpine starts, you'll be off and going quickly, bivvying is slower in the mornings.
4) Unless your insane, morale will be generally better using huts.
5) You will meet climbers with similar objectives and experienced guides in the huts to talk about the routes. Hut wardens can advise you about hazards, errors in guidebooks, route conditions and timing.
Bivvying is only advantageous if you bivvy at the base of a route, get up before light, stash your gear, do the route and collect it on your return. Bivvying at the base of a route can make up the time required for a walk-in and give you more daylight to work with for a particular route.
For unplanned overnighting, you need to get yourself off the ground. In the likely event of not having a thermarest, sleep on a coiled rope or a rucksack. The next item to bring is, (in order of usefulness): A blizzard bag, (€25) and group shelter (€50) OR breathable bivvy bag (€250) OR survival bag (€5). A blizzard bag is cheap, somewhat reusable, extremely light (much lighter than a GoreTex bivouac) and extremely compact. Remember even the most expensive bivvy bags are merely a waterproof layer, they offer very little insulation and no more wind protection than a group shelter. A blizzard bag should not be confused with the single layer foil sheets used by athletes after long distance running, blizzard bags are made differently and have about the same thermal performance as a 2/3 season sleeping bag, they are used extensively by mountain rescue and emergency services in Ireland . Ideally, two people would share a two person blizzard bag and overnight under a two person group shelter, fully clothed. This is probably the warmest and cheapest solution. Survival bags are not recommended but are better than nothing and are useful for making a rucksack liner or waterproof seat in snow.
If you are planning to bivvy a number of nights in succession then the above equipment may well be adequate but a sleeping bag and thermarest are useful, albeit heavy, additions to an already heavy rucksack. Bring these items if you don't know how cold it will be or are worried.
Extra Equipment for Routes and Adventures Outside of a Course:
Depending on where you're going and what you plan on doing you should consider the items below:
For PD+/AD Routes:
For D/D+ Routes:
For information about the gear you need to hike, read the hiking section of the beginner's equipment list.
So you're going climbing eh? Well the first thing to bring is someone who knows what they are doing!
The basic equipment required for climbing is covered in the beginner's equipment list under the climbing section.
A gear list for climbing is not something that you can specify for every location, indeed the equipment you would use differs between adjacent routes let alone different areas. Ideally, you should be experienced enough to know exactly what you need and not need to refer to a website to tell you how to climb safely.
If you intend to go climbing in places like Glendalough or the Mournes there will be a walk in that will require hiking gear. You will also need clothing to protect you from exposure particularly in the Mournes where climbing is at least a 30 minute walk from the roadside over open countryside. In Ireland, the vastest majority of outdoor climbing is traditional style, (i.e. real climbing), with only one major site available with a choice of lines on bolted protection. Note: In Ireland, bolted lines should NEVER be fallen on with impunity, they are meant for emergencies only. Most climbs in Ireland do not have man-made anchors at the top, you will need to know how to construct an independent, equalised anchor system to safely bring your second up, this is something to be considered when on the ground!
You Will Need: