South Island Gear List
Everything you’ll need to bring with you on the trip of a lifetime.
Getting Prepared….
A hiking trip in New Zealand’s South Island is a trip of epic proportions. Below is a list of the essentials that you’ll need to make your trek comfortable and safe.
Note: What you won’t find in this list, are items that are obvious – casual clothes, personal toiletries and items of a personal nature.
Essential Hiking Clothes
Layering is key, this popular hiking jargon just means wearing a couple of layers of clothing. Breathable clothing can help you to keep warm, dry and comfortable in changing conditions by removing layers depending on how you feel and the conditions you’re in. Multiple thin layers will keep you warmer than a single thicker layer is because warm air is trapped between the layers acting as an insulator.
1 x Outer Shell Rain Jacket
1 x Hiking Pants
1 x Fleece layer
2 x Upper Base Layer Merino wool or polypropelene – 1 short sleeve and 1 long sleeve
2 x Bottom Base layer – leggings (Merino wool or polypropylene)
4 x Merino wool socks
1 x Beanie
1 x Lightweight Merino or Fleece Wool Gloves
1 x Cap/Hat for sun protection
1 x Sunglasses
1 x Lightweight Down Jacket.
1 x Neck Gaiter, Buff or Bandana
1 x Hiking Boots. Make sure these have ankle support, are well worn in and are waterproof.
Hiking Equipment
1 x Day Pack. 25-35 litres – you’ll carry extra items of clothing in this pack, along with water, phone/camera and snacks.
1 x Pack Cover
1 x Lodge Shoes
1 x Pair of Trekking Poles (optional)
Personal and General Travel Items
2 x 1 Litre Bottles
OR
1 x 2-Litre Hydration Resevior
1 x Camera/Phone
1 x Spare Memory Card – if you have a camera.
1 x Travel Towel
Plug Adaptor Type I. This plug type has two angled pins and one bottom vertical pin (see the picture above). All power sockets in New Zealand provide a standard voltage of 230V with a standard frequency of 50Hz.
Travel Wallet
Heavy Duty Duffel Bag – 100 litres. No wheels!
Luggage Tags
Passport!
Travel Clothing
We’ve left out the obvious everyday items of clothing in this list. We’ll leave that up to you. While you should pack efficiently, the stuff you’ll wear while you’re not on the trekking trail doesnt nessessarily need to be that different from what you’d wear at home. Nor will we tell you how many pairs of underwear to bring – we’ll leave that up to you!
1 x Synthetic or Merino Wool t-Shirt
1 x Long Sleeve Travel Friendly Shirt
1 x Lightweight Travel Friendly Pants
Casual Shoes