Electronic I am taking on my next multi-day hikes:

- Mobile phone. I keep it in a pocket in my Forclaz trousers.

- Garman Fenix 6 smartwatch.

- Petzl Swift headlamp. I prefer the stronger beams that this offers as I use for walking in the dark and not just for camp cooking.

- Iniu powerbank. 20Ah. I am not taking my older Anker power bank as the Iniu has the capability of both usb-c and usb-a power out.

- usb-c to usb-c charge cable.

- usb-a to usb-c charge cable.

- usb-c to micro-usb adaptor (for charging headlamp).

- usb-c to garmin adaptor (for charging watch).

- 4lt Ultra-sil drybag from Sea to Summit for keeping everything together. This bag goes in the backpack as I don't normally need it in the day.

Not included in this list are camera equipment, spare batteries and chargers for cameras.

This time around I have cut some grams off the base weight by using shorter cables and then the adaptors instead of extra cables.

#FishRiverCanyon #drakensberg #southaftica #namibia #whatsinyourpack #hiking

Backpack and some miscellaneous items for the Fish River Canyon hike.

The backpack is the 46lt version from LiteAF (https://liteaf.com/product/ecopak-eplx-46l-curve-full-suspension/). I am taking the optional hip belts pockets (https://liteaf.com/product/hip-belt-pouch/) as well as the hip pack (https://liteaf.com/product/fanny-pack/).

I have found a way to either strap the hip bag into the hip belt, or alternative to carry it on top of the back pack. The hip pack is primarily for camera equipment. If I decide not to take any action camera, it will stay behind.

I have also added a stretchy water bottle pouch from Hilltop Packs (https://hilltoppacks.com/collections/accessory-pouches/products/custom-stretchy-water-bottle-sleeve-holder-pouch) as the one from LIteAF does not suit my needs.

Some additional items:

- Sea To Summit Trash bag (https://seatosummit.eu/products/trash-dry-sack-past-season). It keeps all the trash safely contained and the smells out of the backpack. THis is the older model and there is a newer model available.

- LiteAF Hiker Wallet (https://liteaf.com/product/small-zipper-pouch-hiker-wallet/). I'll have some cash and a credit card in there, because when one finishes the hike, it will pay for food, drinks and the warm water pools.

- Hilltop Packs Zipper Puch (https://hilltoppacks.com/products/zipper-pouches?variant=43560830632193) - This keeps my passport and all relevant documentation. The hiker wallet also goes inside.

- Cébé Sunglasses - I use photochromatic 0-3 so that I can ever wear it in low-light conditions. The latter is useful when one might encounter brush, branches or insects.

- Nooz Optics reading glasses (https://www.nooz-optics.com/en-us/collections/reading/original) - I have found these to be the most dependable and lightweight for backcountry usage. They go in a hipbelt pocket for quick access.

- Kimbefeel Milos sandals - The best weight-to-comfort sandals I've come across. Thicker than Xero, but lighter. Unfortunately they are discontinued.

- Leki Traveller Alu telescopic poles (https://www.leki.co.uk/item/813/Leki/Leki-Traveller-Alu-Blacksilver-Greyneon-Yellow.html) - Although slightly heavier, I prefer the aluminium version over carbon as I use these as my tent poles too. Even though I am not using a tent for this hike, I need it for other hikes on this travel, so these are the set of poles of choice.

#fishrivercanyon #hiking #whatsinyourpack #namibia #liteaf #noozoptics #cebe #leki #kimberfeel #seatosummit #hilltoppacks

Sleep time in the Fish River Canyon will be simple again: two groundsheets and no tent. This time around I opted for a tyvek sheet and a polycro sheet. I found the ground sheets that I used the previous time were too narrow.

The plan is to sleep on the more sturdy tyvek sheet and unpack my gear on the polycro sheet. In the unlikely scenario of rain at night, I'll simply sleep underneath the polycro sheet as it is wider that the tyvek sheet.

I have modified the tyvek sheet with some metal grommets. I'll put some lightweight cord in there in case I want to peg it down. Not sure about doing the same to the polycro sheet - thst material is a bit flimsy.

#whatsinyourpack #tyvek #groundsheet #camping #hiking #fishrivercanyon #namibia

For the Fish River Canyon and Drakensberg trip I have my cooking setup settled and there are some luxury items.

- I am taking a Fozzils Snapbowl for when I need a bowl. Doubles as a cutting board. (https://www.fozzils.com/product-page/snapfold-bowlz). It fits nicely into the back stretch pocket of the backpack.

- A long handle spork.

- A Victorinox Soldier's knife. It has all the necessary utilities for emergencies. The made blade is serrated and sharp. I have used it in the past to even cut open tins. (https://www.amazon.es/-/en/Victorinox-Schweizer-Soldatenmesser-Functions-Including/dp/B002RWXZ7E)

- A spreading knife, because it works better than the pocket knife's big blade. It is my one luxury item.

- All the cutlery items go into a small Hilltop tent stake bag. I purposely bought the one with the meat print. (https://hilltoppacks.com/products/tent-stake-stuff-sacks-funny-prints?variant=38878721867961)

- MSR Pocket Rocket DLX. Slightly heavier than some other compact stoves, but it burns more efficiently, has a regulator and a piezo igniter. (https://cascadedesigns.com/en-eu/products/pocketrocket-deluxe-stove).

- Lightload Towel as a dish cloth. It is super lightweight, recycable and lasts for many days. (https://www.litesmith.com/lightload-towels/).

- MSR Titan 900ml kettle. (https://cascadedesigns.com/en-eu/products/titan-kettle-900ml)

- MSR Titan Double Wall mug 375 ml. It fits inside the kettle. (https://cascadedesigns.com/en-eu/products/titan-double-wall-mug).

- All the cookware goes inside a Hilltop stuff sack, including one gas canister. (https://hilltoppacks.com/products/stuff-sacks-w-custom-printing-challenge-d50t-fabric?variant=45960307114241)

- I have one large food bag from Hilltop (https://hilltoppacks.com/collections/food-bags-bear-bags/products/food-bags-w-custom-printing-challenge-d50t-fabric-bear-bag-5) as well as 2nd snack bag. At this point I might take another Hilltop bag instead of the Sea to Summit drybag for the latter purpose.

- As these hikes are in Southern Africa, a common practice is to eat rusks with morning coffee / tea. I keep these in a plastic container to prevent them from becoming crumbs.

- My second luxury item is a Platypus 800ml wine bag, because we like to sip some red wine in the evening. When it is empty it rolls up really small (https://cascadedesigns.com/en-eu/products/platy-preserve).

This whole setup is < 900g.

I did not include a emergency matches or a lighter in this list as that will go into the emergency and first aid bag.

#whatsinyourpack #hiking #cooking #traillfood #fishrivercanyon #drakensberg #namibia #southafrica #msrgear #hilltoppacks #platypus #victorinox #fozzils

What people take for toiletries is a very personal choice. For me for overnight hikes my toiletries remain consistent.

- Small drybag where most of things go. After various options in the past, I have now settled for one from Hilltop Packs - https://hilltoppacks.com/products/ditty-bags-printed-dry-bags-challenge-d50t-fabric-11?variant=46398823629057.

- A very small Sea to Summit Airlite towel. https://seatosummit.eu/en-nl/products/airlite-towel (I only use this on trail, as I have left two behind in the shower after the trail. There are small after all and easy to miss).

- Sunscreen

- Nail clippers

- Tooth brush.

- Dental brush tablets. Much better than toot paste. They don't make a mess and I can take exactly the amount I need.

- Interdental brush. For me a better solution than floss, as I do not have perfect teeth. I normally carry this in a hip belt pocket as I might need it during the day,

- Mirror, it is just useful for many things. like putting sunscreen on your face.

- Lip balm. Not something I always use, bu it does come in handy on hot, sunny days. I also carry this in a hip belt pocket,

There is noticeable absence of deodorant, soap and shampoo. I am in the "embrace the smell" camp when on trail and I don't like to introduce day-hiker fragrances. If it is going to be a very long hike, then I'll bring something, but for <7 days I don't. (There is always water and a wet wipe from the hygiene bag).

But there are a couple of things I do leave in the car for cleaning up after the trail - soap, shampoo, deodorant and a bigger towel.

#toiletries #hiking #whatsinyourpack #fishrivercanyon #drakensberg #pyrenees

Clothes that I intend to take for the Fish River Canyon this year. The focus is to deal with the heat and sun in the day, but also stay warm at night as this is a desert environment. As we normally start to walk as soon as one can see ones feet, it might still be cool, so a layering system is appropriate.

I have found the Forclaz MT500 zippable trousers (https://www.decathlon.es/es/p/pantalon-desmontable-de-montana-y-trekking-hombre-forclaz-mt500/351289/c383c1m8853742) to be really dependent and good value for money. I can make a decision to keep the bottoms on for protect against the sun, or zip them off for when it is really hot. I really like the four pockets and their positioning on these trousers. Both bottom pockets are large to hold a mobile phone.

I wear my sun hoodie (https://blackdiamondequipment.com/products/mens-alpenglow-pro-hoody) the whole day. When it is cooler, it functions as a baselayer below the T-shirt (https://crazy.it/an/en/prodotto/s25095114u-00/), otherwise It is the only thing I wear as a top.

I have two UPF50+ buffs. One goes on the left wrist over the watch. It serves as way to wipe sweat off. The other buff I normally wear as a hat. I have found normal hats to be too sweaty, but the high UPF buff to be highly effective. In the FRC the sun hardly comes from the front - normally from the back and on the sides.

I only wear Under Armour underpants (https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/p/ua_performance_tech_mens_6_3-pack_boxerjock/1383878.html?dwvar_1383878_color=200). I also use them as swimming trunks. I have found that one can wear them for days without a smell. They also dry very quickly.

For the evening I can decide to optionally take two baselayers to sleep in, although in the past I have sometimes slept in my hiking clothes. Maybe not the best practice, but that is what the sleeping bag liner is for.

I also take a beanie (https://crazy.it/an/en/prodotto/w25125050x-00/) and a puffy for the nights. Since I can only take one puffy for my travels, I have to go for a higher spec one and I have selected one the Simond Duvet (https://www.decathlon.es/es/p/plumifero-de-montana-y-alpinismo-con-capucha-hombre-simond-duvet/347966/c364c81m8809333).

I pack some light golves from Forclaz (https://www.decathlon.es/es/p/guantes-termicos-de-montana-y-trekking-tactiles-adulto-forclaz-mt500/335330/c364c382m8655827). The puffy has its own built-in stuff bag, but after stuffing it, it still needs to be in the drybag for protect it against moisture.

Finally all the clothes go into a drybag. I have custom printed version.(https://hilltoppacks.com/collections/dry-bags/products/dry-bags-w-custom-printing-challenge-d50t-fabric-1)

#whatsinyourpack #fishrivercanyon #hiking #clothes #namibia

Sleep system for both the Fish River Canyon and Drakensberg trips in 2026.

- Bandit quilt from UGW
- Nemo Fillo Elite pillow
- Sleeping bag liner from Naturhike
- Nemo Tensor Extreme sleeping pad
- E-Vent Sil compression dry bag from Sea to Summit

For the desert I could have gone with a normal Nemo Tensor and a lighter quilt, bur since I only want to fly with one combination I opted for taking the warmer set.

I have also now worked out a way to keep the pillow strapped to the pad at the expense of about 10g.

Although the sleeping bag liner is depicted with its own stuff sack, Ieave that behind. Instead the pillow, quilt and pillow are all compressed into the dry bag. The sleeping pad still travels in its own stuff bag. For bag end up at the bottom of the backpack when hiking.

#whatsinyourpack #sleeping #hiking #FishRiverCanyon #Drakensberg #quilt #nemoequipment #ugqoutdoors #seatosummit #naturhike

The equipment needed to to keep toilet manners appropriate. Even though the title reflects the Fish River Canyon, the equipment is always the same no matter where I go.

Switching to a backcountry bidet is one of the best things I've done.

Everything fits in a nice little bag that I bough from CuloClean even the trowel.

I use the two size of the Deuce from TentLab. The back of the trowel is good to cut the circle and then the main part is used to lift the soil out.

The little CuloClean rinses quite well. It is available from https://culoclean.com, but you can also get alternatives from other producers. I think it is even possible to 3D-print something.

In the odd case where a rinse is not good enough, and yes, it happens to all of us, a wet wipe can be used to dab the last bits off. That wet wipe goes straight into trash bag and is carried out.

No need for messy toilet paper. No need to bury it (as most people still do), No need to burn it, which can present its own problems.

I think the biggest obstacle is for people to shift from toilet paper to a bidet, especially for those who grew in a western world.

As to weight, this setup only weights 90g excluding any water. I tend carry the water in the bottle already. It does add a bit of weight, but it can also act as emergency water to be filtered. However, walking with the bottle full depends on the terrain. If one knows to generally be close to water then there is no need.

#whatsinyourpack #fishrivercanyon #hiking #toilet #bidet

Water system for the Fish River Canyon in 2026.

- Clean water goes in Mazama MGO 1lt bottles. Probably taking two.
- Electrolytes are mixed in Thirsti 500ml bottle (This is a disposable bottle purchasable in South Africa and much like a Smart Water bottle).
- Water filter is a Platypus Quickdraw and a CNOC 2lt bag only for for dirty water.
- A drinking pipe is connected to one of th MGO bottles.

Water situation is different this year than for the very dry 2024 we experienced, so final decisions will only be made closer to the time. However one always wants to have at least 2lt of clean water, but having the capacity for 3lt is better.

#whatsinyourpack #hiking #fishrivercanyon #namibia #mazama #cnoc #platypus

@intrepidhero Photo shot under UV light from our 2024 trip in the Fish River Canyon.

#fishrivercanyon #hiking #scorpion