Put everything you want to take in front of you and sort out half of it. Thats the intro of my travel guide. Damn difficult. But with the recommendation not to carry more than 10kg in your backpack, even my Kindle stays at home.
Reduce to the max
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue (and a sixpence in your shoe): Here’s an overview of the stuff that goes with me. Afterwards, I’ll let you know whether some investments were worth it.
| What | Grams | Rating afterwards |
| Carrying | ||
| Backpack: Osprey “Lightweight Lumina 45” | 810 | High quality, super light, fits very well to back and hips. But, after some days, one gets used to the weight and then it would have been nice to have add. hip-stripes with zipper-pockets. Also, it does not stand on its on but always has to lean on sth. |
| Backpack: Raincover McKinley XS | 120 | Bought it too small, didn’t fit 😉 |
| GPS device: Garmin etrex 30x | 180 | Not needed at all. I thought I take it with me for safety, but you can solely rely on your paper hiking-maps. |
| Biwag: Lifesystems Light & Dry BiviBag | 110 | Didn’t need it, but you have to bring it along. |
| Snow spikes: Laco Easy I | 365 | Must have!! You will cross snow fields and if you accidentally slide down you’re probably lost. |
| Hiking Sandals: Terran Lattice II | 370 | My best investment! They not only look cool, but are extremly comfortable and such a relief on easy paths or when its getting hotter on the roads to Venice. I called them my “speedy sandals” 🙂 |
| Insulated hoodie: Arcteryx Atom LT Woman | 330 | Very light and kept me warm on top of the windstopper. |
| Rain jacket: Quechua MH500 | 610 | Luckily, only very few rainy days with one really heave one -> I stayed dry, so good job! |
| Soft shell: The North Face Windstopper | 350 | |
| Zip-Off pants: Peak Performance Iconic Outdoor | 260 | Perfect! Nothing else expected. |
| Rain pants, leggings | 380 | The leggings was very helpful! In the hut, after showering, I could just get cozy in it instead of getting dressed in the dirty hiking pants. |
| 1 tank top & 2 shirts | 285 | |
| Underwear; socks (2 pair) | 450 | |
| Hat & gloves | 170 | |
| Cabin sleeping bag: Cocoon 100% cotton | 265 | |
| extra pillowcase | 125 | I recommend to bring one along. It’s just more cozy and you feel better when putting your face on it (than on a pillow case where you are not super sure if its fresh). |
| Sanitary; 1st Aid Kit; Medicine; Tissues | 1,230 | Yes, it is heavy. But you have to bring it. |
| Hirschtalg Scholl | 115 | |
| Head lamp | 75 | |
| Thermo seat cushion McKinley | 30 | Not needed. I got rid of it after a few days. |
| Camel bag 2 Liter (w/o water) | 225 | Don’t do the hike without a camel bag – it’s so much easier and you make sure that you drink enough. |
| Toiletry bag | 880 | |
| Flip Flops | 120 | Nice to go showering instead of going barefoot. Also a big relief to just slip into them on the evening in the common room or on the terrace. |
| Nuts | 320 | |
| Mini Backpack | 45 | |
| Travel diary | 180 | (not needed, wrote everything into my mobile) |
| Powerbank: Anker Powercore 15,000mAh | 290 | Pretty helpful, especially when there’s no free plug in the hut. |
| small stuff | 500 | |
| Hiking maps (Alpenverein / Tabacco) | 370 | I did not bring all maps of the whole trip but bought them only for the following few days of the hike. |
| Travel guide: Rother Wanderführer 2018 | 215 | Well, must have 😉 I liked it a lot because its very informative and up-to-date, but still small in its size. |
| TOTAL | 9,875 | |
| Wearing | ||
| Shoes: Salewa MTN Trainer Mid GTX | 1,400 | Supergood! Not too heavy, also not too high (but still high enough for rocky fields) and they brought me safely to Venice. |
| Shorts & Shirt | 280 | |
| Sunglasses: Uvex Sportstyle 222 Pola S3 | 60 | |
| Sun & Rain hat: Fjallräven Greenland | 80 | |
| Hip bag Nike | 135 | Pretty helpful for the small stuff, also when you are just take it to go with your small things to the dinning room. |
| Hiking stick: LEKI Micro Vario Carbon SL2 | 540 | |
| Smartphone | 200 | |
| Wallet / passport | 150 | |
| TOTAL | 2,915 |
Additionally to this weight comes water (approx. 2 Liter) and maybe an apple a day (yes, you know why). For the two tricky “via ferratas”, where climbing gear is necessary, I’ll send the stuff via post mail to the hut prior to the stage and then carry it for the rest of trip: Harness (510 g), Via Ferrata Gear (500 g) and Helmet (380 g).
Minimalism as a concept of values
On this journey you can only take the most essential things with you, you limit yourself to the most important. During the day you’ll complete the stage, after arriving at the hut you’ll regenerate yourself, communication with your loved ones at home is only possible to a limited extent. This simplicity is impossible in most people’s everyday lives. For me, the minimalism of this journey also means separating oneself from material abundance and reflecting on the true values and beauty of nature.
VeraWanderlust 