thick seams on tops because these will rub between your pack and skin. Where seams are unavoidable, choose flat-locked seams.
Wear a top that will cover the entire surface area of your pack. Fastpacking in a sports bra or a vest will rub your skin where the pack is in contact with it.
Women should look for seamless sports bras, with close-fitting and flat straps.
Consider cutting out labels to avoid chafing.
Always consider multi-use for different items of gear. A pair of running tights will be travel-wear, evening-wear or running-wear when it’s cold or wet. A fleece top for the evening will be an extra running layer if it gets cold. A Buff could be a beanie, headband, travel towel or wrist sweat-band.
Whatever you wear on your legs, whether shorts, capri or tights, it is critical that these do not chafe.
Carry detergent so you can hand-wash shorts and underwear. This helps to prevent chafing. Technical fabrics will usually dry out overnight. You can also use cord to attach these to your pack to dry during the day.
Do not try anything new. Stick to tried and trusted gear that you are happy with on long runs carrying a pack.
Make sure you’re prepared for quickly changing weather (Reichenbach stream, Switzerland, Route 11) (Photo credit: Chris Councell)
Top tips
Pack for your destination and the worst conditions you might encounter. If it’s 30 degrees outside a city hotel room when you’re packing, don’t forget that in an Alpine hut at 3000m you may see snow even in summer.
Travel wearing your spare running gear and running shoes. Don’t carry around spare clothes for your flight or return journey – this is dead weight. Accept that you will look like a gnarly adventurer from when you leave your front door. This also makes life simple since you have no clothing choices to make!
For overseas trips, if starting and returning to the same place, you can leave a bag of gear at a hotel, airport or train station for your return journey or the rest of your trip.
Footwear
As fastpacking can be done in any environment, footwear should be chosen based on the conditions you will encounter and the distance you plan to travel. Shoes are a highly personal choice, but here is some general advice:
For long distances over multiple days, trail-running shoes with plenty of cushioning and protection are ideal. Protection around the foot and toe box is needed to protect your feet on rocky trails
Cushioning is crucial. Without enough cushioning, days of running on hard trails can bruise the soles of your feet and this can end your trip. Stones and rocks jab up into the soles of your shoes more when you are running with a pack. Inserting Sorbathane insoles into your shoes is good for extra cushioning
On rocky, wet trails, or grass and mud, you will want a shoe with a good traction for that terrain. Trusting the grip on your shoes is crucial to safety and can also make the difference between loving and loathing your trip
Test shoes in the terrain that you are likely encounter, especially if you are heading into mountains. Wearing trail-running shoes on mountain footpaths is very different to walking boots, which usually have better grip on wet rock, plus ankle support
A luxury item is flip-flops or lightweight canvas shoes. These are not essential but it’s nice to get out of running shoes at the end of the day. Many mountain huts provide Croc-type plastic shoes.
Top tip
If you don’t have a second pair of shoes for the evening you can keep your socks dry in damp shoes by wearing plastic bags on your feet – a favourite tip of mountain marathon competitors.
Running gaiters
Running gaiters are handy for keeping stones and debris out of your shoes. They may also help to keep your feet and socks dry.
Micro-spikes
These are worth considering if you think you may encounter any late snow on Alpine routes in the summer. However, they are not adequate for glacier crossings, which would be a whole book chapter on their own.
Waterproof socks
Gore-Tex waterproof socks are great for keeping your feet warmer and drier for longer than ordinary socks, but they’re not cheap. If you only have damp running shoes to wear in the evenings, these will help keep your feet dry. They won’t keep all water out – for example if you ford a stream where the water is above the sockline – and they also take longer to dry out after washing than ordinary socks.
Top tip
Take care with foot placement while fastpacking. On a trip where you’re jogging and hiking all day with weight on your back, rocks and stones jabbing into your feet will start to hurt a lot. Watch the ground and try to land on flat surfaces when you can.
Food
While fastpacking, even if you’re not covering a marathon distance each day, your daily energy requirements may be comparable to those for a marathon – or even greater – due to the demands of carrying a pack and the hilly or mountainous terrain. Unlike in a marathon, your body will not have the benefits of rest and recovery, since you will be making these demands over sustained multiple days.
Eating and nutrition will therefore play an important role in your trip. Fastpacking gives you licence to eat a lot! It’s important to eat frequently while you’re moving and to adequately refuel in the evenings. Runners will have their own preferences for food and an eating schedule, but the main advice here is to remember your energy requirements will be high and to ensure that you stay fuelled and hydrated throughout.
As a vegetarian, this was not one of my best mountain hut dinners! (Photo credit: Chris Councell)
Food on unsupported trips
Fastpackers who wild camp fall into two categories when it comes to food: cold or hot. Some people carry only food they can eat cold, so they can avoid taking a stove and fuel. For others, a hot drink and meal at the end of the day is worth the extra weight, especially if it’s been wet and cold.
Each runner will have their own preferences for camping food and eating while moving, so no advice is included here on specific products; however, for a trip over multiple days, weight will be key. Some people take a scientific approach to researching and choosing the most calorie-dense foods and matching the quantities to their daily energy requirements.
Top tip
If you are headed into colder conditions, take an extra 500 calories per day as your energy needs will be higher, in order to maintain your body temperature.
Cooking and eating utensils
Choose a camping stove that is small and lightweight and will heat up water quickly. A collapsible cup, which you can use to eat hot food, and a Spork are good
