JAMES’ TOP 5 ITEMS OF KIT
Platypus QuickDraw Microfilter System, £50
This nifty little filter kept me amply hydrated during two very sunny days on the trail, enabling me to safely transform dirty stream water into clean, drinkable water. The flow rate was very impressive.
Gregory Focal 48 backpack, £180 I found this backpack comfy and supportive, with a figure-hugging hipbelt and excellent FreeFloat suspension back system. The 48L capacity hit a sweet spot for winter fastpacking too.
Outdoor Research Helium Bivy, £225 Easy to set up, durable, waterproof, spacious and fully-featured, this firstrate bivvy ticked all of my boxes. The small hooped pole and mesh-lined zips around the head were particularly good.
inov-8 Rocfly G 390 hiking boots, £175 Comfy straight out of the box and superbly cushioned, with grippy graphene traction and excellent energy return, these are my go-to boots for long-distance trails.
Therm-a-Rest Parsec -6C sleeping bag, £380
The Parsec sleeping bag, featuring high-grade 800 fill power goose down, enabled me to stay warm at the lowest possible weight. For just 810g, I got an impressive -6C comfort limit rating.