GEAR PICKS: SIMON’S FAVOURITE PIECES OF KIT

The outdoor gear Simon uses has to meet the highest standards of design, durability and performance. Here are some of his favourites…

MONTANE PHASE LITE WATERPROOF JACKET

The Montane Spine jacket served me well in the Montane Spine Challenger North Race, however for the Dragons Back this year, I will be swapping to the new Phase Lite Jacket. It's very lightweight at 300g and has a Gore-tex active shell that provides great protection and also gives a tougher denier material than the Spine.

MONTANE GECKO VP RACE VEST

Another piece of kit I used on the Montane Spine Challenger North race was the Montane Gecko VP 20+ race vest. It’s a superlightweight 20-litre race pack, which is essential on very long races when there is an excessive kit list that is heavy to lug around. The pack fits all of the Spine Race mandatory kit list with ease. This leads on to the other Gecko packs in the range: VP 5+ (5 litre) and VP 12+ (12 litre).

I love both: they are perfect for the shorter distance ultramarathons or just for any big day out in the hills. I love that they are so lightweight and have an array of storage which is all easy to access on the move. The fit is great with no bounce when you are flying up and down the hills!

MONTANE DRAGON SHORTS AND SABRE TOPS

When running in the summer, I like to keep myself cool wearing the Montane Dragon Shorts and Montane Sabre tops combination. It’s great gear, very lightweight to wear, and very breathable – keeping you cool in the summer.