If you’re anything like me, you stumble into everything unprepared. I’m renowned for being forgetful; I’ll almost always forget to take a towel to the beach, and on one occasion I arrived at the airport excited for an adventure only to realise my passport was at home (seriously). On my first scramble up Tryfan, I was stupid enough to not bring a bottle of water on a 5-hour circuit hike. From this day on, I made a decision to change, so I drew up a scrambling equipment list of everything that I might need.
Nowadays, I’m a changed man; I live by this list, and I rock up to every trailhead with a backpack stocked to its limits. With my scrambling equipment list, your days of frantically emptying your bag halfway up a mountain only to be met with disappointment are long gone.
The definitive UK scrambling equipment list
Water + Food
It sounds obvious, but I’ve been stupid enough to forget this, so I hope I’m not the only one. Scrambling is really quite intense exercise at points; you’ll be burning through calories and dehydrating yourself even when it’s cold out!
Most estimates calculate that the average person burns between 300 and 600 calories an hour when hiking, depending on the terrain and how much weight they’re carrying, so it’s really important to continually fuel yourself. I normally bring 2 litres of water, a nice sandwich for the summit, and a few sugary snacks for the way up.
Bonus Tip: If you have a Jetboil or equivalent, bring it along; there really is nothing better at the summit than a fresh cup of tea or coffee.
Waterproof or windproof tops and bottoms
When it comes to anything outdoors in the UK, it should be a given considering how notoriously unpredictable our weather is at the best of times. Even with my lackluster planning, I’ve never forgotten waterproofs, but I have seen people fall foul of this rule.
I have a pair of OEX trousers and a Freedom Trail jacket, both of which are waterproof and windproof and have been through thick and thin with me. Both of them were inexpensive, but they’ve performed perfectly on the summit of Huayna Potosi (6088m), the Thorung La Pass (5416 m), and crucially, in the windy and wet Welsh Valleys.
Charged phone
As much as most of us venture into the hills as a rare opportunity to temporarily escape from the vice-like control that our gadgets have over our lives, phones are seriously useful in the mountains. For three reasons:
- Navigation: Unless you can read an OS map, Alltrails or an equivalent is your best bet.
- Safety: If you take a fall and get hurt, how else are you going to call for help?
- Photos: Most phone cameras seriously pack a punch nowadays; not everyone needs a blogger-level camera, but everyone needs something to remember their trips by.
Battery pack
I can only speak for myself, but most of my hikes in Snowdonia involve getting up 4 hours before the sunrise and driving for hours just to get to the start of the trailhead. Understandably, my phone’s battery is normally completely slammed after so long with Spotify and Google Maps running concurrently.
Although I’m yet to run flat, the mere thought of having to find my way home from the mountains using nothing but guesswork and stars brings the fear of God into me. So I always take a fully charged battery pack with me, just in case!
Safety equipment
The amount of safety equipment that you’ll require really depends on the grade of scramble that you’ll need. I’ll outline a rough bit of guidance for you below, but please at the very least take a helmet, even on the simpler grade one scrambles.
Grade one: Good-quality footwear with ankle support, a first-aid kit, and a helmet for any sections where you might slip or falling rocks could be heading your way.
Grade two: All of the above, an accurate GPS system, and potentially a harness, depending on the route that you are undertaking.
Grade three: For all of the above, you will need a harness, a helmet, and ropes.
Appropriate footwear
I have a pair of trusty walking boots that I bought for dirt cheap just before my trip to hike the Annapurna Circuit a few years ago. I swear by them for comfort and quality, and they only set me back £35 from GoOutdoors.
While they aren’t fantastic on mud or ice, they do a great job on everything else. You don’t need to spend an ungodly amount on hiking boots; the main thing is fit and comfort; you will be wearing them all day after all.
Headtorch and batteries
I stand by the fact that the best hikes are always at sunrise; you catch the light cascading through the mountain valleys as the morning dew evaporates. You might even catch a glimpse of a cloud inversion, but this comes with a problem. Most, if not all, of your scramble will be spent in the dark.
You could probably make do with a phone torch for the hiking sections. But once you hit the scrambling stage and you need both of your hands for grip, nothing will work quite as well as a head torch.
First aid kit
You don’t need a full backpack of medical equipment, but most compact first aid kits have more than enough gauze and plasters to patch up any of the minor injuries you might sustain.
What should I look for in a first-aid kit? There are a few things that should always be in your kit: a whistle (think calling for help), a foil blanket, plasters, and bandages.
Comfy hiking socks
In typical unprepared fashion, when I completed the Annapurna Circuit, I turned up without walking socks. Choosing instead to layer 4 pairs of normal socks at a time, the result, unsurprisingly, was agonising blisters and numb toes the majority of the time.
Since that painful lesson, I’ve always worn a comfortable pair of high-quality socks. Most recently, I’ve discovered the wonders of merino wool socks after reading a brilliant article about their unique qualities.
The author of this article made what I thought was a frankly bizarre statement: they never smell. As someone whose socks regularly smell like death after a full-day hike, I was eager to test them out. As it turns out, they weren’t lying; they’re antibacterial, which means all of the nasty bacteria that cause food odour can’t spread.
I’m now the proud owner of many pairs, and I swear by them.
Bonus Tip
To have complete peace of mind in case you need an emergency rescue, there is a free app called What3Words. This brilliant piece of technology divides the world into millions of 3m x 3m squares and assigns a unique 3-word combination to each of the squares.
Previously, I worked for the police in the control room, and I can’t even count the number of times that this app made it easier to find people in really remote locations. It legitimately saves lives every single day, and anyone who enjoys the outdoors should have this installed on their phone.
