Meg Ryan, 29, is Outward Bound New Zealand’s course design manager. “I love that in my job I am able to combine my passion for thinking about how things work with my affinity for the outdoors and translate these experiences to create personal development opportunities for Kiwis. I live with my friends, who are also my colleagues, who are also my adventure buddies and partners in crime.”

Here’s what she packs.

Pack
I find the Macpac Pursuit 40 a great size pack that suits my many different types of adventure. The outer is durable and has minimal unnecessary bells and whistles.

Shelter
I carry a lightweight 8x4m fly from Twin Needle because it can be pitched in so many different ways. I can pitch it like a tent without restricting it from sheltering a whole lot of people. It’s made from what seems to be pretty good ripstop material. I have used it all year and enjoy the versatility of it.

Sleeping bag
I carry a super-light synthetic sleeping bag and a silk liner. I tend to sleep pretty warmly so this gets me through most of the year. I always put these in a dry bag just in case my pack liner malfunctions.

Sleeping mat
My Therm-A-Rest Neoair XTherm is light, packs down to a tiny size, is well insulated and doesn’t make too much noise for an inflatable mat.

Headlamp
I am tough on gear and I have found my rechargeable Ledlenser headlamp hard to break. It’s robust around water environments, good enough when trooping around at night and has a red light which I have found particularly useful while out at sea.

First aid kit
All the usual items plus strong painkillers, electrolytes, strapping tape, duct tape and batteries, absorbent dressing, lube and sunscreen.

Stove
I use a homemade meths stove, which has proven to be a light and inexpensive system that allows for a warm meal at night and a cheeky wee brew in the mornings. It took a little while to get a good system working for size and weight but this is perfect for a one person set up.

Clothing
I’m all about the layered onion approach to dressing in the outdoors, particularly when moving fast and light. I carry an Arc’teryx waterproof and insulating layer.

My Earth Sea Sky hooded zip-up base layer is the best top I have ever owned – It gives options during the day and is great to sleep in. I use Macpac fleece tights and Tinelli Tri Shorts. These items are a great combo in most conditions. During cooler weather, I add a fleece t-shirt and I always take a spare polypro top.