Dunc Wilson, avid adventurer and author of The Big Loop: Cycling coastal New Zealand.

Between cycling around the coastline of New Zealand and packrafting the North Island, Dunc Wilson loves to fit in some good old-fashioned multi-day tramping. He sees every gear item as a team member with a specific function. 

“Items get put through their paces on my long trips, so only the survivors get to continue onto the regular tramping trips,” he says. Meet those survivors here.

Pack

My Osprey Stratos 50 is comfortable and large enough to carry the spread you see before me, plus a few days’ worth of food.

Clothing

I’m a huge fan of Mountain Warehouse’s IsoCool T-shirts – I have some still going strong after more than a decade. Pants with zip-off legs are usually my choice for the lower half.

Polyprops seem to last an eternity, with my 2015 Kathmandu set still in action. They make great pyjamas on cold nights and modesty screens on laundry day.

I carry a Kathmandu ngx2.5 rain jacket in my favourite colour, orange, and Scarpa Mavericks go on my feet, chosen for their vegan properties and comfort on massive tramps.

Camping gear

After converting to trekking poles to help lug the weight of a packraft through the North Island, I wanted to put the sticks to use at night too. Enter this sturdy shelter, Durston’s X-Mid 2 Solid, which weighs in at 1065g. I sleep on a Klymit Insulated V Ultralite SL sleeping mat, in a One Planet SAC sleeping bag. I’m fussy with pillows, and like the combo of a Sea to Summit Aeros inflatable with an ageing Mountain Warehouse travel pillow on top of that.

Kitchen

If you’re ever in Shanghai, pay a visit to the Naturehike store and try to resist buying anything. I picked up this neat little 800ml titanium pot, which weighs a little over 100g and has strainer holes in the lid. My Soto Amicus stove is small, foldable and lightweight, and I also carry a little device that lets me decant gas between cans. 

On shorter trips I might allow the luxury of a cup and bowl, but on long missions my mid-sized silicone container from Macpac is both. I eat with a titanium spork and carry an Opinel No. 8 Outdoor. Its serrated edge cuts bread well and it has a whistle.

Safety

A few years ago I bought an Ocean Signal RescueME PLB1 that has come with me everywhere since. I also carry a safety blanket. Night lighting is courtesy of a USB-rechargeable Fenix SW05R-RED pocket torch, which clips onto my cap. The red-light feature was non-negotiable, mainly for spotting kiwi.