Elliott O’Brien is a skier, paraglider, rock climber and mountaineer who regularly volunteers as an instructor for the New Zealand Alpine Club. He enjoys combining multiple sports to share adventures with friends and explore the wilderness here and abroad. He values compact, light gear that enables transition from tramping to the river, snow or sky. This is his most versatile base set-up. 

Pack

The Macpac Ascent 70 (1900g) has given me the versatility to embark on long tramps, pack rafting trips and mountaineering. I hang a 500ml Nalgene bottle on a carabiner on the hip strap.

Sleep system

The Outdoor Research (OR) Alpine Bivy (I’m on my second: OR honoured the warranty on this after a decade of use and almost a hundred nights out), Exped Synmat UL sleeping pad, Sea to Summit Trek TKII sleeping bag and Silk Living Silksak liner. I roll all this into a large, dry eVent bag. While I use a smaller, lighter, combo for summer and a warmer option for snow camping at altitude, I sleep comfortably with this system any time, almost anywhere. 

Boots

La Sportiva Ultra Raptor II Mid GTX boots are light, precise and durable for everything below the snow line, but next time I’ll go for the wide fit.

Clothes

I value UV and wind protection and being seen, hence the road cone look. My base layer is a Macpac brrr° long-sleeve shirt and Montane Terra pants. For wet weather I use an OR Optimizer jacket and Rab Downpour full-zip pants. The Rab VR Summit jacket has replaced my heavier, bulkier softshell jacket. The Wear on Earth waterproof down jacket (lovingly custom-made in Christchurch) has made travel in severe weather in the colder months more manageable. 

Useful additions

The following items are recent but handy additions to my gear. Garmin inReach Mini 2 for two-way communication and tracking. Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ poles are handy with heavy loads; I fit rubber tech tips to avoid track damage. Nitecore NB10000 Gen2 Ultralight Powerbank, which is critical if I’m recharging the inReach, headlamp and phone (particularly when using it as a flight computer for paragliding). 

Food

As a vegetarian, the Real Meals Beetroot and Carrot is hard to beat. On short trips I go gourmet for lunch: a wheel of brie, half a box of Sesameal crackers and a little hummus. I only boil water, and use the Primus ETA Lite stove modified with bungee cord to secure the lid and a Macpac gas canister stand.

Extras

First aid and repair kit, Petzl Actik Core headlamp, Julbo Aerolite Reactiv Cat 0-3 sunglasses, long-handled spoon, collapsible cup, and a fire steel.