Paulette Birchfield fits her trips around work, family and the often-fickle West Coast weather. She’s an engineer with West Coast Regional Council, a Grey District councillor and a Les Mills instructor.

“Coming from an ultra-running background, I like a challenge,” she says. “I try to wring as much as I can out of every day and cover as much ground as possible, but that doesn’t mean going ultralight. I’ll carry extra weight if it means comfort at night, good food, and usually a ginger beer and whisky after a long day getting to a hut or campsite.”

Pack and pole

My Twin Needle Tuke 55 pack is 1300g but tough enough for West Coast scrub. It has modular attachments so I can increase capacity for longer trips. After going through many poles, 12 months ago I bought a Leki folding Makalu (one only). It’s still going strong.

Shelter

My tent is a Big Agnes Tigerwall UL2 (1330g). It’s light and roomy with side entry so I can roll in and out easily. I carry a couple of Big Agnes blow-down anchors for extra support in high wind.

Sleeping system

My mat is a Nemo Tensor Extreme (8.5R). It packs small, is surprisingly quiet and works across all seasons. I have a Sea to Summit Flame II bag and a range of Sea to Summit liners to adapt it for everything from summer hut trips to winter snow camping.

Footwear

I use La Sportiva’s Aequilibrium for alpine trips and the lighter Aequilibrium Hike for the low country. Outdoor Research Crocodile gaiters provide protection and comfort. For camp I carry bright pink floral Crocs.

Clothing

Mostly Macpac, including the Copland raincoat, Nitro Fleece pullover and Pulsar hooded jacket. I’m hard on gear, and our gnarly alpine scrub is merciless on clothing. I repair what I can, but when things get shredded it’s less frustrating if they’re not too expensive to replace.

After buying expensive ‘tough’ gloves that quickly surrendered to West Coast terrain, I switched to relatively cheap Gill fishing gloves, which provide excellent protection. For winter trips, Showa Temres commercial fishing/agricultural gloves paired with fleece liners are ideal, particularly for anyone with poor circulation or Raynaud’s syndrome.

Cooking and food

I often share gear and pool a cooker, but if going solo I take a Jetboil MiniMo. I carry a Sea to Summit cup inside a stubbie-holder to increase its thermal insulation. Real Meals are my go-to for dinners, with chocolate cake pudding a favourite treat – usually taken with a splash of whisky on cold winter trips.

Alpine gear

I only carry basic alpine gear, mostly in winter: Grivel G10 crampons, a Petzl ice axe and a Petzl Meteor helmet.

Useful items I never leave at home

A Kiwi Ultralight fitted sheet for DOC hut mattresses (pure luxury); a Kiwi Ultralight bush cloth, usually hanging on the outside of my pack for easy access; 30m of lightweight static cord for pack hauling and extra support on steep descents; a Nitecore 20,000mAh  powerbank; flagging tape for identifying a route; a Silky saw for occasional track clearing or gathering firewood; a Fenix HM70R or HM65R headlamp (which one I take depends on how long I expect to be out in the dark); a GME PLB and first aid kit.