Key considerations:
Before you look at the recommended kit below, we offer the following insight into the specific challenges running the Wildcoast Wildrun (www.wildrun.com).
Over the 3 days and 112km of rolling headlands and footprint less golden beaches, there are many estuary crossings, long beaches (including soft sections), sand dunes and if it's been raining - muddy bogs as well! So a few key kit considerations come into play:
Go waterproof:
You will more than likely be neck deep at some stage, so you need to protect at least your mobile phone from getting drowned. We recommend one dry bag for your kit (fleece, windproof) and a phone pouch for your phone. Just don't bring waterproof shoes, they just keep the water in!
Go sand-proof:
In all honesty you are never sand-proof, but you can keep a large portion of it out, and the rest you can deal with using a couple of Wild Coast kit tricks:
Gaiters: Yes they do make your foot hotter, but they keep a lot of sand out of your shoes -both in the river crossings (washed in) and along the softer sections.
Socks: The key to dealing with any sand that will get in, lies in your sock choice. The sand on the Wild Coast is very very fine, which is great for the most part as it doesn't chafe anywhere near as much as much as 'regular' sand. Having a sock thick enough hides the sand, keeping it away from your skin.
We recommend either Hilly Mono or TwinSkin (Mono is thick enough and cooler than the TwinSkin).
Go space:
You need to be self-sufficient for up to a maximum of 21km, and 4+ hours. So space for all your essential kit, water & fuel is paramount.
Water: The Wildcoast is, for the majority of the time, warm and humid, so expect to use more water than under less humid conditions. Our recommendation is to start with a min of 1.5 litre. It's a good idea to split this between a bladder and soft flasks, both for balance and versatility.
Kit: Then space for your micro fleece, rain/windproof jacket, first aid, fuel, phone, camera. This weight can be balanced out nicely with soft flasks in the front.
The Raidlight Responsiv is our recommendation. Well balanced and with enough space. When looking at other options, consider 10 litre volume and above.
Go cup-less:
Well actually we have gone cup-less, so we ask that you bring your own collapsible cup along for use at the aid stations! We highly recommend the 25g Wildo Fold-a-Cup which is equally at home with a hot cup of tea as it is for cold water.
