Footware:  We cannot stress the importance of good "broken-in" boots. Your boots will get soaked no matter the weather so it's a good idea to confirm all materials and/or insulating fabric in your boots do NOT retain water like a sponge. Don't forget to bring a pair of Gortex/Sealskin socks in addition to a pair of sandles to wear for river crossings and simply relaxing around the tent.

Gaiters:  An absolute must! We cannot count the number of times we sank to our knees in mud and water.

Rain/Wind Pants:  If you can, get a pair that is waterproof-breathable, quick drying and durable enough to handle the tuckamore and rocks. One person had a pair of MEC Odyssey pants that exceeded all expectations and kept her dry throughout. Another wore Marmot pants with similar positive results. The Marmot pants were particularly light weight when packed and offered good protection when scrambling over rocks.

Sleeping Kit:  We've had success with lightweight nylon Thinsulate sleeping bags rated to -5° Celsius. Last year our Achilles heel was all our bags had a fabric (cotton blend) inner liner that soaked up and held the moisture. Do NOT bring a goose down bag as it would be useless if wet and feel like you're carrying a rock. Additionaly, ensure your bivy bag is a quality waterproof-breathable material. Our "heavy duty" Gortex bivy bags kept our sleeping bags dry but perhaps more importantly, they provided a level of security/safety if something happened to our tent.

Stove:  We used a Primus Yellowstone Classic with two 225g butane/propane fuel canisters that we reserved at the Home Hardware in Deer Lake. Note that no stores in Rocky Harbour sell this specific type of fuel and it obviously cannot be carried on a aircraft. The stove was lightweight, very simple to operate and very effective when used in conjunction with a wind screen.

Tents:  We used two lightweight MSR Hubba Hubba tents. The Hubba Hubba was quick and easy to set-up and performed very well considering the wet and windy conditions we experienced.

Rucks:  All our rucks performed well as expected. A couple in the group used pack covers in the rain with success however as we found out last year, depending on the terrain and/or vegitation they may required constant adjustment - read tuckamore. This year we all used many more stuff sacks in our rucks to separate and keep our kit dry. Numerous Zip-Lock bags remain our choice to handle our food, garbage and personal items.