The Milford Track Gear list for "The Finest Walk in the World" part of the Milford Track pages on muellerworld

The first time I hiked the Milford Track I learned what not to take. This is a list of what I took the second time and some comments about gear at the bottom:

Clothing: Boots: Merrell Blast Waterproof (leather) Shoes: Teva Sandals (for huts and stream crossings) Socks: SmartWool Hiking Socks (4 pairs - when they get wet, they might not dry overnight) Pants: REI Nylon with zip-off legs Shorts: TNF Nylon loose-fitting Climbing Shorts (never came out of the pack) Shirts: TNF Poly T-Shirts (2 - long & short sleeved) Fleece: TNF Lightweight Longsleeved Fleece Pull-over Thermal Shirt: Icebreaker Longsleeved Thermal Top Longjohns: Patagonia Fleece Tights Underwear: Icebreaker wool underwear(4 pair) Rain Gear: TNF Mountain Light Parka & Pants  [Note: make sure to re-treat the Gore-Tex before you go just in case!] Gaiters: Knee-high, cheap set Hats: Baseball Hat & a Rain Hat [never used it] Gloves: Windstopper Fleece Note: DOC warns that wet clothes will not dry overnight (they're right) Camera Kit: Nikon F801 24-50/3.3-4.5 AF-D lens 75-150/3.5 E-Series lens Remote Cable Release Lightweight Tripod Polarizing & 81A filters for each lens Yashica T5 Point-and-Shoot Camera Sekonic L-508 Light Meter 21 Rolls of slide & print film

Gear: MacPac Traverse Backpack (Size 3: 75 liters) Pack Rain Cover! (an absolute must) Camelback Water pouch (100 ounce size) Leki Trekking Poles Cooking Pots (med & small) lightweight eating utilsels Large plastic spoon Plastic Mug Iodine Tablets (just in case, and totally not needed) Mountain Hardwear +15°F down sleeping bag w/compression stuff sack (the bunks do have matresses on them) 2-3 Heavy Trash Bags (for isolating wet clothes or for protecting dry ones) Zip-Lock Baggies Matches/Lighter (for lighting the stoves in the huts) Mini-Flashlight/batteries Bio-Degradable Dish Soap Scrub Pad for Cook Kit (1/3 of a sponge with a scrub top) Toliet Paper (or Kleenex pack) Mini First-Aid Kit (moleskin & ibuprofin) Whistle, Space Blanket Ear Plugs (people snore!) Toothbrush/toothpaste pen/paper   What NOT to take: Anything cotton (if it gets wet, it will not dry)

Comments:

• Footwear was my first lesson. The first time I hiked the Milford Track, I wore some light-weight Asolo trekking boots. I thought that their light weight would be particularily well-suited to hiking 5-8 hours a day. I was wrong. The main problem I had was that the arches of my feet became sore due to the zillions of small rocks that I could feel through the thin soles. There were people hiking in tennis shoes that did quite well, but with my 40-ish pound pack I had chosen wrongly. On my second trip, I used some Merrell hiking boots with a stiff Vibram sole. Much better.

• Gore-Tex was my second shortcoming. I had brought my trusty 3-year-old North Face rain gear. It has always served me well and kept me dry from Alaska to Ecuador. However, on my first trip, it rained so hard that it actually hurt. My worn Gore-Tex jacket was not even close to up to the challenge. I was soaked through for 4 straight days. For my second hike, I re-treated my jacket and rain pants (and prayed for good weather). I almost forgot my gaiters on the first trip. They were very necessary in the rain.

• My Camera Kit was just about perfect. The 24mm end of the zoom was plenty wide enough for pretty much everything, and I didn't need much more than the long end of the 75-150mm zoom. The Keas came pretty close up on the pass, and it is a great lens for portraits as well. A faster zoom or a fast 50mm might be nice (or some Provia 400F), and I would consider taking a fill-flash next time because the New Zealand sun is pretty harsh and leaves dark shadows when taking photos of people during mid-day.

• Pack weight: Both times, my pack weighed about 40 pounds. This is quite unnecessary, but I made two choices that kept the weight up. First, I took a large-ish camera kit - This would saved about 6 pounds, if I just took a point-and-shoot. Second, I took enough dry socks and underwear for each day (some people don't!). Tim's pack was half the size of mine. He was exceptionally lucky that the weather was good because if it would have rained, he would have suffered without back-up gear. Your milage may vary...