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The ultra runners tool kit
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For stage races the OMM 32 is excellent. I saw the comment on the sleeping mat -my friend used it when we did the 4 Deserts Sahara Race last month & had no issues (I used thermarest 3/4). I wouldnt rely on it on harder ground though. For races where you need a bit more water, a Smartube which costs about £10-15 & converts a normal bottle into a hydration system, so you can use any bottle for water, you can see how much you have drunk, and it saves time taking out your camelpak and filling it. (fyi the OMM pack easily fits a 1.5l bottle in the mesh side pockets). Cable ties are also very useful for fixing things (as well as gaffer tape already mentioned)- ie if your pack starts to fall apart, or laces snap. With gaffer you can also carefully roll up a smaller length round another piece of kit to save on weight if you cant find a smaller roll. For food (if a stage race I suppose), Expedition Foods have 800kcal meals, which are dehydrated and weigh approx 160g, they are tasty too. You need access to boiling water though. Avoid the breakfast ones - they are a bit sickly. If you need a lot of calories, Peperami (126kcal per 25g) and pork scratchings (150kcal per 25g) are very good and have high salt content. Crisps are excellent too, crushed & resealed with less air & rolled up - then they are a lot smaller and easier to eat on the move. For blister prevention or covering them up, Leukotape is great - v sticky and lasts forever. It is more expensive, but is streets ahead of zinc oxide tape, which will not last for long and will come off if it gets sweaty. Over the course of the Sahara Race (250km/5days), I had 2 strips on the arch of my feet (to prevent blisters) and they remained there for the whole race.
i agree with the taping up of toes/feet Ed. through my ballet years fabric plaster around every toe, and then taping two toes together was indestructable and stopped blisters despite getting sweat soaked. mine used to be on for a week at a time withstanding soap/showers every day. ive found pretzels good too and chocolate covered nuts and raisins work for me as i dont really like jellybabies or sickly sweets....the bottle converter sounds good too..i may try that.
...always take an emergency blanket on long runs too - you never know when you might need it....but hopefully you wont.
As fro a pub crawl?......it was about 80 miles over 2 days.....with perhaps 3 or 4 pubs. Not really a piss up!
Interesting thread! Where do you get that foot tape from?
Re packs I am not big but not very petite (ok short and chubby) but have a Radlight 10l pack which holds lots. Also have one of their waistpacks with a biggish pouch and bottle carrier that is even more comfy and holds a jacket plus snacks for shorter ultras.
I did organise a proper running pub crawl once with our club....chose five or six pubs....with about half a mile to a mile between them, then you go out and run between pubs, and have one drink in each of them.....half a pint usually, or a short
Muchly good fun!
loula - why not goto a shop that has the Deuter one...(Cotswold outdoor stock them I think).....and if it seems horrible, then go for the mizuno one.
There is a store at Bicester home and garden centre.
Decathlon do some pretty nifty ones too....
debra i was going to get a Garmin for xmas but have ditchd that idea as my nike band does really what i need it too and dont have the problem of having flat batteries as it gts charged by the laptop....also i want to learn how to pace by insticnt , not having to rely on beeping and looking at numbers to know if im too fast , too slow etc......
nick, i like the ones at decthalon..the 'team' pack looks nice, slightly bigger..with the pockets
garmin has been fine for me for over 12 hours...
for electroyltes I have changed to salt tablets......easy to swallow and have all the essential bits and pieces...easy to carry........
I would also agree with carrying buffs..................
my favourite kit is my arm warmers.originally bought for cycling.........when climbing mountains.its amazing how you can go from waqrm to cold when you hit the wind............its a pain to get jackets out of bags and haqving to take rucksacks off etc to get jacket on and off............
a pair of armwarmers you can just roll up or down easily and if you get too hot can be taken off and fitted in the pocket or tied around your belt...........best and most used piece of kit.
if anyone is looking for jackets.........a lot of ultra want waterproof not just windproff outer clothing.jackets and trousers....i love my montane atomics which pack up into a sac.larger than the featherlite one but still packable,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,they are less than half price at field and trek,.......picked up the jacket for £50 when they are well over £120 now........field and trek are part of sports direct group .but the delivery was fine.no problem.........
seren, funny you mentioned the arm warmers...this is gonna sound daft but i used a pair of my daughters skinny leg wamers on my arms one day when it was chill wind but i didnt need a jacket or warm top as my tummy gets so sweaty lol....they worked a treat-although now shes nabbed thm back
cragchick, re. Garmin, that's exactly the information I wanted! Looks like the 305 is the one for me to go for. Any downsides? Features it's not got that you'd have prefered? They're all going to look huge on me, but should fit with a sweat band underneath (which I need for my present running watch).
Okay, what's a buff for? I've got one because I was given it (pink patterned, yuck, but I got it free) but I hate anything around my neck - makes me gag and retch. So why/how would I use it?
Armwarmers I'd never have thought about - thanks for the tip, seren nos.
Which salt tablets? I'm assuming some are just sodium chloride but sounds like yours are a bit more complex?
the salt tablets are salttabs and are only available from a few places in this country..racing the [planet being on I believe....I found with all the other types like Nuuns after a bit I started hating the taste and it was stopping me drinking as much as i should........the slat tablets have the potassium and magnesium and whatever as well as sodium and you can just pop them like painkillers
a buff is useful for keeping necks warm.............my main use is that I wear a baseball hat and on mountain tops the wind tried to take It away........the buff goes over it and keeps it on...........on hot days i can dip the buff in a stream and then put it around my neck or over my hat to cool me down........can wet and use it to clean cuts when you fall.........or just to wipe sweat away.............or a million of other things.........I had my first one a while before i used it as I wasn't sure about them
They are essentially thin tights, so enough to take the edge of the cold. I used to suffer with really cold hands when cycling, when I got some arm warmers, it really helped keep my hands warm too
10 for £2.40 (sorry cant do links on this computer)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FAKE-TATTOO-SLEEVE-FANCY-DRESS-10-DESIGNS-STRECH-TYPE-/320777993416?pt=Adult_Fancy_Dress_UK&var=&hash=item76c0f6491f#ht_2410wt_1065
Kinesio tape is a must!
I use it on my feet along with Compound tinture of benzoin.
Clean feet, dab on benzoin, tape with kinesio over your potential hotspots. Tape sticks like s**t to blanket.
I also cut 5 pence size pieces of tape for my nipples. No chaffed nips ever.