MOUNTAIN LEADER KIT LIST

If you want me to test your kit contact me via Instagram @summit_pursuits or via the contact page

Included in this post is a list of kit that I used for the Mountain Leader assessment which I had dialled down over the years and added some items in preparation for the ML assessment. I had a fairly lightweight gear loadout in comparison to some on the assessment, and I largely use this same kit now.

If you are preparing for your Mountain Leader qualification, also check out my top tips, based on a successful first time pass and 18 months of specific ML training preparation and over two decades previous outdoor experience prior to achieving the qualification. I am passionate about the Mountain training qualifications and am currently training for the Winter Mountain Leader.

Multi-Day Kit List - (3 days - 2 nights) - Total 8-9kg

Big Three - Sleeping, Carrying and Shelter

• 1 x Backpack - Liteway Elementum pack 50L - 500g

• 1 x Therm-A-Rest Saros Sleeping Bag - 1kg (0 degrees C bag 32F so with the additional quilt below and R value of the sleeping pad, is very comfortable at lower temperatures)

• 1 x Sea to Summit - Cinder Cd1 Down Quilt - 500g (4C or 40F lower limit, great in summer and provides extra warmth in winter months, extremely lightweight and packs down to the size of a water bottle)

• 1 x Ultralight sleeping pad - Nemo Tensor Alpine Sleeping pad R-Value: 4.8 - 520g

• 1 x Foam Sleeping Mat - Exped Flexmat - 235g (I use as back support on my frameless pack, sit pad and under my sleeping mat to increase the R value of my sleep system)

• 1 x Tent MSR hubba nx - 1.1kg (lightweight 1 man tent with good sized vestibule and good head room to sit up inside, an absolute necessity to cook and prepare in bad weather)

• 1 x Trekology Sleeping Pillow - 110g

Cook Set

• 1 x Cook pot - TOAKS Titanium 750ml Pot - 270g

• 1 x Stove - SOTO Windmaster -180g

• 1 x Cnoc Outdoors Water Bladder (used as backup water container and for use with the platypus quickdraw)

• 1 x Platypus QuickDraw 130g

• 1 x Food bag - 3 Day food approx 1.3kg - 3 x expedition food packs - FIREPOT (lightweight dehydrated meals are easy to prepare and taste great), porridge for breakfast with nuts and seeds (cold soaked overnight for ease), various lightweight food items for snacks i.e. Cliff Bars, nakd Protein bars

• 1 x Water bottle - Nalgene 1L bottle - 1kg

• 1 x Gas - Coleman C100 Butane/Propane (check full and consider taking two)

• 1 x Titanium spork (don’t get plastic)

Miscellaneous

• 2 x Trekking poles - Black Diamond Aluminium - 500g

• 1 x Victorinox Swiss Army Knife (lightweight multi tool with scissors for repairs)

• 1 x Primary Compass - Silva Explorer Expedition Compass - (comes with slope card and a distance lanyard which is really useful)

• 1 x Backup compass (All-round Silva compass as a spare is essential as they do malfunction)

• 1 x Pen (used to mark up the map)

• 2 x Maps - Harvey and OS map (Second can be used as a backup)

• 1 x Primary Head Torch - Ledlenser H8R rechargeable (long range headtorch which will is essential for your night navigation phase)

• 1 x Backup Head Torch - Nitecore NU25 (lightweight really useful go to head torch in side pocket)

• 1 x iPhone (for emergencies - not allowed to use your phone during the assessment)

• 1 x Power Bank - Anker Powercore 10000 (great small and lightweight power bank used for head torch and other electronics)

• 1 x Wash kit (Toothbrush, Toothwaste tablets (lightweight) Small bar of soap)

• 1 x Waste Kit (Biodegradable wet wipes, toilet paper, trowel)

First Aid

• 1 x Quick access trauma bandage

• 1 x Group First Aid Kit - 800g

• 1 x Personal First Aid Kit (painkillers, blister prevention packs)

• Duct tape (wrapped around Nalgene bottle)

Clothing & Footwear

• 1 x Mountain boots - Scarpa Ribelle Lite HD (great boot for wet UK weather and will take a B2 crampon for winter mountaineering)

• 2nd favourite Hiking boot - Scarpa Marmolada Pro HD (used these for years amazing boot more British mountains and wet weather)

• 1 x my favourite scrambling and hiking boot - La Sportiva TX4 Mid Goretex (amazing grip for scrambling and one of the most comfortable hiking boots I have ever worn, although not capable of withstanding British wet weather and are quickly saturated)

• 1 x Hiking trousers - Revolution race GP Pro Trousers

• 2 x long sleeve base layer top - Icebreaker Merino Wicking Top - 100g

• 1 x Microfleece - Rab Nexus Hoody - Weighs 299g (based on size medium)

• 1 x Waterproof jacket - Marmot Minimalist Hard-shell

• 1 x Waterproof trousers - Berghaus Deluge Pro 2.0

• 3 x Underwear

• 2 x Hiking socks - silverlight merino wool socks - 30g (expensive but amazing socks)

• 1 x Beanie hat - Beanie

• 1 x Sunglasses

• 1 x Baseball cap

• 1 x Buff

• 1 x Liner gloves - Sealskinz Merino Liner Gloves

• 2 x Gloves (November assessment so was cold and wet)

• 1 x Puffer jacket - Montane Anti-freeze ultralight - 294g (synthetic jacket preferred due to wet UK conditions)

• 1 x Thermals - Top and Bottoms (sleeping)

Group Kit

• 1 x Emergency Bothy - Summit 4 Bothy Supalite (highly recommended I upgraded to this bothy a couple of year ago)

• 1 x 30m Confidence Rope (cut down climbing rope or 8mm confidence rope)

• 1 x Helmet - Black Diamond Vapor

• 1 x Group first aid kit

• 1 x Bell tent at base camp

• 1 x wood burning stove

Day Pack List

Day Pack - Osprey Mutant 25lt

(the day pack is used on single day hikes but needs to have the essential items for a full day out on the mountains)

• Food & water

• Maps

• Compass

• Waterproofs

• Warm clothing

• Helmet and rope (optional depending on needs)

• Gloves

• Rope gloves - Petzl or leather garden gloves can work just as well

• Buff

• Personal First aid kit or Group First Aid Kit

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