My 10 Kit Essentials for Summer Adventures

Whether you're long-distance running, hiking, ultralightweight camping or "fastpacking" (aka all of the above), here are my recommendations

It’s my favourite time of year for outdoor adventures. Late spring and early summer see the British countryside swelling with green life, and, up here in North Yorkshire, the air smells incredible; of dewy grass, cow-parsley and the dry Chardonnay tang of streams splashing over limestone. Over the winter, my body was shrouded in thermals almost every single day, and exposing my arms and legs to the spring sunlight feels like pulling off a plaster that has been on too long. My clammy white skin is steadily toughening and tanning, and soon, there will even be enough light to be able to run outdoors without a headtorch for much of the night. Currently, I want to be outdoors as much as possible, whether that’s gardening; camping and hiking with my kids at weekends; taking part in long-distance running events; or dashing off for mid-week overnight running-and-camping (aka ‘fast-packing’) solo adventures. After nearly a decade of such activities, I’ve tried and tested a fair amount of kit, …