OMM Equipment List
You know I like my outdoor kit and with the OMM fast approaching I thought it was time for a run-through of what I’ll be using. The event itself consists of two days running in the mountains in October. This is the UK (this year North Wales) and it’s set in October as the weather can be at its toughest at this time of year. It’s almost always wet, windy and somewhat chilly. The idea is to move through the hills as fast as you can so packing light is key, but there are plenty of mandatory pieces of equipment that you need to take and if you want some comfort you might need carry a few heavier items too.
Getting the balance just right is an art. You don’t want to carry anything that you won’t use, but with ever-changing conditions it’s impossible to plan for all eventualities. Lawrence and I aren’t in it to win it either so we won’t be sacrificing all of our comforts for the sake of weight. If I were younger, faster and going for gold then there would be no additional comforts such as sleeping mats, I’d put up with an uncomfortable cold night at camp for more speed during the day. However, I am older, slower and probably a little more sensible these days so we’re going for a happy balance.
Official Kit List
The official OMM Kit list says:
OMM MANDATORY EQUIPMENT LIST
Each individual and team is responsible for being properly equipped for two days unsupported racing in exposed terrain at the end of October.
This list should be seen as a minimum requirement only. Check the weather forecast, your previous experience and use sound judgement for the kit you should be wearing and carrying. The organisers reserve the right to disqualify any competitors who, in their opinion, do not have the necessary kit to survive in an emergency situation. Cotton clothing is not suitable.
EACH COMPETITOR MUST WEAR OR CARRY THE FOLLOWING:
- Taped seams waterproof jacket with hood
- Taped seams waterproof trousers
- Clothing suitable for mountain running and walking
- Warm layer top.
- Hat (not a Buff), Gloves & socks
- Footwear suitable for fell and trail use
- Head torch capable of giving useable light for a
minimum of 12 hours- Whistle & compass
- Map (as supplied)
- Insulated sleeping system
- First aid equipment
- Survival bag (not a sheet)
- Rucksack
- Emergency rations (should still have at the finish line)
- Water carrying capability
- Pen/pencil for map marking (on waterproof paper) in wet conditions
- Fully charged mobile phone
Spare warm kit and insulated sleeping bag must be waterproofed (e.g. in a drybag)
EACH TEAM MUST CARRY THE FOLLOWING AT ALL TIMES:
https://theomm.com/product-category/kit-list/?v=79cba1185463
- Cooking equipment including stove with sufficient fuel for duration of the race, plus some spare for emergency use, left at the end of the event
- Tent with sewn in groundsheet
- Food for 36 hours for two people
That’s quite a lot of kit so prepare yourself for a deep dive into what I’ll be taking and why. I’ll start from the top.
Waterproof Jacket (Mandatory Item)
There are loads of lightweight, minimalist waterproof jackets to choose from. As chance would have it I’ve been using an OMM Kamleika jacket for years and absolutely love it. [Read my full OMM Kamleika Jacket review here.] There are lighter jackets out there but not by much and the one I’ve had has proved to be waterproof, comfortable, packs away small and has lasted well. It’s made by OMM for OMM and is what I’ll be using. The soft-touch feel is nice and it has a decent hood too. I’ll actually take my pullover smock version rather than the jacket simply because it’s newer and doesn’t have a little split in it like my older jacket does.
Weight: 227g [Item 8 in image]
Waterproof Trousers (Mandatory Item)
Sticking with a theme here, I’ve got some OMM Kamleika waterproof trousers that I’ll be taking with me. Again they are made by OMM for OMM so conform to their regulations of having taped seams and being waterproof. They are comfortable and work well for running in and they pack up relatively small and are quite lightweight. It’s unlikely that I’ll actually wear them whilst running unless the weather is atrocious so I could go with lighter, smaller waterproof trousers just to say that I have them. However, I already have these and they’ll fit the bill so rather than buying something even lighter that I won’t actually use I’ll take these with me.
Weight: 180g [Item 8 in image]
Legwear (Mandatory Item)
I usually run in shorts so will probably wear a pair of my trusty running shorts and take a spare pair with me. Nothing fancy here, just the usual running shorts that I wear everyday. They have liners for extra comfort and some warmth but otherwise they are just bog-standard running shorts. I know they are comfortable and I know they suit me. They aren’t especially lightweight but no running shorts are heavy so there isn’t much to be gained by going for some super lightweight ones here. I know they’ll be fine.
However, I do also have a pair of Montane running tights. If the weather forecast looks particularly cold then I might pack or wear those instead of the shorts. If it looks positively baltic for the whole weekend then it might even have to be tights for both days. That’s a decision I’ll make at the last minute depending on the forecast.
[Item 11 in image]
Running Tops (Mandatory Item)
I’d usually run in a short-sleeved top but I think I’ll go with long-sleeved lightweight merino-wool base layers for this event. I’ve got a nice, very thin Rab top and a slightly thicker Fjern one as well. I do have a couple of other thicker ones if it looks as though it’ll be really cold so I’ll again have a choice to make based on the weather. If we’re in the middle of an Indian summer then it’ll be short-sleeves instead. However, the long-sleeved tops are just as comfortable and maybe a little more so once wet. They’ll definitely be wet, either with rain or sweat, so that’s a given. Long-sleeves also provide more protection from the sun (as if) and are also more comfortable under a waterproof jacket. The dry one that I’ll wear on day two will be warm and cosy to put on around camp on the first evening too. As with the shorts/tights, I’ll wear one and take a spare.
[Item 5 in image]
Warm Layer Top (Mandatory Item)
I’m going with a synthetic jacket here. There are numerous options from fleeces to down jackets but a synthetic jacket has just the right warmth-to-weight properties, is versatile as it has a full-length zip and a hood and as opposed to down it retains its insulating properties when wet. It packs up quite small too. My choice here is once again made by OMM. It’s the OMM Rotor Jacket. The main body contains primaloft gold insulation whilst the sleeves and neck area have a ‘Cross Core’ technology fleecy lining that is super soft and comfortable. I’m unlikely to use this whilst moving as it’ll be too warm but it’s the perfect cosy thing to put on as soon as I arrive at camp.
Weight: 340g [Item 6 in image]
Warm layer Legs
This isn’t part of the mandatory kit list but I have a pair of OMM Rotor Pants. These use the same synthetic insulation as the jacket and could be a godsend if it’s really cold at camp. They also integrate with the jacket to form a sleep system, which, coupled with a footpod can be used as your sleeping bag. I haven’t quite gone down this route ss I do still have a sleeping bag (see below) but the trousers will provide extra warmth and comfort around camp and can be used with the sleeping bag to give me more versatility overnight dependant on the temperature.
Weight: 270g [Item 7 in image]
Hat (Mandatory Item)
OMM takes place in October, not February so I’m going with a lightweight running hat. Nothing fancy, nothing too technical just the hat that I use whilst training in winter. I’ll have a hood on my jacket if it’s really cold at camp so in conjunction with a thin hat that will be plenty. Plenty of head protection to keep me warm at camp and whilst moving a thin hat such as this is always more than enough even in sub-zero temperatures.
Weight: 30g
Gloves (Mandatory Item)
As with the hat, thin running gloves will be fine. I won’t need really warm winter gloves and the ones I have are small and lightweight and will hopefully remain in my bag.
Weight: 30g [Item 13 in image]
Buff
Not a mandatory item but always useful. I can use it as a hat, a scarf, to mop things up in camp, as a sling, a bandage or most likely as a wrist band to mop sweat from my brow as I running.
Weight: 30g [Item 14 in image]
Socks (Mandatory Item)
I’ll wear a pair of standard running socks and will take a spare pair for day 2. I’ll actually put the dry pair on as soon as I get to camp, put plastic bags over them and then wear my running shoes over the top of the plastic bags. That will allow me to have dry feet at camp but still wear my shoes, and still have dry socks to start day 2. I tend to use X-Socks or Hilly running socks.
Weight: 45g [Item 12 in image]
Shoes (Mandatory Item)
This is always going to be a very personal choice. There are loads of fell running shoes available and you need to find some that suit your feet and running style. My choice is the minimalist Inov8 X-Talon G210 V2. At 210g they are very lightweight but have good soles and traction in the mud. They let water in and out easily and fit my feet like slippers. I just love putting them on as they feel like there is nothing to them. This minimalist approach does mean that you sacrifice a little in protection from rocks and such-like and also in cushioning as there is virtually none. This is fine on soft, muddy ground but on tarmac or trails then maybe something with a little more cushioning would be better.
I struggle with hot spots on the bottom of my left foot (sometimes my right as well) and just can’t find any running shoes that remain comfortable for much over an hour. It doesn’t matter how much cushioning they have, or how well they fit. These are the best of the bunch for me.
Weight: 210g
Headtorch (Mandatory Item)
I was going to go with my trusty Petzl Tikka II head torch. It’s not particularly lightweight, not particularly bright and does nothing fancy. It was also starting to get a little temperamental so I thought it was time for a new one.
As someone who likes new gadgets I couldn’t resist the Petzl IKO Core, and not just for its funky design. It does also have some useful features going for it. Most notably the fact that it comes with a rechargeable lithium battery that provides good battery life and brighter lighting than you’d get with standard AAA batteries. However, it will also accept AAA batteries which means I can carry some spare batteries just in case they are needed. It’s also comfortable, very lightweight and comes in a nice little carry case that converts it into a lantern for use at camp.
Weight: 85g (plus 35g for spare batteries) [Item 16 in image]
Whistle (Mandatory Item)
Ideally I’d have a rucksack that has a buckle with a built in whistle. These are great and always a feature I look for in a rucksack, but as you’ll read later mine doesn’t include one as it was a sacrifice I made for the ideal rucksack. Adding a small whistle of my own isn’t a huge deal breaker though. In fact I needed to buy a survival bag so I bought one that came in a little drawstring bag with a whistle on the drawstring buckle. Perfect!
Weight: 3g [Item 17 in image]
Compass (Mandatory Item)
Here we go, more gadgets. I do of course have a simple compass. It was however very old and I wanted to try out an orienteering-specific ‘thumb compass’. I’ve therefore bought a Silva ARC 360 thumb compass which has a Jet 2.0 needle, which is one of the fastest settling compass needles available! Who even knew that compass needles had to be faster? It does work a lot better than my old one, especially when not completely horizontal. It also fits on my thumb so is ready to use whenever I need it. What’s more with the fastest settling needle on the planet each time I use it I’ll be saving something like 1/100th of a second. If I use it 100 times that’s a whole second of time I will have saved – worth it? No, of course it’s not but it is a nice new gadget to play with!
It is of course lighter than my old compass too at just 32g. [Item 20 in image]
Sleeping Bag
As mentioned above a sleeping bag is surprisingly not a mandatory item. That becasue all you need is an ‘insulated sleeping system’. I could therefore get away with adding a foot pod to my OMM Rotor Jaket and Rotor Pants to form an insulated sleeping system. I don’t feel as though that would be enough though so I’ll also be taking an OMM Mountain Raid 160 sleeping bag. This is a mid-weight synthetic sleeping bag so should be warm enough but not overly so. Synthetic is a little heavier than down but at least it still works if it gets wet. It packs up relatively small and feels comfy. Having a sleeping bag and some insulated trousers and a jacket gives me a little more versatility too and of course adds extra layers should it be really cold.
Weight: 450g [Item 1 in image]
Sleeping Mat
I deliberated over this for a while as I didn’t already have a suitable sleeping mat and it’s not a mandatory item. They are also really expensive and it would end up being one of the heavier and bulkier items in my rucksack. Lawrence swears by his though and would be taking a Thermarest NeoAir XTherm with a massive R-Value of 7.3 which is about as warm as you can get. I thought that was a little too much for me, especially as they cost around £240. Instead, I went for the next one down, the Thermarest NeoAir XLite NXT which has an R-Value of 4.5 and weighs in at 372g excluding the bag (387g with it, and an extra 60g if you include the pump sack.
Weight: 447g [Item 2 in image]
Sleeping Bag Liner
I’ve got a Rab silk sleeping bag liner. I’ll probably take that as well. It’s not essential but it takes up very little space, only weighs 120g with its bag and it not only protects my sleeping bag but it’s an extra layer if things are very cold.
Weight: 120g [Item 3 in image]
Pillow
Again, this isn’t an essential item but I’ve got a Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight pillow. It adds considerable comfort whilst taking up very little space and only weighs 59g with its bag
Weight: 59g [Item 4 in image]
First Aid Equipment (Mandatory Item)
Rather than take a full first aid kit I’ll just go minimalist here to conform to the rules. Most important for me will be my GTN spray and some aspirin. Other than that there’ll be some blister plasters, some alcohol wipes and some standard plasters too.
Weight: 40g [Item 21 in image]
Survival bag (Mandatory Item)
I didn’t have a survival bag, only survival blankets, but the OMM site says:
That’s a fair point, so I bought a cheapish one from Amazon which included a bonus whistle on the drawstring of the bag it comes in. Yes, it’s a survival bag inside a bag that will be inside a dry bag inside a rucksack. Bags in bags, in bags in bags – crazy hey!
Weight: 120g [Item 17 in image]
Rucksack (Mandatory Item)
Talking of bags, a rucksack is of course a mandatory item. I’d like to see you carry this lot without one! My all-time favourite rucksack is the Montane Trailblazer 30. You can read me waxing lyrical about it in my full review here. This is however a little too large and a little too heavy (840g) for OMM. Luckily they do a lightweight, minimalist version called the Trailblazer LT 28. It holds almost as much stuff but only weighs 390g. I of course had to give it a go.
It does give up a little of the comfort of its larger cousin and has a few small downsides but I’ve been testing it out and so far it is working well. It’s certainly very light and with taped seams appears to be quite waterproof too, probably more so than the larger heavier version. The only downsides really are:
- Despite claiming to only be 2 litres smaller in size it seems to hold quite a lot less.
- The side pockets have zipped hip access which is great, but these join into the stuff pockets on the side so I feel as though things could potentially fall out of them at camp or if you put the bag down. It’s unlikely but I wouldn’t want to risk leaving anything irreplaceable in them.
- The chest straps are very thin (all in the name of weight saving). This means that they tend to slip as you run so don’t stay tightened the way I like them. I should be able to fix this with some little knots though.
- The buckles have a(Mandatory Item) built in whistle, but then again nor do they on the bigger, heavier version.
- There is no additional pocket in the ‘lid’ because it doesn’t have a lid.
- There’s no built in clip for attaching my keys to.
However, it is super lightweight, it’s comfortable and should just about hold everything I need. The chest pockets are good and it has plenty of other neat little features too. It has room for a hydration bladder, there are pole carrying attachments, adjustability is good and it fits me well. It’s likely to be the bag that I use, but I might take the slightly larger but much heavier one in the car with me just in case I feel I need it at the final packing?
Weight: 390g [Item 23 in image]
Emergency Rations (Mandatory Item)
I’ve been testing some freeze-dried meals and my favourite was the Real Turmat Field meals. We need to carry enough for Saturday night, Sunday morning and have some spare that we still have at the finish. I haven’t quite decided how many packets of freeze-dried food this will be yet. I’m thinking of one meal for Saturday night and one pudding (because puddings are always nice). I’ll also need one breakfast meal for Sunday morning and I’ll add a fourth freeze-dried meal of some description to that as the spare emergency ration.
I’ll also carry some Clif Energy bars and some gels. I have plenty of those hanging around the house as I buy them and rarely use them. Most will be out of date but they’ll do the trick when I need a sugar hit. On top of that, I’ll take some powdered hot chocolate for the evening and some coffee of some description for the morning. Maybe a bag of Haribo or sqaushies as well for eating whilst running.
[Items 19 &22 in image]
Water carrying capability (Mandatory Item)
Most people use bottles but I tend to remember to drink enough if I have to reach for a bottle. Given my recent health issues I want to make sure I stay well hydrated so I’ll use a hydration bladder. Mine holds two litres. I’ll also take a 3 litre Katadyn BeFree water purifier. This has a super fast flow rate so will allow me to fill my hydration bladder from streams out on the hill and will be useful for filtering water prior to cooking at camp as well.
Weight:100g [Item 9 in image]
Pen/pencil (Mandatory Item)
I need to get this but will no doubt go with a small chinagraph pencil and a couple of pages from an old chartwell geology field notebook.
Fully charged mobile phone (Mandatory Item)
Well, that will have to be my iPhone, which will double as my camera too. I’ll leave it turned off most of the time though to conserve the battery.
Dry Bags (Mandatory Item)
The rules state that “Spare warm kit and insulated sleeping bag must be waterproofed (e.g. in a drybag)”. I like to keep things organised in dry bags, so I would do that anyway. I’ve got a selection of super-lightweight, fully waterproof Exped Fold UL Dry Bags. The weight of these varies depending on size but you’re looking at about 30g each.
I’ll probably end up putting everything into a dry bag and maybe even writing on them so that I know what’s in what bag. It saves a lot of time and energy if things are organised, and means I don’t get other things wet when looking for something specific.
[Item 10 in image]
Sundries
That’s all of my ‘personal items’, except for a few additional bits and pieces that I’ll need. These will include:
- My glasses, so that I can see [Item 15 in image]
- My Garmin Fenix 6X Sapphire watch. We’re not allowed to use this for navigational purposes but I’ll use it to record our route for looking at later and also to monitor my heart rate.
- My Frontier X ECG Heart Rate Monitor Strap. So that I can monitor my heart rate and it will warn me if the ECG starts looking a little odd too.
- Plastic bags, to put over my socks at camp and one for rubbish.
- Ear plugs, for some peace and quiet at night.
- Toothbrush and toothpaste. Because it would be pretty nasty without it!
- Toilet roll – for obvious reasons [Item 18 in image]
- A Spoon and Cup. For eating and drinking obviously.
Shared Kit
We also need a tent and cooking equipment. The official list actually states the shared kit as:
- Cooking equipment including stove with sufficient fuel for duration of the race, plus some spare for emergency use, left at the end of the event
- Tent with sewn in groundsheet
- Food for 36 hours for two (or three) people
Be aware that there will be no skip at the overnight campsite! The race is self-sufficient so you need to carry any rubbish with you back to the finish on Sunday. No rubbish at kit check? We will be asking why!
https://theomm.com/the-omm/?v=79cba1185463#event-details
I’ve already covered the food above and I’m relying on Lawrence for the tent and cooking equipment as I don’t have a suitable tent or stove.
Tent
Lawrence has a Nordisk 2.2 LW Tent that we’ll use. It’ll be pretty cosy, if not a little cramped but it’s about as lightweight as you can get for a proper 2 man tent at around 1kg and packs up to an impressively small size too.
We haven’t tried it out yet but will do soon.
Weight: 1024g (plus pegs), shared between us.
Cooking Equipment
Lawrence has an MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe with solo cook set. We’ll only be boiling water so this should be fine. There are slightly lighter stoves but this one is reliable and the stove itself only weighs 83g. There will of course be additional weight in the form of fuel.
And that, folks, is it! Loads of top-notch, lightweight, performance kit. Some compromises have been made here and there but all in the name of balancing weight with practicality and a little bit of comfort. I feel as though I may have gone overboard on the sleeping kit, especially as most of it isn’t mandatory equipment. Maybe sacrificing some comfort overnight would be better as I don’t tend to sleep anyway so the extra weight to be comfortable may not pay off. However, even if I don’t sleep, being comfortable may mean that I’ll be able to get some rest. Also, as we’re doing the short points course we will be spending quite a bit of time at camp, both on Saturday afternoon and evening and on Sunday morning. So, having some versatility and some limited comfort at camp will be nice.
Unfortunately, despite all of the equipment listed above I can’t do anything about my heart, lungs, legs, knees and feet. I’m kind of stuck with those and in comparison to my equipment, they just aren’t up to the job these days!
3 Responses
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[…] little chance to get out ‘training’ together. We’ve been preparing in other ways, buying kit, practise packing, testing dehydrated meals and such like, but for one reason or another, we just hadn’t been […]
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[…] and I were never in it to win it but we were making certain balanced compromises between speed and comfort and we were likely to be running where we could. We were therefore travelling light and planning to […]
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As I would have expected, well equipped and ready for the adventure. I’m sure you’ll both have fun ….