The North Face 100 Mandatory Gear

Less than 5 weeks to go… Managed to get all my mandatory gears in place and had them checked last week. No dramas, passed the check and I am now all set for the race!!!

All participants of The North Face 100 race are required to carry the below items at all times during the race. Some say carrying all these items during a race is excessive. Fair point. Personally, I think the organisers have the participants’ safety in mind when they decided to make these items mandatory. I can certainly use many of these items should I get injured / stranded in the Blue Mountains, waiting for help to arrive.

Here is the list of my mandatory gears that passed the check.

- 1 x long sleeve thermal top (polypropylene, wool or similar).

Don’t think I will be using this item too often. So I opted to go for cheaper options that meet the requirement. Got this Cape thermal top when it was on sale.

http://www.anaconda.com.au/Product/Technical-Apparel-and-Footwear/Mens-Clothing/Adults-Polypropylene-Thermal-Top

- 1 x long leg thermal pants (polypropylene, wool or similar).

Similar to the top, I went for a cheaper option. Got this Wild Country thermal pants when it was on sale.

http://www.raysoutdoors.com.au/online-store/products/Wild-Country-Thermal-Long-John-Mens-Aqua-S.aspx?pid=258357#Cross

- 1 x waterproof and breathable jacket with fully taped (not critically taped) waterproof seams and hood (plastic rain poncho, wind jacket, water resistant jacket etc. not acceptable)

This is the most discussed items as the organisers are very strict on this item. After reading up on past participants’ experiences and advice, I chose this one.

http://www.anaconda.com.au/Product/Brands/The-North-Face/Mens-Venture-Jacket

- 1 x beanie, balaclava or buff

Any beanie or buff will do. Thanks to Shaz, I will be using the Original buff.

- 1 x full-fingered lightweight thermal gloves (polypropylene, wool or similar)

I brought 2 pairs of gloves to the check. My normal Nike running gloves did not pass. Luckily I have another pair that is made of Polartec material and this one passed.

- 1 x High Visibility Safety Vest that complies with Australian Standard AS/NZS 4602:1999 –D/N Class for day and night time wear.

Bought this at Bunnings. $6.50 Can’t go wrong with that!

- 1 x headlamp (test your headlamp on bush tracks at night prior to the event to make sure it provides enough light to both see the track and the course markings)

Led Lenser H7 will be my main headlamp.

http://www.ledlenser.com.au/products/high-performance-line/h-series/h7/

- 1 x small backup light in case of headlamp failure but still bright enough for you to walk by and see course markings

Light weight Petzl Tikka as my backup.

http://www.petzl.com/us/outdoor/headlamp/universal/tikka

- 1 x mobile phone (Telstra Next G is strongly recommended as coverage on the course is far better than any other network)

Still undecided. Should be using my iphone. Maybe will change to a lighter “dumb” phone.

- 1 x compass for navigation in the very unlikely event that you get lost.

The compass function within FR910XT pass the test. No need to get additional compass. Just need to make sure the battery can last entire race.

http://sites.garmin.com/forerunner910xt/

- Capacity to carry 2 litres of water (water bladder or water bottles)

- 1 x whistle

- 1 x emergency space blanket, light bivvy sack or equivalent

My Salomon Advance Skin S-Lab 12 (S12) comes standard with a 1.5l bladder. I took another 600ml water bottle and slot it in the front pouch, making the total capacity to be over 2litres. The S12 also comes with a whistle and an emergency space blanket.

http://www.salomon.com/au/product/advanced-skin-s-lab-12-set.html?intcmp_measmall_sports_au_TRbags_HP_SS13

- 1 x compression bandage minimum dimensions 7.5cm wide x 2.3m long unstretched.

Pretty standard. Available at most chemist.

- 1 x lightweight Dry Sack to keep your compulsory clothing dry (plastic bags or zip lock bags are fine but Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil dry sack is recommended)

Will be using zip lock bags.

- 2 x bars / food portions

I called The North Face shop and asked if I really need to bring these items in. They said yes. So I just brought along 2 Winners energy bars for the check. 

- 1 x Ziploc bag for your personal rubbish

No problem here.

- 1 x waterproof map case or any other way to keep your maps protected such as map contact

Just need a bigger than normal zip lock bag. What will the world be without zip lock bags?

These following 2 items are only required if the weather is super bad. Nevertheless, they are part of the mandatory items. Fingers crossed that we don’t need to use carry and use them.

- 1 x long leg waterproof pants

Bought this during a sale.

http://www.anaconda.com.au/Product/Technical-Apparel-and-Footwear/Mens-Clothing/Pants-and-Shorts/Adults-Pack-It-Rain-Pant

- 1 x 100-weight long sleeve synthetic fleece top (must not be made of wool)

I reckon I will use this item quite often. Hence I am willing to pay a little bit more for this one.

http://www.anaconda.com.au/Product/Brands/The-North-Face/Mens-TKA-Glacier-14-Zip

So there you go. Hopefully this will give you an idea of what are the gears available out there you may need for this race. Happy running!