I actually had to come back on this comment and give you the biggest thank you! This advice immediately went into action after a few rainy nights on the Atlantic coast, thanks for sharing.
Hi, me and my husband are planning our Gr 11 for this summer, and we just can’t decide on our quit we currently have an Enlightened Equipment -12C double quilt (we live in Spain) which has work great for us in overnights at the Pyrenees in shoulder season, but we think might be overkill for the GR and also that if we have to stay in unmanned refugees we risk not having enough space for setting both pads together. On the other hand it’s 1200g so weight gas is great and the fact is quilts are expensive, we were thinking about maybe greeting 0C degrees quilts. Would love your input
Hi there! I had no issue with my Quilt and foam pad throughout the GR11, I don't think you'll get anything close to 0'C let alone -12C so perhaps, if weight saving is your goal, a 0'C rated quilt/bag that comes in lighter would work for you. Don't forget though the best equipment is what you already have. Best of luck on the hike!
There was no set plan for food weight since the distance between resupply was varied, we stocked up on what we could when we could. We weren't above grabbing a pizza in town etc and bread/meat/cheese got us through any wild overnights.
We’ll be mostly sourcing calorie dense foods between stages at local stores. Breads, Dried Meats and fruits, a lot of things that can be eaten a la trail mix, or reconstituted with a little water and heat into some sorta soup/stew. If you’re asking why I’m not including that in my Base weight. Depletables like Gas Water and Food are not included in a Base weight since they are slowly depleted and replenished, it would never been the same weight twice.
Are you asking for advice on what to eat on a long distance thru hike like this? Keep your calories high, and if you're macro focused, a mix of fast and slow burning carbs will keep your energy in check. Protein and fats can be heavy to carry so fill up on those when you reach town. A Berocca style-electrolyte tablet can make all the difference if you start to tire so I always carry those too. Keep your salts up. Thanks for the great question.
