Ultimate Slovenian Mountain Trail Gear Guide: From Must-Haves to Regrets 

Thank you so much for your comment! I had my eye on the versalite but I didn’t want to spend money again on an UL rain jacket.. good to hear you’re happy with it, I’m currently just hoping I’ll get away with my helium on the PCT😅 heard there’s not so much rain… maybe I should uphrade

Wow, I’ve had several OR Helium jackets and they have always worked well for me. Never wet out and really breathable on PCT and CT.

I don’t have the Trekology pillow (wanted to buy it actually because it has the strap to fix it to the sleeping pad) because unfortunately they don’t ship it to Austria. I have a different one though, the Exped UL pillow, it’s basically the same, without the strap. I wouldn’t want to miss it! I take it on every trip usually. Honestly don’t know why I forgot it in the video.. I did think about hiking the Te Araroa because for us Europeans it’s amazing to have one summer here in the northern hemisphere another summer down there in New Zealand, haha. And the landscape looks amazing! What kept me from hiking it so far is the amounts of rain. I’ve heard it rains a lot and after my first thru hike, the kungsleden in Sweden I am a little biased when it comes to high amounts of rain on a hike. That said, I’d still like to hike it one day, but next on the list is the PCT next summer :-) Thanks for your comment Steve!

@@helena_hikesYes NZ is quite wet and windy; I often forget that. A lot of these different brands do have equivalent type products so I think I'll go for the pillow I mentioned. My neck will love me for it too. Thanks for the reply and great video making btw 😊

I think my tent was also not that waterproof, but I was never sure if I didn’t pitch it right or the tent maybe wasn’t made for such conditions… I’m glad you have a new tent now! I love the hyperlite pack, I feel like people either love or hate it depending on their anatomy. It fits me perfectly and I prefer it A LOT over my gossamer gear or even my old Osprey pack. But it only makes sense if the rest of your setup is already light enough :-) Glad you enjoyed the video ☺️

@@helena_hikes When I got the money back I bought a tarp tent, a little more expensive but my parents had one that lasted for 15 years so I can say we are a fan of the brand😁

@@maike.lindhout I have heard lots of great things about the tarp tents! I have a durston tent now and I’m quite excited to see how that one performs as well 🤩

@@helena_hikes I've thru-hiked the length of Britain this year and was very happy with my Durston x-mid 1(not the DCF version though). It's an amazing tent :)

@ellihikes oh nice, that’s great to hear!!

@@audreyaberg3435 hey! Yeah camping is officially not allowed and it is really hard to find spots for camping anyways. If you get a subscription for the Slovenian or Austrian or German, whatever mountain club (which everyone should because it saves you lots of money) you can sleep there cheaper. I had sleeping bag and liner, because in some huts I found it very cold! Then in some places the liner would be enough. I used the stove quite a lot because I love cooking warm food but it’s definitely not necessary. Usually you can cook in front of the hut. Hope that helps :-)

Ah! Just read the comments below and I see I guessed correctly re the tent. X_Mid Pro 1 I guess?

I got the durston X mid pro 2 😎 for just a little more money I have more space so o thought that’s worth it! I might have to say a few words about the hoody again. I have heard good things about it that’s why I bought it. Other people seem to love it but both me and my hiking buddy absolutely disliked it. I think if you wear this hoody in the desert or any other terrain where it’s not raining a lot it might not be so much of an issue. Another fact I need to mention is that I sweat quite a lot, probably more than average for a female at least. This shirt just didn’t dry on me, with other shirts I didn’t have that problem. I used the shirt in high alpine conditions, rarely in hot and dry conditions what the shirt was made for I think? So you might need to try it out yourself. From my side I cannot recommend it if you’re either sweating a lot or hiking in windy, wet and humid conditions. Hope that helps 😊

@@helena_hikes Thanks for the detail. I suppose fabric and skin interaction is subjective. I took a Hoka sun hoody with me on the gr221. Awful. Clammy and clinging before I even got hot. Luckily I'd opted to also have a fresh spare in the form of an Arc'teryx Cormac. Although I'm going off the brand as I think they're losing their way, the sun hoody was a joy to wear. Great fit, durable and the polyester funk was well managed.

Oh danke! Das könnte ich echt mal ausprobieren! Habe den Titan Topf mal von meiner Mama geschenkt bekommen aber es wäre einen Versuch wert mal einen Alutopf zu nehmen. Danke! :-)

That’s a really hard decision to be honest. I think it comes down to what kind of hike you’re looking for. The Pyrenees are probably a bit more „wild“ with more camping and easier hiking on the GR10 + 11 compared to the HRP. If you’re deciding between those 3 the GR11 is the sunniest of the three, and not too challenging. The HRP is a bit more challenging but you can always switch between the two because they sometimes crossover. So you could start on the GR11 and then go over to the HRP if you need a bit more challenge. I absolutely enjoyed the GR11! The SMT is very different from these hikes in the pyrenees. It’s a lot steeper, more rugged terrain, scrambling, via ferrata but of course amazing views. You’ll more often sleep in mountain huts because camping spots can be hard to find and wild camping is not 100% legal, though apparently tolerated in most places that are not national parks. The huts are really nice though and part of the experience of hiking in the alps :-) great places to meet other hikers and have a fun evening! So I think to sum up, the SMT is more of an actual mountaineering experience in some parts (kamnik alps and Triglav) and the GR10/11/HRP is more of long walk in beautiful scenery. I personally liked the landscape of the SMT more because I feel drawn to these rugged mountains but the Pyrenees are no less beautiful with all the mountain lakes. You’ll meet more hikers in the Pyrenees and it’s a bit more touristically. If you only have 4 weeks you could probably do half of any of the hikes in the Pyrenees or if you’re super fast maybe even hike from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea. You might be able to finish the whole SMT in that time if the conditions are great. Hope that helps! If you have any more questions just ask me 😊

@@helena_hikes Wow Helena thankyou. I was not expecting such a lengthy response. I have relatives in France (Pau), Catalunya (Olot) and Slovenia (Ljubljana) so its a hard pick. I'll probably only get to Europe in second half of October. So guessing GR11 is going to be the safest trail. I'll probably start at Cap de Creuse and get off in Arinsal if snow is starting or join up with the GR10 and continue west if the weather is good and there is time. Not sure if that sounds like a sane plan. If you come to Australia some day be sure to hike the Bibbulmun Track. Happy New Year. 🙂

Sounds like a good plan! I think Spain is a lot safer in October than Slovenia! Take care 😊

Hi! I didn’t always stay in the huts, but I’d recommend going without tent etc.

Quite sure I know, haha!!