What to wear and what to carry on a walk up Ben Nevis

hi folks my name is mike pescod and i run abacus mountain guides in this film i'm going to let you know about what to wear and what to carry with you if you're planning on going up ben nevis the thing to remember is that the weather on the summit of ben nevis is not like it is down here we're here getting ready packing my stuff at sea level where it's warm and comfortable and quite nice but right now on the summit it's about 10 degrees celsius colder it's windy it's wet it's a lot different to here it's pretty horrible and sometimes it's really horrible if it's raining all day you get you can get soaked through and you get really cold as a result of that and we can also get snow on the summit even in august so it's really important to have the right stuff with you so first up what to wear it's really important you have good footwear if you're not used to walking a boot is a very good plan because it supports your ankle something that comes up above your ankle that you can lace tights that really gives you some ankle support really important now the path is quite rocky and dry you're not walking through mud it's not slippery but it's rocky and there's lots of pebbles and sharp edges in the past especially towards the top so you want a really good sturdy salt something that's uh going to protect your foot from those sharp edges and from those irregular pedals at the top there a flimsy pair of trainers is not going to do that and it's going to be hard work and probably really quite sore for you especially after eight hours of walking so invest in a good pair of shoes or boots but make sure you wear them before you get to bed notice don't make bend overs the first time that you use these things you want to make sure they're comfortable that you've worn them in a little bit that you know they fit really well before you get to ben nevis so what to wear well not cotton cotton's really not a good idea for a few reasons it soaks up water so whether that's sweat or if it's rain or drizzle cotton jeans or trousers cotton t-shirts and hoodies just soak up all of that moisture and then they stay wet and when it's wet it's cold and it's heavy and it's really uncomfortable to wear so avoid cotton just don't wear cotton polyester is good nylon any of the man-made fabrics and wool wool is particularly good it doesn't have to be expensive you can get stuff from supermarkets at quite good prices just avoid cotton at all costs i've got some polyester trousers that provide some warmth as well i've got a woolen top here this is brilliant because wool dries out really quickly gets rid of moisture so it keeps me cooler when it's hot and keeps me warmer when it's cold so it's brilliant as i go up it's going to get colder so i'm going to want to put on more layers i'm going to start out like this probably but as it gets colder high up i'm going to want more layers of clothing on so i might put on a fleecy jacket like this first at about halfway and then somewhere near the top i'm probably going to want more so i'm going to put on another layer because it's colder again and it's all fleecy stuff polyester fleecy jackets this particular one is fantastic because it's got a hood you can just pull it up over your head keep your head warm and when your ears stick out as much as mine it's a really good idea it could be wet as well so you really want a very good waterproof jacket this one is particularly good because it's a good size and it's got this hood which covers up completely i can get right inside this hood so that if it's windy and rainy i'm completely protected all the time plus the sleeves are really good and long so i can get my hands inside keep them dry and my gloves fit underneath the ends there so i'm completely protected by this jacket you also need waterproof trousers so when it's raining you can get completely sealed up keep all of that rain out and remember waterproof clothing isn't just for the rain it's for the wind as well it's all windproof as well so it cuts out that windchill factor that you're gonna get up on the sun so that's what to wear what stuff do i need with me well a bit more clothes carry one extra synthetic layer a fleecy layer or a synthetically insulated layer that's an emergency thing so if stuff goes a bit wrong and i'm sat there for a few hours i'm going to want this as an additional layer of wearing what i think i'm going to need to wear and this is one extra bit of clothing and that's going to go on a waterproof bag it doesn't have to be an expensive stuff that you can get these rubble sacks these plastic bags tough plastic bags from any supermarket make sure you wrap it all up i'm gonna have a couple of pairs of gloves with me as well so don't be shy with gloves look how big and chunky they are it's cold on the top and you want waterproof gloves a thin pair like this is useful but not by itself these are going to get wet and you're going to want to replace them with a second set maybe even a third set if it's a really wet day and don't be shy so two three pairs of gloves very good idea and a warm hat as well keep your head warm all that's going to go inside my rucksack which is about 30 liters 40 liters something like that i'm gonna have some lunch with me don't be shy with food take a lot of food and good food as well chocolate bars and sweets are nice there's an addition but you want some proper complex carbohydrates just sandwiches muesli bars dried fruits fantastic and also bananas apples things like that anything that you find tasty that you don't want to eat but remember anything we carry up is going to come down with us so the banana skins the apple cores we're going to carry them down so maybe you want to carry a plastic bag with you to be able to carry that stuff down with you so i've got lots of food i've got something to drink as well but liter is fine a hot drink is really good on the cold days but a liter is plenty because there's a stream at halfway it's called the red bone and it's beautiful highland spring water if you drink all of your liter in the first half on the way up you can fill up again and that'll do you get to the summit and all the way back down to there and fill up again on the way back down so you can get through three liters of water with just one liter of one liter bottle it's not always cold and windy sometimes it's hot and sunny and actually sometimes you get both so as well as your warm hat you want a sun hat to keep the sun off a cap is great some sunglasses really good plan there's a lot of ultraviolet up at the top there so make sure you put some sun cream on at the start and also carry it with you to top up as you go along uh if you're on any medication make sure you take that with you as well take your camera it's a lovely place you're gonna want to take some photos and also take your telephone now if you're with us in one of our guided group walks your guide is going to have with them a first aid kit and an emergency shelter they're also going to have a map and a compass and all the other kind of bits and pieces that uh that you need as a group if you're doing this by yourself not in a guided group make sure you have that with you a map and a compass a shelter a first aid kit and make sure you know how to use that map and a compass if you'd like to get some training come and ask us it'll be great to help you out so that's what to carry it's not a huge amount of stuff but it's really important that you have that stuff thank you very much subscribe to our youtube channel for more videos

Channel: Abacus Mountain Guides

Views: 48,470

Keywords: what to wear on Ben Nevis, what to carry on Ben Nevis, Ben Nevis kit list, mountain guide, ben nevis

Id: VMfy6Lf0PKc

Length: 7min 54sec (474 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 17 2020