by widdershins » Sun Apr 18, 2021 4:58 pm
Hi! I'm a solo female hiker of a similar height and weight, and I've been at this for over a decade. Here's how I manage:
Pack -- get one that fits well and is adjustable for your build. One that comes in smaller or women's-specific sizes may help a lot with the comfort and your ability to carry it over longer distances. I love Osprey packs -- they're not the absolute lightest on the market but they just kill it with the design, and they last for years. I use an Osprey Eja 48L for my multi-day hikes -- I hauled mine fully loaded over the Trotternish Ridge last summer and survived to tell the tale. Keep in mind that the bigger the pack, the more tempted you will be to take everything with you. The first pack I bought was a 65L and although I occasionally use it in winter or on "luxury hikes" with friends where we cover 7 miles in a day and bring multiple bottles of wine, it is mostly overkill.
Trekking poles -- Yes, they are another expense, but I always use them on multi-day hikes. They take some of the weight off my legs when I'm carrying the big pack and enable me to go miles further each day than I would without them. They're also good for helping you stay stable when you're carrying a big load, poke at dodgy bits of ground and pole-vault over bog (not that you will run into much of this on the WHW). Maybe you have a friend willing to lend you their poles?
Clothes -- merino wool is your friend. Great for thermoregulation and preventing smell. One merino t-shirt (you can get them secondhand on eBay, or in the sales) will last you for several days without needing changes of clothing.
Food -- I carry a Jetboil stove and only make hot drinks and just-add-water food on the trail to reduce the need for extra pots, utensils etc. In the mornings I have porridge with powdered milk and dried berries, and hot tea. In the evenings, something like an Ainsley Harriott flavoured couscous sachet with a handful of dried veg and a little tin of flavoured tuna makes a filling and tasty hot meal with protein.
Toiletries -- just a few products in a ziploc bag (alas, my 10-step skincare regime does not come with me on the trail), travel-sized everything, wipes are your friend.
I use Lighterpack.com to track how the grams add up -- great to do when you're bored at work or hung over on a Sunday. I also have a handheld luggage scale I bought for £6 on Amazon that tells me how much my pack actually weighs once it's loaded.
I still make packing errors on trips, because you can't anticipate everything. You can always post excess kit back home in a jiffy bag when you pass through a village. The WHW is a great first long hike because there are so many points to buy/jettison whatever provisions you need/don't need or ditch out altogether if you're really struggling.
Also keep in mind that many of the ultralight backpackers posting videos on YouTube and kit lists elsewhere are in the US, where the climate tends to be much more stable and they don't usually need to be prepared for everything from midges to sunburn to hypothermia in the one trip.
I love shopping for gear and enabling others to do the same -- PM me if you'd like to chat!