PREPARATION

Last week, a family started a 5-day trip. A nice trip under the Pelmo and then around the Civetta and the Moiazza, back to Forno di Zoldo.
I sent them the route via email and of course a packing list. But 2 weeks before departure, there is a request to consult.

Choices

This brings me back to my first hut-to-hut tour a few years ago. Even then it started to itch 1-2 weeks before departure. We had picked a packing list from the internet, but it actually raised a lot of questions. Do you really need that down jacket? And gloves and a hat? It's still summer, how cold can it get? And what about all that rain gear? A raincoat should be enough. In the end we made some choices and (in hindsight) were very lucky that the weather was beautiful throughout the trip.

What to bring

BergXperience also provides a packing list. But from my own experience I can say that it is very helphful to talk about it anyway. How do you estimate what you really need and what do you buy yourself? Especially if it is the first time that you walk a hut-to-hut tour, it can be quite expensive. That is why you can also get a number of items on loan. In the end, you decide just before the start what you are really going to take with you in your backpack. After all, every (kilo) gram counts when you walk with your backpack for a few days.

Must haves

A number of things really have to be taken into account, regardless of the weather forecast. These are a rain jacket, a thermal shirt and a fleece jacket so that you can determine how warm you want it to be with layers and always long (jogging) pants. In addition, I make sure that I always have a dry set in my backpack 'left' for the hut. Then I'm sure I'll be able to put on something dry as soon as I'm in the hut.
Furthermore, I put all the stuff in separate plastic bags in my backpack. Despite the rain cover that goes over the backpack, it can happen that not everything stays dry.

In short, especially if you are going to walk a multi-day trip for the first time, it is very nice to coordinate in advance with an experience expert how to read your packing list in order to determine which choices you make, what you do and what you do not take with you. For yourself, but also for your children if they join you.