SELVAGGIO BLU TREKKING: HOW TO PACK YOUR BACKPACK

01 August 2017

SELVAGGIO BLU TREK: HOW TO PACK YOUR BACKPACK!

Deciding how to pack your backpack is always a hard choice.
Limestone, vegetation and temperature are the three major elements to take into account when you organize the best equipment for the Selvaggio Blu trek.

This post is meant to help you with this challenging task: you won’t find a list of all the stuff you need to bring along. Here is an analysis of this rough territory and the necessities it imposes, based on the experience of the guides of the company Explorando Supramonte, who walk the trails of the Eastern Coast of Sardinia every day, leading expert trekkers and hiking enthusiasts along the Selvaggio Blu trek.

Here is their valuable advice.

Backpack

Walking all day on rugged trails, climbing, rappelling... choosing the right backpack is essential. Besides a good fit, we recommend that the backpack has practical features like compartments for a rope and easy access to hydration systems.

For capacity, we usually recommend a 35/40-liter backpack. We typically use the INSTINCT backpacks, which are available in 30+5 or 40+5 liters, and the Ultimate backpack, which is 35+5 liters.

Clothing

Long and resistant trousers are strongly advised if you don’t want to scratch your legs from the first day: Juniper, Mastic, and Mediterranean Smilax are constantly around the Selvaggio Blu trail and sometimes, when the trail is not clear, you may need to walk through bushes with their sharp branches and thorns.

We advise ELGON PANTS, unisex trousers, heavy-duty but comfortable, thanks to an excellent two-way stretch.

For very hot weather, a pair of shorts is also recommended: GARIWERD SHORTS are the perfect compromise between lightness and technicality, equipped with multiple quick-access pockets.

Since the Eastern Coast of Sardinia is in the shadow after midday, in windy days, a windproof jacket is absolutely necessary, especially during rappels.

Our favourite Ferrino product in this case is URAL JACKET, a light non-bulky softshell. Keep it with you in case temperatures go down or wind arises.

If you decide to start the Selvaggio Blu trek in early Spring or Fall, additional heavier clothing may be useful, especially in the evening, when temperatures go down.

KLUANE by Ferrino is a great multi-season fleece for this purpose.

The whole island but this area of Sardinia in particular, enjoys a very stable climate and the sun shines almost all year. Nevertheless, don’t forget a waterproof jacket which can be very important in case of bad weather.

We always take with us KUNENE JACKET, waterproof to 20.000 mm, ultra-light and not bulky.

Shoes

After a soft start, around Pedra Longa, in the middle of the Mediterranean scrub, on a mainly dirt ground, conditions change rapidly. The more you climb, the rougher the limestone becomes; the further you go, the harsher the vegetation gets. In some stages, you walk for kilometres on limestone pavement: flat, incised surface, sometimes with blades of rock, insidious and demanding constant concentration. For this particular aspect, it’s absolutely necessary to wear very resistant shoes, robust but lightweight, better if high cut for excellent support. A Vibram rubber outsole would be perfect, providing good grip for the short climbs of the Selvaggio Blu trek.

For the night

Your tent should be light, to protect you from humidity and mosquitos, rather than cold. We frequently choose the PIUMA 2 Tent.

Since temperatures are usually high, a light sleeping bag is enough, like Ferrino’s LIGHTEC 500.

A mattress is indispensable, as you’ll often sleep on stony ground. SUPERLITE mattress by Ferrino has proved to be great for good sleep, even on pebbled beaches.