written by The Trail Co.
on 23 March 2022
When it comes to buying mandatory gear for Ultra Trail Australia, the list can seem daunting. There's a lot of gear on there, and some of it may be less familiar if you live in the warmer climates, like us in Brisbane.
As an official mandatory gear check store for Ultra Trail Australia, we know the products will not only get you checked off for mandatory gear but you'll need to safely and comfortably tackle the UTA 100 (and many similar races).
With this guide, you can shop with the confidence that you'll have the right gear to get the job done on race day. And, as one of the official locations to complete early UTA 100 gear checks, you can always head in store for the items you need, and get signed off while you're here.
Then, all you need to do is the training!.
*Friendly reminder: while every effort has been made to keep this up-to-date, race organisers sometimes need to make changes to mandatory gear lists to keep runners safe, or inline with weather forecasts nearer the day. It's always best to check the latest mandatory gear information for UTA or supplied by the race team for your event before attending.
UTA 100 Gear Check List* | ||
---|---|---|
Mandatory Item | We recommend | |
Long Sleeve Thermal Top | This must be a long-sleeved, thermal base layer made of polypropylene or wool which will keep the participant warm in addition to their race clothing. Cotton, Coolmax and lycra garments are NOT suitable SportTrekz Polypropylene Thermal Top |
|
Long Legged Thermal Pants | This must be a long-sleeved, thermal base layer made of polypropylene or wool which will keep the participant warm in addition to their race clothing. Cotton, Coolmax and lycra garments are NOT suitable. SportTrekz Polypropylene Thermal Pants |
|
Water bottles or bladder with 2 litre capacity | The Trail Co. Soft Flask | Salomon Soft Flasks | Salomon Reservoir | |
Waterproof Jacket | Must be fully seam-sealed with no large mesh ventilation panels AND must fit you. Ponchos, windproof or water-resistant jackets are NOT suitable. Men's Salomon Bonatti Jacket | Women's Salomon Bonatti Jacket |
|
Warm Hat | Beanie, Balaclava or Head scarf (eg. Buff) The Trail Co. Head Scarves | Buff Neckwear |
|
Thermal Gloves | Full-Fingered Lightweight Thermal Gloves made from polypropylene or wool Salomon Cross Warm Glove | 2XU Run Glove |
|
Hi-Viz Vest | Made of a combination of retroreflective and fluorescent materials. This is not a running vest but a workwear vest. The vest must have either AS/NZS 4602:1999 or AS/NZS 4602:2010 or AS/NZS 4602.1:2011 as well as Class "D/N" on the tag The Trail Co. High Visibility Safety Vest |
|
Headlamp | A minimum brightness of 300 lumens is recommended in order to run on dark trails. Don’t forget a spare battery too! Petzl Nao+ 750 Lumen |
|
Backup Headlamp | A backup light must be carried to allow runners to continue walking to safety, should their main light fail. Petzl Actik 350 Lumen |
|
Mobile Phone | Must be charged, working, and have a SIM card that can connect to an Australian Cellular Network (Telstra network is recommended for coverage). | |
Compass | Used in the unlikely event you become lost. You can bring any compass as long as the magnetic needle will settle quickly and will point to magnetic North. A waterproof GPS enabled watch with compass function is allowed to be used as your compass as long as you can calibrate it, know how to use it and the battery will last for the full duration of your race. Zipper Pull Compass |
|
Whistle | For drawing attention to yourself in the event of an emergency. Many trail running packs have a whistle integrated into the design. | |
Emergency Space Blanket | Emegency Blanket | |
Compression Bandage | Minimum Dimensions 7.5cm Wide x 2.3m Long unstretched. The wrapping should list ‘heavy weight cotton crepe bandage’ or ‘heavy cotton elastic bandage’ or ‘heavy weight elastic support bandage’. This item is used for the treatment of sprains or snake bite. Generally the pink coloured bandages are suitable and the white bandages not. Conforming Heavyweight Snake Bandage |
|
Lightweight Dry Sack | This is to keep the compulsory clothing dry (multiple NEW Ziplock plastic bags are acceptable and good for compressing your clothing and are see-through; which is also useful for random gear checks). Sea To Summit Lightweight 4L Dry Sack |
|
Nutrition | You are required to carry at least 2 food portions at the start of each leg. Read our nutrition guide. |
|
Ziplock Bag | For carrying and disposing of your personal rubbish. | |
Waterproof Map Case | Or another way to keep your course map and descriptions protected from the weather and sweat. | |
Long Leg Waterproof Pants | Must be waterproof, durable, and fit you but does not need taped seams, and does not need to be breathable. A weather decision will be made by 4pm before race day whether these are required to be carried from the start or placed into specified drop bags. Salomon Bonatti Waterproof Pants Unisex | Mac in a Sac Overtrousers |
|
Fleece Top | Must be 100-weight minimum, and not made from wool. A decision for when you have to carry this item is weather-dependent and will be decided upon by 4pm before race day. It may be compulsory to carry your fleece from the start. 2XU Ignition Fleece |
|
Course Map & Course Descriptions | These will be provided by organisers in your race pack. The course map is A3 and in colour (double-sided for UTA100, single-sided for UTA50) and will need to be placed in a protective case. | |
Participant's Emergency Instructions Card | Provided by the race organisers on A5 waterproof paper. | |
Race Number | This will be provided by organisers in your race pack. Must be worn on your front, over your belly or chest and be visible at all times over the top of your outermost layer of clothing. We find a race belt is ideal for this. The Trail Co. Race Number Belt |
|
Timing Tag (Bag Tag) | This will be provided by organisers in your race pack and needs to be affixed to your backpack |
As well as mandatory gear, it's always worth packing to the weather conditions, your comfort level and based on your experience. We try and test gear all the time so that we know what works and what doesn't work for us when race day rolls around. Other recommended items for races like Ultra Trail Australia 100 include:
Top tip: it pays to practise training with your mandatory gear in your running pack during longer runs. This will help you get used to carrying the weight and help you to work out the best place to stow all the gear for maximum comfort and easy access.
To get through gear check, your waterproof jacket needs to have waterproof seams, no large mesh panels, and must fit you. When looking at a jacket's specifications, check how waterproof and breathable it is; the numbers indicate how many millimeters or rain and how much moisture can pass through the membrane in lab testing. The higher the number, the better the performance.
Entry Level Waterproof Jackets
We recommend the Salomon Bonatti 2.5L Jacket (men's | women's) as a great mid-level jacket to tackle the UTA 100; it's 10k waterproof / 10k breathability rating stands up to most weather, has a good fit and packs down nicely. And as a bonus, there are a couple of colours to choose from. An equally good performer is the UD Deluge Waterproof Jacket (men's | women's), which is a little more budget-conscious, though slightly less refined in fit.
Mid-Level Waterproof Jackets
If you're looking for something which will endure more bad weather with no fuss, the Salomon Bonatti Trail Jacket (men's | women's) boasts twice the breathability and waterproof rating at 20k/20k – keeping you dry and comfortable on the trails. The stretch fabric and pleated back allow you to wear it over the top of your pack, keeping you and your gear dry. (We'd suggest you consider sizing up, though, if you want to wear it over your pack for UTA100.) Again, this fantastic jacket is available in various great colour choices.
Premium Waterproof Jacket
The ultimate solution for serious wet-weather protection is Salomon's Bonatti GTX Shakedry waterproof jacket (unisex). Designed with an optimised fit and a waterproof Goretex membrane on the outside, this jacket repels raindrops with ease, and will dry with a quick shake-off. It packs neatly into its own waistband, perfect for when the downpours pass you by and it's time to pack it away, or for putting back on in a flash - all while on the move.
^ Photo: Cedric Corroy for Salomon
We’d recommend a 12 litre running pack for Ultra-Trail Australia as it will carry all the mandatory gear you’ll need to safely complete the UTA 100 course. For UTA 100, you’ll need to carry water bottles or bladder, nutrition, waterproof jacket and pants, course map, headlamp and back-up lamp, gloves, long sleeve thermal top and pants, beanie, high-vis vest, mobile phone, compass, whistle, emergency blanket, compression bandage and a dry sack - as well as any other personal items you’ll need – all of which should fit into a 12 litre running pack.
Watch this handy video where we show you how to pack a surprising amount of gear into an 8 litre trail running vest. Try testing with your own pack for size and comfort. Practise carrying race day gear on longer training runs to make sure you've got everything comfortably stowed away and in the right pockets for accessing what you need.
In this video we pack a popular 8 litre running pack with mandatory gear for an ultra-race, to give you an idea of just how much you can carry:
Women's Trail Running Packs Men's Trail Running Packs
There is just over 4400m of elevation gain in the Ultra Trail Australia 100 course and all of the downhill to match! With that amount of climbing, using running poles for a long-distance event like UTA100 could help take some of the strain off your legs during race day.
However, with many of the ascents on the UTA course being stairs, poles will not always be practical for climbs. We'd recommend that if you choose to run the UTA 100 with poles, that you choose ones that are easy to pack away and carry easily for when they're not required. This will leave your hands free to use handrails when going up steep staircases and to take food, drink and open sports nutrition packets on the move.
We recommend trail running poles that fold, and that a quiver or waist belt or band designed to carry poles can be a handy option while they're not in use.
Top Tip: train with your poles on longer training runs to get used to using those upper body muscles so you don't get caught out on race day! Practise getting them out and packing them away so it's easy to get to them when you se a climb up ahead.
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