Ultramarathon gear advice needed for major race in the Alps

[Daniel Robinson]

Hi Everyone,

I’m an ultramarathon runner and a fairly new member of BPL. I’m currently preparing for the 103 mile Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc in 6 weeks, a race that circumnavigates the Mont Blanc massif through the Alps of France, Italy, and Switzerland. Most of my gear is light, but unlike most races, I won’t be able to access it in “drop bags” at points on the course. Instead, I’m required to carry a rather long list of mandatory gear for the entire race. So I’m counting grams, and trying to determine the optimal performance/weight tradeoffs.

A few pieces of gear I’m still trying to decide on: waterproof/breathable rain coat, waterproof/breathable rain pants, and a headlamp. (I usually would just use a wind shirt, and I have an old Montbell rain coat, but it doesn’t have pit zips and isn’t the most breathable. In this race, I’ll be moving quickly uphill for long periods, potentially in downpours/sleet/snow. Regardless of what Gore and GE say in their marketing, I need pit zips/mechanical venting! For the headlamp, I’m more willing to carry more weight in order to get a lot of regulated lumens to minimize fatigue.)

What would you recommend? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[Bob Gross]

We've had several discussions about headlamps right here in the last few days. Different models of Zebralight get mentioned, but it depends on how many lumens of light you need and for how many hours.

–B.G.–

[Ken Thompson]

You should post your question in the Gear forum.

Community Support Forum

A place where BackpackingLight.com members can ask specific questions from the forum community about using the backpackinglight.com website or its forums, or other support issues not related to membership account maintenance

[Art …]

just buy whatever Killian and Seb Chaigneau use and you'll be fine :-)

seriously, most UL rain coats don't seem to have pit zips, a couple do have flaps.
Marmot Essence rain coat is UL, flaps but no zips.

Montane minimus rain pants are among the lightest.

UTMB seems to get flooded out every year recently, good luck.

[Author]

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