My 3 Essential Wild Ultra Kit Items for Conquering 50-Mile ReWild Fitness Challenges
I come from a place where the correct kit can save your life...
In just two weeks, I’m tackling a 50-mile Wild Ultra with a few of the guys, running across Wales Black Mountains, one of our signature EverWild Ultra marathons.
We encounter monstrous elevation, challenging and unpredictable weather, whilst carrying everything we need to sustain ourselves.
For good measure we throw in a wild night camping, and pair it up with a cheeky whisky tasting session in the hills.
These events are the epitome of what we do, and what we are all about.
Here’s the Wild Ultra kit I refuse to leave behind.
Read on to discover the three must-have items that keep me moving with confidence in harsh conditions and on unpredictable terrain.
1. ReWild your Movement
I’m a huge advocate of letting your body move as nature intended, That starts at the foot, and works its way up through the leg, hip and spine.
When we get this right, movement feels fucking incredible. We go from feeling heavy, slow and cumbersome moving up and down hills, to being one with the mountain - to moving with ease confidence and agility.
To that end, I wear the minimalist Vivo Magna Forest ESC’s on the mountain. I changed to barefoot shoes back in 2012, and I haven’t looked back. The challenge with this when out in the elements such as the black mountains, is getting a shoe that protects the foot and ankle, whilst still allowing natural movement.
The ESC’s have absolutely nailed this balance. I can feel every detail, every contour of rock and ground as I move from one outcrop to the next, every sucking peaty bog I traverse with speed. But they keep the feet warm and protected.
My recommendation for people who want to build physical connection, robustness and disgustingly high levels of fitness - in the way we have actually evolved, is to get a pair of these on your feet and pair it with a properly progressive training plan to restore your birth rite of physical freedom.
2. Fuel like an Unstoppable Warrior
Fuelling. This is important. I can take a somewhat contrarian stance on this at times. It is important to understand that we can view nutrition through two lenses. The lens of performance nutrition - where we are fuelling our body as hard as possible in order to run and move as fast as we possibly can. Think chasing a sub 3 or 4 hour marathon.
Or we can view it from the lens of self sufficiency, carrying everything we need, not being afraid of pushing our limits, and using our body for what it has naturally evolved to do. Tap into fat stores, sustain itself and still deliver to its maximum
Please don’t mix these up - there is absolutely nothing wrong with either approach, they are just different and there is a time and place for each.
The issue is, people believe that performance nutrition is the way to fuel for everything, and that just isn’t the case. Infact, using a performance nutrition strategy for this would be hugely detrimental.
For the purpose of this, I am going to focus on the lens of fuelling for self sufficiency.
The body has some incredible systems in place that allow it to tap into stored energy reserves to power our movement - of course, I am talking about body fat.
When we are fuelling for sustained activity over a few days, whilst moving as fast as we can without goosing the fuck out of ourselves through the hills, this is what we want to tap into. We DON’T want to be sucking in gels every 5km, because this sets our body to be reliant on constant sugar hits.
As soon as we do that, all that happens is our energy levels spike and crash, every spike being lower, and every crash being bigger. We also have to carry an outrageous amount of fuel (and you’ll likely shit yourself). I can account for the fact that this is not very fun.
What we really need to be doing, is carrying energy dense natural foods with a balanced supply of slow release carbs/fats and proteins.
The best option I have been able to find for this is the Real Meal bar. Packs something outrageous like 600 odd calories into a bar. Perfectly balanced macro split. Toppers with other essential nutrients you need to keep the body going, all of which are distinctly missing inside traditional modern energy gels. Fantastic stuff.
This thing was originally designed for guys undergoing special forces selection, it’s battle tested and it works. I hand one out to every guy on the Wild Ultra, and they always go down an absolute treat.
3. Merino Base for Survival Comfort
Last but defo not least - base layers. This shit could save your life. So let’s not take it lightly.
The amount of people going into the hills and getting themselves (and others) into serious trouble is on the rise. The thing is, a lot of these could be avoided with packing some simple pieces of kit.
When going overnight or on a longer run, I always have a spare base layer tucked away and water proofed in my running vest. Long sleeve top AND bottoms. The best option for this is Merino Wool. The best brand I have found for this by a long way is Isobaa.
Merino wool has many advantages over synthetic materials :
It will still keep you warm and retain its thermal properties even when it’s wet.
It it is light as hell, so it packs small and has insane warmth to weight properties.
It’s naturally antimicrobial, so it doesn't end up stinking like your sweaty gooch after a few nights.
Which exact piece you go for is going to depend on the season you are heading out in, the duration you are out for, and the weight you are willing to carry.
Either way - go for Merino Wool long sleeve top and bottom, get a set in your kit, get it packed down into a waterproof canoe bag, and throw in a pair of merino wool socks (Danish Endurance is the best brand for socks) with some talcum powder pre-spinkled inside. You’ll thank me - this set up is outrageously comfortable to stick on and hunker down in the sleeping bag after a long day banking miles.
Inside the EverWild system, you'll find:
Wild Ultra kit breakdowns and step by step packing guides
Video tutorials to ReWild your training, reach your peak and feel fucking alive again.
The exact progressive training plans that are going to take you from 5km-50 mountain miles in 3 months.
Stay Wild,
Luke
