Te Araroa Gear List 2025

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Here are my recommendations for a good-quality Te Araroa Gear list. The Te Araroa is known for being hard on gear, with lots of rain and mud.

When I hiked the Te Araroa, my gear list was around 6kg (13lb), which put less stress on my body compared with some other hikers who carry heavier loads. As I have hiked many long-distance thru-hikes, I completed a lightweight gear list for the Te Araroa.

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Ultralight Te Araroa Gear List

As mentioned above, the mud, the cold, and the difficult terrain make the Te Araroa trail a tough trail for gear. However, it is possible, but you must take high-quality lightweight gear on the trail.

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Best Lightweight Tent for the Te Araroa

The best tent for Te Araroa will be lightweight, waterproof, bugproof, and withstand windy conditions. Here is a list of the best lightweight 1-person, 2-person, and 3-person tents.

Best 1P Tent for Te Araroa

• ZPacks Plex Solo – 13.9 oz /395 grams
• Nemo Hornet Elite Osmo 1P – 29 oz / 822 grams
• Hyperlite Mountain Gear Mid 1P -1 lb. 1 oz / 480 grams

Best 2P Tent for Te Araroa

• Nemo Hornet Osmo 2P – 33 oz / 948 grams
• ZPacks Duplex – 1 lb. 3 oz / 539 grams
• Hyperlite Mountain Gear Unbound 2P Tent – 1 lb. 8 oz / 680 grams

Best 3P Tent for Te Araroa

• Zpacks Triplex – 1 lb. 6.6 oz / 612 grams
• Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL 3P – 2lb 10 oz / 1191 grams

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Best Backpack for Te Araroa

The best backpack for the Te Araroa will be lightweight and have enough capacity to carry all your food and gear for up to around 5 days. For most lightweight thru hikers a 50 litre pack will be enough. Some hikers who have not committed to carrying a lightweight and compact load may need a slightly bigger pack.

• Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra
• Hyperlite Mountain Gear Unbound 40L
• Osprey Exos Pro
• Gossamer Gear Mariposa
• Zpacks Arc Blast
• ULA Circuit – 68 liters

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Best Sleeping Bag for Te Araroa

There are many choices of ultralight sleeping bags for the Te Araroa Trail. Here are my recommendations.

• Macpac Dragonfly 400
• Zpacks Mummy Sleeping Bag
• Sea to Summit Spark 15F
• Rab Mythic Ultra 360
• Therm-a-Rest Hyperion 20F
• Zpacks Zip Around Sleeping Bag
• Feathered Friends Hummingbird

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Best Ultralight Quilts for Te Araroa

In recent years many ultralight hikers have moved from sleeping bags to ultralight quilts. I think they are a better and lighter option for most people. They function well until the temperatures get a couple of degrees below freezing. At that point, a sleeping bag becomes a better option as it functions better in colder weather.

• Katabatic Sawatch 15F
• Sea to Summit Ember 30F Quilt
• Enlightened Equipment Revelation 20F
• Zpacks 20F Zip Around Sleeping Bag Quilt
• Feathered Friends Flicker UL 20F Quilt
• REI Co-Op Magma 30 Down Trail Quilt

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Best Sleeping Mat for Te Araroa

Lightweight and compact with good insulation is what you need in a sleeping pad for the Te Araroa. Here are some great options.

And don’t forget a good quality ultralight pillow and a pack liner to ensure everything stays dry during the inevitable wet weather.

• Therm-a-Rest Neoair Xlite NXT
• Nemo Tensor Trail Ultralight Insulated Sleeping Pad
• Sea to Summit Ether Light XT Insulated
• Thermarest Neoair X-Therm NXT
• Thermarest Z Lite Sol

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Footwear for Te Araroa

I wore 3 different pairs of trail running shoes on my hike to see which one I liked best.

But will Trail Running Shoes make your feet happier?

You have a choice of wearing Lightweight Hiking Boots, Lightweight Shoes, or Trail Runners. There are pros and cons for each. I wore trail runners but found they performed poorly in the muddy conditions. Hiking boots put too much stress on your feet during the long road walk sections and lightweight hiking shoes don’t perform as well during mud. So which is best?

The answer is, there is no answer. I hiked with trail runners and they performed very well on all sections of the trail except the very muddy sections on the North Island. In particular the mud near the very northern sections of the trail and the Tarraroa Range in the southern section of the North Island. The mud and tree roots destroyed my trail runners.

Maybe lightweight hiking boots for the North Island and Ultralight Trail runners for the South Island.

Here are my 3 recommendations for the best shoes and boots for the Te Araroa hikers with wide feet.

• Merrell Men’s Moab 3 Vent Hiking Shoe
• Altra Lone Peak 8
• Keen Targhee IV Waterproof Shoes

Here are my 3 recommendations for the best shoes and boots for the Te Araroa hikers with narrow feet.

• Salomon X Ultra 4 Low GTX
• Salomon Men’s Xa Pro 3D V8 GTX 
• La Sportiva Spire

Don’t forget a good pair of hiking socks. I like the New Zealand which you can easily pick up online in NZ. If coming from overseas then Darn Tough Socks are one of the best options.

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Insulating Layers – Down Jackets / Fleece / Baselayers

A good layering system that includes a warm down jacket, fleece mid-layer, and a lightweight base layer will be needed and much appreciated on the Te Araroa. One of the key things about this layering system is not to overdo it, or overthink it. Take items of clothing that will work, are high quality, and can be used in combination to see you through all kinds of weather conditions. For the most part, there is no need to look any further than New Zealand brand Macpac.

Down Jacket

• Macpac Icefall Down Jacket – This jacket seems to be on clearance so is quite cheap, if you can find one be sure and buy one as they are perfect for the Te Araroa!

Fleece Mid Layer

• Macpac Nitro Mid Layer– Ultralight and much warmer than the weight would suggest. I have one and love it.

Baselayers

• Macpac Merino – For lovers of good quality Merino Wool.
• Macpac Geothermals – Cheap but good enough
• Macpac Prothermals – The Best quality, lightest, and highest quality base layers available. I have been wearing a pair of tops and bottoms for more than 5 years, and love them.

Don’t forget underwear, again take a look at Macpac. I love the Merino Underwear.

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Hiking Pants / Hiking Shorts / Hiking Shirts

Just like your layering system of insulation mentioned above you should take a good look at what kinds of Shirts, Shorts, and Pants you will be wearing.

Hiking Shirts

• Macpac Eclipse Hiking Shirt – Light and Stretchy Long Sleeve shirt
• Macpac Hiking T-Shirt – For those that prefer a T-Shirt style hiking shirt

Hiking Pants

• Macpac Trekker Pants – Lightweight softshell. I’ve been wearing them for the last couple of years.

Hiking Shorts

• Macpac Trekker Shorts – Nice, lightweight and stretchy

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Gloves / Hats / Sunglasses

Take a look at some of the hiking gear guides that will advise you on the best gloves, Hats, and Sunglasses for the Te Araroa.

• Hiking Gloves
• Sunhat for Hiking
• Hiking Sunglasses

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Raingear for Te Araroa

It will rain a lot when thru-hiking Te Araroa. Be prepared with a high-quality lightweight rain jacket and rain pants. Here are some of the best for 2025:

• ZPacks Vertice Rain Jacket
• Outdoor Research Helium
• Outdoor Research Helium Pants
• Six Moon Designs Silver Shadow Carbon

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Hiking Poles

Do you need hiking poles for the Te Araroa? Short answer, not really. But if you are like me and you use them when long-distance hiking then take a look at my guide below. Or for something lightweight from Macpac, take a look at the Macpac Carbon Trekking Poles.

• Best Ultralight Hiking Poles

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Cookware – Stoves & Pots for te Araroa

You will appreciate a warm meal at night and maybe a hot coffee or tea in the morning. Here are some cookware sets, stoves, pots, and other gear you will need for the trail.

• Evernew Ti DX Alcohol Stove Titanium
• Snow Peak Trek 900 Titanium Cookset
• Sea To Summit X-Mug
• Titanium Spoon
• Gerber STL 2.0 Knife
• Bic Lighter

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Water on the Te Araroa

Overall the water quality on the Te Araroa is quite good but as with almost every backcountry trip, you should treat the water and carry enough for your needs. Here are some recommended water treatment devices, water storage bottles, and bladders.

• Steripen rechargeable
• Katadyn Micropur Water Purifier Tabs
• Platypus Bottle 2-Litre
• Nalgene Water Bottle 1 litre

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Cameras and Electronics

With so many electronics we take on the trail these days, it can be hard to decide what to take and leave behind. Look at some of the items you may need and follow the links to my detailed guides about the best ones.

• Best Cameras for Hiking – For the photographers. Most people will be happy enough with the quality of their smartphone.
• Best Battery Bank for Hiking – Very important to have a high-quality battery to recharge all your electronics.
• Best Hiking GPS – Not needed for the trail as most people can navigate OK with a smartphone App.
• Best GPS Watch – More and more people are hiking with a GPS watch. They are great but will need charging every night so be sure to take a portable battery bank with you.
• Best PLB and Satellite Messenger – Highly recommended for thru-hiking the TA. Many people get into difficulty on the trail and one of these can save your life.
• USB Wall Charger for New Zealand /Australia+ Cables.

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Other Gear

• Plastic zip lock bags
• Money / ID / Credit Cards
• Blister pads
• Strapping Tape
• Foot infection anti-biotic
• Ibuprofen
• Tweezers
• Toothbrush and Toothpaste
• Safety Pin
• Needle
• Deet insect repellent
• Sunscreen
• Lip Balm
• Toilet tissue

I hope this helped with your planning in some way. If you need more help with all the best lightweight hiking gear then take a look at my Gear Guides.

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