[vc_video link='https://youtu.be/wlJe3BV6h8I']

As I write I have just finished packing my Cape Wrath Trail kit - a full five days before I hit the track. I find that the last few days before a very long hike always fill me with trepidation - there's nothing worse than the fear I'll be en route before realising I've forgotten something essential.

There are plenty of places to find good Cape Wrath Trail kit lists and I don't plan to replicate full lists - but as other hikers prepare to set off from Fort William I thought I'd share some of my own plans and choices, with a focus on specialist kit. (Please also take a look at these blogs by Alex Roddie and Stuart Grieg (whose excellent Pennine Way guide got me through that trail last year) - packing philosophy differs from hiker to hiker and it's as well to consider all options.)