The last mountain I climbed was at the end of last September, for an overnight camping trip at Mt. Sugoroku. (I remember it being freezing at night because the campsite is near a pond.)
Since then, I’ve been so focused on cycling that I hadn’t been to the mountains even once this year.
This is bad.
What’s "bad" is that I hadn't gone hiking a single time this year!!
If you love the mountains, you understand why that’s bad, right!?
So, feeling like the mountains were calling me, I used my summer vacation to go on a 2-day, 1-night backpacking trip. Personally, I love the townscape and the food in Toyama, so for my first hike in a while, I headed to Mt. Yakushi in Toyama!
I would have loved to go all the way to Kumonodaira, but I didn’t have much time, so I firmly pushed that desire aside and set my sights on Mt. Yakushi.
I’ll also be introducing some items that worked really well for me this time, along with my camping gear.
What’s in my 2-day backpack
I’m sure you’re very curious about what’s in an UL hiker’s pack.
I often search on Instagram to see and study what others carry. (I still don’t know how people from overseas manage to take those photos where their gear is laid out perfectly, with themselves lying next to it in their sleeping bags, lol.)
So, here is my camping gear!
| Bag pack | CAYL Mari Roll Top X-pac |
| Tent | HERITAGE Crossover Dome 2G |
| Trekking Poles | LOCUS GEAR Carbon Fiber Trekking Pole CP3 |
| Sleeping bag | ISUKA Ultra Light |
| Sleeping Bag Cover | muraco Tyvek Sleeping Bag Protector |
| Rain Gear | Yamatomichi UL All-weather Hoody / U.L. Rain Pants -PU Sosui |
My base weight is usually about 5–7kg. Once I add food, it comes to about 8kg.
I often go with my boyfriend, so we share the load. (He carries the cook set and things like that.)
As for food, I bring one or two packs of instant noodles or sweet breads. It’s partly because I don’t want to add extra weight, and also because I’m usually too tired to have the energy to cook, so I often eat lunch at the mountain huts.
Mat replacement and underwear situation
The NEMO Zor Short Mummy I’d been using got a hole in it during my last OMM Bike trip, so I took this opportunity to switch to the Yamatomichi UL Pad 15. Just by having the sleeping mat strapped to the outside, I had more capacity inside my pack, and it was lighter, which was great.
As for the feel when sleeping, I never really liked the inflatable types because the air buoyancy made my body feel unstable. With this roll type, I didn’t have that issue at all, and I didn’t feel any pain either. (I’m always so exhausted that I usually sleep for over 10 hours.)
I usually bring a change of underwear for camping, but I wanted to test the odor-resistant properties, so I decided to wear the same BRING WUNDERWEAR and one nove 360 Eazy Bra for both days.
I can be a bit of a clean freak, so I was resistant to not changing my underwear, but I decided to trust the antibacterial properties of the merino wool and give it a shot...! lol
My thoughts after wearing them for two days? Since both are made of a blend containing merino wool, I didn’t have to worry about the smell at all.
The stickiness from sweat wasn’t uncomfortable either, and it dried off before I even realized it.
I think these will be incredibly useful for cycling too, so I plan to keep using them.
A hike after a long break is the best!!
Walking slowly while observing plants and being healed by the gentle natural breeze while on the trail...
Lately, I’ve been only cycling and thinking maybe hiking isn't for me anymore...
But after this, I remembered that hiking has so many wonderful things about it too.
Above all, the beer I drank on the mountain for the first time in a while was absolutely the best!!
I almost felt like I had walked that long road just for this moment.
I wear Yamatomichi and HOUDINI as everyday clothes, but this hike reaffirmed how high-performing these products really are when you put them to the test in the outdoors! Of course, these are all clothes that are also super convenient for cycling, so please come by to check out the items we carry on the second floor of Circles.