Getting Our Gear Right for the GR10 Trail

Located just north of the French-Spanish border and traversing the French Pyrénées, the popular GR10 hiking trail stretches 950 km from the Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean coast.

As we didn’t have time to do the whole trek, we decided to walk a section that we expected to be exceptionally spectacular and mountainous. It goes through the High Pyrénées from Cauterets to Bagnères-de-Luchon and covers approx. 160 km including numerous demanding ascents and descents.

So what kind of gear did we want to bring along this hike? Well, we ended up with the following packing list for the two of us:

Packing List:

• Two backpacks (45 L and 60 L)
• First aid kit including compeed plasters, whistle and foil blanket
• Lightweight tent
• Sleeping bags and self-inflating mats
• Trangia cooking set with gas cartridge and lighter
• Sporks
• Compass
• Pocket knife
• Water bottles
• Soap and washing sponge
• Toothbrush, toothpaste, sun lotion, etc.
• Nikon D7500 digital SLR camera with 18-55mm f/2.8 lens
• Smartphones with GPS and powerbank
• Brian Johnson’s Guidebook on the GR10

Clothes (per person):

• 1 pair of zip-off-trousers
• 3 pairs of shorts
• 1 sweatshirt
• 3 t-shirts
• 1 pair of long-sleeved skiing underwear
• Socks and underwear
• Waterproof hiking boots
• Crocs sandals
• Wind/rainproof jacket
• Sunglasses and a cap

The total weight amounted to approx. 30 kg.

Although there’s the option to stay overnight in refuges or hostels at most stages of the GR10, we carried our own tent to allow us freely to camp whenever and whereever we wanted.

Foods and drinks can generally be bought on a day-by-day basis along the entire GR10 so we didn’t bring much supplies such as we had to do for the Arctic Circle Trail and other more remote trails. Drinking water is widely available from various sources such as springs, streams, fountains, and public toilets.