There’s something weirdly intimate about an ultra runners pack. But it’s full of ultra essentials. It’s like a survival kit, a comfort blanket, a mini kitchen, a pharmacy, and sometimes… a crime scene of crushed snacks, sticky gel packs and damp layers.

People always ask, “What do you actually carry for these distances?”

So here it is, the honest, slightly chaotic truth. Not the curated Instagram flat lay. The real pack. The essentials, the questionable, and the “why on earth do I still carry this?”

THE REAL ULTRA ESSENTIALS: Things that actually keep me alive

These are the sensible, grown-up items.
The ones you think of first. The ones that stop you from turning into a cautionary tale on a race briefing sheet. And the ones you will most likely find on the mandatory kit list.

Waterproof jacket – Because every ultra eventually becomes a rain ultra.

Headtorch (and spare batteries) – The must have for night miles. Also the thing you swear you charged… until you turn it on and it lasts an hour.

Emergency foil blanket – Mandatory in most races, and honestly the lightest weight for a life saver you’ll ever carry.

Gels + real food – The gels get you through the first hour or two. The real food gets you through the “why am I feeling like this?” miles.

Soft flasks – Perfect for drinking on the go and staying on top of hydration. And easy to access to top up from a natural water source when out in Snowdonia, just be mindful of what/who is further up the stream.

Tailwind in clear bags – Needed for hydration and calories. But get searched and run the risk of being arrested as a Mexican drug mule.

Phone, fully charged – Usually covered in sweat and mud by hour five.

Spare base layer – The moment you put on a dry top mid-race? A reset. A new race.

THE RANDOM ULTRA ESSENTIALS: Items that are definitely useful… sometimes

These bits don’t make sense until suddenly they do.

Baby wipes – For everything. Literally EVERYTHING.

Spare socks – A fresh pair can bring you back from the brink. Hand your wet ones on the outside of your pack to dry.

Buffs — plural – One for warmth, one for sweat, one for snot, one because you forgot you already had two.

Electrolyte tabs – For when your legs feel heavy.

Ginger shot – We all have that one magic anti-nausea option.

A mini first-aid kit – Blister plasters, tape, and that one safety pin that migrates to strange places. Plus small scissors to cut the loose skin off the feet.

Toothbrush & Paste – To try and stick to morning and evening routine’s and remain sane.

THE RIDICULOUS ULTRA ESSENTIALS: Things that live in my pack and I don’t know why

The just in case stuff that may have even survived multiple races for no logical reason.

Gels from 2023 – Will I eat them? No. Will I remove it? Also no. Perfect for the emergency 500cals needed for some races.

Four safety pins – Welded together with salty sweat. But just in case the race bib comes loose, my zip breaks on the pack or on my jacket. None of these have ever happened.

Micro USB Charging Cable – That doesn’t even fit anything electrical I own. But just in case.

A soggy, squashed cheese sandwich – that I’ll carry for 100 miles and forget about and not even eat.

A map – that I probably can’t read after 100km and rely totally on my watch GPX. But probably mandatory.

So… what does all this mean?

What’s in your pack says a lot about how you run and how unhinged you become after 50 miles. But every sticky gel, lucky rock you pick up, and squashed snack tells a story. And in the end, that’s what makes ultrarunning magic.

Your pack of ultra essentials is basically a mini time capsule of the runner you started the race as, the runner you are, and the slightly feral creature you become at mile 90.