Hi Rocky and Andrew,

Thanks for your advice – you've both been really helpful!

I totally agree about the day packs, they do seem quite small so I think I might look into purchasing a separate day pack as I'll probably get further use of of it and can use it as carry on in other trips. It's good to know if I don't have a cover for the harness straps it shouldn't be a problem – having heard horror stories of straps being cut off at airports I was a little concerned!

Regarding shoes, I have brought a pair recently which I'm happy with (Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra 2GTX) – I just had a bit of a dilemma with the sizing. I have big feet so I'm usually a size 10, but couldn't decide whether the 9.5 or 10 would be best. My left foot is half a size larger than my right foot and when I stood on a downhill surface, my toes touched the end of the shoe in the left foot of the 9.5. I decided on going with the 10 as although I wasn't sure if they were a touch too big, I figure a little more room is better than less, considering the steep terrain and possible foot swelling due to climate I wouldn't want to risk my toes pushing up against the end of my shoe the whole time. Hopefully this is sound reasoning? I have been losing sleep over it!

Other than that, plans are going well – beginning training in the gym as well as hikes around our area, which I'm looking forward to. How are your plans/prep going?

Thanks again for the advice, it's so good to hear about others' experiences!

Cheers,
Kate