Part 1 was posted 6 February 2012.
The remaining key kit choices are:
Sleeping bag and mat
Down sleeping bags are more expensive than synthetic but deliver the lowest weight. I've gone for the Mammut Ajungilak, a down bag giving me that red caterpillar look. It feels very warm and the packaging says it should perform to as low as 5C.
The Thermarest NeoAir XLite is my choice of mat. I'm not sure I fancy a cold and rock stony floor to start with. I'll be interested to see how this performs as it's really a large inflatable crisp packet. If I so much as cough I'm in danger of rolling off it! Not sure it will last a couple of nights on top of sharp stony plains and a couple of thin blankets.
Cooking equipment
I've gone for titanium for all of the cooking pot, stove and spork, making this a very strong but lightweight set of key cooking utensils. I'll collect my hexamine cooking tablets once I get to Morocco.
Sunglasses
My eyesight isn't that great once dusk arrives, nor for long distance. For the night stage this could be a problem as it's pitch black in the middle of the desert save for the minimal amount of light from other competitors' head torches. And I'd like to get an accurate idea of just how far that checkpoint is once it comes into view!
The strength of the sun means I've also had to consider a high strength sunglass.
So I've gone for the Adidas Evil Eye sunglasses: this has my prescription as an insert (solving long distance and poor light problems) and Cat 4 "Space" lenses for the sun. I can pop these out and replace them with a clear lens for the night stage.
The arms are also interchangeable with a headband. This in combination with my Buff and Frillneck desert hat should make any sandstorms less of a problem.
Solar charger
I love my Garmin Forerunner 310XT, giving me heart rate readings, distance covered and speed. While this is considered a luxury for the MdS I'll find it invaluable information on-the-go. The problem is charging. This watch has a 20 hour battery life so I've had to research how to recharge at the end of each day and hope I do the 50-54 mile long stage in less than 20 hours!
The PowerMonkey Explorer is my choice: a pair of solar panels attach to my rucksack and connect to the PowerMonkey battery (which sits in a zipped pocket) for charging. Apparently though it might take 7 hours to fully charge the battery. I'll then connect it to the Garmin watch using the relevant connector to charge up the Garmin.
I'm also taking my iPod Nano which will be my "Break Glass In Case Of Emergency"! A PowerMonkey nut allows me to use the PowerMonkey battery to charge the iPod though with 25 hours of battery life in the iPod I'll hopefully not need to.
Gaiters
The Sandbaggers gaiters have a great reputation for keeping the sand out. I sent them my trainers and got them back within 3 days, complete with the parachute silk knee-length gaiters sewn onto the shoe. Shorter length Raidlight gaiters seem to have had mixed reviews.
Packing all this stuff is something else!
