Travel · Hiking · Two dogs
Useful guides for going further.
Honest packing lists and recommendations shaped by 70+ countries, Lake District fells, 4,000m peaks and adventures with two muddy dogs.
Choose your adventure
Start with what you’re planning.
Specific guides and focused lists, organised so you can find the useful bit without wading through everything else.
Hot streets · Winter weekends · One small bag
City breaks
6 useful lists →
Wainwrights · Munros · Bigger mountains
Hiking
4 useful lists →
One Border Collie · One Fox Red Lab · Plenty of mud
Dog adventures
4 useful lists →
70+ countries · Carry-on friendly · Repacked repeatedly
Travel essentials
4 useful lists →From real trips
Guides worth reading before you pack.
Personal experience first, recommendations second. Each guide explains what matters and why before linking to the individual items.
What I pack for a hot Italian city break
A realistic men’s packing guide for hot pavements, cobbles and 20,000-step days.
Read the guide →What I take for a Lake District day hike
Footwear, layers and useful kit for weather that changes before lunch.
Read the guide →What I pack for a dog-friendly weekend away
The drive, the stay, the walk and the inevitable mud afterwards.
Read the guide →Behind the lists
I recommend what I’d pack again.
I’m Finnie. The Lakes are where I do most of my hiking, but adventures have taken me from Scottish Munros to the Atlas Mountains and Peruvian Andes—and through more than 70 countries along the way.
This site is the honest version of the packing conversation: what worked, what earned its weight and what I would choose next time.
More about meMost useful right now
Specific lists for real plans.
What I pack for a hot Italian city break
My realistic kit for Rome, Florence, Bologna, Milan and Orvieto.
Lake District day-hike accessories
Useful additions that solve real problems without filling the pack.
How I keep the car clean after muddy walks
The boot and paw-cleaning kit that saves the seats.
Travel items I never fly without
The things that come on every flight after more than 70 countries.
What I pack for Marrakech
Useful kit for the heat, dust, long days and busy souks.
How I pack 3–4 days in one personal item
A small-bag setup that stays usable after I arrive.
Pack less. Choose better. Go further.