Ultra Running Gear List: What to Carry and Pack

The core of any ultra kit is pretty simple. You need a way to carry fluid (a hydration vest with two soft flasks or a bladder), enough fuel for the longest gap between aid stations, a headlamp if any of your race runs in the dark, some weather protection (a wind or waterproof shell, a hat, and light gloves), trail shoes and non-cotton socks you have already run long in, and a small kit for blisters and nausea. Throw in a phone, ID, and a little cash. After that, what you actually carry comes down to three things: the distance, the weather, and how far apart the aid stations are. A well-supported 50K on a warm day might need nothing but flasks and fuel. A remote mountain 100 can require a full mandatory kit. So start from your specific course and rules, not some generic list.

Pack a vest by reach. The front pockets are the stuff you grab without stopping, so that is two soft flasks (usually 500 ml each), the next hour or two of fuel, your phone, sunglasses, and a salt cap or two. The little shoulder pockets hold blister tape, anti-nausea chews, lip balm, and a spare gel. The back kangaroo pocket takes a packable wind or waterproof shell, a hat, and light gloves you can stow and grab on the move. The main back compartment holds a bladder if you use one, bulk fuel for the legs between drop bags, a spare headlamp and batteries, an emergency blanket, and a small first-aid kit. The whole idea is that everything you need while moving lives up front, and everything you only touch once in a while lives in back.

On your body, carry only what you need to get from one aid station to the next: fluid, the fuel to cover the longest leg, your phone and ID, any required safety kit, and the layers the weather might throw at you before the next stop. Everything else goes in drop bags, the labeled bags a race shuttles to specific aid stations for you. Drop bags are where you stage spare shoes a half size larger, dry socks, a backup headlamp and batteries, a warmer night layer and beanie, chafe lube, a fuller first-aid and blister kit, plan-B foods for when your stomach turns on gels, and anything bulky like a towel or chair if your crew is there. The rule is simple. Carry the minimum that keeps you safe and fueled to the next aid, and let the drop bags handle the resupply.

This one varies a ton from race to race, so the only real answer is to read your event’s mandatory-equipment list. Well-supported US trail 50Ks often want almost nothing beyond a cup for the cupless aid stations. Mountain and international races, especially UTMB World Series events, are a lot stricter. A typical list there includes a waterproof jacket with sealed seams and a hood, one or two headlamps with spare batteries, at least 1 liter of water capacity (2+ in heat), a 150 ml collapsible cup, a survival blanket about 1.4 by 2 meters, a whistle, a charged phone with roaming on, a warm non-cotton layer plus hat and gloves, a food reserve around 800 calories, and ID. They do spot-checks and they will pull you for missing items, so weigh and pack the exact list, then check it again at packet pickup, because the rules can shift with the forecast.

In a 100 miler you will run for hours in the dark, often across two nights, so light and warmth are not optional. Carry a bright primary headlamp (most runners want 300 lumens or more, mountain races recommend 200+), plus a spare light or spare batteries, because a dead headlamp on technical trail is genuinely dangerous. Stage fresh batteries and a backup lamp in a drop bag right before the section where night falls. The temperature drops hard overnight even after a hot day, so keep a warm layer, a beanie or buff, and light gloves ready to pull on, and put a heavier set in a late-night drop bag. A handheld light or a waist lamp as a second source helps you read your footing on steep descents. Test every light and battery at home, and know roughly how many hours each set lasts before you trust it.

Plan your fuel and fluid by the time between aid stations, not by distance alone. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour (about 240 to 360 calories), and drink to thirst, which is often around half a liter to one liter of fluid per hour depending on the heat and your sweat rate, with about 300 to 600 milligrams of sodium per hour. So for a six mile leg that takes about 75 minutes, you carry roughly 75 to 115 grams of carbohydrate and a bit under one to a bit over one liter of fluid. For a long remote leg of two to three hours, that scales up to 150 to 225 grams of carbohydrate and two or more liters in heat. Two 500 ml soft flasks cover most well-supported legs. A bladder makes more sense for long gaps or hot days. And always carry a little extra fuel as a buffer, because legs run slower than you planned more often than you would think.

For a first 50K or 50 miler, keep it simple. On your body: a hydration vest with two soft flasks, the fuel to cover your longest aid-to-aid leg plus a spare gel, phone, ID, a little cash, a packable wind shell, a hat, and a tiny blister-and-nausea kit. In your drop bags: dry socks, a backup headlamp and batteries if any of the race is in the dark, chafe lube, plan-B food, and a warm layer. The day before: trail shoes and socks you have already run long in, anti-chafe on before the start, sunscreen, sunglasses, a charged watch, and any required cup. Lay it all out, do a full dress rehearsal on a long training run, and carry only the stuff you proved you will actually use. Our race-week and race-day checklist walks you through the full timeline.

Race in a trail shoe you have already run long in, matched to your terrain: aggressive lugs for mud and steep dirt, a lower-profile grippy outsole for buffed or rocky trail, more cushion if your course is long and runnable. Feet swell over ultra distances, so many 50 mile and 100 mile runners size up a half size and stage a half-size-larger spare pair in a late drop bag. For socks, use moisture-wicking synthetic or merino and never cotton, which holds water and causes blisters. Injinji toe socks, Drymax, Darn Tough, Swiftwick, and Smartwool are all popular, and packing dry spares in drop bags is one of the best morale and foot-health moves in a long race. Low trail gaiters keep grit out on dusty or sandy courses.