Equipment
A full list of equipment is included in the rules, which will be sent to teams at least a month before the race, but it is unlikely to include much more than is described here. This section also includes a few hints about equipment that might be useful but that is not mandatory.
Teams must supply all of their own equipment including a vehicle, bikes, kayak(s), wetsuit(s) for swimming, personal kit and camping equipment.
Vehicle
The team vehicle MUST NOT be more than 5m in length under any circumstance. It may not be even a few centimetres over this length, above which in any case Calmac Commercial Rates apply on all ferries! Trailers are not permitted. For teams of five or four the most popular choice is a short wheelbase Ford Transit. Teams of five will need a roof rack to carry their kayak. With the back seats removed from the vehicle it is possible to fit teams, bikes and other gear into the vehicle, though many teams use a bike rack. Teams of two MUST use a car or small (low)l van and not a high vehicle, such as a Transit. The law states that any vehicle must have seatbelts for ALL its occupants, also that bike racks may NOT be carried on the front of the vehicle as this poses a hazard to other road users and to the vehicle’s occupants.
Bikes
In terms of bikes, teams must have at least one mountain bike and one road bike, though two of each kind are recommended for teams of four or five and a spare set of MTB wheels with road tyres fitted might be useful too. The bikes should be adjustable to fit the whole team and the best prepared teams make sure that all their bikes have the same clipless pedal system, and a couple of sets of flat pedals. The optimum setup for teams of two would be one road bike (that fits both team members) plus two mountain bikes and a spare set of wheels with road tyres. At times, teams often need to deliver or collect a bike from a part of the course that is inaccessible to vehicles so some sort of device that will allow a rider to tow a spare bike might be handy. Helmets are of course compulsory whenever a bike is being ridden, whether racing or not.
Kayak
Kayakers are expected to provide their own boats, though the race organisers have located boats for teams to hire in the past if they have been coming from abroad or have had some other pressing circumstances. Any standard glass or plastic touring type sea kayak with a minimum length of 16' 2" should be acceptable, though a minimum length of 16' 11" is recommended. Due to recent developments at the cutting edge of sea kayaking, the organisation is currently considering a tighter definition of what is an acceptable boat, and this will be available early in 2005.
Kayaking in the Heb is a more serious business than in most adventure races, partly because it takes place in waters that are open to 3,000 miles of Atlantic swell with strong tidal flows, and partly because the kayaking legs are completed by solo competitors. Because of this there is a comprehensive kit list. The definitive list will appear in the rules but in previous years it has included: A waterproof and windproof cagoule, a first aid kit, a boat repair kit, orange exposure bag, in-date flares comprising at least a hand-held red, a red parachute and an orange smoke flare, map and compass and a drinking system.
In the 2006 race the kayakers may spend one night camping away from the main race. Although they won't have to prepare food they will need a complete set of overnight camping gear that they can carry in their boats.
Personal gear
All competitors should be prepared to run (a bit) and possibly cycle at some point in the race and will need suitable gear for survival in wilderness terrain when they are "on the hill". The most common kinds of shoes used by the main team runners are fell running types such as Walshes or Adidas Swoops, though other grippy trail running shoes would be OK. The main runners in the team at least would be advised to bring spare shoes.
The definitive list of hill running kit will be published in the rules of the event although in previous years it has included: A waterproof top and windproof bottoms, food for the section, map, compass, pencil and whistle, a first aid kit, thermal leggings and long sleeve top, hat and gloves, a torch with a new battery and a survival bag. If the weather is good then on short running sections the race director may allow the use of "skinny kit" which is a reduced subset of the above. It is not essential for each member of the team to necessarily own all of this kit but it is probably advisable for teams to have at least three sets of items such as survival bags between them. On the other hand, if each team member does have a full set of gear then it does make life easier when doing transitions in pressurised race conditions.
Maps
The official race maps are the 1:50,000 OS Land ranger maps, and numbers 13, 14, 18, 22 and 31 cover the entire event area. This area is also covered by 1:25,000 OS Explorer maps and teams may occasionally wish to consult these, though there are a rather large number and it would prove quite expensive to purchase the whole set!
Please note that NO mapping software will be given out this year but teams may find it preferable to buy some themselves and print out sections that they need, after they are given the route (a few days before the race starts).
Offers of sponsorship-in-kind, of things like mapping software are always welcomed – contact Stephanie Sargent - but so far this year, no deal of this sort exists.
Camping equipment
Due to Insurance considerations, and the time of year, there will be NO hall sleeping provision. Teams should therefore be prepared to camp. As a minimum this means they should have tents, sleeping bags and mats. As one or two team members may be taken to remote locations, it will also be necessary to have some facility to take and prepare hot food. Water purification tablets may also be advisable in some remote locations.
Camping gear for two people will need to be packable into a sea kayak and kayaks will need to be capable of carrying such kit. More details later!
It is permissible for team members to book local B&B if they wish to do so, on nights when the route is located in civilization (if in doubt, please ask!). Many teams choose to mix the two sleeping methods, ensuring that they get a warm bed and hot shower on at least some of the nights.
PLEASE NOTE that when we arrange camping this does NOT mean a formal campsite –it means a piece of grass, which may be boggy and will probably NOT have any recognizable facilities!! Getting clean may well entail jumping into the sea, or local lochan!A full list of equipment is included in the rules, which will be sent to teams at least a month before the race, but it is unlikely to include much more than is described here. This section also includes a few hints about equipment that might be useful but that is not mandatory.