Kit

None of this is a recommendation of any particular brand. It is what has worked for me after a lot of wet days, and a few things I learned the hard way.

Rain gear

You will get wet. The question is only whether you stay warm while you are wet, so I stopped chasing the perfect jacket years ago. What I want from a waterproof is a stiff peaked hood that stays put in a crosswind, pit zips I can open without taking my pack off, and pockets that sit above the hip belt.

Waterproof trousers matter more than people think. Mine have full-length side zips, which means I can get them on over boots on a slope in a squall, and they go on before the shower arrives, not during it. A light windproof smock does more work than the waterproof on most days: drizzle and wind, which is what Eryri mostly offers, it handles fine, and it breathes.

Gloves: two pairs, always, because the first pair will be soaked by lunch.

Footwear

Leather boots with a fairly stiff sole. Light trail shoes are lovely on dry paths, but most of my days involve bog, wet grass on steep ground and the odd scramble on greasy rock, and I want something that edges and holds my ankle when the heather hides a hole. My feet are going to be wet by the afternoon whatever I wear, so I care more about grip and support than about the membrane.

Gaiters for the Rhinogydd and anywhere with deep heather. Spare socks in a dry bag, every time, for the drive home if nothing else.

Navigation

Paper map and a baseplate compass, and I actually use them. Most of my walks are on OS Explorer OL17 and OL18, kept in a clear map case folded to the day’s area before I leave the car. A phone with downloaded maps is a good second opinion, but batteries die quickly in the cold and screens are useless with wet fingers.

The habits that have saved me in cloud are boring ones:

• Take the bearing for the descent at the summit before you need it, ideally while you can still see something.
• Use handrails: fences, walls, streams, the edge of a cwm.
• Aim off deliberately, so you know which way to turn when you hit the line you are aiming for.
• Time and pace on featureless ground. My rough figure is 4 km an hour plus a minute for every 10 m of ascent, more in heather.

What lives in the pack

A 28 litre pack with a liner bag inside, because rain covers blow off. In it, all year round:

• Spare warm layer (a synthetic insulated jacket, which still works when damp)
• Hat, buff and two pairs of gloves
• Two-person emergency shelter, which doubles as a lunch tent in sideways rain
• Head torch, with spare batteries in the lid
• Small first aid kit, blister plasters, a whistle
• Flask of tea, more food than I think I need, and a sit mat
• Map, compass, phone, small power bank
• Dry socks in a bag, and the notebook in another bag

In winter, add microspikes and a second warm layer. Axe and crampons only when I know there is proper snow and ice, which in recent years has been rarer than it used to be.