By the way great route description should not have much of a problem really thought through.
Thanks Jeff

Simon I understand a little what you go through i am dyslexic and most of the time i can follow the route description but some times it becomes a blur and i struggle following for a while . I also can use a map and compass but it takes me a little longer than most to get the co-ordinates right;
I have a garmin Fenix 5x which lasts about 30 hrs which i put the gpx file in it has maps and is really good i also carry a sat map 12 with enough battery's to last 72 hrs i. I have bought the sd card with the route on from satmap so ok with this.

I will follow the route description the best i can unless i am not sure and then i will look at my gps to correct myself.

I have also a satmap 10 and if you would like i will lend you and i have a map card of the area in and will download the gpx route on also i have 2 batteries that will last about 16 hrs and a charger battery that will take the charge another 48 hrs . let me know and i will sort it out for you .
Regards Jeff

Simon Pipe. That looks like a more reasonable piece of kit especially with the addition of your clip on pouch. Most vests dont have a back pack that big. I use a Montane 18 litre pack with a 2 litre bladder and it has plenty of space for everything you need. A friend used one of those on the Marshals with no problems so you should be fine

Perhaps it was unhelpful to call my runners' backpack a vest, but that's what the manufacturers call it: https://www.ultramarathonrunningstore.com/Ultimate-Direction-PB-ADVENTURE-VEST-3-0-p/udpb3.htm

Perhaps it was unhelpful to call my runners' backpack a vest, but that's what the manufacturers call it: https://www.ultramarathonrunningstore.com/Ultimate-Direction-PB-ADVENTURE-VEST-3-0-p/udpb3.htm

Thank you for some generous and helpful responses. Most were kindly too! I understand the concerns about safety: please be assured that regardless of tech, I will be carrying, and using, map and compass. And what I call a running vest, others might call a 16-litre backpack: I carry more spare clothing than required, and A LOT more food than required. On 100s I also have a clip-on pouch that I use for food-on-the-move: that's where the Saturday food bag will go. If the weather looks bad, I'll have an Osprey backpack. I said my post on the GEAR forum was too long: evidently it wasn't, because Andrew Beck gave a superbly helpful response that judged the situation perfectly. Yes, the timing's not perfect, but nor are my circumstances. Disability takes many forms.

Garmin eTrex family is an excellent device, I have the 20 with os 50,000 maps on it, that I got for £40 quid off eBay, not convienced it is legit.
For this event I will have a 50,000 scale map, route instructions and the GPX on both my garmin and android smart phone.

For andorid phones (don't know about apple) there is an app called AlpineQuest, you can dowload free maps to it and add the GPX file as well. works great.
It is just as others have said a smart phone will not last the whole day with gps on. you would need a charging pack as well.

Simon Pipe, I would suggest that you are leaving it a bit late to start getting new kit, especially if you are a technophobe. You really need to get some practice under similar conditions before trusting your life to a new gadget that you do not know how to use.. On the Marshals walk there was a major issue about batteries failing in the cold on night sections and you would need to be familiar enough with your equipment to deal with that.
You may also want to think about whether, in addition to your mandatory kit, your vest can carry enough food to get you to checkpoint 3 and fluids and food to get you from checkpoint 5 to checkpoint 7 and from checkpoint 7 to checkpoint 9. We will supply the food etc but you will need to carry it
Bear in mind that there will be no relaxation in the kit requirements for runners and there could be several kit checks on the route

Just my two cents.

I have a Fenix 5 GPS watch and a 64 hand held. The hand held wins hands down if only for battery life - it takes AA's which you can swap in and out as needed rather than faff around with a mobile charger bearing in mind the watch will need a couple of full recharges at the very least on a 48 hour event with the GPS active.

Add to that the hand held will have actual mapping (which the Fenix 5 plus has, though far too small a screen to be useful in my humble opinion, but which I think the Forerunner lacks) so fulfils the kit requirement of compass, mapping as well as showing you the route with the relevant gpx file loaded.

The route description, coupled with my 64s for when I think I've gone wrong, has served me well on every challenge walk to date. They're not cheap (though there are some very cheap options for the mapping if you look around) but once you've learned your way around one you'll never (for an LDWA event that publishes a gpx file, as most do anyway in my experience) get truly lost or need deal with a physical map and compass again. If you can borrow one for the event even better, though you'll need to spend a little time to understand the very basics of how to use it - not difficult but not obvious the first time you pick one up.

Hi SImon you raise safety issues which I think may cause a bit of a worthy when the kit requirements are a vital safety tool. I wonder for example when you arrive at the 100 registration desk and present the kit declaration form (downloaded and printed from our 100 web site ) where you will store the materials. Runners do have a backpack so perhaps you missed it off your post. My experience of smart phones is they are good but would your phone battery last up to 48 hours. Perhaps not but you may have a cunning plan. The kit requirements are not new they are there to ensure our walkers have the right equipment for a event .

I've posted a (too long) query in the GEAR forum with the Hundred in mind: since people might not see it there in time, I'd be grateful for guidance:

I wearily accept my concentration is not good enough to navigate through a 100 with RD and map alone.

Should I buy a watch such as Forerunner 245, or a handheld such as Garmin 64; or get mapping on a smartphone?

I'm a runner. On a budget. I don't own a decent, recent smartphone. I'm technically challenged. I wear a running vest, not a rucksack: space at a premium.

Thank you.