How to Pack for the NC500

Scotland, one bag

516 miles, one bag, four seasons in a day

The NC500 is 516 miles of Scotland's north coast, a loop that starts and finishes in Inverness. People call it Scotland's Route 66. Most of it is single-track road with passing places, much of it is stunning, and a fair bit of it will throw sun, rain and a stiff wind at you inside the same afternoon.

That last part is the packing challenge. You are not packing for a climate, you are packing for all of them at once. Here is how to do it without filling the boot.

Pack soft, fit more in

First rule, and it matters more here than on a normal trip. Soft bags beat hard cases on the NC500.

Most people drive it, and a lot do it by campervan or motorhome. Space inside a van is tight and oddly shaped. A soft bag squashes into a locker or under a bench. A hard shell case sits there taking up a bed. On a motorbike or a bike, soft and weatherproof is the only option.

There is another reason. The best bits of this route, the Bealach na Bà pass into Applecross, the Drumbeg road, are narrow, steep and not built for big vehicles or big faff. The less you haul in and out at each stop, the more of the trip you actually see.

This is the kind of trip the Explorer 2 was built for. A 40 x 30 x 20 cm bag that compresses, so a week of layers packs down into something that tucks into van space and slings over your shoulder for the walk to the bothy. More on that below.

Dress in layers, not lumps

The Scottish rule is four seasons in one day, and it is not a joke. Highland summers sit around 15 to 20°C in the day and can drop cold in the evening even in August. Spring and autumn are milder than people expect but wetter and windier.

So you pack layers you can add and strip, not one big coat. A base layer, a mid layer, a fleece or jumper, and a warm jacket for the evenings. That stack handles a sunny lay-by and a cold, blowy clifftop in the same day. The vacuum ClipPod inside the Explorer 2 earns its place here. Layers are bulky and full of air, and pulling that air out is what gets a week of them into a personal-item bag.

The NC500 packing list

A note on midges

July and August are peak midge months, worst on the west and north coasts on still, damp evenings. They are tiny and they are relentless. Repellent and a head net weigh almost nothing and will save your trip. The first proper frost in autumn clears them out, which is one quiet argument for a September trip.

Where the Explorer 2 fits in

You do not need a giant case for the NC500. You need a bag that carries a week of Highland layers, squashes into tight van or bike space, and keeps your wet kit off the dry.

The Explorer 2 does all three. The ClipPod vacuum bag pulls the air out of your fleeces and waterproof jackets so a week packs like a long weekend. It is tough 1050D Cordura with weatherproof YKK zips, and the ClipPod itself is waterproof, so soaked or muddy gear seals away from your clean clothes. At 40 x 30 x 20 cm it is small enough to live in a campervan locker, then come with you as a daypack when you walk out to a viewpoint. Fly into Inverness to start the loop and it rode under your seat for free on the way up.

A local who knows the route

For the kind of stops that are not in every guidebook, Scottish creator Greig McBride (@scotland_uncovered) is worth a follow before you go. Hidden gems, the quiet pull-ins, the bits of the north coast most people drive straight past.