Trail Running Mandatory Gear: 4 Races Compared by Official Rules80-lumen light, 1L water, 130×200cm blanket

The base of trail running mandatory gear is the 9 items that 3 races all require: water, food, 2 lights, a rain jacket, a blanket, a whistle, first aid, a cup and a mobile phone. 7 items have numeric specs, such as a light of 80 lumens or more for 4 hours or more and water of 1L or more, and for Hasetsune CUP alone the mandatory gear is 1 transmitter.

At Hasetsune, water and light were only "recommended"

Every trail race has a long mandatory gear list. Thinking that, I opened the official pages of 4 races, and 1 of them looks different.

The competition rules of Hasetsune CUP (Japan Alpine Endurance Race) "recommend" 2 liters or more of water, rain gear that doubles as cold protection, trail food and a light. The only mandatory gear is the transmitter the organizer designates. For everything else, "no restriction."

In a race of 71.5km within 24 hours that crosses the mountains at night, a light is not mandatory. That does not mean you need not carry one. It is a design where the runner decides what to carry.

The remaining 3 races decide the items one by one. I read the following 4 pages.

Compare the mandatory gear lists item by item

I line up the item lists of the 3 races side by side. Hasetsune has 1 transmitter as mandatory gear and only recommends water, food, light and rain gear, so I left it out of this table.

What the 3 races all make mandatory is 9 items: water, food, 2 lights, a rain jacket, a survival blanket, a whistle, a first aid kit, a portable cup and a mobile phone. This is the base.

The character of each race shows in the lower part of the table and in the items I left out of it. Shinetsu Five Mountains makes the bear bell and the poison remover mandatory, and Izu makes the compass mandatory. Mt.FUJI 100 makes even the power bank and the portable toilet mandatory.

The 7 items with set numbers: light, water, rainwear

Even when it says "light" or "rain gear," how good the item must be differs by race. I pulled out the numeric specs.

Scroll the table sideways →

Light: 80 lumens, and 4 hours

Only Mt.FUJI 100 sets brightness in numbers: it must light at 80 lumens or more for 4 hours or more. Two of them, each with a spare battery.

Calculated, with 2 lights and 2 sets of spares, you carry 4 hours × 4 = 16 hours of light. The FUJI100mi time limit is 45h30m, and the start is 17:00 on Friday. It is a number that assumes crossing the night twice.

The condition is a pairing of brightness and time. What to look at is not the maximum brightness but "how many hours it lasts at 80 lumens or more." Read the row of the product spec table where brightness and burn time are written as a pair. A product with only the maximum brightness written large cannot let you check this condition.

At Shinetsu Five Mountains, a charger cannot replace a spare. A smartphone light is also not allowed. Make the 2nd one an independent light, even a small one.

Rainwear: 3 conditions, more than a number

Only Izu gives a waterproofing number, "recommending" 10,000mm or more. It is not a required line.

What the 3 races share is not a number but these 3: both waterproof and breathable, seams sealed with seam tape, and a hood.

A water-repellent-only windshell falls out here. It is light and packs small, but one with no seam treatment does not pass as the mandatory rain jacket at any of the 3 races. On the product page, look for the words "seam tape" and "seam sealing."

The treatment of pants splits. Mt.FUJI 100 and Shinetsu Five Mountains require both top and bottom, and Izu recommends pants. Mt.FUJI 100 does not allow tights for warmth to double as rain pants.

If you want to compare jackets by waterproofing number, the article comparing 12 outer layers by waterproofing helps.

Blanket: 130×200cm is a size that wraps your body

Mt.FUJI 100 sets the survival blanket at 130cm or more × 200cm or more. As an area, 130 × 200 = 26,000cm², that is 2.6m². About a tatami and a half, a size an adult can wrap their whole body in.

Sheet dimensions differ by product. Read the dimensions written on the pouch before you buy. Mt.FUJI 100 recommends an emergency bivy shaped like a bag.

Why decide this much? The official page gives the reason. The organizer aims to reach a runner who cannot move within 3 hours of the contact. But at FUJI100mi and KAI70k, it can take 6 hours or more. The explanation is to choose gear assuming you wait 6 hours in cold wind and cold rain.

Mandatory gear is not tools for running, but tools for the 6 hours after you stop. Read that way, the blanket's dimensions, the fleece and the gloves that cover the fingertips all line up on the same line.

Calculating the weight of water

1L of water is about 1kg. Mt.FUJI 100 and Izu require 1L or more. Two 500ml soft flasks just reach it.

Hasetsune thinks differently. There are only 3 water points, and what the organizer hands out is within 1.5L at the Tsukimi 2nd parking lot. The rest are natural-water points and Mitake Shrine. If you receive supplies other than at the designated water points, you are disqualified.

Set out with the recommended 2L and receive 1.5L at Tsukimi, and you have 2 + 1.5 = 3.5L. 71.5km ÷ 3.5L = about 20km on 1L. At the start, you carry about 2kg of water alone.

So at Hasetsune, the water capacity of the pack is decided first. 1L in 2 flasks is half the recommendation. Choose a vest with a hydration bladder on the back, or one that can take more flasks.

Mt.FUJI 100's "2kg" rule

Mt.FUJI 100 has a weight rule apart from the items. Total gear must exceed 2kg at the start and when leaving any aid station. Anywhere on the course, it must not fall to 1kg or less.

1L of water is about 1kg. 2kg − 1kg = 1kg. That means about 1kg is needed from gear other than water. And since you cannot fall below 1kg even after drinking all the water, the remaining 18 items and food must exceed 1kg.

The more you have picked out light tools, the closer you get to this line. Put the whole pack on a kitchen scale and check the weight with the water removed. Lighten only up to just before the 1kg line.

A pack big enough for all the mandatory gear is also counted among the 19 items. It must hold rain top and bottom, a fleece and a blanket, so a small vest for short races is not enough. Capacity and weight are compared in the article on 12 trail vest models.

Where small items trip you up

Small items are easier to overlook than big gear. I line up the ones with numbers or conditions attached.

• Portable cup: 150cc or more at Mt.FUJI 100 and Izu. Mt.FUJI 100 and Shinetsu Five Mountains write that aid stations have no paper cups. Izu does not allow bottles.
• Tape: at Izu, 80cm × 3cm or more. As an area, 240cm². You need not carry it as a roll; you can measure the length and rewind it.
• Gloves: at Mt.FUJI 100 and Izu, ones that cover the fingertips. Fingerless ones do not pass.
• Rear light: Mt.FUJI 100 requires a flashing light, Izu a marker that lights up by itself. Reflectors that do not light up are not allowed at Izu.
• Bear bell: mandatory at Shinetsu Five Mountains. In no-sound zones near housing, you need one whose sound can be stopped. Mt.FUJI 100 also has bear bell no-sound zones.

If you enter Shinetsu Five Mountains, the bear bell and the poison remover are added. For the bear bell, choose one with a mechanism that mutes the sound.

The order to prepare trail gear, and Rakuten prices

Deciding the expensive items first shows how much budget remains.

What to add and what you can drop for each race

I should also write the weak point. The table in this article is what I read on the official pages of 4 races on Oct 13, 2026. Mandatory gear changes every year. When the guide for the edition you entered comes out, that is the correct one.

Mt.FUJI 100 itself writes that mandatory gear is the "minimum equipment." It does not mean the list is enough. Adding to suit the weather and your own strength is up to the runner.

On the other hand, people who enter short races of around 20km are often not asked for this much gear. Even at Mt.FUJI 100, the 38.5km ASUMI40k has 1 light and only a jacket for rain gear. First read the list of the race you enter. Indoor race checklists are summarized in the article on what to bring to HYROX.

FAQ

Will I be disqualified for forgetting mandatory gear at a trail race?

At some races, yes. Mt.FUJI 100 writes that it may check mandatory gear even mid-race, and that if something is missing you may be disqualified on the spot. Izu checks the gear when you receive your bib and does not allow changes after that.

Hasetsune leaves it to the runner apart from the mandatory transmitter. You are disqualified if you do not wear the bib, or if you receive supplies anywhere other than the designated water points.

How many lumens does a trail headlamp need?

The lower limit at Mt.FUJI 100 is 80 lumens or more for 4 hours or more. The other 3 races give no number. When you buy, choose a product that lists burn time at each brightness, and you can check the 4-hour condition. In races that cross the night, the watch battery is also in question, so the article on running watch battery works backward from the time limit.

Can a windshell stand in for the mandatory rain jacket?

One with no seam tape on the seams cannot. The conditions common to the 3 races are 3: waterproof, breathable, seam tape and a hood. Look for the word "seam tape" on the product page.

Can I use poles at a trail race?

It differs by race. At Hasetsune, you cannot use them from the start to the 1st checkpoint, Asama Pass, and keep them attached to the pack until then. At Mt.FUJI 100, they can be used only beyond F5 of FUJI100mi, on a trial basis.

Gear in this article

Ads and images: Rakuten Ichiba

Trail running headlampTrail running rain jacket (taped seams, hood)Emergency sheet (130×200cm or more)Soft flask 500mlTrail running pack / vestPortable first aid kitBear bell (mutable)

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