Bushwalk Australia

What are you’re experiences?
Lovely young English couple on the Kepler Track this week carrying a large jar of jam, assorted cans, Bag of carrots and apples and a hot water bootle each.
They struggled over the tops with Many excess kilos but hard to intervene with diplomacy.

Phil

I met a couple on the Larapinta Trail with a Gasmate Butane stove - no not the hiking kind, I am talking about the one you take car camping:

https://www.gasmate.com.au/camping-leis ... tane-stove

In fact much of their gear was definitely not hiking friendly and they were struggling a bit (well - a lot, they skipped a fair bit of the trail in the end). It is great that they got out there although it is a really tough way to do it.

Ferry captain looking a bit nervous in below pic... seems unsure if the vessel is licensed for the weight of this persons backpack.

download/file.php?id=42946&mode=view
Originally posted (and I assume taken) by aztec.

A few years ago we met one of the "mules" walking in to resupply the private huts on the OLT. He was carrying in excess of 40kg as he trudged past Bert Nicholls and you could hear the clinking of glass in his pack - we thought it might be the bottles of Moet?

On another trip to the WoJ we were camped at Dixon's Kingdom and about to walk out the next morning when a couple struggled in late in the afternoon. No lightweight camping gear here - japara tent, a butane stove with a pack of four canisters, cast iron BBQ plate, a couple of old Coleman sleeping bags, and heavy food. We got talking to them and with all their other gear they were only able to carry enough food for one night. We had a whip around and each of us found some spare food - tea/coffee, oats, noodles, together with some home freeze dried meals and we gave them to the couple. It allowed them to stay for a couple more days. We also had a chat to them about lighter weight gear.

look my way

We purchased what we could afford and probably lacked some knowledge.

Would love to turn back time and purchase again.

For the OLT eight days I cracked the 20kg mark, wife was high teens.


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guy opens a one kilo glass jam jar near the end of a trip, and a loaf of bread, the jar is still almost full.
having fresh veges inc spuds and cauliflour,the bulky ones, carrying it for days.
down parkas in summer being used as raincoats, and not the hiking parkas the big long bulky ones for streetwear. full size kettles. and pot and pan sets...
gear and food hanging all over the outside of packs that are already full.
people carrying supermarket bags...

Only a couple of years ago - an 18yr old boy (doing VCE/Yr12) staying with his family (in winter/snow) near Mt. Howitt (Vallejo Ganther Hut)
Included in his HUGE already overloaded pack were all his heavy school text books, notebooks, pencil case, calculator - so he could study while away!

My first solo overnighter was a learning experience, to say the least. All of my food was canned (think copious amounts of soup, tuna etc). I took a massive military surplus backpack with tough leather arm straps, a full kettle, a pot, a mug, a big first aid box that took up about a quarter of the backpack, plenty of unnecessary clothing, a large torch (the spotlighting kind - about the size of a 3L milk carton), stainless steel knife, spoon and fork, an axe, a folding saw, along with a 2kg sleeping bag and a 3kg tent.

All of this - and no sleeping mat. For one night. Over 20 useless kilos. For one night.

Tobias wrote:My first solo overnighter was a learning experience, to say the least. All of my food was canned (think copious amounts of soup, tuna etc). I took a massive military surplus backpack with tough leather arm straps, a full kettle, a pot, a mug, a big first aid box that took up about a quarter of the backpack, plenty of unnecessary clothing, a large torch (the spotlighting kind - about the size of a 3L milk carton), stainless steel knife, spoon and fork, an axe, a folding saw, along with a 2kg sleeping bag and a 3kg tent.

All of this - and no sleeping mat. For one night. Over 20 useless kilos. For one night.

I take it you don't do that anymore [FACE WITH TEARS OF JOY]

Tobias wrote:My first solo overnighter was a learning experience, to say the least. All of my food was canned (think copious amounts of soup, tuna etc). I took a massive military surplus backpack with tough leather arm straps, a full kettle, a pot, a mug, a big first aid box that took up about a quarter of the backpack, plenty of unnecessary clothing, a large torch (the spotlighting kind - about the size of a 3L milk carton), stainless steel knife, spoon and fork, an axe, a folding saw, along with a 2kg sleeping bag and a 3kg tent.

All of this - and no sleeping mat. For one night. Over 20 useless kilos. For one night.

you must have learned by word of mouth from my reputation...

Huntsman247 wrote:I take it you don't do that anymore [FACE WITH TEARS OF JOY]

Whittled it down to about 6kg basweight at this point - much to the benefit of each and every vertebrae in my lower back.