Western Arthurs Traverse shelter.

[Kaid]

G'day all,
I'm doing the Western Arthurs A-K in December (a 10 day trip) and am considering the viability of a bivy bag under a tarp shelter as a means of saving weight. Does anyone have any experience of bivvying in the Western Arthurs? Any thoughts welcome

[north-north-west]

I know one bloke who took a bivvy through there. He said it was the most unpleasant bushwalking experience of his life.
It can be done, but it's not the best place to focus on saving a few hundred grams at the expense of comfort and possibly safety. The weather is even more fickle than much of the rest of the island. It's not uncommon to need to stay longer than planned because conditions are so bad, and doing that in a bivvy is not fun. If the weather goes off your gear has zero chance of drying out. And at many campsites it will be harder to keep your food safe from the wildlife.

Ten days is a long time for just A-K, even doing every possible sidetrip to knock off all the named peaks. Even getting weathered in at High Moor and doing the full traverse took me only a half day longer.

[Kaid]

All very good points, thanks NNW.
I'm not sure why we're taking that long, I joined the party after the plan was made. We are all landscape photographers so it may have something to do with wanting to be at certain spots at certain times for photographic opportunities.

[north-north-west]

Ah well, yes, serious photography does make a massive difference to timetables. And if you're carrying serious photographic gear, there will always be a temptation to reduce the load elsewhere. For me, carrying a dSLR or two (plus all the rest) means I'm even more in favour of a tent to keep all that gear safe and dry and have space to clean and service it if necessary.

If you took a tent, which would it be and what is the difference in weight between that and your tarp/bivvy option?

[headwerkn]

I'm aware of trail runners/fastpackers who've used bivvies on the WA: we had one stay with us back in 2021 at High Moor, but that was for a single night as he would have merrily completed the full AK loop in two days.

I've been kinda keen to test out my OR Helium bivy and DCF tarp on a trip like this, but the irony is that combo weighs 30-50% more than a modern DCF 1p tent (TT ProTrail Li - HMG, Zpacks and others have <500g options too) yet lacks bug protection. Moisture management in bivvies can be, ugh, interesting, especially over multiple days. And as NNW pointed out, critters (native rats mostly) are quite common and game around the campsites, keeping them out your food/gear would be a challenge.

A nice 3x3m tarp would provide plenty of communal cover in bad weather but finding room to utilise it at most of the campsites would be trickly and/or very likely to annoy people. Tent space is kinda scarce along the WA, especially at Oberon and Cygnus during the warmer months.

[Kaid]

I looked over our itinerary, we’re spending a full day at Lake Oberon and another at Haven Lake (weather permitting) just for photography, hence the expanded timeline.

My current plan is my Vango Nevis 100 (1.7kgs) as I’m not especially confident my Nemo Hornet (900 grams) would hold up to the possible wind gusts. If I ran with the OR Helium Bivy and my Sea to Summit Tarp the whole setup is under 900 grams, which is definitely heavier than a dyneema rig. Do the dyneema tents hold up in somewhere like the Arthurs?

[north-north-west]

Tent design is more important than the materials to an extent, when you're talking about the Arthurs. Certainly when you're talking about DCF vs silny vs silpoly.
The official campsites are mostly reasonably sheltered from wind - High Moor is the one most open to the elements (it's also the one where I always seem to get stuck) and most 3-4 season tents are usually OK. The TT tent headwerkn uses is good, but DCF isn't cheap.

My only reservation about the Hornet is the height of the fly; it's a long way off the ground, which means if you get rain and wind (not uncommon in Tassie) the rain will get blasted under the fly edge. I''m not really a fan of inner-first pitches either - no way to keep the inner dry if you're pitching in the rain (again, not an uncoommon occurence) - but that's maybe a personal thing. The Vango design seems fine.

Nearly 1kg is a significant weight differential, however. It''s up to you to decide if you can handle the potential discomfort of that much time with the bivvy and tarp in such an exposed area. I wouldn't, but I'm a wimp.

ps: There is very limited room at Haven; only four platforms and when they're full you have to pitch on the exposed ground either up on the next ridge or back on the other side of the lake.

[Kaid]

Apparently the bathtub floor of the Hornet is supposed to compensate for the height of the fly in terms of remaining waterproof, but I've not exactly tested it yet. The Vango is a tunnel tent with an inner tensioning system designed for high winds so, yes, I'd be confident in its performance. The 1.7kgs is really nagging me though, especially when carrying food for 10 days.

My primary concern with the bivy is certainly the difficulty associated with drying out my gear, a tent is definitely preferable. I've been eyeing off the HMG UltaMid 2 but I suspect it'd be too big for the tent platforms along the WAT. Another option is the HMG Mid 1, but as you said, DCF ain't cheap. Any shelter suggestions are welcome, of course.

[north-north-west]

If I was getting a new tent that had to stand up to Tassie conditiions, I'd always start with Tarptent. Their blemished DCF options are a bit cheaper and every bit as reliable as the standard version. You can get a Moment Li blem for under $600US, for instance. That's a solid little tent.

[icefest]

My partner and I only took our tarp on our most recent WA traverse. With good pitching it's do-able, but you need to be planning ahead. We spent 3 stormbound nights at high moor, where is never stopped raining/sleeting/hailing. Much less dry room in a tarp than you'd think.

[Tortoise]

Hi Kaid. Wondering what the rest of your gear is like. You might already have gone lighter weight.

But if not, it may free you up to take a boofier shelter. Have you done the 'weigh everything, including bags, containers etc'? I got a number of surprises when I did. It changed what I take. I also cut hundreds of grams off cooking stuff - now just a small titanium pot that's my billy, bowl & mug. On big walks I usually take my tiny BRS3000T stove. To protect from wind I use my vestibule/pack/boots/gaiters and carbon felt (this doubles as a pot cosy). It may be slightly more likely to clog than a bigger stove (?), but as all my walking buddies also use gas, they'd share their stove with me if needed (I'd still have my gas to contribute).

High Moor seems to be the spot to get stuck at in the WAs. I can't imagine what the 36 hours of heavy, horizontal rain would have been like in a bivvy, even if a tarp was very well pitched over it. My Tarptent Scarp 1 handled it pretty well.
PS I see Icefest has done it. He's exceptionally good at pitching things.

[icefest]

I've now realised that you were asking about bivy bags too. We didn't take any, just slept on groundsheets.

Icefest has done it. He's exceptionally good at pitching things.

I do like to be a little bit crazy!

[Kaid]

If I was getting a new tent that had to stand up to Tassie conditiions, I'd always start with Tarptent. Their blemished DCF options are a bit cheaper and every bit as reliable as the standard version. You can get a Moment Li blem for under $600US, for instance. That's a solid little tent.

I'd never heard of TarpTent before you mentioned them. The Moment looks very tempting.

[Kaid]

Hi Kaid. Wondering what the rest of your gear is like. You might already have gone lighter weight.

But if not, it may free you up to take a boofier shelter. Have you done the 'weigh everything, including bags, containers etc'? I got a number of surprises when I did. It changed what I take. I also cut hundreds of grams off cooking stuff - now just a small titanium pot that's my billy, bowl & mug. On big walks I usually take my tiny BRS3000T stove. To protect from wind I use my vestibule/pack/boots/gaiters and carbon felt (this doubles as a pot cosy). It may be slightly more likely to clog than a bigger stove (?), but as all my walking buddies also use gas, they'd share their stove with me if needed (I'd still have my gas to contribute).

High Moor seems to be the spot to get stuck at in the WAs. I can't imagine what the 36 hours of heavy, horizontal rain would have been like in a bivvy, even if a tarp was very well pitched over it. My Tarptent Scarp 1 handled it pretty well.
PS I see Icefest has done it. He's exceptionally good at pitching things.

My pack weight is sitting at 23kgs, which includes around 7kgs of food and 4kgs of camera gear. I'll knock a bit more weight off my food by removing as much packaging as I can before setting off. I'm happy with that weight, and have certainly put effort into getting lightweight gear, but my 1.7kg tent and 740 gram sleeping bag are standing out to me. I know I can go lighter with both.

[north-north-west]

Apologies for the hiatus; I went for a walk.

Gear list, please. Base weight of 12kg, even allowing for the tent and (perfectly reasonable) SB, seems excessive.

[Biggles]

One thing that stands out like an infected big toe is your mention of camera gear coming in at 4kg for a (perceived) 10 day hike!

Whatever that constitutes, maybe reconsider that inclusion in the undoubtedly heavyweight pack (23kg!) with something small and lighter.; you will still have photographs of the hallowed Lake Oberon overlook. I have not traversed the Arthurs (I certainly would like to), but I have explored Mount Anne's mid- to cloud-level rainforests (4 nights) and on those twi occasions my camera gear was an old Fujifilm X-30 digital (2014 vintage, which I still have), a KSM polariser and Gitzo Basalt CF tripod (560gm, a smidgeon heavier now with a new Arca-Swiss QR head).

Now, there is a (big!) difference between what I take on a multiday hike (a treasured Olympus XA, owned since 1982) or the X-30) versus what I take on a planned, researched, "search-and-trap" day walk: I am not a muscular walker and must by necessity keep multi-day pack carrying down low weight-wise. Then we come to the other extreme: day walks up to 15km are quite another thing: along for the ride is a 13kg Pentax 67 MF kit ( ), 4 lenses and three rolls of 120 film (of which everything will be scanned and printed to add to my gallery). I walk with photographers too, and the variety of equipment on day walks is as diverse as the walkers themselves, but mostly it is small mirrorless cameras or rangefinders. I think, in terms of difficult and long walks, we have sensibly moved on from the distant days when Peter Dombrovskis walked head-to-the-wind with his 27kg pack, topped off with a 5kg Linhof 4x5, three lenses, 5 holders and a polariser! As the late Melva Truchanas remarked in conversation, wryly observing the weight of his kit, "...it was the camera that killed him!".

Of latter times on MD walks I don't skimp on the protective qualities of tents — it's called "learning from unfortunate experience";; Moondance 1 is fine for me, with the recent addition of titanium TOAKS pegs (which, along with the guylines, double as tripod column support in unstable or windy conditions). I suspect a tarp and a groundsheet is stretching the risk a bit in them thar mountains. Maybe inveterate walker Rob Blakers could offer insight into the best tent for the WAs, given his numerous trips there, along with those in coastal and rainforest areas, often with 4x5 + holders packed (but latterly a Canon digi and maybe TS-E (tilt-shift) lens.

[johnrs]

Hi Kaid
Best to take a reasonably solid tent, it's a windy, sometimes very windy place.
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/dwo/20221 ... 2212.shtml
John

[north-north-west]

Biggles:

Suggesting to a serious photographer that they modify their photographic equipment on a planned photographic expedition is like suggesting they learn to breathe methane. I still usually carry eiither two dSLRs, each with a specific lens, or one dSLR and three lenses; plus filters, spare batteries, remote, cleaning gear and tripod; do not know how much it all weighs and do not want to know. Photo phaffers gonna phaff.
The rest of the gear is modified first and foremost.

As for Dombrovskis, he had options. That camera was his personal preference. He knew the strain he was putting on his heart but the art came first.

[Kaid]

Apologies for the hiatus; I went for a walk.

Gear list, please. Base weight of 12kg, even allowing for the tent and (perfectly reasonable) SB, seems excessive.

That's including my camera gear (i.e., base weight being everything but consumables). When camera gear is subtracted my base weight is around 6.5kgs.

[Kaid]

One thing that stands out like an infected big toe is your mention of camera gear coming in at 4kg for a (perceived) 10 day hike!

Whatever that constitutes, maybe reconsider that inclusion in the undoubtedly heavyweight pack (23kg!) with something small and lighter.; you will still have photographs of the hallowed Lake Oberon overlook. I have not traversed the Arthurs (I certainly would like to), but I have explored Mount Anne's mid- to cloud-level rainforests (4 nights) and on those twi occasions my camera gear was an old Fujifilm X-30 digital (2014 vintage, which I still have), a KSM polariser and Gitzo Basalt CF tripod (560gm, a smidgeon heavier now with a new Arca-Swiss QR head).

Now, there is a (big!) difference between what I take on a multiday hike (a treasured Olympus XA, owned since 1982) or the X-30) versus what I take on a planned, researched, "search-and-trap" day walk: I am not a muscular walker and must by necessity keep multi-day pack carrying down low weight-wise. Then we come to the other extreme: day walks up to 15km are quite another thing: along for the ride is a 13kg Pentax 67 MF kit ( ), 4 lenses and three rolls of 120 film (of which everything will be scanned and printed to add to my gallery). I walk with photographers too, and the variety of equipment on day walks is as diverse as the walkers themselves, but mostly it is small mirrorless cameras or rangefinders. I think, in terms of difficult and long walks, we have sensibly moved on from the distant days when Peter Dombrovskis walked head-to-the-wind with his 27kg pack, topped off with a 5kg Linhof 4x5, three lenses, 5 holders and a polariser! As the late Melva Truchanas remarked in conversation, wryly observing the weight of his kit, "...it was the camera that killed him!".

Of latter times on MD walks I don't skimp on the protective qualities of tents — it's called "learning from unfortunate experience";; Moondance 1 is fine for me, with the recent addition of titanium TOAKS pegs (which, along with the guylines, double as tripod column support in unstable or windy conditions). I suspect a tarp and a groundsheet is stretching the risk a bit in them thar mountains. Maybe inveterate walker Rob Blakers could offer insight into the best tent for the WAs, given his numerous trips there, along with those in coastal and rainforest areas, often with 4x5 + holders packed (but latterly a Canon digi and maybe TS-E (tilt-shift) lens.

I've already stripped the camera kit down to the bare minimum and am not prepared to compromise any further. Photography is half of the reason I hike, and I want high quality images that I can print large and (ideally) sell to paying clients. That's the basis for my camera kit being what it is. I'm taking a Nikon Z7 (mirrorless) and two lenses (one weighing 500g and the other 650), and my tripod weighs 1kg (any lighter and it'll fail to hold up to wind). The rest of the kit consists of batteries, a lens adapter (136g), a single filter, a few small accessories to ensure I can keep everything functioning when on trail, and a camera holster bag which will sit across my chest while walking.

[Kaid]

In terms of what I'm physically capable of carrying, I'm 6'1 and strong and fit enough to carry 22kgs to Mt Everest Basecamp and back (which I did in December last year). I also took 26kgs on the Overland Track in July this year (that was including food, so obviously the pack weight diminished as I ate), so shaving off grams is more a matter of convenience than necessity.