What gear / items have you seen others with or without?

[tasadam]

I titled this thread
What gear / items have you seen others with or without?

But I suppose you could also add
What gear did you leave home that you should really have taken
and
What did you take that you never used and don't know why you took it?

I remember my second walk to Frenchmans Cap. I did it myself at the peak time between Christmas and New Years, early 1990's.
I was at Vera Hut when these two fellows walked in with their canvas packs, looked like sideways-mounted potato sacks. They had items such as a dolphin torch, you know - the big one with the large square battery... And a spare battery! And tinned food, can opener, lots of steel things... Blew me away how much excess weight they must have had.

So reflecting on this, I thought maybe start a thread for people to make comment on the things they have seen on the tracks they venture across.
Not as a point of amusement or laugh at others choices, but as an education - something to think about when planning your walk, something not to forget, something to definitely leave home...

Some of the things of note that I have seen -
Overland track, a party of two in winter without sleeping mats;
A different party of two same walk, jeans and no gaiters;
In Vera Hut, 3rd Frenchmans walk, 11:30 pm a guy arrives in Blundstone boots, with all the climbing gear to do the cliff climb on the face of Frenchmans (his partner bivvy'd on the track about an hour back)
They started at the car park at 6:30 pm...
At the time I couldn't imagine carrying that much weight in climbing gear - somewhere around 15kg's apparently. But horses for courses and each to his/her own, I didn't weigh our camera gear from the recent Overland track walk til we got back - over 9 kg's - 2 bodies, 2 tripods, 5 lenses, etc...

As well, I recently heard of a story of a couple from overseas who did the Overland track south to north in winter with jeans and a T-shirt, they shared one sleeping bag, apparently she was crying she was so cold;

I have seen photos of jeans hanging up to dry in the huts of the Overland track. For those that don't know, jeans is a bad choice for bushwalking. They get heavy and cold when (not "if") they get wet, and don't dry out.

Will add more as I think of them / discover them.

Others anyone?

[kantonysen]

I've met people on the Cradle/Lake St Clare track without parkas. They had garbage bags that they cut slits into for arms and neck.

A bit off topic, but when we went on our trip from Cradle/Lake St Clare at the begiining of this winter we met a young lady who had been given poor information by the Tourist Bureau. She had been told that a young fit person could travel along the overland track without needing any experience in bushwalking; even in winter.

Adam, when I bushwalked as a young 20 year old, tents did not have sewn in ground sheets, we used plastic sheets. Mats did not exist either but we used top quality sleeping bags and so warmth was not a problem. It has been possible for me to sleep pretty well anywhere, even now 30+ years later!!

[scubabob]

Great idea Tasadm, this thread. I am planning to do the Overland Track in 2008 or 2009, depending on how ready i feel i am. I am relatively new to major bushwalking, in that i mean overnight tracks and such. I have done many day walks and often park my Land Rover somewher anad head off for a few hours. Prior to this i was in the Army for 9 years and spent many months of the year "out bush" but let's face it, their gear was not really comfortable and it was a matter of only using what you wer issued with.

I eagerly await the responses of others in this thread as i feel i can learn a lot - in fact already have regarding jeans. i am an avid scuba diver and as often as i can i read the stories of other divers who have died or come close to it. Not because i am morbid, but so as i dont' make the same mistakes and learn from their experiences, thereby making me a better diver. Same thing applies to here. I dont want to wind up on the 6 o'clock news. Bushwalking is like diving - there is nothing down there worth dying for.

[Son of a Beach]

Too right, Bob! Learning from mistakes is a good way to go. If it's from other people's mistakes then you're one up!

------

As for myself, I once picked up a hitch hiker on my way to do some walking in the northern half of the overland track. Turns out he was on his way to do the Overland Track too. I think he was from Canada, but can't remember for sure. May have been USA. Anyhow, I was not terribly experienced myself at the time, and being a quiet person didn't ask a lot of questions.

I should have though. It wasn't until we got to waterfall valley hut that I discovered he had no sleeping bag at all! None! Good thing he carried his skate board all the way though! The hut 'monitor' managed to scrounge enough stuff to get him through the night and talked him into walking back out next morning.

Only then did I start to ask the questions I should have asked before he started walking. Turns out he thought it was a dead easy walk with comfortable accommodation every night (including kitted out beds, presumably). He brought his skate board because he simply didn't have anywhere to leave it, not knowing anyone else in the state.

---------

As for me, I used to lend my tent to people often. Now it is the one item I do not lend out lightly. They're too expensive and fragile to lend to people who don't understand (or care) how expensive and fragile they are. One time I went to set it up, and found that the poles had not been returned with it (found out later they'd been broken). So I had to make some out of some nearby dogwood (I think) trees. Just the right amount of flex in the thinner branches.

Years later (you'd think I'd have learned to check my tent when getting it back after lending it out) I went to set up the same tent as above on a first night on the Overland Track just near lake Windermere. It was an old tunnel tent and required 14 pegs (7 for main part, 7 for fly). I found that it now had 2 pegs. Great! It was raining.

Well, I shared a couple of pegs with the other tent my mates were using next to me (shared them between the two tents), and had to fashion a bunch of pegs out of wood. Next camp site I carved a few more out, and by the end of the trip I had the best set of wooden tent pegs you've ever seen.

They were so good in fact, that I never bothered replacing them. I only used that tent a few more times before it died completely, but I always used my nice home-made wooden pegs.

Moral of the story: If you lend gear to others, check it carefully between getting it back, and depending on it!!!

[scubabob]

We may be moving a little off topic here but i understand what you are saying about the Canadian chappie.

I used to work at Melbourne Airport and often talked to overseas visitors when there wasnt much to do. Was talking to this young couple one night while they were putting their bicycles together and asked them about their trip. "We are here for 2 weeks and are going to cycle to Cairns" "But" i reply, "Cairns is at the top of Australia. " "Yes, we know but Australia is only an island so it cant be too far". Seems knowledge of this country is sadly lacking.

[tasadam]

Funny story about the tent, that...

A relative of mine and a friend borrowed a tent from someone once, they travelled to Wineglass bay, set it up, then discovered it was padlocked at both doors and they didn't have a key... The loaner forgot the locks were on it...

Playing guessing games, about the last item I would have guessed had been to Waterfall Valley (apart from electrical appliances) is a skateboard...

The story of people from overseas attempting Tasmanian walks unprovisioned is not unheard of...
Check out this link, half way down there is a paragraph titled Facilities.
Sound familiar?

If only people would do the research. There is plenty of information out there (and here)...
It would seem from the example above that asking the likes of a tourist bureau does not constitute as research.

[kantonysen]

Adam, the young lady I wrote about earlier walked South to North, very few people were walking in that direction when we went through. If she had gone in the other direction she would probably have been able to hook into another group if the going became tough.

However, I do believe that solo walking is an apropriate thing to do. last trout season I walked into the Western Lakes about a dozen times on day trips to do some photography and fly fishing. However, when I do go I take enough equipment to be able to stay out overnight if for any reason I had to stay out overnight. My walks take me perhaps 3 hours from where i leave my car. I'd reckon that over the years I have walked several thousand Ks in the bush without mishap. When I go out to the Lakes, I keep a close check on the weather, if it looks as though there will be little visibility I don't go.

Last year I did have something to ponder on though, I walked into a favourite lake and took a few photos and just looked out to view any trout. It was a colder day than expected, and my body temperature started to lower. I had planned on doing some wading but felt that would be too dangerous due to the temperature, and so, ambled off home much earlier than expected. Wading even in neoprene waders can be quite cold at times. I took a photo on that trip though that I'm really pleased with. The point I was wanting to make though, is that self rescue must always be a key consideration.
Cheers
Keith

[Lynda Moir]

Like most experienced walkers we try to go as light as possible without compromising on saftey. By that I mean that you have the gear necessary for any weather conditions. We found a really handy commercial website - one of the outdoor adventure retailers - that provides comprehensive lists - even down to particular walks. We tried out their list and thought it excellent. A couple of their optional items we would definitely take e.g. rope and gaiters.

We have also seen some unusual sights - a Japanese overland track walker with a space blanket, rather than a sleeping bag. The rattling was a bit disconcerting to others, but tiredness won over eventually.

[tasadam]

We found a really handy commercial website - one of the outdoor adventure retailers - that provides comprehensive lists - even down to particular walks.

Feel free to share it with us on the Other Web Resources page... It sounds interesting!

[tas-man]

I can still recall the amazement of meeting a lone overseas tourist on the overland track near Du Cane hut, carrying a small suitcase and wearing street clothes and lace up black dress shoes. This was in December 1971 only a few weeks after someone had died near Windemere hut in a blizzard when a school group got caught out by the weather. I also remember meeting a Canadian near Mt Ossa with a high frame backpack that had a proper fitted hip belt. We Aussies were all using H frame packs that placed all the weight on the shoulders, and I recall the astounding difference in comfort and balance that trying on this pack revealed.

[norts]

I met a family at Windy Ridge, all had overalls and gumboots on. It was stinking hot too. Glad i wasn't around when the took those boots off.
The father was carrying an old h frame pack but the bag had been removed and he had 2 of those large(25L?) buckets side ways on the frame. The gear would have been nice and dry but the weight!

Roger

[Natt]

Beer - ie a slab!

Also a chair (although that one is not as silly as it sounds)

[sarge]

On Overland track - German Bushwalker in jeans, runners and tins of pasta sauce for meals. Also one guy with a whole lot of those bigs jars of peaches for meals.

We met another couple who had left the pack with their food out and uncovered when they went for a day hike and either birds or possums (or maybe pademelons..) destroyed/ate most of their food. Lucky for them they managed to live off donations from other generous walkers for the last 3 days.

Also one couple with one of those huge blow up double lilos strapped to the bottom of one of their packs.....!

[sthughes]

Sorry to re-ignite an old topic but I just had to mention a lady I met at Waterfall Valley one night. She just walked in for the night and was heading back out the next day, but she had almost nothing. Leather thongs/sandals, long baggy tie-died skirt and matching sleeveless top, plus a sort of floppy straw (or something woven) hat. Then just in case the weather turned nasty she had a sort of sling bag over her neck with a shawl and a crocheted woollen blanket (for the night in the hut). She also had a bit of food and a cup. No rain coat, no proper shoes and nothing very warm. But the weather was fantastic - we never even saw a threat of rain and I guess she probably walked out the next day with plans of coming back to do the full overland track!

Also did Cradle Mountain summit last year in January (with I reckon at least 500 other people that day - no kidding) and despite the nice weather and hoards of other people I was still a bit concerned about one couple. The wife was decked out to look like she was off to the casino for the evening with just about all the makeup and jewellery she must have owned, and of course the trusty hand bag in case she found a Myer store and needed the MasterCard. The husband was dressed a bit more suitably but carried only three things: 1- A large bottle of water, 2- A bum-bag and, 3- A baby boy in one of those child carrying harness things on his chest. The kid would have been 18 months old at best!

[bluewombat]

Walking into Waterfall hut about 10 years back, I met a very nice Buddhist monk who was just finishing his Overland sojourn. His kit appeared to consist of Saffron robe (1 thereof) , pair of leather sandles (one for each foot) and a sort of sling bag that went over his shoulder containing a blanket, a bowl and eating utensils. No obvious sign of any food, perhaps he just did the Buddhist monk begging thing. He did not speak much English but but was all smiles and looked like he had had a great time.

Same walk ( it rained and snowed for 5 of 6 days I recall ) there were a Japanese couple on the track in tracksuits, those nylon "shower-resistant" ones, who appeared to have a sleeping bag each and one day pack between them. I thought at first they were on the chardonnay trip but not so. I passed them on day two the poor woman was absolutely covered in mud. Word drifted along the track as the days passed of their hardships and people's kindness to them. I really dont know how they survived.
bw

[frank_in_oz]

My wife was in there the week before last (I think, it was the week with snow, rain , sleet)
- 2 girls evacuated (encouraged to leave by a Ranger) at Pelion via Arm River - thin "K mart" "waterproof" jackets
- 2 groups cooking on those burners you buy at K mart in the plastic suitcases (one group used the suitcase as a washing up tub)
- German girl with a 750ml bottle of Bundy, her and her boyfriend drank most of it on their Kia Ora night.

For my 50th birthday last year a mate carried in 3 large Woodstock cans of bourbon and coke. Gave em to me at Windy Ridge (did not want to tell him it would have been more efficient to bring straight Wild Turkey or something)........(he does not drink)

[Joe]

- German girl with a 750ml bottle of Bundy, her and her boyfriend drank most of it on their Kia Ora night.

Yeah I can't stand bundy either....you would at least think they would take something nice

[wello]

A couple of good ones.

saw a woman walking the South Coast Track in thongs (two different ones at that!). This was at Surprise Bay, so well into the walk. Still worried about mud though, she was wearing gaiters.

A couple turned up at Windy Ridge late one night after it had been raining for hours and the hut was full. They did have rain coats, but were carrying their gear in those red white and blue storage bags your get from discount shops. Never seen anyone looking more dejected.

A group of us walked in the Arm River track, and pushed on hard to frog Flats for the night, intent on climbing Pelion West the next day. One couple pulled out their tent which they had recently lent. Thy had all the pegs, but no poles! And it was a tunnel style, so there was no chance of rigging something with sticks. They kind of strung the tent up between two trees, and had a fairly cold night. Moral of the story: Always check your gear (or don't lend!!).

I've also seen quite a few people walking in Crocs. These are great around the camp and very light, but I'm not convinced about them as a walking boot.

Wello

[Son of a Beach]

saw a woman walking the South Coast Track in thongs (two different ones at that!). This was at Surprise Bay, so well into the walk. Still worried about mud though, she was wearing gaiters.

Thongs and gaiters? Truly bizarre!

A couple turned up at Windy Ridge late one night after it had been raining for hours and the hut was full. They did have rain coats, but were carrying their gear in those red white and blue storage bags your get from discount shops. Never seen anyone looking more dejected.

It goes to show that it is possible to do some bushwalks with incredibly crap gear, and sometimes (often?) end up getting through it OK. It is when conditions get extreme, or when accidents happen, that you must have all the right gear with you.

A group of us walked in the Arm River track, and pushed on hard to frog Flats for the night, intent on climbing Pelion West the next day. One couple pulled out their tent which they had recently lent. Thy had all the pegs, but no poles! And it was a tunnel style, so there was no chance of rigging something with sticks. They kind of strung the tent up between two trees, and had a fairly cold night. Moral of the story: Always check your gear (or don't lend!!).

I once pulled out my tunnel tent to find that the people I had recently lent it to had broken the poles and not replaced them (or even told me!). Needless to say, I don't lend tents out anymore. However, I DID manage to make quite serviceable flexible poles from the long, thin, flexible branches of some nearby trees. They were a bit difficult to thread through, because of course they were a bit rough where I'd stripped the leaves off. The tent had a bit of a lean, towards the side where the 'poles' were thicker and less bendy, but it worked quite well. I'm not sure of the species of the tree I used. I call it 'dog-wood', but I've no idea where I picked up that name from.

EDIT: Yes indees... 'Dogwood' (POMADERRIS APETALA) was the one I used.

[kramster]

I recall seeing a bloke travelling the Overland a number of years back, whose waterproof devices cosisted of a rainbow-coloured golf umbrella.

Also on another trip, where our party stayed in the Old Waterfall Valley hut (cos the new one was rather crowded) - in the evening a fella of German origins came in wearing one of thos $1 disposable rain ponchos, and a pack full of marvelous tinned items. Not sure how he fared down the track, as there was a blizzard and 1 ft of snow that night...

[mhanna]

Just found this, and I have to tell this story.

I was at the old "New Pelion Hut" in May 2000. I had arrived earlier in the afternoon, and was the only person there. I was developing sore Achilles Tendons, but they were in their early stages. The only people around were track workers, one of whom I think is Andreas?, who I met a few years later at Pine Valley, and was rumoured to hold the record for the walk from Pelion Gap to Narcissus with a full pack. They gave me some good detailed advice about how to light the coal stove, which was a little temperamental.

Later, I put a lot of effort into following their instructions carefully, and just as I was lighting it, the door of the hut was flung open. I looked up somewhat surprised, to find a somewhat bizarre figure. A young man with glasses had entered, and was leaning against the benchwork. He looked rather bedraggled. I had a match in hand, and I must have stared at him a little weirdly.

"Don't ask me" he said, in a fairly broad English accent, "I'm hopeless with fires".

I didn't ask him, and having said hello, got on with lighting the fire, according to instructions. Meanwhile, he waited for his girlfriend to arrive. I think his name was Steve, and as I thought about that, the name "Fiona" came to me for his girlfriend (probably wrong). I'll call them Steve and Fee. Steve was wearing a spray jacket. It was completely water-absorbent, and he had walked in it for 7 hours in the rain from Waterfall Valley. Fee was wearing the garbage bag, with armholes cut. Actually, I think the garbage bag was better than the spray jacket. They were miserable.

Anyway, Steve couldn't help himself, and proceeded to try to help my fire. Whereupon it went out. I was unamused, given that it had consumed the kindling I had gathered. He gathered more, and I relit it. This time he left it alone and it worked fine. (My mother-in-law has also learned not to interfere with my fires!)

It turned out that when they started the walk they had got to Cradle Valley late in the day. They didn't want to pay for the bus, so they walked to Dove Lake, and then up onto the Cradle Plateau. They got to Kitchen Hut around dark. (This was May). They put their tent up in the upper floor of Kitchen Hut, and used, as I recall, sandbags, to stop the door blowing open. They had no sleeping mats, sewn-together cotton doonas for sleeping bags, and their food was all in supermarket bags. By the time they got to Pelion they had no more food with substantial amounts of sugar in it. I swapped them excess chocloate for tobacco!!

Another bloke with an injured knee turned up that night with mild hypothermia - he'd had to stop about 300 metres short of the hut, and had sat stupefied for about half an hour looking at the light of the hut before he got it together to haul himself the last little bit. Anyway, we did get a really good fire going, and all was well.

The next day, we all went over to Kia-Ora, in worsening weather. Steve and Fee arrived there in early afternoon, and Fee was completely cross-eyed with cold and exhaustion when she got there. Almost non-communicative. The warmth of the hut sorted them out fairly quickly though. From here the weather picked up, and they were OK after that. They got to Narcissus about when I did, but I walked on and they stayed to finish the next day. They managed OK, but could have come to a sticky end.

[Son of a Beach]

wow... good story, mhanna.

I'm actually surprised more people don't die on the overland track. I guess they're often saved by the sheer number of walkers.

[Penguin]

to quote Tennessee Williams:

"I have learned to rely on the kindness of strangers"

Spot on Nik. We have come across a number of lost/poorly equipped people on and around the overland track.

My problem is that if we talk up the dangers too much our spouses get too concerned about us going!!!

[Peaches]

My problem is that if we talk up the dangers too much our spouses get too concerned about us going!!!

I just take the spouse with me. Makes life easier in many ways...

[Peaches]

We went to the Walls last weekend and the weather wasn't particularly good (raining all the time and quite cold & windy as well). When we were heading towards Dioxons Hut we met two men heading out again wearing track suits without any sort of wet weather protection...
I was reliefed to find out later that they made it back to their car in a reasonable time though.

[sarge]

Not so much lack of good gear but lack of preparedness - On the weekend as we returned to our car after a walk in Western Vic we met up with a school group (tafe college) heading out on a 3 day hike. The students all seemed to have decent gear but the problem was the teacher had no idea where they were going to go - Just had the thought they would "start walking and see where they ended up"!!! No map, no directions - we couldn't believe it. Fortunately we had some photocopied maps we handed over with some advice to stick to the marked tracks and follow the maps.

[delphin]

The best I 've seen is some wacko fool walking around in the western lakes without any shoes on...

barefeet.jpg

result:

sorefoot.jpg

mind you I've been caught without gear occasionally too... This was at the little blue lagoon...

minimumgear.jpg

[slick41st]

Overland track seems a commonm thread here....

Had an american follow us all the way, he took a 1kg bag of peanuts for food for the trip - looked like a scrounging dog each night at the huts when we were cooking pizza amongst other gourmets!

[mhanna]

I think the OT has been cleaned up somewhat since they put in Hut Wardens and then moved to bookings and charges for walking it. (I won't digress here on to my view of having to pay for both a NP Pass AND to walk the OT.) However, I think new walkers and interstate walkers under-estimate the combination of cold, windy and especially wet conditions that exist in Tasmania.

I see the spouse-worry issues here. I remember being farewelled tearfully at the north end of the OT, in the rain. Actually it was a little cold and challenging that time, but when I can tell her, and show her, that I have a tent and sleeping bag that will put up with it, it all becomes easier. Anyway, she knows I have thought about contingencies, and I leave a detailed plan.

The OT is easy now, and silly buggers generally get bailed out by others, at least to a point. Frankly, we need to look after each other on the track, we never know when we'll need it ourselves. I'll always offer any help I can. Having spent time walking with S&R veterans who assume that they may need to help others, I try to work that way as far as I can. I don't want to find myself unable to help some silly sap because I didn't bring something today. I know one bloke who always takes a sleeping bag when he leads a daywalk, in case someone has to stop for a long time. I know another bloke who helped lead a walk on which 2 people died. I don't know how he operates, as he never talked about it. I think he did a good job in difficult circumstances, but it just happened. I don't want to be the DH who didn't do something I could have done, and someone died.

Note: I like to walk alone and take photos (and stop worrying about other people's problems for a while) - so I accept my own personal risks now and then, while minimising them in various ways..

[slick41st]

Yes Mhanna, I like to walk alone too, it really is all about risk management:
e.g. you can't have a day pack without goretex, you can't go rock hopping, you carry EPIRB, etc. etc.

If I had to rely on others for my walking I wouldn't have got out very much.

Damien