Starting out: First trip and traps to avoid

[JohnM]

Best trail pillow ive ever had is a thermarest pillowcase stuffed with a down jacket or vest. Better than the setup I've got at home!

[bailz66]

Thanks johnm will check them out

Our two Thermarest nears arrived today as well on a Sunday at 12pm.... Strange

Right now I am considering a montane superfly xt outer shell jacket. Does anyone have any thoughts on them? Also after some recommendations on some outer shell pants to go with it?

[bailz66]

Went shopping again yesterday... seem to be spending a heap

Got 2 * Sea to summit Gaiters
Waterproof matches
Stuff sacks for the thermarests
a Steri Pen
Some Black Diamond Hiking Poles which were quite good quality
Got 2 * Exped comfort pillows which seem quite nice
I have ordered my montane jacket

The only things left I have to organise is my clothing and I have no idea what to get.

I am looking at getting

Water Proof Pants
Some Hiking Pants

A couple of shirts (Is there anything to look out for with shirts or just any comfy light weight shirt?

Mid layer for my 3 layer system to go with my montane SF XT
Socks

Any suggestions on what to avoid for the above listed? First big trip will be this weekend and our kits are all set up and ready to go

[Capt DropBear]

Try these on as a potential mid-layer:

http://www.kellysbasecamp.com.au/p/1193 ... -mens.html
http://www.kellysbasecamp.com.au/p/1193 ... omens.html

About as light as a 200gsm merino long sleeve, cheaper - and deceptively warm - throw it on, and you'll instantly feel toasty. Probably not as stench retardant as merino, though I have been wearing mine about the house on and off for the two months I've had it, not washed yet, and have yet to detect an odour.

[bailz66]

Thanks drop bear. The site states that they are base layers rather than mid...

Am I missing something?

[bailz66]

Its been a long time since I updated this thread.

It started off with a budget approach in mind....

Anyway

Tent: Aarn Pacer 2
Sleeping Bag: S2S Mk2
Matress: Thermarest Neoair
Pack: AArn Load Limo
Ground Sheet: Some special light weight stuff
Pillow: Padded Self inflating (Thermarest or similar brand I cant quite remember)

Jacket: Montane Superfly
Pants: Montane Superfly
Thermals: Montane Synthetic (The wool didn't quite feel right)
Cooking: Jetboil

Pants: MacPac zip off hiking pants
Warmth: Macpac Fleece
(Thanks to Blacksheep for the vouchers we spent a heap in there)

Stuff Sacks: S2S compression Sacks

About 10,000 other things that seemed nessisary at the time and I am going to have trouble fitting into the bag.

All in all it was quite an expencive set up and having to do a lot of it twice (For my wife and I) has made it a pricey adventure. Either way we leave this Friday and I can't wait


One question: With the AArn Load Limo Do I really need a waterproof pack cover? I am pretty sure it's up for neraly all weather without the cover but thought I would ask?

Also where would I get biodegradable soap and toothpaste?

[ULWalkingPhil]

I've never used a waterproof pack cover on my aarn load limo. As your aware the Aarn packs includes waterproof bags inside there packs. I've never had water go into my pack. To be on the safe side I do put my Down goodies inside a strong light Garbage bag particularly if it's very cold. Don't want to take any chances, but so far no water in my pack.

[Drifting]

I have a...wait for it....Coleman tent that I was sold here by a large outfitter for the Overland Track. One of my students has one, and he has hiked the OT a whopping 17 times with his, and never stayed in a hut. They are in the 200$ range, but Coleman discontinued them a few years ago for no apparent reason. I love mine, but it is a tiny bit short for my 6 foot frame, as I habitually sleep stretched out with my hands over my head.

If you can find one, it's the Avior.

Jiminy Cricket- you're in luck: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Coleman-Avio ... 19c9762eb6 OR http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Coleman-Avio ... 1c1fb88ee3

[bailz66]

Thanks Phillip

With the amount of Gear I have packed (My wife has a smaller bag) I have used water proof compression bag for all my clothing, and food and a waterproof bag for my sleeping gear.

It's supposed to be very wet next week (Looking at the BOM) which is why I have gone that extra step of water proof.

Also just hired a Sat Phone for the 11 days we are away so we can speak to our 3 year old and 1 year old daughters while we are away.

Drifting we already have the tent (With Black Diamond Poles)

[ULWalkingPhil]

I always prepare for rain.
You must let me know how you find the Aarn tent. Might be in the market for a ultra light one man tent. Not to sure if I can use my Hammock on the Overland Track. I'm contemplating on the hike in November, possibly October.

Light weight gear is the trick I find. Get as much weight out of that pack as possible. Makes life a lot easier. That's one lesson I've learnt so far since my 4 week expedition to the Blue Mountains and Royal National Park March of last year, where I carried 20kg on my back. I've now got my base pack weight down to less than 10kg including the weight of my Aarn Load Limo in that base weight. Winter base weight apx 11kg, just add food and water to those weights. Take the necessities and not to much luxury items, as they can really weigh you down.

[ULWalkingPhil]

Thanks Phillip

With the amount of Gear I have packed (My wife has a smaller bag) I have used water proof compression bag for all my clothing, and food and a waterproof bag for my sleeping gear.

Personally I've found those waterproof compression bags to heavy. 200grams here, another 100grams there, next thing you know your packs up over the 20kg mark. Even those Nalgene bottles and Aluminium bottles add the weight. I worked out I was carrying over half a KG in bottles for carrying water, Ive ditched the Nalgene bottle and aluminium bottles, now use a lightweight water bladder and those one litre plastic bottles you get at the supermarket with water in them.
It all adds up. Garbage bags works well for me and there very light. Some are using Cuben bags, very light but expensive and you'll need to get those from the US.

I got myself a scale that's accurate down to about half a gram. I weigh everything and key in the items and weight in a app I downloaded for my iPad called Gram Weenie. I plan my trips using this app, selecting the items needed. A weight is totalled as you add the weights.

[bailz66]

Thanks Phillip

I don't think I would have fitted everything into our packs without the compression bags. I wen't the pricey ones so they don't add to much weight.

I am up at around 18kg's at this stage but my wifes bag is only just hitting 10kg... She has a smaller pack so most of the gear ended up in my bag. Thats including the hiking poles which are about 300g's on the back and all the food

[bailz66]

Made it back, was a great trip all round and met some fantastic people!!!

If I remember tonight I will post some of the better photos we took using our Cannon IAX

[ULWalkingPhil]

Great to hear all went well and you enjoyed your trip.

How did all the gear perform?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

[bailz66]

Gear was absolutly outstanding.

We had everything that we needed. Our packs were very light and we slept comfortably.

Spent 1 night in a hut (New pellion where we had a room to ourselves) and decided that we prefered the tent.

We were up a bit late most nights and getting in trouble for noise as about 8 of us spent a bit of time playing card and chess games.

[bailz66]

Sunset at New Pellion



Just outside New Pellion on the way up to Mt Ossa we found this great spot to have a sit for a little while


This is a photo in the fog after leaving New Pellion. It felt like you were in a grey scale movie at the time.






A few shots taken on the way up Mt Ossa


360 degree shot from the summit



A nice seat up on Mt Ossa

This was a 5.5 hour walk for us with not enough water. A few others also had a problem with a lack of water. The sign said 3 hours return but it was actually much longer for everyone. A general chat about how long walks would take were always precedented with "Is that our 3 hours or their 3 hours?"

We also had a group with no water head up looking for water against all advise. They didn't come down and were not at the hut that night. We assume they went bush wacking to get to the waterfall you could see off in the distance.


All the photos were taken on a but am really happy with how they turned out

Mostly thanks to my Wifes skills with the camera settings

[icemancometh]

Just got round to reading this thread and boy did you lay out for this trip but there is some nice kit in there. Good to hear you had a good trip too.

Just 3 major points that I picked up from the responses:

Brand Names
For others in the same situation as yourself when starting out, I wouldn't be too bothered by brands and brand suggestions from people who have used older bits of gear. In the real world, designs and products get changed all the time, unfortunately, often for the worse as companies try to cut costs. Some companies which others have suggested have undergone huge business model changes relatively recently and their product quality has changed subsequently. While the older kit that was made before the changes are great the newer stuff is not of the same quality. So make your own call on each piece of gear.

Also, technology is at a point now where even some of the low end stuff of today is so much more functional than stuff of the past that you may not get the best stuff but it will do the job. Same with used, borrowed gear too if you are on more of a budget. It depends on your needs.

Event/Gore
Gore-tex when it came out was game changing. Since then there are many many other competitors some of which are arguably better than them. Many are lighter. Also look at where you are walking. When someone suggests something it may ssuit their needs but do you venture out in the same places/conditions? Is durability an issue for everyone concerned?
I would look at some of the more innovative companies out there rather than just the traditional ones. Without being biased, may I suggest Mont Bell, Montane, Mountain Hardwear with their DryQ, etc as trying new things which have caught the attention of users and competitors.
I am personally in no hurry to get either an eVENT or Gore product for my next WP.

Stuff sacks/dry bags etc
Do you really need all those baggies to separate all your stuff? If the answer is yes, either you really need a lot of bags or you may want to consider taking less. It's surprising how much weight you can remove by not taking raincovers which dont work and stuff sacks which are generally not needed...except maybe for organising food and maybe electronics.

Now at the end of your trip, look back at your kit and think about what you liked, what you would have changed incl food, packing style and most importantly look at stuff that you never used or could have done without and recognise them as such. That will help your future trips.Again think about it in terms of your own plans and conditions, not just someone else's.

Lastly, re the ski jacket comments made above, I have had no issue with skiing impact on the durability on my jackets. I try to stay on top of my skis when I am skiing and I think that unless you are not careful or fall a lot that you wouldn't see much wear. They would see zero abrasion as you don't really want to be rubbing or hitting anything at speed. I would be interested to know how people damage theirs if their experiences are different. The only wear is from doing up and undoing the cuffs over and over again. I can see why rock climbing would be different where you may brush it against rock but with more snow/ice routes I can't see major wear issues and I certainlny don't want to brush against rock when skiing.

[ULWalkingPhil]

Hi bailz66,

Thanks for the trip report and the photos. I can't wait to get down there and trek that country side myself.

Some great advice from icemancometh. I've recently purchased a lightweight eVent rain jacket on sale from 450 down to 135.00 at only 330grams, less than half the weight of my regular rain jacket. I've only owned it for a few days. Have not put it to the test thus far for backpacking, but wore it the other day on a rainy day. This jacket will be saved for hiking on trails, In regards to rock climbing and off-track hiking, I think I'll take my heavier rain jacket. The eVent jacket I'll be taking on the Overland Track.

[icemancometh]

If you need a WP for rock climbing it's probably too wet to be rock climbing!