Gear Growing Legs

[the_camera_poser]

Has anyone ever had anything stolen from their campsite on a trail in Tassie? If so, what and where?

[eggs]

I have not had anything stolen yet. My greatest fear is a car break-in, as I come from interstate.
But we have had a significant quantity of fuel "borrowed" along with the Trangia - when someone took over our gear on a bench at Scott-Kilvert Hut to do their cooking.
A strange experience that we thought little about until Pelion Hut - when I realised our fuel was not going to last the whole trip.
Fortunately some lovely local girls doing a 3 day venture in from the Arm River Road had plenty of excess which allowed us to top up.

However, I am scratching my head about a story I read (I thought it was on this forum, but cannot find it) about one of the girls after whom Lake Roseanne was named.
She went back many years later with her son as a nostalgic trip - which didn't go so well.
They had attempted the last stretch as a day trip and had left one pack in the bushes along the Arthur Plains only to find it ransacked when they got back - sleeping bag & mat, some food & survival gear.
They had to share his gear till back at Scott's Peak - and noticed rubbish from her gear being dumped as litter along the track on their way back.
No one was caught.

Actually - I reckon it might have been in an edition of the Tasmanian Tramp. Yes number 31 - "Roseanne Revisited" - this fateful trip was in 1996.
to quote her - "the code between bushwalkers is not what it used to be"

[the_camera_poser]

Man- that would have been a disappointing trip- picking your stuff up on the way.

[Clownfish]

I've never had anything nicked, and I like to think that walkers in Tassie are still a fairly trustworthy bunch.

I know I've seen someone's 90L pack left by the track at Wild Dog Creek campsite, unmolested all day.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Would be very sad to come back to a pack to find it ransacked.

Still my pack is usually bulging at the seams, doubt I could fit any extra gear in it even if i wanted to take something (which is an act of the lowlife in my opinion anyway).
You would think though in a remote area the persons responsible would be fairly easy to track down??

[stu]

I'm a little more cautious on the more trafficked areas these days to be sure (the OL track in particular).

A couple of years back me & 2 friends did a day trip to Mt Gould from Narcissus hut, with the intention of base camping from there for a few days & knocking off a few local peaks. After a long day summiting Mt Gould & returning to the Narcissus hut at about 8pm, we were shocked to see someone / several people had helped themselves to some of our supplies, which had been left in a pile on the benches, next to / above our packs (so quite obviously belonging to someone, rather than being left by over-landers on their exit).
Half a cask of Port & most of a six-pack of fruit boxes had been devoured; annoyance would be an under-statement.
Even worse, the hut now had about 20+ patrons (over-landers), none of whom owned up to the theft or even bothered to say hello / ask about our long day etc.
We packed up & decided to tent the rest of that stay.
I now don't leave anything out of my pack in a hut if doing a base-camp type trip.

Generally, I would say most walkers are very trustworthy, but as usual, a few can ruin it for many

[Singe]

I have had the top (zipped) section of a pack ransacked when left on Cradle cirque for a jaunt to Barn Bluff... the thief spread credit cards, cash, phone etc on the ground but took a quantity of dry crackers... So my guess is either hungry daywalkers who thought they would buy lunch at the cafe at Kitchen hut, or crafty winged critters who can open zips

[tasadam]

I have never had any gear tampered with or taken.
I would hope that if someone needed something more than me they would ask for it - some gear I can live without, but some I will need for my own survival.
For someone to tamper with someone else's gear in remote areas, could well be putting that persons life at risk.

I cannot imagine what goes through (or doesn't) a persons mind (or lack thereof) when having a go at someone else's gear.

Being a bit careful is wise - for example doing Barn Bluff, not leaving the packs at the track junction, but taking them a good few hundred metres down the track.

[Nick S]

I have had the top (zipped) section of a pack ransacked when left on Cradle cirque for a jaunt to Barn Bluff... the thief spread credit cards, cash, phone etc on the ground but took a quantity of dry crackers... So my guess is either hungry daywalkers who thought they would buy lunch at the cafe at Kitchen hut, or crafty winged critters who can open zips

lol! I had pretty much the exact same thing happen when i left my pack in a bush to climb Barn Bluff. My first thought on returning was 'dirty thieves!' but soon became obvious when bits of plastic wrap were scattered around an empty snack wrapper. And yes, the zips were done up, heavy duty ones.. my newer OP pack has folds over the zips which helps to stop this wanton destruction.

More on topic though, I had some gear stolen from our car at the WOJ carpark years back, thieves had broken into most of the other cars as well. I had driven to the WOJ carpark from another place, so had left a wetsuit in the car..
Nothing taken on track though.

[walkinTas]

doubt I could fit any extra gear in it even if i wanted to take something (which is an act of the lowlife in my opinion anyway).

I would hope that if someone needed something more than me they would ask for it - some gear I can live without, but some I will need for my own survival.
For someone to tamper with someone else's gear in remote areas, could well be putting that persons life at risk.

This is the real point isn't it - the gear you carry with you is normal what you judge you need to survival. Its hard to imagine that a walker would be so low as to steal another walker's gear.

[the_camera_poser]

Takes all sorts. In the US, landowners used to string fishing twine with hooks on it at eye level across the trail to protest track re-routes over private property. That sort of thing doesn't seem to happen in Oz though, thank goodness.

[north-north-west]

Only thing I've had nicked is a hat. Brand *&%$#! new hat I left on a chair at Cleve Cole while spending the afternoon wandering around the falls and up to Bogong summit and back. Almost all the rest of the gear was in the hut and nothing else was even touched. And I often leave things at camps or trackside while doing side trips, or when basecamping.
I do fret about the car being broken into or stolen while I'm off for days, though. Being solo and a long way from home - or civilisation - it worries me more than the possibility of passing walkers nicking things.

[tasadam]

Takes all sorts. In the US, landowners used to string fishing twine with hooks on it at eye level across the trail to protest track re-routes over private property. That sort of thing doesn't seem to happen in Oz though, thank goodness.

No, but I have found and removed string tied between trees at neck height in popular trailbike areas. There are some people out there that have got real issues.

[bushrunner]

Takes all sorts. In the US, landowners used to string fishing twine with hooks on it at eye level across the trail to protest track re-routes over private property. That sort of thing doesn't seem to happen in Oz though, thank goodness.

No, but I have found and removed string tied between trees at neck height in popular trailbike areas. There are some people out there that have got real issues.

Only recently there were notices posted all over the Trevallyn dam recreation area stating that people had been placing invisible cord, presumably fishing line or some such, across trails. I shudder at the thought of running into something like that. People are disgusting animals. You don't see any other animals doing things like this to each other.

[the_camera_poser]

Chimps do- but only to monkies and baboons.

[Clownfish]

people had been placing invisible cord, presumably fishing line or some such, across trails. I shudder at the thought of running into something like that. People are disgusting animals.

I'm no fan of trailbikes, but that is incredibly stupid and dangerous.

When I was a teenager, a guy at my school got killed by exactly that. Someone strung wire across a trailbike route, and it peeled his chest right open apparently.

[freemandale]

Hmmm.. Interesting topic. Living 'in the country' I tend to believe that everyone is trustworthy.... but that little piece of me shudders when reading the advice to leave one's pack at the base of any particular summit hike. Will it and all its contents be intact when I get back? That being said, last year while hiking across the Face Track, finding that a camera had been left at Kitchen Hut, it was inspiring to find (after my walking companion backtracked and I had waited patiently) the said camera left prominently displayed and totally unmolested, awaiting collection!

I still like to believe that the majority of fellow walkers are like myself - there for the scenery, challenge, whatever! And fully respectful of anyone else that makes the effort!

Oh! Yes! And I deeply respect my walking companions committment to retracing her steps and retrieving said camera! Meanwhile, the sunshine was lovely and the off time much appreciated!

[walkinTas]

Chimps do- but only to monkies and baboons.

Ah yes, there are Chimps, and then there are Bonobos.

[tas-man]

people had been placing invisible cord, presumably fishing line or some such, across trails. I shudder at the thought of running into something like that. People are disgusting animals.

I'm no fan of trailbikes, but that is incredibly stupid and dangerous.

When I was a teenager, a guy at my school got killed by exactly that. Someone strung wire across a trailbike route, and it peeled his chest right open apparently.

A nephew of mine was also killed by a wire across a trail bike track in Bowen, north Queensland, many years ago, so bad stuff happens when people don't think about the consequences of their actions

[Ent]

I have had the top (zipped) section of a pack ransacked when left on Cradle cirque for a jaunt to Barn Bluff... the thief spread credit cards, cash, phone etc on the ground but took a quantity of dry crackers... So my guess is either hungry daywalkers who thought they would buy lunch at the cafe at Kitchen hut, or crafty winged critters who can open zips

Given the stories about the crafty winged creatures undoing zips I wonder how long before one turns up at Coles with you credit card charging bird seed to it

I took when riding my mountain bike in Launceston have found fencing wire and lumps of metal dumped on tracks. In fact came off once due to a sheet of iron been placed on the track. Most unusual as it was not there the day before Not a fan of trial bikes and those dreaded monkey bikes ridden by the segment of the population still waiting for evolution to kick in.

[Seamus]

The first time I did the Overland I walked south and finished at Lake St. Clair.

There was a guy there, about to start the Overland, desperately looking for his full pack, which he had put down at the visitor centre while going to the toilet. He never found it. Someone presumably took it, put it straight in the car and pissed off.

Poor bugger. I shudder to think about the thousands of dollars that go into a fully kitted out pack

[loric]

Thank god i've never had anything stolen on track - that would be an absolute pain.

One time when i cached my entire pack (or the majority of it anyway) on the Crosscut saw in Vic, i hid it in scrub off the ridge. Coz i was nervous i even put a note "please do not steal" on it. Well hidden, well away from the track.

I returned in the evening to find a note on it that said "Don't worry, we didn't steal your stuff!" LOL

Musta been the grinning Timbertop boys i passed hours before...".

On that same trip a mate had his entire trangia cookset in a drawcord bag abducted before our very eyes by a possum.
LOL. We couldn't catch the sucker.

[Macca81]

possums! damned things can undo zips no problems! at a standing camp once i came into the dining tent to find a possum inside undoing the zipper on the cooler bag. i stood and watched it knowing that there was bugger all in it, cheeky bugger undid the zip, lifted the lid and pulled out an apple then nicked off under the side of the tarp! looking at the cooler bag, you would think is was just some kid had forgotten to close the lid on it.

mate told me of one that unzipped the tent to try and get in while he was in there once also

[Dave Bremers]

It really depends where you are I guess. It seems to me that tracks that are more accessible to the general public/tour groups attract different crowds of potentially lower demeanours. However, tracks like the SCT, Port Davey, SW track etc. all seem to attract a more thorough breed of bushwalker. The ones with morals.

As for stringing wire across tracks of any sort that is low.