My girlfriend and I are looking to do a multi day (2/3) day hike through KNP over the new year. However whilst we've done plenty of day hikes and are very active neither of us have ever done a multi day trip, so are lost on where to start with planning equipment and routes. Is renting gear in jindy a viable solution? Would a really appreciate any tips around planning and sourcing gear (preferably renting).

I’m getting itchy for some time in the wilderness and I’m yet to explore this area.

Is it reasonable to piece together my own route from AllTrails/Gaia or should I use an established route?

If anyone can recommend me a 3 day hike down there, that would also be great.

I’m going to finish work early on the Friday and drive down. Walk Saturday, Sunday, Monday and return that day.

So something around 50km.

Will need to be a loop.

The more remote, the better.

A cold swim each day would also be ideal but it’s okay if I’m being too greedy with that request.

Hi Everyone.

I would love some feedback on my first aid kit set-up. I will be hiking mainly in Southwest Tasmania (including multi-day hikes).

Let me know if I am missing anything or if there is anything I can remove.

Shorts review: Decathlon Domyos Zip pocket Breathable essential fitness shorts.

https://www.decathlon.com.au/p/men-s-zip-pocket-breathable-essential-fitness-shorts-navy-domyos-8600873.html

TLDR: Excellent shorts if you don’t need a liner and like secure zip side pockets to store a phone etc. Great price also.

General background: A couple of years ago, I was looking to buy a new pair of linerless shorts for hiking. I was over the Adidas running shorts I had, the pockets were too small and my phone would sometimes pop out when i sat down. I then moved onto some cheap Kmart ones (Active Woven Stretch) but same deal. The third pair were Lululemon Licence to train (Linerless). They had zip pockets but the pockets were too roomy and my phone would flap around inside on my thigh. This then led me onto the current shorts the Decathlon Domyos Zip pocket Breathable essential fitness shorts which I now own 2 pairs.

About the shorts: They are linerless approx 8” inseam. They have 2 side zip pockets with a ventilated mesh material around the crotch and inner thigh. They currently come in 5 colours and retail for $24. They have a soft comfortable wasitband with an unobtrusive internal adjustable draw cord.

Pros:

• Pretty light at 147g for my size M
• Mesh side pockets are nice and secure to hold a phone (fits my IPhone 13 Pro) but not so big that the phone flaps around inside.
• Nice and breathable especially with the ventilated crotch/thigh area.
• Plenty of stretch for stepping up high etc due to the crotch material. The main material has a little stretch also.
• Superb price at $24.
• True to size
• Quick dry
• All stitching has held up

Cons:

• After a couple of years use the first pair I got have a small amount of cosmetic pilling.
• May not be easy to try on in store if you don’t live near a Decathlon.

Final verdict: With temps finally warming up (I live in Tassie! ) I can highly recommend these shorts if you value secure side zippers, like a bit of ventilation and don’t like in built liners.

About to pull the trigger on a mini 2. Keen on something with the communications functions my plb lacks (aware some phones offer this now, but I don't buy high end phones). Planning to get on TA next year so want it for that too.

Heading down to overland in a couple months and keen to take it along, as I'll be organising pick up after. Do I need to take a plb too on overland? I get the impression it would be overkill, given the track is very busy even though I'm solo, and there isn't a ton of tree cover.

Are there are any resources that can tell you when a high power plb is needed?

I'm just starting to get into it myself and one thing I've always been mindful of while cycling is keeping things light. I can't stand to have a heavier bike than necessary. I've got some stuff already from hiking, but curious to hear what other use for their cycle-specific multi-day trips.

Hi everyone, I’ve been struggling to find the perfect hiking shirt for warm temps. I usually wear some sort of long sleeve cotton work shirt which works great however for the AAWT I’m looking for something better. Which leads me to the mirage sun hoodie.

Does anyone have any experience with it or have any recommendations for a different shirt for the AAWT in summer?

I’m not a fan of the synthetic fabrics on my skin which leaves me with just the natural fibre shirts to choose from as they are much more comfortable for me.

I will be wearing a good hat so the hood isn’t needed, just a nice to have.

Mirage Sun Hoodie/Merino Wool one

• expensive
• could be too hot

Cotton Long Sleeve Work Shirt

• cheaper
• cotton might be a bit swampy if humid

Solbari Sun Hoodie

• cotton/bamboo feels nice
• bamboo feels like it could be too hot
• sleeves are too short even in one size up
• no hood, just neck/face protector

I'm currently up in the northern rivers area of NSW and will be driving down to Melbourne at the beginning of December.

What are some overnight hikes around this area I can do now, and some between here and Melbourne that are suitable to do at the start of December?

I have been going over blog posts, nat park websites, etc, though none are really recommended in early December.

Would love to do a 1 - 7 nighter, circuit preferred or easy transport back to a car.

Beginner hiker here. I see videos from people like Scotty's Gone Walkabout, camping in national parks on these very wild trails. If you're doing a multi-day hike in a national park, do you need to set up camp on a designated site or can it be anywhere along a trail? I can't find much information about it from the internet. Thanks!

Hello legends, just after some recommendations for a light weight Gasoline Burner to take on a multi-month biking/hiking trip to South America (I'm an Aussie, so after reccies for gear easily attainable here, shipped, bought at Aussie chain shops etc.). Any help would be massively appreciated!

As you can imagine, the butane/propane canister burners won't be much good when we run out of fuel as it won't be stocked on shelves there. So, Gasoline is the way to go and light weight gear is a must, where possible! :)

I have a Salomon XA25 which is great, its light, the vest straps are personally the best (same as their running vests). It does however sit slightly lower on my back than i'd like and I would like 1-2 litres more internal space and/or side bottle pockets to carry water.

The new HMG Aero 28 looks like it fits the bill https://hyperlitemountaingear.com/products/aero-28 - currently top of my wish list.

Keen to hear if anyone is running with a vest style pack for 1-3 night trips? What packs have worked for you? What hasn't?

NB: I've seen this list "Running Vest Inspired UL Packs.xlsx" but keen for first hand experiences: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Y0FN0osEc1i_kwQ_FGoCd4BGor1zzWwQ/edit?rtpof=true&gid=764550992#gid=764550992

Currently use a PLB. I go rock climbing, caving, canyoning and recently started getting into bushwalking. I plan on going on a few moderately long trips (3-7 nights).

What are your thoughts on getting an InReach or similar IN ADDITION to a PLB?

Here are my concerns:

Expectation of communication is something that would freak me out — My thinking is if I tell my family to expect a message by x day/time I might be forced to take an unnecessary risk. For example pushing through a cave instead of bailing and walking out the long way because I promised mum to text at sunset.

Picking up signal in covered places — a friend broke her leg deep in a canyon and PLB worked, but a Garmin they had wasn’t getting any signal.

Cost and weight — subscription service, self explanatory.

Over-reliance on text messaging — this is more specific to me, but the fear here is that I will feel more relaxed if I know I can message my friends and family and this can lead to some bad decision-making

Here is why I think In Reach could be good for me:

Obviously as someone who mostly car camps I’m used to having no phone reception, but I can always hop in a car and drive to get help/supplies. Can’t do it on a multi day hike.

Being able to notify Emergency Services if the situation is urgent or I’m just stuck somewhere safe because I’m dumb.

Being able to look up the forecast.

Have a bit more redundancy with navigation.

Now what are your thoughts? Should I save up and splurge on an InReachMini and just not tell anyone?

Should I continue to use a PLB?

Is there a different option that I’m missing?

How does everyone here like to keep fit in the off season?

Up here in seq the main season for backpacking is coming to an end, as it's getting hotter fast, and the rain is getting more frequent. Keen to hear thoughts on how to keep fit while the weather isn't much good for long hikes?

I strength train regularly, but keen for ways to keep other fitness up. Not much of a runner, so considering a weight vest for stairmaster and incline treadmill?

What do you do?

(Ps - mods if this is a bit too far outside the sub happy to remove)

Hey everyone,

I've decided to take the plunge and start a YT channel. I enjoy watching all the American/European UL content but think there should be more of a spotlight for AUS/NZ; in particular, I'm keen on highlighting how traditional UL practices do/don't transfer in our environment and what cool gear makers there are out there. Maybe even a vid on a fully AUS/NZ ultralight kit?

I'm looking for suggestions on videos people might be interested in (outside of the usual trip videos). So far, I plan to do the usual what's in my pack, how to find cool routes in NZ (a bit more local knowledge focused), UL gear in NZ, etc. I'm walking Te Araroa this summer, so I plan to do plenty of reflecting on that.

Any further suggestions?

Cheers!

(feel free to remove mods if this comes under self-promotion, not my intention)

edit: to clarify I'm NZ based

Just wondering if anybody has done the great ocean walk in January - how busy was it? I’m thinking starting either the 4th or 18th.

I don’t mind seeing a few people around but when it’s packed it’s not really the experience I’m after.

After a few years away from walking I'm looking to get back into the game with an autumn trip along the full grampians peak trail!

https://lighterpack.com/r/hlzbvd

Looking to shake the cobwebs out and start looking at gear for the trip and the months in between, open to gear advice and critiques as I get back in to the swing of things.

A few notes:

• Will be hiking with a partner, splitting shelter and stove

• Tent and pack have not been purchased, if the x-dome 2 releases in time that would likely be my first choice for a 2 man shelter. Very undecided on packs at the moment but leaning towards the southwest after trying one on

• No budget. Not looking to replace anything/everything but will be looking for upgrades as gear wears out and for my partner and any clear simplifications/savings

• Just grabbed my current FAK/Toiletry sack and weighed it, will probably optimise that a bit.

• Likely missing a couple of things like maps, TP but this is the core

• Clothing will add fleece jumper and rain pants based on weather but this is my usual autumn kit

Thanks!

The national parks website says you have to book to walk this track and it costs $900!! Am I reading that right?

https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/the-green-gully-track

Or is that a guided tour or something?

I'd love to just walk this on my own but perhaps you can't get access without a booking?

Does anyone have any intel?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to buy my first pair of hiking poles and with the Amazon Prime Day deals on currently, I'm wondering if something cheap and cheerful will do the trick? Or if I'd be much better off getting a more expensive pair from a bigger brand? Any suggestions on things/specs to look out for would be amazing.

Looking at something like "The Fit Life" carbon fiber poles on amazon as they are really discounted at the moment! Or a Mountains Design option from Anaconda as a pick-up option.

They'll be used for some multi-day walks and to pitch my new trekking pole tent.

Thanks!

Purpose:

To create a versatile, hiking pack that functions as a foundation for multi-season hiking in most states. I ideally want a simple "capsule wardrobe" style hiking pack that can do 80% of things.

Limitations:

My biggest limitation is catching up with gear developments. I've been 4wding / car camping and day hiking for a while now and have figured out what to take for those purposes but I'm limited by my materials knowledge as to improving my layering and cooking setups.

I don't know the use case or limitations for things like Polartec / Alpha Direct, whether they can replace down jackets if topped with a wind jacket, whether I can use a rain jacket as a wind jacket and so on. Is there a guide out there?

Example hikes I'd like to do:

• VIC: Grand Strzelecki Track, Grampians Peak Trail, Falls Creek to Hotham, Multi-day Mt Kozi region (Nichols Gorge Track, Blue Waterholes Track area)
• TAS: Frenchman's Cap, Overland Track, Mount Anne Circuit. Federation Peak Hike, Walls of Jerusalem Circuit Trek
• NT: Jatbula Trail

Link to the LighterPack:

https://lighterpack.com/r/9iybl1

• Items marked with Green Star are things I already own.
• Items marked Yellow are ones I'm highly considering getting.
• Items marked with Red are one's I'd ideally have alternatives to (and explained below).

Commentary on what I own:

• The X-Mid 2P is something I got recently. I haven't used it yet. I also own a Locus Gear Khafra in DCF-B but they're both about the same weight and I'd likely just use the Khafra inner for summer / warm weather hikes.
• The NeveGear Bandicoot quilt is heavier than I'd like but I got it for a bargain.
• The VersaFlow filter is essentially the Sawyer Squeeze.
• The Outdoor Research ActiveIce Spectrum Hoodie is something I bought a couple years ago for a trip to PNG. I'm hoping to pick up the OR Astroman for a lighter alternative and cut down on 100g.
• Helly Hansen Merino Base Layers - 240g pair, comfy but I'm wondering if I can just wear my OR tops and layer with Alpha Direct type stuff for warmth.

Commentary on Yellow starred items:

• Mariposa 60L Backpack: erring on side of caution and wanting a larger backpack until I get myself full aligned.
• Cumulus Inverse down jacket: Prefer this over the Primelite Pullover - main question I have is whether I can forgo down jackets in favour of Alpha Direct tops and a rain / wind jacket instead.
• Garmin inReach Mini 2: I'm new to the Satellite safety world so unsure on what the pros and cons of different models are. I'll have to learn more but will defs get a safety device.
• OR Ferrosi Pants: Highly recommended out there but I'd like to know about their performance when it comes to water contact. Or do I take a spare set? Considered Outlier pants which are similar weight and also UPF50+ and flexible but not sure if anyone has actually hiked in them before.

Commentary on Red starred items:

• Soto WindMaster - Not a fan of the fuel-can method. As a 4wder, I tend to not want to take fuel cans and so on and prefer to cook on chunks of wood I find. I prefer this method since its more environmentally friendly than buying and burning more fossil fuels. Is there an alternative cooking method for me that is still reliable and lightweight? Or one that doesn't involve carrying a 125g empty can on the way back that I can't reuse?
• BigBlue SolarPowa 28 - Any lighter yet as effective alternatives?
• Salomon X Ultra 4 Mid GTX Boots - Gore-tex or not to gore-tex? I prefer the idea of not having wet feet. But 850g is hefty.

Big ass post but hopefully I've provided enough context. My biggest thing is that I always try to consume as little as possible and have a capsule wardrobe in general day to day life, so same with this, I ideally want a simple capsule wardrobe style hiking pack that can do 80% of things. Especially in the clothing department.

Thank you for your help :)

Satellite SOS is becoming more and more common on smartphones. I believe the iPhone is the only one available in Australia at the moment but the Google pixel series now has it in the US. It's only a matter of time before most of us are carrying devices with the capability.

So my question is: Is it stupid to leave the inreach at home and just rely on my phone? I'm already using it as my primary navigation tool (I do carry a backup map). I worry that in the event I lost my phone I would be in serious trouble but the same could be said if I somehow lost my inreach.

I'm interested in the Australian perspective, as we're very frequently out of reception in our sparsely populated country.

I'm planning a February hiking trip of around 2 weeks. I am fit but have mostly only walked or run the Bibb track in dry conditions. Recently did the Stirling Range ridge walk and enjoyed it immensely, so I'm keen for some more vertical/scrambly stuff.

I have very little idea what is worth doing in Tassie. Overland track appears to be booked out already and a little busy for my liking. South coast track looks good but the cost of the light plane ride is off putting. Arthur Range looks epic but somewhat daunting particularly as I've never hiked in Tas before.

Any other recommendations or tips welcome!

Currently use the injinji merino socks, altra lone peaks and altra trail gaiters as my go to footwear.

Heading down to overland in Jan and wondering about if a couple modifications are worth it:

1. Are waterproof socks (dexshell, or sealskins) worth getting for use in rain or potentially snow?
2. Are spandex style gaiters enough on overland? Is it worth looking at some ankle height canvas or polyester gaiters?

I do have altra olympus gtx boots and full height gaiters, but despite parks site and a lot of old fashioned hikers on fb recommending, I think it'll be too hot/overkill.

Thanks in advance

Hi all,

I've noticed Macpac have their own sleeping mat. It is valued at R2 with a weight of 470g and a pretty low cost of $49NZD (without a membership card).

It seems relatively good value for money when you compare it to a Nemo Switchback Sleeping Pad, which is also R2, is 55g lighter, but $150NZD (about three times the price).

Does anyone have experiences with this? Seems like a great deal from what I can tell.

New to this trip report kind of thing but thought it’d be a great way to debrief/journal and list out some learning lessons for myself. Following u/Jaquavis890 format on how to do one!

 Keen to hear if anyone has any suggestions on gear, how to do things differently, suggestions in general etc!

Lighterpack: https://lighterpack.com/r/pmlvuh

Summary:

I had reached out to u/Jaquavis890 after a comment he made on UltralightAus expressing that he was keen on completing the GNW in 7 days. I told him I had a similar goal after failing in my own attempt 2 years ago when i first got into backpacking (25+kg pack etc) ..we got to chatting and after a while, he stringed together a couple more people from UltralightAus who were also keen on completing the hike. Our total group of 4 then began planning the logistics (though only two people in the group ended up doing 99% of the planning, thank you boys you know who you are <3).

We originally ended up settling in for a 9 day itinerary. However, I had a last minute work thing pop up for the 8^(th) day, so I decided to shift it to a 7 day itinerary so I could still finish the whole hike and be ready for work on the 8^(th) day. My plan ended up being to stick with the other guys with their itinerary for the first 3.5 days, then split away from them to do the remaining bit. My idea was that I was still able to get the best of both worlds doing it this way; have some awesome company for a portion of the hike, and then still be able to finish the whole thing.

Day 1: Macquarie Place Park to The Jungo (31 km)

Was so stoked to meet up with a bunch of guys within the same ultralight hiking space. Immediately started nerding out on gear, hikes etc before the hike even began. The day flew by with such great company and chats. I trailed at the back of the pack for most of the day, and was very impressed with how fast the other guys were moving. I wasn’t used to hiking with other peeps in the ultralight space, so this was a nice and refreshing pace. But I also really enjoyed the stops we had along the way at cafes etc, felt like a perfect mix of smelling the roses and hiking. Thanks for arranging it like that Jaquavis, couldn’t have asked for a better first couple days.

Ended up at the Jungo campsite that night, which proved to be quite tricky to pitch with the overgrown bush. So ended up setting up right next to the firetrail with big rock lil rock as the ground proved too rocky for my stakes.

Day 2: The Jungo to Ridge Top (29 km)

Not much to report here. I’ve done this section of the hike probably over 6 times at this point, so it all felt a bit too familiar. Café at Hornsby was great, company was amazing again. Rolled into camp right around past sunset. Nice to have a lil drop toilet and bench at Ridgetop.

Day 3: Ridge Top to Mount Wondabyne (37km incl ferry distance i think?)

Kept the pace nice and steady again for most of the morning, but a longer than expected break at Cowan meant that we had to hustle a bit to make the Brooklyn ferry that would take us to little wobby. This meant going a bit quicker than I wanted to this early on in the trip. At this point, I was really trying to be conscious about saving as much energy for the last 3-4 days of the trip and pacing myself so I’d still feel relatively fresh at the end of every day. Regardless, it’s always fun to gun it on inclines and “feel the burn” as the hiker I was with put so eloquently. We ended up making it to Brooklyn wharf with an hour to spare, with the other two in our group tailing in shortly after.

Day 4: Mt Wondabyne to Stringy Bark Campsite (42.28km / 1151asc / 1291desc)

Halfway through today was when I was meant to split off from the group. But somewhere along day 2, the whole group had come around and decided to all do 8 days instead of 9. This meant that they would be joining me to Stringy Bark Campsite, and I’d leave them there the following day. Wohoo! More company 😊 I was already dreading having to do the final days by myself, I’ve come to realize I’m much more of a social extroverted hiker instead of riding solo so this was amazing news to me. I did really try and get a couple of the boys to do 7 days with me, but I’m pretty sure I annoyed them more than convinced them heheh.

I rolled my ankle pretty badly coming into Somersby, and was afraid it would be a trip ender. I pulled over, did what I could with massaging my calf/foot, popped a couple ibuprofens and limped for a little bit before everything started settling. This was a nice little reminder not to freak out at things like this because odds are, they’re fine and any freaking out would just be wasted energy.

Got to Somersby after the first introduction to sketchy road walking (more to come) with cars zooming by less than a meter away from me. Ordered up a (surprisingly cheap) massive burger with chips at the Somersby café. At this point, 3 in our party had arrived at Somersby but one was still yet to arrive. When he did arrive a bit later, he didn’t look in the best shape with a mix of blisters and fatigue growing. It looked like he wouldn’t be able to do the remaining 10+ km to Stringy Bark that night, so he settled on staying on Palm Grove, which was about 5km shorter. His idea was to rest up at Palm, and see if he could regain his energy after a good night’s sleep, and rejoin the group the next day. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t expect him to be able to continue the trip and thought he would bail with a pickup at Somersby. Thankfully and very happy to say, I was wrong, more on that later.

Day 5: Stringy Bark to Watagan Creek Camp (44.62km / 1463 asc / 1330 desc)

This is where I parted ways with the other two guys. I had gotten up, popped my Altras on, and immediately felt a stabbing pain in my right navicular bone where I had rolled my ankle the day prior. This was a pain that I was familiar with from previous rolls, and it took everything in my mind to convince myself that it was just a fair bit of inflammation from aggravating it with the ankle roll, nothing more. I checked for swelling/bruising and there was none. A reassuring sign that it was just slightly inflamed and not a full blown injury. This was a pain that I knew I could walk on and would dissipate with getting a few warm up kms. I told the other guys that I’d get a head start first, leaving camp at 6am thinking that I’d be limping for a bit and they’d catch up to me. To my very pleasant surprise, and without the use of anti-inflams (didn’t want to mask an injury), the pain almost completely dissipated in my navicular bone after the first slow 2km and I started moving at a really good clip. At this point in time, I was still feeling quite fresh physically and mentally from conserving energy the first 3-4 days. I was happy to move faster now to cover the bigger kms that I had today, and for the coming days. However, I still wanted to pace myself so I wouldn’t arrive earlier than sunset 5:30pm, as I didn’t want to build up any unnecessary fatigue by going faster than I needed to.

The day ended up having a lot of it on road, which was tough on the feet but having come from hiking in Lone Peaks to the now much more cushioned Experience Wilds, I found the road sections manageable.

I was really starting to miss the other guys at this point, and to be honest it really did turn into a head down get to Newy no smelling roses kind of hike.

Day 6: Watagan Creek to Bushrat (40.00km / 1561 asc / 1307 desc)

This day had it all. Some of my favorite views of the whole trail, cute cows, an unrelenting rain with cold as temps, and yea, did I mention rain?

I woke up feeling surprisingly good (ankle felt normal again, who knew a good rehab plan would be to walk 44km on it. Thanks Dr Goggins lol), but the forecasted 41+mm rain had started while I was still in my tent, and I knew today would suck.

Left at 6am and I immediately had to hike through a field full of cows, and a group of 5 were sitting right at the ladder passing I had to go through. After snapping one too many photos, I decided to go around and crawl underneath some barbed wire so I wouldn’t disturb their brekkie sesh. Also was lowkey scared I’d get trampled with my all-red rain jacket (idk much about cows okay, don’t give me shit on this).

At this point, I was super stoked I had brought my rain skirt. I’ve also discovered a neat little trick; when the rain stops and you want to vent, you can just pull up the rain skirt and tuck it into your hip belt fully exposing your legs. And then when the rain starts again or when you need warmth, you just untuck and let it down. Amazing for those start stop rainy days with constantly shifting terrains.

However, I regrettably let myself get too wet on some of the inclines where I’d unzip my rain jacket completely to vent some heat but got a bit too wet in the process. This was great for the inclines, but I found myself a bit too wet and cold when the terrain flattened out. I should’ve regulated my output more so I wouldn’t need to unzip that much to vent, and not wet out from sweat from the inside. I also made the choice at the start of the day to not use my alpha fuzzy (my only insulating layer) as an active layer and would keep it bone dry in my nyloflume and pop it out only in an emergency.

So to stay comfortably warm, I hiked at a faster clip and ate a LOT more. I was happy I had conserved energy on the previous days, because it meant that I could start comfortably doing just under 6kms an hour and had a pretty steady warm temp despite the dropping temps around me. And I pretty much ate double the amount I normally did in oat bars to turn my body into a furnace. This eating more + hiking fast worked out really well and I was pleasantly surprised when I made it to camp at 3:30pm, a fair bit faster than my set time of 5:30pm. I wasn’t keen on getting there faster than needed for the reason of building up unnecessary fatigue, but the alternative would’ve been to be a bit too cold for my liking by going slow. This reinforced my belief in pacing myself earlier on in a trip so that I can call upon energy reserves when it’s needed. And in a case like this, it almost turned into a safety necessity.

However, I arrived at Bushrats completely drained mentally. Hiking in rain for a whole day just kind of saps your mental energy. I set up my xmid, threw everything in, got out of the rain, and had never been happier to eat cold soaked mi goreng. I also ate my next days’ worth of chips and a couple of oat bars to double down on turning my body into a furnace. Despite the pelting rain and cold temps, the warmth from my metabolism kicking into overdrive, cuddling up in my dry fuzzy, knocked me out and I slept surprisingly warm and well. Also considering I was butt naked wearing nothing but my fuzzy..what a sight to behold

I was also very happy I didn’t use the fuzzy at all that day, as having that completely bone dry fuzzy on me after stripping off my wet hiking clothes felt like heaven. Hindsight, I would’ve also brought my other santini 60gsm alpha fuzzy vest as my active insulation layer so I wouldn’t need to resort to hiking faster or eating that much to stay warm, and then using my zeroggear hooded fuzzy as an insulating layer at camp. Something to note for myself for those wet cold hikes.

My hands and feet were also pale white and so wrinkly from a full day of rain hiking. I never get blisters (I chalk that up to a super thin but durable xoskin toe sock, and altras that fit my feet perfectly), but I knew I needed to take extra care of my feet that night for what it’s just been through, and what tomorrow would bring. This meant leaving my feet to air out and dry for over an hour before popping on my dry socks even though they were pretty cold, and then applying a nice slab of gurney goo to my entire foot. In my mind, that was the right thing to do. Open to any suggestions! Not sure if I'm using the gurney goo correctly hmm.

https://preview.redd.it/hwn62082c8sd1.jpg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2e385047cb27aa0efa982b4b73e0d3b8cccc9c7

Day 7 Bushrat to Queens Wharf, Newcastle (53.78km / 1532 asc / 1974 desc)

I woke up with condensation everywhere. The single wall pro 2+ had little beads of condensation being splashed onto me whenever heavy enough raindrops would slap the tent. But I was so tired I didn’t really care.

Before getting out my quilt, I immediately downed two oatbars to get the furnace going again. Popped my NoDoz, and began packing up. Miraculously, the rain actually stopped as I was done packing up. So I got rid of a few leeches that I'd missed on my previous night's hunt, popped my head out, did my morning poop, and left camp at 6am.

Biggest day today, but I knew it’d be smooth sailing once I got to Teralba. My missus would be waiting for me at the finish, and we had booked an Airbnb for the weekend in Newcastle. The idea of a warm shower and a nice soft bed was bliss.

The first 5km from bushrat to heaton’s lookout was so slippery and wet with the rain, and I ended up having to really slow it down just to not slip. I did end up slipping and falling on my arse at one point, but thankfully I walked away from that with just a bruise on my hand. The hyperfocus I had to make sure each and every step was safe to be stepped on was so annoying, I literally did not look up for 5km. During this time, I got a little inreach message from an unknown number checking in to see how I’m doing. I quickly realize it’s Jaquavis, and I find out he actually linked up with the other guys the next day. I was genuinely so surprised, impressed, and happy for him all at the same time. His will to come back after what looked like pure defeat was really inspiring, and was the little push I needed to get me back on track. He tells me that one of the guys had called the coppers for a rescue due to fatigue and the cold, and they were now also thinking of bailing at a closeby town due to the sketchy terrain to come. They ultimately ended up bailing as well, and if I had known how sketchy the rainy terrain would’ve been, I probably would have as well.

I then pop out at Heaton’s lookout and all of a sudden, the sun starts beaming through, and I see nothing but firetrails. I feel like crying from happiness. I take my moment to enjoy the view, a lesson I learned from seeing how Jaquavis hikes, and then I promptly get a move on.

I got some amazing views of Newcastle before the massive descent into the Caltex at Bunkerville. Everything felt amazing, so close to the finish and body was feeling surprisingly good. Got a couple fried chicken drumsticks at the Caltex, so so good. The dude adds salt on top of the fried chicken before giving it to you. Fcking amazing.

I turned off airplane mode on my phone as I hiked away from the Caltex, and had such a nice encouraging facetime call with the missus as I was hiking along. However, it ended up being a bit too encouraging hahah and I started running some bits, something I told myself I wouldn’t do. I was too full of excitement and felt too good, that all I wanted to do was run. But this would bite me in the ass as I had to slow it back down to a walk after feeling my right shin play up as I entered the walk along Lake Macquarie after running for a couple kms. How dumb. I popped a couple voltarens, slowed the pace right down back to hiking, and the pain slowly dissipated. All things considered, I’m chuffed that this was the most my body decided to act up on this hike, considering my long list of injuries and fragility.

Fast forward through kms of walking through highway shoulders littered in trash, mixed in with some nice scenic views of Newcastle, and then the last bit of beautiful greenery through Glenrock State, I pop out onto Burwood beach, where I am greeted by a setting sun shining through the rainy clouds, and beautiful long stretches of beaches. My awe quickly fades as I realized my path through is practically non-existent with the high tides, so I call one of the guys to troubleshoot a way through. We end up deciding the best route would be to go through some bushy firetrail and link back up onto the main roads. With many thanks, I hang up, pop on my head torch and get cracking through bush as night descends. I felt a sense of urgency with getting back on trail with my missus waiting, but I also felt this weird rush of adventure of going off trail and figuring out an alternative path. Thanks for helping out with that one, trail dad 😊 Once I got back on the main roads, it was smooth sailing all the way to the obelisk, which I thought was the end. My ever-supportive missus meets me there, waiting with a homemade sign cheering me on  <3. We hug, I cry a little bit (prob from like sleep deprivation or something idk, I'm a manly man man beer sports cars ahem) and we get my photo at the obelisk. I quickly realize that the official trail actually ends at queens wharf, and not the obelisk. So with a massive adrenaline dump, I hustle over to Queen’s wharf for a second finish.

https://preview.redd.it/k4ohy6s8c8sd1.jpg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e16b1839c93593b5a9ab4d9d528e284f8929005d

Conclusion:

Sorry for the massive report! And sorry there isn't much info on the actual trail itself, ended up gravitating more towards my own personal account/feelings on it in a self-journaly style, which was quite fun!

I am so grateful that my body felt so good with the bigger days at the end. I’m so grateful for the dudes I hiked with, for the chats we had. The bigger km days actually kind of showed me how much I appreciate the smaller days with café stops, more chats, more flower smelling. So yea, it’s nice to be able to do both but I’m keen on some slower days moving forward to smell more roses. I’ve also learned that keeping my ego in check is so important, especially when it comes to safety. I’m glad I did go through the rainy bits, was prepared for them, and ultimately finished. But I’m also glad that I can confidently say I was also more than happy to bail at anytime if I felt like things were getting too dangerous.

A massive thank you to the bois for being such great company. Thank you to our trail leader for marking out all the water sources for me so I knew exactly how much to carry for each section, and for practically holding my incompetent hand the first 3.5 days :D And a big thank you to his mum for a food drop at mooney mooney. Thanks to Jaq for the great meaningful chats about life, parenting, and much more. Really appreciated your lightheartedness approach to everything, really made a lasting impression on me my man. Thank you Blue Bolt for an unhealthy amount of gear talk lmao. No one else I can take a shit next to and talk about ultratnt vs dcf.

Lessons I learned from the dudes, and myself:

-          I learned that I was drinking wayyy too much water and electrolytes when one of the guys pointed out that peeing translucent piss 20 times a day wasn’t normal. Joking aside, this let me carry way less water (while still having a very safe amount, don't freak out people) along the later sections of the hike. I actually felt heaps better drinking a NORMAL amount of water/electrolytes.

-          Refilling sunscreen into a Ziploc bag instead of the daiso tube I had is way easier. Just double bag and we’re good to go! Have yet to try this but it looks pretty good on paper.

-          Don’t bring ghee butter lol

-          You don’t actually need to use dr broners on your b hole when you bidet up. We don’t lather the area up with soap when we use toilet paper, so why do we need to with just water? Just wash your hands with dr broners after. Lol prob tmi on this one, thanks Jaq

-          Smell more roses/waratahs!

-          Even though I managed the rainy cold as day fairly well and had the proper gear/experience for it, I’d say the margin of error was fairly small. I 100% should’ve brought an extra insulating top and maybe some thermal pants to extend that margin of error a bit more.

-          Despite being warm enough in my quilt, I should’ve used every chance with sun to dry it out on the earlier days. The built up condensation in my quilt over the days meant that when I did pop it out on the rainy night 6, it had noticeably lost a bit of loft. Ended up not being an issue as I usually do take a significantly warmer quilt/bag than what the conditions call for to account for this loss of loft via condensation. But if I had strapped my quilt to the outside of my pack while walking sunny firetrails on day 5, it would’ve been fully lofted/dry and extra warm come rainy night 6. Again, more margin of error instead of less.

-          It’s not over until it’s over! If I set a rule of not running or not going faster than I need to to phase off any injuries, I should adhere to it, all the way until the very end no matter how great I feel or if my ego starts playing up thinking I’m Killian Jornet. The moment I strayed away from this and started running, I felt niggles and an injury brewing. Ego is the enemy!

-          Going up inclines without going above my aerobic heart rate (keep it to nasal breathing) may be slower than most with pace, sometimes comically so, but man do you feel good during and after. I love being able to do a straight 300m ascent and not feel tired at all at the top of it. Sticking to this for me felt like diesel fuel pace, one that I could keep for 12 hours, and then on for days, and weeks. Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast! At least that’s what works for me.

-          Bulletproof knees! I incorporate a lot of knees over toes style kind of strength training into my regular training. If you’ve got wonky knees, I’d highly recommend it! Not once did I feel my knees this whole trip, even on the 2k meters descent the last day. And this is coming from a dude who’s had meniscus surgery along with years of questionable knee movements from jiujitsu.

-          Don’t really need a cork ball. You can get pretty creative with using your own forearms, hands, knee caps, elbows, trekking poles etc., to do some good ole massage release

-          Carry an extra O-Ring if you have a sawyer. I lost mine on day 5 and had to McGyver a new o-ring out of ducttape. Didn’t really work. Or maybe don't loose stuff like me and you'll be fine

• The GNW is a nice trail in its own ways. But man so much of it is a green tunnel. There are roses to smell...but there's better roses elsewhere I reckon.

Looking for a light weight sleeping bag for summer missions. Thinking either the Sea to Summit traveller down (11°C) or the Mountain Designs Travelite 320 (4°C). I have a winter bag, just want something a bit smaller. Has any one tried these? Or think 11 will be too cold?

Hey all, I need to replace the guylines on my x-mid 2 because they keep slipping (it's from 2019 so known guyline issues). What's everyone's favourite cord in the 2.0-2.5mm range, preferably from a shop in Aus?

Hey all. Time to upgrade my backpack and am after a ~55L bag for multi day walks mostly in se qld. Am tossing up between a UL bag like hyperlight southwest 55 (896g) and a more conventional osprey exos 58 (1334g).

Main difference I see is that the hyperlite has a bit of dyneema rubbing against your back, but the osprey has a mesh frame with ventilation. I am coming from an old osprey bag and really like the ventilation. Has anyone moved across to an unventilated bag and if so how do you find it in the heat?

Cheers

Hey r/UltralightAus !

(mods please delete if not allowed)

I'm Daniel, the retail manager at Ultralight Hiker.

https://ultralighthiker.com.au/

We will be opening a face-to-face retail store soon and are looking for a casual team member to cover some weekdays and weekends (some of us like to go hiking a lot!). We are based in Alexandria, Sydney, and our hours will be 10:00am-6:00pm all through the week. Benefits include killer discounts on all stocked brands, a great team and great flexibility (work-life-balance).

You may also ask why we aren't posting on the traditional job offering platforms. We're specifically looking for someone that's as obsessed about these products as we are, and that unfortunately doesn't come from posting on a typical job site.

If you're interested, feel free to reach out with your resume at info@ultralighthiker.com.au . It may also help to include a description in the email about why you think you're a good fit. If you have any general questions, feel free to ask in the comments here too.

You may also notice the name of this account. Due to copyright reasons, this will be our new name starting soon, and we'll be undergoing a full rebrand! (this will be announced on all our socials soon)