I’ve never made a list of my gear before but this question gets asked a lot. So, when preparing for our recent hike on the Overland Track, I thought I’d give it a crack and make a list of the gear I’d packed. Who knows, maybe it will give you some ideas!
A few things to note:
This was a winter trip (August 2022) – I have put an Asterix next to the gear that I would most likely not take if it were a summer trip (most likely because it would depend on the weather forecast of course, anything can happen in summer!)
I am not an ultralight hiker. My gear is good quality, comfortable and durable. While I do try to minimise weight where possible, it’s not my main goal… I aim to ensure that I will be warm, dry, well fed and comfortable at night-time :-)
I have created links for some of the items in my list as I rate them highly and would recommend!
Here’s what I wore during the day:
Thin woollen sock liners
Quick dry pants
Merino singlet
Merino t-shirt
Merino long sleeved top
Windproof Vest
Leather boots
Extra things I had for day wear/use:
Synthetic puffer jacket*
Thin merino beanie
Buff*
Rain pants
Hiking poles
Micro spikes*
Here’s what I had for night time wear:
Nice thick woollen socks
Merino leggings*
Merino singlet
Merino t-shirt*
Merino long sleeved jumper
Gloves
Beanie
Down booties
The idea is that none of these items are worn during the day to ensure I have a full set of warm and dry clothes to change into once I’m in camp
Other Equipment:
One Planet Goondie 2 snow tent (shared between 2)
Hiking Pack - mine is an Osprey 85L, it’s only this big because I used to be a hiking guide and it was necessary.. when it’s time to replace I’ll go down to a 65L
Waterproof Pack Liner and Cover
Stove, 2 x pots and 2 x 230g gas
Bowl, mug and spork
3L Water bladder
500ml water bottle (mainly to use as a hot water bottle at night)*
Toilet paper and trowel
Sit pad – can’t give you a link for this, but a simple piece of foam to sit on during the day is bliss!
Leatherman
Glue
Gaffa tape
Sunscreen
Small first aid kit
Toothpaste & brush
Kindle
Battery pack and charging cables
Hip flask of special juice
Food + Snacks see our menu for the week here
Total starting weight – 20kgs
Total finish weight – 14kg
On reflection –
We were blessed with outstanding conditions on the trail.
Our overnight low for the week was around -3deg and daily highs of roughly 9deg.
As such I didn’t need/use:
The buff or synthetic puffer jacket I brought along as extra day wear.
The gaffa tape or glue… but I wouldn’t risk leaving them behind as they are very useful for all kinds of equipment malfunctions.
Probably didn’t need to take 2 x pots, and bowls – we could have made use with one pot and the lids as our bowls.
A 4 season tent was too much for this trip – we were battling with condensation issues every single morning, it just wasn’t cold enough (which I shouldn’t complain about)
My gear highlight for the week were my sealskin socks and gloves!
I’d never used them before and was pretty sceptical, especially about the socks – worried that I’d sweat a lot in them and end up with blisters.
In reality, I had warm and dry feet for the entire week even though my boots were saturated on the inside, what a dream!
The gloves were fantastic for climbing Barn Bluff, they were super grippy and warm and I was able to get all up close and personal with the snow and have my hands stay warm and dry inside – they gave me more confidence for the climb up and down!
If you’re just starting out, compiling all of this gear is going to be expensive!
Hiring gear is a great way to test out equipment, see what you like or don’t like and make an informed decision when it comes time to purchase your own.
Many of the items I have listed and used are available through our Hiking Gear Hire page and our Gear Hire and Transport package page
Planning to walk Tasmania's Overland Track? Read our complete Overland Track Transport & Logistics Guide for information about Launceston to Cradle Mountain transport, Lake St Clair return transfers, gear and trip planning.