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
