“No, Ma’am, as a matter-of-fact I wasn’t mauled by a tiger. I just finished hiking down Tasmania’s west coast.”
- When: February 27 to March 14, 2016. First stage of the Southwest Tasmania Traverse.
- Terrain: A combination of rocky, gulch laden coastline, open beaches, buttongrass plains and extremely dense scrub.
- Weather: South West Tasmania is an area of high precipitation (it rains an average of 250 days per year), strong winds (i.e. The Roaring Forties) and extreme temperature variations. From a hiking perspective, some of the most challenging conditions you are likely to encounter.
In more than twenty-five years of doing these sort of trips all around the world, I’ve never done a hike in which my gear took more of a beating than the west coast section of the Southwest Tasmania Traverse.
That being said, if I had my time over, would I do anything differently in regards to gear choices? In a word…….yes. The changes I would make are as follows:
- Hiking Shirt: I’d take a more durable long sleeve synthetic shirt (e.g. REI Sahara Tech shirt) instead of a midweight Merino baselayer.
- Hiking Pants: Shorts are fine for the rocky coast and inland plains sections, however for the bushwhacks through thick/cutting scrub, it’s preferable to have full leg protection. Rain gear simply doesn’t cut it; next time I’d take sturdier pants such as the REI Saharas or the Colombia Fishing trousers I’ve had in my cupboard for the last fifteen years.
- Innernet for Shelter: The mosquitos were ferocious at times. If I was to do this hike again, I’d leave the bivy at home and take an innernet instead. A little heavier, but well worth it.
Other notes:
- Paddling: Before the trip I knew that I’d have a couple of sizable watercourses to cross, including the very cold and deep 150 metre wide Davey River. I weighed up whether or not I should take a packraft, but ultimately decided against it. I knew my Neoair/floating pack system would work, I don’t mind the cold water and I simply couldn’t justify the extra weight for what would probably only be 10 to 15 minutes total of paddling.
| ITEM | WT (oz) | SUB (oz) | SUB (kg) | COMMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BACKPACK | ||||
| Hyperlite Mountain Gear 2400 Southwest Pack | 28.6 | Due to the heavy food carry, I went with an internal frame over a frameless model / Very impressed by the HMG pack / Good load distribution, extremely durable / Double thumbs up. | ||
| Pack Liner (Trash Compactor Bag) x 2 | 4 | More important than usual for this trip / Before river crossings that needed to be swam or paddled, I'd tie them off sealing the air inside. This made the pack uber-buoyant. I'd then attach the pack to my leg with six feet of guyline and was ready to go. | ||
| 32.6 | 0.92 | |||
| SHELTER | ||||
| MLD Solomid XL | 11.5 | Very quick set up / Holds up well in a storm / Ideal amount of space for 6'1" guy. | ||
| Guylines - Kelty Triptease 3mm | 1 | 3mm -Little heavier, but easier to handle than thinner cords | ||
| Stakes - Titan.(2); Y & Long - Alumin.(6) | 2.7 | Mix of sizes & styles | Mostly longer models for mud & harsh conditions | ||
| Tyvek Groundsheet | 1.5 | |||
| 16.7 | 0.47 | |||
| SLEEPING SYSTEM | ||||
| Pad - Thermarest NeoAir XLite (Sm) | 8 | Very comfy / Doubled as makeshift framesheet for pack and paddling device for river crossings. | ||
| Pad - Gossamer Gear Thinlite 1/8 | 2.4 | |||
| Quilt - Katabatic Palisade | 18.4 | Conservatively rated 30°F / Best quilts/bags I have used. | ||
| MLD Superlight Bivy | 7 | In hindsight, should have gone with an Innernet over the bivy for the coastal section of the traverse. The mosquitos were maddening at times. | ||
| 35.8 | 1.01 | |||
| KITCHEN / HYDRATION | ||||
| LokSak 20x12 (Food Bag) (2) | 2.4 | Holds 5 to 6 days food per bag / Carried an extra couple of days food in separate Ziplocs. | ||
| Toaks Spork | 0.4 | For the first time ever I carried a Titanium spork. Nice knowing it wasn't going to snap. I put some orange tape on the handle so I wouldn't lose it. | ||
| Gatorade 20 oz Bottles (2) | 2 | Fit well in side pockets / Easy access | ||
| Platypus (2 Lt) | 1.3 | Only used a couple of times / Lots of water. | ||
| Toaks Titanium Alcohol Stove | 0.7 | Double thumbs up / Primes quickly, burns efficiently / Definite upgrade over homemade Pepsi can model. | ||
| Wire Frame / Windscreen / Fuel Bottle (8 oz/Plasic) | 2 | |||
| Anti Gravity Aluminium pot + Pot Cozy | 5 | Same pot since 2006. | ||
| 13.8 | 0.39 | |||
| FIRST AID / HYGIENE | ||||
| Sunscreen (repackaged in tiny btle.) | ||||
| Hand Sanitizer (repackaged in dropper btle.) | ||||
| Aquamira (repackaged in tiny dropper bottles) | Never used / Water was fine to drink as is. | |||
| Mini Toothbrush | ||||
| Toothpaste (mini tube) | ||||
| Dental Floss | Doubles as sewing thread | |||
| Antiseptic Wipes (2) | Clean cuts / wounds | |||
| Gauze | ||||
| Triple Antibiotic Cream (tiny tube) | ||||
| 3M Micropore Medical Tape | Breathable, paper tape / Adheres well | |||
| Broad Pressure Bandage | Carried in case of snake bite. Almost had to use it when I came within centimetres of stepping on a Tiger Snake on Day 4. | |||
| Ibuprofun (8) | Vitamin "I" | |||
| Toilet Paper | ||||
| Sewing Needle | I am arguably the worst sewer in history | |||
| Duct Tape - 2 ft | Multi-purpose; compensates for lack of sewing skills | |||
| Emergency Fire Starter (2) | Cotton wool balls in Vaseline | |||
| 10.5 | 0.3 | |||
| CLOTHES | ||||
| Montbell Versalite Pants | 3.6 | Wrong choice for the West Coast / Ripped to shreds / For this sort of bushwhacking needed something sturdier. | ||
| Patagonia Capilene 2 Thermal Bottoms | 5.8 | Long johns of choice since the 90's. | ||
| Montbell Peak Shell | 9 | I like this jacket a lot, in fact I prefer it over Montbell's Gore-tex model, the Torrent Flier. | ||
| Montbell Thermawrap Jacket | 9 | Long-time favourite synthetic insulation layer / Preferable over down in high precipitation areas such as SW Tassie. | ||
| Extra Socks - REI Merino Wool Liners | 1.6 | |||
| Extra Socks - Darn Tough Hiker Micro Crew | 2.6 | |||
| MLD LightSnow gaiters | 1.3 | |||
| Bandana (1) | 0.5 | Towel, neck/face protection, condensation wipe. | ||
| Montbell Merino Wool Inner Gloves | 1 | Very handy for bushwhacking. | ||
| MLD eVent Rain Mitts | 1 | |||
| Warm Hat - Montbell Chameece Beanie | 1.3 | Excellent / Very stretchy and not too warm. | ||
| 36.7 | 1.04 | |||
| MISCELLANEOUS | ||||
| Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini | 3.8 | Trip notes / Decent photos & video | ||
| Stuff sacks - Cuben Fiber/Silnylon (3) | 0.5 | |||
| Extra Ziploc bags | 1 | |||
| Headlamp - Black Diamond Spot | 3.1 | Died at trip's end after 4 years of heavy use / Solid headlamp. | ||
| Wallet/Credit Cards/Drivers License | 0.7 | Used thin plastic card holder as Wallet | ||
| Swiss Army Classic Knife | 1.3 | All you need for backpacking purposes | ||
| Suunto M-2D | 1.2 | Adjustable Declination | Compass of choice for years (Note: No longer made; when needed I will replace with Suunto M-3G Global | ||
| Panasonic Lumix ZS25 | 6.9 | Great zoom, HD Video / Decent battery life | ||
| Extra Camera Battery | 0.7 | |||
| Small pen | 0.3 | |||
| Small LokSaks for Valuables (2) | 1 | Protection for phone, charger, wallet, camera, battery | ||
| 20.5 | 0.58 | |||
| BASE WEIGHT | TOTAL | 10.3 lbs | 4.7 kg | |
| ITEMS WORN | ||||
| Macpac Cross Terrain Shorts | 6 | Shorts of choice since early 2000's / Unfortunately, Macpac have "done a Montrail", and no longer make this model. / Shame, because they were the best hiking shorts I've used. | ||
| Montbell Super Merino Wool Zip Neck Long Sleeve (Lge) | 7.4 | Big fan of Merino wool, but for Tassie's west coast I needed something more durable / By the 6th day of the hike, it looked like I had gone 12 rounds with a Bengal Tiger. | ||
| Socks - REI Merino Wool Liners | 1.6 | |||
| Hat - Baseball cap | 2 | |||
| Merrell Moab Ventilators | 30 | Good choice for this trip / A bit heavier than trail runners, but needed the extra durability / Standard trail runners wouldn't have held up. | ||
| Fizan Compact - Hiking Pole (2) | 11.2 | Brought 2 for insurance in case one broke or was damaged. Good decision, as that's exactly what happened. | ||
| Timex Ironman Watch | 1.5 | Cheap, durable, light, multiple alarms | ||
| Sunglasses | 2 | Polarized lenses / 100% UV Protection / Wrap around | ||
| 61.7 | 1.75 | |||
| TOTAL WEIGHT | 14.2 lbs | 6.45 kg | ||
Hi Cam, that’s an impressively light gear list for such a hike. For any hike. I see that you carry a dedicated camera in addition to your smartphone. What are your thoughts on carrying a dedicated camera in addition to a smartphone, especially now that smartphone cameras are starting to get quite good. Thanks for sharing from your experiences in hiking, travelling and gear.
Hi Stein,
Thank you for the kind words.
When it comes to cameras & phones, I’m definitely no expert. Over the last few years I have carried both (i.e. Panasonic Lumix & Samsung Galaxy mini S4) on most of my longer trips.
I tend to use the dedicated camera for most of the landscape shots, and save the phone for journalling, videos and the occasional photo. I’ve recently noticed that both items are beginning to show their age (i.e. three years), so it may be time to upgrade in the near future.
Cheers,
Cam
Hi Cam,
Thanks for sharing mate. You have taught me so much by this article. I’m really wanting to look at my gear and try to reduce the weight but make it practical.
Thanks for a top website as well.
Tim
Question Cam, I have the Hyperlite 3400 SW that I currently use. What shoulder pockets do you use on your HMG 2400?
Mountain Laurel Designs (http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=71). I’ve used these pockets for quite a few years, and tend to swap them over to whatever pack I’m carrying at the time.
Cheers,
Cam