Bushwalk Australia

north-north-west wrote:

Lamont wrote:

Petew wrote:The little foam bum pads are pretty handy on the OT. Cushion your butt, insulate it and keeps it dry too.

Yes, I concur!
All I carry at the minute-but rather a bit of cut off 10mm CCF (smaller and easier for me to pack) -makes a top wee seat.

Somehow I had assumed you were one of the stand-up-to-wee brigade. Apologies.

Really easy to cut a nice key hole in the CCF.
Apology accepted.

emma_melbourne wrote:I did the Overland Track with a 25 December Christmas Day departure, and my LighterPack list that I took is here: https://www.lighterpack.com/r/bz0cqf

Hi Emma, I read with great interest your post as I have just completed the overland track over over Christmas break and upon reflection considering a pack like the flex capacitor. I’m just trying to work out if the 40-60L would be big enough for me. I’m still in the habit of using a hydration bladder and I can see you don’t but was wondering if you would have had room to spare that would have allowed for one (2 or 3L)? Or was your pack pretty full? I pack similar gear to your but as a 182cm male, my winter clothes and winter sleeping bag do not likely pack down as small. I’m sure there is a pun there ! My current pack has a substantial lid pocket and collar, which I don’t like to overfill but have had to due to absence of side and waist pockets.

Gday Fierce, welcome to the forum.

If you're into fastpacking and want to do it in 2-3 days, the 40L would be fine, otherwise I'd go the 60L. Why a 60L pack:
- It can get cold and wet at any time of the year, so you want to carry extra gear to stay dry, warm and safe.
- The walk itself is great but the side trips make it unreal, so carrying a little UL daypack is a lot safer than pocketing a PLB and a snack.
- For anyone with overnight experience, it's a walk in the park, so taking a few luxury items makes the walk more enjoyable.
- 6 days of food takes up a lot of space.
- Typically a 60L is designed to carry weight, so more comfortable to walk with.

When I started the walk (with 6 days of food) my pack weighed in at 11kg. It was a Granite Gear 55L and comfortably full. I helped unload the trailer when we got there, and my pack was by far the lightest pack there. Even with mainly UL gear, the weight starts to add up, especially once a few luxury items like cheese, grog and a camera are thrown in.

And as mentioned, the side trips visiting the peaks, waterfalls, lakes etc really make this walk and I'm glad I didn't rush the walk and took the full 6 days.

My 2 best tips are
1) Take a guide book or app. Invaluable for getting the most out of your day
2) Not a packing tip but take your time. A lot of people rush to the next hut and spend the afternoon hanging around. Me, bit of sleep in, enjoy a cooked breakfast, wonder along, take some photos, visit as many side trips as possible and plan to get to the hut early evening. OK, you might not get the best camp site or bed in the hut but there will always be somewhere to setup camp.