Bushwalk Australia

Hey. Just wondering what the odd things folk carry for bushwalks (day or nighters) that most people think is odd, excessive or stupid.

I always take a Emergency Bivy Thermolite 2.0, just incase of injuries or extreme conditions. It comes on day walks and night trips.
I carry a proper plastic chopping board, its not a full size one, but still its not that light. I don't know why I do, its become habit from work I think.
I never leave behind my Phone, Wallet or Keys. This may be from paranoia of theft from the vehicle but I do it when guiding too. They may put a bottleshop at Pelion yet.
My mate carries Prayer Flags with him, sets them up at camp.
If its a short trip - I also carry weetbix and soy milk!! Ha Ha. I have porridge ALL season whilst guiding so on personal trips there is no way I'm eating it.

Anyways, apologies if this topic has been made before, but fire away!!

Large quantities of very pure alcohol. Very handy.

Squarker my pet bird in case I need to entertain some children or need to send a message for help

ollster wrote:Large quantities of very pure alcohol. Very handy.

Indeed it is! You only need to have a little squirt....

ILUVSWTAS wrote:

ollster wrote:Large quantities of very pure alcohol. Very handy.

Indeed it is! You only need to have a little squirt....

Yeah, but the little squirt isn't really a bushwalker. He'll carry half a tonne of caving/climbing gear for miles through thick scrub if there's a good cave or cliff at the end of it, but he just doesn't get walking for the sake of walking.
Which is a pity, as he's really rather cute. No cuter than the others, but being smaller the tent isn't so cramped so he's easier to deal with overnight.

Ummmmm, I don't think there's anything 'odd' in my gear. Except maybe the amount of chocolate I carry. Or the insistence on taking some fresh food with me, even if it's only a little spinach or some cherries for the first morning.

I carry my hunting knife. I always have. I think I've used it about twice (for anything other than cutting elastoplast for various people's blisters).

Personally, I don't think this is odd, but it does get a lot of comments from some people.

One of the occasions I used it was to whittle a complete set of tent pegs while sitting in the pouring rain, after having discovered that the last person to borrow my tent (EVER!!!) neglected to put the pegs back in the bag (and that was my very old cheapie tent that required 14 pegs to pitch property). I never did replace the pegs, and used my home made wooden ones for about two more years before replacing the tent completely.

I am one of the walkers that seldom just walks for the sake of it hence I nearly always carry my Alpacka packraft (3kgs with paddle) and a range of different fishing gear depending on where I am going (read as what I am fishing for). I have spent a lot of time and some money reducing my pack weight to accomadate these toys but strangly fail to reduce the weight of my fishing gear....that's odd in itself I think.

Steve

Not really. There are quite a few of us who will cut back on other things so we can cram one more lens into our camera bags.

Whistle (from my good ol scouting days) =D

Electric toothbrush is my bit of luxury.

*defensive*
There's nothing odd about that. Lots of people carry battery-powered toothbrushes.

north-north-west wrote:*defensive*
There's nothing odd about that. Lots of people carry battery-powered toothbrushes.

Of so that's what you call it

Nothing I carry appears odd by itself but in total is rather odd as duplicates start to appear. Taken to taking a back packer's towel as find swims in summer is a good way to freshen up, not so sure why I still carry it in winter though

Cheers Brett

Little green dogs.

Wentworth must be getting close to 100 PBPs by now?

ILUVSWTAS wrote:Little green dogs.

ROFL
Reminds me of the pink teddy bear we left on the steamroller next to the San Francisco Maru.

Why Wentworth?

His full name is Wentworth Brown.
Wentworth Hills was his first peak. Then Brown Mountain

north-north-west wrote:*defensive*
There's nothing odd about that. Lots of people carry battery-powered toothbrushes.

Well, NNW, that just about does it - I think I am nearly in love.

Oddest thing I ever carried was someone elses pack - never expected it, but you know - pavement pounder fitness is not o/night pack carrying fitness. Only up to Lady Lake, specifically picked it as doable with a treat of a hut at the end, but $%86 me, crossed the two creeks and started up the hill and we had a break down. It was already late in the afternoon and going back was not an option. Anyway we got there and had a ball.

geoskid wrote:

north-north-west wrote:*defensive*
There's nothing odd about that. Lots of people carry battery-powered toothbrushes.

Well, NNW, that just about does it - I think I am nearly in love.

Nearly is enough, don't go any further. Believe me, I ain't worth the trouble.
Cheap, but definitely not easy.

geoskid wrote:Oddest thing I ever carried was someone elses pack - never expected it, but you know - pavement pounder fitness is not o/night pack carrying fitness. Only up to Lady Lake, specifically picked it as doable with a treat of a hut at the end, but $%86 me, crossed the two creeks and started up the hill and we had a break down. It was already late in the afternoon and going back was not an option. Anyway we got there and had a ball.

know that feeling... more than once i have had to carry another pack, perched on top of my own... its not ideal, but sometimes it needs to be done...

north-north-west wrote:

geoskid wrote:

north-north-west wrote:*defensive*
There's nothing odd about that. Lots of people carry battery-powered toothbrushes.

Well, NNW, that just about does it - I think I am nearly in love.

Nearly is enough, don't go any further. Believe me, I ain't worth the trouble.
Cheap, but definitely not easy.

Haha - Sleep tight NNW.

ILUVSWTAS wrote:His full name is Wentworth Brown.
Wentworth Hills was his first peak. Then Brown Mountain

Following that methodology just call me Wellington Frenchman
My middle name is Mud.

Some people might think carrying so much camera gear is a bit odd... Other than that, can't think of anything odd that I take.
How many hard disks do you suppose have been to the Irenabyss or Flat Bluff? I don't carry it any more tho.

As i like to think of myself as in constant "training" when i go for day walks, i tend to take my big backpack with me, which has everything i need, so i'm not sure if any of these things are odd or not but i carry them anyway -:

1/ light strobe same as the one i use for night diving (visible for 4 km), continuous flash every second or so. highly visible at night if i'm lost.

2/ laminated Morse code sheet to go with the whistle i also carry - just never know

3/ 6'x4' plastic tarp from Bunnies, cheap and weighs nothing. It sits in the base of the backpack, keeps everyhing inside dry if its resting on wet ground. - used for shelter in the heat and rain , you get instant shade and water collection, is bright blue so easily spotted and makes a good ground sheet under the tent.

4/ pack of playing cards, great time passer if you are hemmed in anywhere plus if you are lost, start playing "Patience" and guaranteed within 10 minutes someone will lean over your shoulder and tell you to put the red ten on the black Jack..................

The funniest items I've ever seen carried by others:

- Silk pajama's (I was a boyscout, and one of the other boys had his mum pack his kit)

- A rubber chicken, suitably spray-painted in camouflage colours when I was serving. This rubber chook was sitting under the pack flap, co-located with the owners thermarest. It was a strange sight, spray-painted rubber chook legs and head hanging out of each side of the pack flap.

The strangest thing I ever carried:

A bone china teacup.
I was an absolute brew hound when I was playing soldiers, so one of my mates bought me this *&%$#! teacup for my 21st, and dared me to carry it out scrub. So of course I did, and proceeded to use it to consume my tea for a couple of weeks. Still have it, although I don't carry it anymore.

Sheesh, how can I have forgotten ...

I once carried a remote controlled boat all the way into the Walls of Jerusalem after thinking all the little pools and channels were the perfect place for it on my previous trip there. It was great on the Pool of Bethesda.

Once only, though.

22F wrote:The funniest items I've ever seen carried by others:

I knew a guy that carried a windsurfer into Tali Karng many years ago and would spend his time sailing around the lake, between visits he hid it in the bush in some obscure spot but came back one year and it was gone.

That is taking keenness to the point of obsession.

The only time people react as though they think something I'm carrying is odd is when I whip out a book of poetry and start browsing. Especially the 2kg hardcover Complete Byron.
Otherwise I'm boringly 'normal'.

Myself?!

Some people think my heavy weight space blanket is odd. I use use it under the tent floor which is v thin.
My PVC quena.


Regards,
Ken

My mate n I carried a bottle of Champagne for Ossa... but we left it outside in the pack and it was still half frozen when we got up there