Bushwalk Australia

Just wondering if my Hilleberg Nallo 3 is overkill for the SouthCoast/ Port Davey at this time of year, heading off next week and after the dumping of rain Tassie has had am feeling a tad cautious... any and all advice welcome, ta!

From people I've spoken with it doesn't seem any tent can be considered "overkill" for the Port Davey / South Coast tracks, both of which are subject to the extremes of weather, like that which has lashed, drenched then persistently flooded Victoria (here in Highton Geelong we are on flood watch and the river is 3km away!). Friends have taken an old MacPac Minaret on their 10 day walk along the South Coast and report it held up well but got "filthy, smelly and persistently wet from rain". I'd like to do the South Coast track but only have a Mont Moondance 1 which has proved good at keeping me quite dry sans-heavy rain, but not so dry when heavy rain is blown under the rather airy skirt — got very wet inside during an especially energetic and wet thunderstorm at Wilsons Promontory last November!

A tent that can stand alone on the odd warm night, leaving you in a mozzie-proof coccoon is useful (one of the guiding features of the aforementioned Moondance), but I'd still hedge my bets on getting wet and dirty, often and a lot. Given my future interest in the SC/PD tracks I'll follow other respondents' experiences with interest.

Nallo2 worked well for my wife and I...

All the nominated campsites are protected in that they are among groves of trees. Take the guys but generally most strong wind is filtered out by the forest.

The tent does need a good waterproof floor (some of the Port davey sites can be very damp under the floor, good mozzie exlcusion, a vestibale suitable to cook in as it can rain and rain and rain. But it can also be warm and dry for long periods.

I'd take our BD Mesa without worry. I've done it an old mapcac microlight with no solid door on the inner. I'd be happy enough with a MSR Hubba Hubba.

Last trip in the area we took our macpac Oly, but we new we woudl be camping off track on exposed ridge tops.

Thanks for the replies & advice folks, just got back from my PD/ SC Tracks adventure, fantastic (apparently rare) weather, one day of rain in seven days of hiking, the Hilleberg Nallo wasn't really tested, but the mud, o the mud...