Things I have learnt.

[Lophophaps]

Remember to pack tent poles.

Remember to take the right tent poles.

[Dolerite Walker]

When cold and considering putting on another layer, first ask yourself: (i) is my neck covered ?, (ii) is my head covered?

[Dolerite Walker]

A blister is a small thing that can create a big problem.

[north-north-west]

There is a limit to the number of steps you can take when you cannot clearly see the ground on which your foot is about to land, before you end up knee-deep in a hidden, water-filled hole.
This number is halved when walking in Tasmania.
And halved again in buttongrass.


An unsealed pocket collects approximately one cubic centimetre of detritus for every hour spent scrub-bashing.

[philm]

The greater the weight of cold weather gear in the pack the greater the chance the weather will be fine and you will never use it.

Bamboo socks and underpants once wet never dry (in Tasmania)

The earlier you arrive at the airport the greater the chance the plane will be delayed

[Lophophaps]

When pulling a walker out of soft mud, ensure that you are standing on something solid, like a rock, tree stump, a duck board or a person from another group. If you stand in the mud and haul the other person out, chances are that you will go down. There appears to be no truth in the rumour that some parts of the OLT boardwalk are built on dead walkers.

[Earwig]

Bamboo socks and underpants once wet never dry (in Tasmania)

... or Victoria.

[walkerchris77]

Not good around pandas either

[robertoman]

Old favourite - Before leaving a campsite or lunch spot, always walk around and check for lost goodies. Then walk away, stop, and look once more. Surprising hats, cups, rubbish, spoons, bandannas magically appears.

New favourite - when arriving tired at a campsite in the dark, don't peg out tent upside down. It doesn't work very well

[ErichFromm]

Don't overfill your trangia burner: else you won't be able to open it and have three days of hassle trying to eat....

[walkon]

Don't discuss the pros and cons of Apple products with their users. They are a mite touchy and hyper sensitive to constructive criticism with resulting nastiness, remember folks tis just a phone. It's not a new born child. Really it isn't! I'm not joking just calm down and take a few deep breaths

[Lophophaps]

Old favourite - Before leaving a campsite or lunch spot, always walk around and check for lost goodies. Then walk away, stop, and look once more. Surprising hats, cups, rubbish, spoons, bandannas magically appears.

New favourite - when arriving tired at a campsite in the dark, don't peg out tent upside down. It doesn't work very well

When leaving I do the double check as well. It also works when arriving, with some nice goodies to be found. I knew about pegging the tent upside down. It's not just me. One trip a mate bought the porch fly but not the main fly. It rained and he got quite wet.

[perfectlydark]

It was car camping but today I learnt dont wait too long to shove your hand in cold water after tipping your boiling tea over your hand.

[north-north-west]

It's a lot more fun taking photos than sorting and post-processing them.

Also, I take far too many photos . . .

[north-north-west]

Never try to traverse the Eldon Range in bad weather.

[Chezza]

Close the small yellow shutoff valve on your Camelbak before doing up the compression straps on your pack. Failing to do so might see all your water squeezed out onto the grass in the dark, something you may not discover until a couple of k's down the track.

Also, if your pack feels unusually light when you start walking, "I must just be fitter than I think I am" is not sound reasoning.

Lastly, being dehydrated can ruin even the easiest of walks.

[robertoman]

Don't sit on the bite valve of your hydration bladder on the train when setting out on an adventure. Sitting on a wet train seat with wet pants in early morning commuters is not fun

[dingelberry]

If you touch
It will bite !!

[Earwig]

Remember to pack tent poles.

Do not separate tent bits.

My hiking partner split the poles and pegs from the tent we were to share to evenly spread the weight between our packs. The pegs went into my pack and the poles were strapped to the outside. The poles, of course, went missing. We finally located them - they had fallen off and were in the cargo hold of the plane, which was now in Canberra or Sydney or somewhere else a long, long way from Cradle Mountain. We were reunited with them the following day.

[ErichFromm]

Remember to pack tent poles.

If you have a new tent that uses hiking poles remember to bring them and not just assume because you are car camping you don't need them.....

[Strider]

Remember to pack tent poles.

Do not separate tent bits.

My hiking partner split the poles and pegs from the tent we were to share to evenly spread the weight between our packs. The pegs went into my pack and the poles were strapped to the outside. The poles, of course, went missing. We finally located them - they had fallen off and were in the cargo hold of the plane, which was now in Canberra or Sydney or somewhere else a long, long way from Cradle Mountain. We were reunited with them the following day.

Separating tent bits is fine. Don't pack things on the outside of your pack.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

[north-north-west]

Remember to pack tent poles.

If you have a new tent that uses hiking poles remember to bring them and not just assume because you are car camping you don't need them.....

If you have a tent that uses trekking poles - don't lose the poles while walking! (No, I don't use such tents. But I do have a bad record with losing or breaking the trekking pole.)

[perfectlydark]

Or make sure you have another way to erect the tent if your poles are lost/damaged, eg hang, will a stick work etc

[Lophophaps]

Do not separate tent bits.

My hiking partner split the poles and pegs from the tent we were to share to evenly spread the weight between our packs. The pegs went into my pack and the poles were strapped to the outside. The poles, of course, went missing. We finally located them - they had fallen off and were in the cargo hold of the plane, which was now in Canberra or Sydney or somewhere else a long, long way from Cradle Mountain. We were reunited with them the following day.

I can't beat the geographical separation but I know of an intentional blunder.

Mt Feathertop in Victoria has several approaches, most notably the Bungalow Spur (up lots) and The Razorback (nearly horizontal). For those into suffering there's also the NW Spur,(up lots and very steep). Some decided on each of these, three parties, camping at Federation Hut, more or less where they meet. One couple decided that part of the tent should go up the NW and the rest would go across The Razorback. It was a close call, with a Razorback party member having to be evacuated by helicopter and fires nearly cutting off access to Federation. Oops.

[waggy]

more is less..or is it less is more??

[Tortoise]

If your Sea to Summit gaiter strap has the coating worn off it, don't walk in snow. It takes a couple of minutes to get a cricket ball sized ice block on the fabric, making walking very... ummm... interesting. It is resistant to chipping with snow pegs etc.

I swung it around to the side for the photo, but normally it sits nicely under the sole of the boot.

Attachments

ice ball on gaiter (2).jpg (74.53 KiB) Viewed 100435 times

[johnw]

Don't drop your improvised water bladder onto the rocks when returning to camp after fetching water from the creek

[neilmny]

If your Sea to Summit gaiter strap has the coating worn off it, don't walk in snow. It takes a couple of minutes to get a cricket ball sized ice block on the fabric, making walking very... ummm... interesting. It is resistant to chipping with snow pegs etc.

I swung it around to the side for the photo, but normally it sits nicely under the sole of the boot.

Put some cooking oil on the strap. It's a trick used to stop doors from freezing shut on cars. Not sure how often you would need to re apply it though.

[north-north-west]

Scrub gloves (especially Ninja Ice) make great emergency pressure pads. May not be hygienic, but sometimes that's less important than just stopping the bleeding.

[Tortoise]

Scrub gloves (especially Ninja Ice) make great emergency pressure pads. May not be hygienic, but sometimes that's less important than just stopping the bleeding.

You didn't learn that in a kayak, did you?