critique my gear ... too

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critique my gear ... too

Postby Warin » Thu 22 Mar, 2018 9:08 am

Hi,
Following Joels post .. (viewtopic.php?f=25&t=27361) this is mine.

https://www.geargrams.com/list?id=47232

The weight does not include zip lock bags at this stage .. and there are various items I've not bothered to weigh in detail.
So the weight is approximate at this stage.
Summary;
Wearing ~ 2kg
Consumables ~ 7 kg (10 days)

Base weight ~11kg
(daypack base ~ ~2kg
backpack base ~9kg)

I'm still fiddling with things ...
thinking about using the daypack as the 'floating lid' on the backpack - lessens weight and eases use. Needs a good way of tying it on.
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Re: critique my gear ... too

Postby warnabrother » Thu 22 Mar, 2018 10:11 am

Just a few things I'd personally change/cut.. may not suit you..

Camera gear is over 1kg.. maybe loose the tripd, remote release
Do you really need two pairs of glasses ?
Hankie - don't need 2
Fleece is VERY heavy.. grab a 100 weight Macpac or similar for $50 @ under 300g
You've only allowed 6g for your rain pants - they'll be over 200g
Do you need fire starting stick AND matches but no BIC lighter ??
290g for a pan with lid ?? Get a titanium pot for well under 100g
Leave the spoon bag
200g for a first aid kit - can we get a breakdown
Lose the hydration bladder - too heavy, can't see how much water you have left, and warm water from the tube is horrible :) - replace with two smart water bottles
Can save 60g on your knife - $30 Swiss Army classic
only 10 sheets of toilet paper for 10 days !.. splurge and take a whole roll, that is one thing you don't want to be caught short on
Not sure I'd take the GPS personally.. in fact, I'm not taking mine.. but that is a personal choice
2x sleeping bags ?
comb - really ??
hand sanitiser you have listed twice
nail brush ?

This is just what I would do.. everyone is different and has different needs and tolerances..
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Re: critique my gear ... too

Postby Warin » Thu 22 Mar, 2018 12:23 pm

warnabrother wrote:Camera gear is over 1kg.. maybe loose the tripd, remote release

depends on lighting .. and the desire/ability to take sequential time shots at night.
warnabrother wrote:Do you really need two pairs of glasses ?

Yep .. I tend to destroy them ... sit or stand on them :oops:
warnabrother wrote:Hankie - don't need 2

Not much weight - multiple uses. Better than a chux for washing.
warnabrother wrote:Fleece is VERY heavy.. grab a 100 weight Macpac or similar for $50 @ under 300g

Question of warmth... need to field test it. I have several fleeces .. think 200 warmth/weigh is the lightest.
Will have to go through them and weight them all. They do come with pockets that are fairly useless when carrying a pack.
warnabrother wrote:You've only allowed 6g for your rain pants - they'll be over 200g

Opps - now 206g
warnabrother wrote:Do you need fire starting stick AND matches but no BIC lighter ??

I normally use matches. Don't like the bic lighters
warnabrother wrote:290g for a pan with lid ?? Get a titanium pot for well under 100g

That is what I have used for years ...
https://www.budgetcamping.com.au/produc ... ox-rocket/
I like that the lid locks down, stainless for cleaning and ruggedness.
But considering the evernew pan at 0.6l ~100g ...
They do a 'non stick' version .. I think I'd prefer the plain version as 'non stick' tends to be delicate. thoughts on that?
At the moment my searches show the non sick is cheaper than the plain jane version ...
warnabrother wrote:Leave the spoon bag

Depends on the packing.
warnabrother wrote:200g for a first aid kit - can we get a breakdown

I have made a generous allowance, not weight it .. things like 2 pressure bandages .. you cannot bind a leg with just 1!
warnabrother wrote:Lose the hydration bladder - too heavy, can't see how much water you have left, and warm water from the tube is horrible :) - replace with two smart water bottles

Agreed, think the backpack will loose its internal hydration sleeve too.
But I find the bottles hard to reach so I may go with a tube to a bottle. Yet to try this.
warnabrother wrote:Can save 60g on your knife - $30 Swiss Army classic

Looses the can opener, small screwdriver and other things. But worth considering.
warnabrother wrote:only 10 sheets of toilet paper for 10 days !.. splurge and take a whole roll, that is one thing you don't want to be caught short on

It is 10 sheets .. per day. 10 sheets in daypack, the rest in the backpack.
warnabrother wrote:Not sure I'd take the GPS personally.. in fact, I'm not taking mine.. but that is a personal choice

Taking it, want to do some mapping/side trips.
warnabrother wrote:2x sleeping bags ?

-10C requirement ... one bag gets me -4C ... might go with added clothing for the extra 6...
warnabrother wrote:comb - really ??

Call it a bug rake ... I tend to get twigs in my hair from scrambling through bush.
warnabrother wrote:hand sanitiser you have listed twice

Yep - small bit in daypack, rest in backpack. Same may happen for sunscreen/bug repellent and should be there for toilet paper.
warnabrother wrote:nail brush ?

Yep. Makes cleaning hands easy, gets into the dirt/sweat and moves it off. As well as cloth washing. I have found it shortens cleaning time even with soap.
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Re: critique my gear ... too

Postby bigwallclimber » Mon 26 Mar, 2018 7:48 am

Hi There,

First impressions from my perspective is that you may well be cold and hungry this is based on the following:

1. You are using a "commercial" polypro and given the temps I don't think it will be suffice with your fleece. I have experience in very cold environments and think you need to revisit your cold weather clothes.
2. Ditch all the camera gear less the camera,
3. You use the term "Some dehydrated stuff"? Have you looked at this ? The weight of 100gms will be insufficient based dinner for one meal and will leave you hungry.
4. No need for a GPS, a phone with a mapping app will do exactly the same just download the maps offline and use them whilst on the walk. I only carry my phone and a suunto gps watch and never get lost,
5. You can loose more weight by culling the following, comb, shaver, nail brush, fire starting sticks and matches (use a bic) ditch the gps keep the compass and 2nd sleeping bag.
6. I do not see any allocation of weight for dry bags, pack liner, stove.

I would raise concerns on a coolmax shirt polo from south korea, it is just an unknown and leaves you open to problems. Why not go with a Columbia or similar long sleeve that converts to a short sleeve. You will get easily burnt there.

I would add to the mix a buff or similar it is invaluable and stops you getting easily burnt.

Just my thoughts.

Dave
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Re: critique my gear ... too

Postby Warin » Tue 27 Mar, 2018 8:45 am

bigwallclimber wrote:1. You are using a "commercial" polypro and given the temps I don't think it will be suffice with your fleece. I have experience in very cold environments and think you need to revisit your cold weather clothes.

:) And another wants me to use a lighter fleece. Yes ... I do have a heavier weight thermal bottom .. but not a top? Well not found one yet.
bigwallclimber wrote:2. Ditch all the camera gear less the camera,

That is a choice.. I'd keep a waterproof bag, the filters and 2nd battery as a minimum. But I'd like to take the tripod and shutter release.
One could ditch the camera and use the phone camera too .. but ! the camera comes.
bigwallclimber wrote:3. You use the term "Some dehydrated stuff"? Have you looked at this ? The weight of 100gms will be insufficient based dinner for one meal and will leave you hungry.

Yes .. someone else advised 600g/day .. :) This is the weight before any rehydration.
The 'second lunch' is after the walk, as I set up camp .. and could be viewed as 'pre dinner' food. At present it is only cup of soup, tea/hot chocolate.
The 'some dehydrated stuff' .. well there are some 9 of these so they will vary, I hope to keep my interest up. Some will be commercial, others my own, and some a combination of commercial and my own. I do not plan on being hungry! I have a google doc on this ... basically I want a minimum number of kJ per day and I have that covered. For dinners ;
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... edit#gid=0
bigwallclimber wrote:4. No need for a GPS, a phone with a mapping app will do exactly the same just download the maps offline and use them whilst on the walk. I only carry my phone and a suunto gps watch and never get lost,

Don't think I'd need anything beyond a paper map and a pencil for the OT itself .. it is the side trips where some real navigation is helpfull. My phone looses signal in tree cover where my GPS retains signal, and the GPS batteries last longer than the phone batteries too.
bigwallclimber wrote:5. You can loose more weight by culling the following, comb, shaver, nail brush, fire starting sticks and matches (use a bic) ditch the gps keep the compass and 2nd sleeping bag.

The bic lighters are around 27g .. the matches around 9g. If weight were the main concern then matches win. Unfortunately there is rain to consider .. matches don't work if wet. The bic is about the same weight as the fire stick .. and the fire stick is more reliable. Might ditch the matches at 9g? But the matches are cheaper, take 20 matches ... umm 6g. Humm it is the box that weighs ... so 2 packs of 5 matches and a striker in glad rap, and 2 more packs of 5 matches in glad rap .. needs experimentation.
Cut the comb in half will work. Similar to tooth brush.
Shaver .. most of the weight here is in the brush .. still thinking in this, not having it will cut heating (gas use) too.
I have ordered a Toaks pot and that will need some measurements of gas use.
bigwallclimber wrote:6. I do not see any allocation of weight for dry bags, pack liner, stove.

The stove is there - bottom of cooking. There are some sinylon bags, possibly included with their contents? Yet to add a pack rain cover. And a plastic bag liner.

Arr .. I have 2 'sacks' in the clothing section ... those would be 'dry bags' ... there should be some in the 'sleeping' section!

bigwallclimber wrote:I would raise concerns on a coolmax shirt polo from south korea, it is just an unknown and leaves you open to problems. Why not go with a Columbia or similar long sleeve that converts to a short sleeve. You will get easily burnt there.

I'll be doing some walks in the polo shirt before I leave to judge its performance and comfort. The convertible shirts I have .. and have some walks in them, so they are a fall back.
bigwallclimber wrote:I would add to the mix a buff or similar it is invaluable and stops you getting easily burnt.

Yes... I'd prefer a hat myself .. hence the home made hat, bits from a collapsing hat from china redone in silnylon with a back flap. Think I have it as 'hat warm' ...might be better described as 'hat - sun/rain'?
bigwallclimber wrote:Just my thoughts.

Thanks ... keep 'em coming .. provokes though. I have a planed 6 day walk to test things before I get far from home. That should sort out some bugs.
Last edited by Warin on Tue 27 Mar, 2018 10:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: critique my gear ... too

Postby Warin » Tue 27 Mar, 2018 9:16 am

warnabrother wrote:200g for a first aid kit - can we get a breakdown


This is fairly universal and may be better addressed here

viewtopic.php?f=58&t=27543
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Re: critique my gear ... too

Postby Mark F » Tue 27 Mar, 2018 10:48 am

You show 200g each of sun screen and bug repellent - both far more than what will be required - perhaps 100g or less total for a saving of 300g. Consider either a combination sun/bug lotion or even drop the bug repellent as the flies will have largely disappeared so a few mossies at sunset should be about all you will face.

Murphy says "If you don't take sun screen you are far more likely to have sunny weather" :D

You also have water in your list twice. There is no reason to carry more than 1 litre, but it is useful to have storage capacity for 3 litres for overnight use.

Drop the baby wipes - they don't degrade (regardless of what is printed on the packet) and would need to be carries out - certainly not to be put in the toilets.
"Perfection is attained not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to remove".
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Re: critique my gear ... too

Postby Warin » Tue 27 Mar, 2018 3:25 pm

Thanks Mark.

I've gone with the combined bug/sunscreen .. 75g net .. estimated 95g.
Dumped the 1 l of water .. added 2 more bottles .. though I might drop that back to 1 as it is Tassie.

Baby wipes I usually burn in the camp fire .. but as everywhere is becoming a fuel fire only that needs some re-evaluation.

Need to work on the clothing for warmth. Just been out with the polo shirt - it is ok, bit warmer than the bushwalking shirts but I don't think it is any more sweaty.
I may drop the second sleeping bag and add weight to the thermals.
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Re: critique my gear ... too

Postby north-north-west » Tue 27 Mar, 2018 6:09 pm

No campfires in Tasmanian NPs has been the rule for a long time. There are some coal stoves on the southern part of the track in which you could burn things but you'd have to carry them until you reach the first of those huts.
"Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens."
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Re: critique my gear ... too

Postby andrewa » Tue 27 Mar, 2018 8:15 pm

Upper warmth - the most efficient stuff I've is one of the RAB synthetic filled jackets with hoods, at about 300g - a lot lighter than a fleece jacket if similar warmth. Hood makes a big difference. I try to have 300g as the upper limit for any bit of clothing, except mid winter in the snow when I have a 700g RAB neutrino jacket.

2 sleeping bags? - more useful to take more clothing, and sleep in that ( for snow camping I have a 700g quilt, and sleep in RAB neutrino jacket, down pants (300g) and down booties).

Firelighting - I recently tried cotton balls impregnated with Vaseline - wonderful - burnt for about 3 minutes. Probably the best firelighter I've used. I Bick, and a smaller spare. Matches are unreliable, and fire steel heavy.

Insect repellent/ sunscreen - my major focus on this is repelling sandflies in NZ west coast rivers - a 100ml bottle with a mixture of dettol, tea tree oil, sunscreen, and baby oil was enough for 10 days; worked well, and made you feel "hospital clean" after applying it! A head net solves the head bit.

Toilet paper - a roll lasts me >10 days.

I've done most of my photography/video/GPS stuff in recent years with my iPhone. A 20000mA battery pack/charger was miles more than I needed for 10 days, as I also recharged the Sat phone with it.

First aid - yep, lots of discussion here. I'm a GP, and whilst there is likely an expectation that I have a decent first aid kit, the most used things are bandaids, a bandage , some antihistamines, a broad spectrum antibiotic, and a basic pain killer. I broke my wrist in NZ a few years ago, and was able to improvise a splint with some wood, cardboard and a bandage, and this was fine until our planned helicopter pick up the following evening.

Water bottles - I use empty wine bladders. They double as pillows, esp the 10l ones. And they also get used as part of a home made PFD for packrafting.

Also think a bit laterally - when flyfishing/packrafting in NZ, I normally take a thin neoprene ( surfing inner) top (1mm), and neoprene paddling leggings (NRS) instead of waders, and some NRS hydroskin socks . Not suggesting the leggings, but there have been plenty of times I've just worn the neoprene top under a rain coat when it's just been pissing with rain, and I've wanted to keep my other stuff dryer. I also use it as a pillow case. The socks are also cozy warm if walking in the cold/snow etc.

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Re: critique my gear ... too

Postby warnabrother » Thu 05 Apr, 2018 2:33 pm

I just finished my walk and it was wet nearly every day. so take from this what you will..
didn't need sunscreen or insect spray at all.. too cold and wet.. cold days your'e wearing long sleeves anyway
peak cap over hat for sure. works great with rain gear
definitely do not need GPS, everything is well signed or obvious
saw and spoke with lots of people with lots of camera gear.. they used nearly none of it
get a warmer sleeping bag.. and/or use a puffy jacket in your bag
only fire making opportunity is at Pine Valley and Echo Point huts in the cola stoves.. the rest are all gas
take some cord.. comes in handy
we walked in merino baslayer and rain jacket everyday except one with it wan't raining and we used our windshirts..
get VERY good waterproof, warm gloves.. my RAB storm gloves stayed dry.. my wifes' Matt gloves didn't
take ear plugs and use them at home before to get used to.. even on the tent platforms you hear lots of noise
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Re: critique my gear ... too

Postby Warin » Thu 05 Apr, 2018 6:01 pm

Ear plugs...
I have been using the ones I have for years.
The key is to find ones that fit your ears - they need to fill the circumference without gaps to ensure sound reduction.
Any they need to be comfortable!
They come in different shapes and sizes. I found the hexagonal 'MSA Hi Low' ones were best for me and bought in bulk ... quite a few left.
They are washable - put them in a pants pocket, wash and dry well.

Gloves. I find the transition between the glove and jacket critical - water dripping down the inside of the glove is not good.
Gloves with wet insides are difficult to get back on.

Camera gear - people tend not to use it when it is wet .. pity. Some good shots to be had in 'bad' weather.
And the 'bad' weather also dissuades side trips too. :(

String. Length of 'builders brick line' works well - light weight, cheap and thin. Bit stretchy. Cloths pegs can be had from bread plastic closures - free and light they come with the bread you buy to close the plastic bag, have not weight them yet.
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Re: critique my gear ... too

Postby bobcrusader » Thu 05 Apr, 2018 6:25 pm

What a difference 3 months makes. We had no rain, needed lots of sunscreen, didn't use our rain gear, gloves, beanies or thermals and I wish I'd brought more camera gear!
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