Bushwalk Australia

As most of you might be aware, i am in training at present to do the OT next year. i have been researching every aspect of hiking, equipment and such. thing i have noticed it the wearing of denim seems to be a no-no, admitedly not too comfortable but at present is all i have - (only been doing day walks thus far anyway). So what does one wear when one goes bushwalking, particularly for overnighters?

I would also appreciate any info on gaiters, it seems everyone uses them but i cant seem to find any anyway. Dont even really know what they look like.

Scubabob check out the Gallery entry by speculator(number 9) and you can find a good shot of yours truly (inspecting the four poster bed ) wearing a good example of gear for your trip the only exception is that I have my day pack as opposed to my main pack PM me for any information as to the gear /clothing you need and I will be happy to assist you.
corvus

G'day Bob,

There are two problems with denim trousers for bushwalking: Firstly, they are cotton, and have the potential to get you very cold, very fast, if they get wet; secondly, any full length trousers, can become very difficult to walk in when wet - they tend to stick to your legs, then pull down as your legs bend/extend while walking.

I usually walk in thermal tights during cold weather, with shorts over the top (partly for the look, but also to have a couple of pockets handy). During warm weather, of course, I just wear shorts.

There's a bit of discussion on gaiters in this forum topic, including a couple of pictures.

Son of a Beach wrote:I usually walk in thermal tights during cold weather, with shorts over the top (partly for the look, but also to have a couple of pockets handy). During warm weather, of course, I just wear shorts.

Same as Nik (and with gaiters) Put up a post on my blog http://frankinoz.blogspot.com/ recently of the clothes I take for a winter hike (with pictures) It might help you work out what you wear.

I wear a pair of Wild Country pants with zip-off legs. They're lightweight and made of a parachute-like material. They're probably not the warmest, but then that's what thermals are for. They're handy in that if it gets too hot, or your pants get soaked you can just zip the legs off and they become shorts. Also being so light and synthetic they dry very quickly. Sadly though I can't vouch for them on extended walks, I haven't had them long enough.

I can backup the problems with denim from personal experience though. I got caught out on what was a beautiful day with no clouds in the sky except one snow cloud clinging to the top of St. Valentines Peak (my destination). It was a day walk, so it wasn't so bad, but I spent most of the time pushing through snow-covered scrub at about the knee level which melted on my jeans and proceeded to run down and fill my boots and gaiters. When I stopped of course, the wind cooled the water on the jeans and it became a little chilly. They also became heavy and awkward. For a day-walk it was tolerable, but I wouldn't want to put up with it for any longer.

L8r.

My dad use to swear by the old army wollen trousers. Very hot in the summer.
I mainly wear shorts unless there is bush bashing then its long pants. Is there anything more uncomfortable than pushing through bush in shorts(especially when its wet. A full day of that and your knees are red raw.
In summer I wear shorts and carry a pair of tracksuit pants as a back up. The trackies are the light (parachute type material) with the cotton liner cut out. Very light but hard wearing and are fairly windproof.
In winter or bushbashing its a pair of Macpac Rockovers.

As for gaiters have a look at the Sea to Summit site, they have a comprehensive list of gaiters. Their range runs from cheap nylons up to goretex and canvas
My first couple of trips through the Park were in the 70's and we didnt even use gaiters and there was alot more mud in those days(but you could dry your socks over the fire while you cooked tea on it).

Roger

My dad use to swear by the old army wollen trousers. Very hot in the summer. <SNIP>
My first couple of trips through the Park were in the 70's and we didnt even use gaiters and there was alot more mud in those days(but you could dry your socks over the fire while you cooked tea on it).

Norts comments brought back memories of my first Tassie trip to see Lake Pedder in 1971. As a mob of Queenslanders we usually wore light cotton rugby shorts unless the weather really, REALLY, got cold. Here is a photo that shows the gear of the times

When it got cold and wet I had a pair of what we called "Postmans pants" - a thick wool navy serge, probably the same as Norts Dad's woolen army pants - kept you warm but got very heavy when saturated. Here is a historic photo of me extricating myself from a bog on the "Sodden Loddons" wearing the woolen trousers and a grey wool flannel shirt over a cotton "fish net" singlet. Had to drop the pack off to get free!

When the oilskin japara jackets no longer kept you dry and all the wool clothing was wet, this is what we looked like.

These days I prefer thermals and quick dry shorts on top with lots of pockets for quick access to bits and pieces on the track.

LOVE that last photo, sums it all up i think. Thanks to all for your great advice, time and links to sites. Really appreciate it.

scubabob wrote:LOVE that last photo, sums it all up i think.

Yeah... Too cold to be stuffed, and too stuffed to be cold... Or something like that. Sure does bring back memories.

in these photos I did not find any pants in it...

ritasamson wrote:in these photos I did not find any pants in it...

Here ya go:



Some wear less. Better if its not cotton. Wool or synthetics are fine, wool takes longer to get stinky

How does one get thermal tights off without taking ones shorts off when the weather warms up?
I've been thinking about this problem for a long time and I wonder if a pair of button crutch shorts would be the go? From a woman's perspective it would have certain other advantages...

Pants are definitely a problem. There just does not seem to be anything that really fits the bill for me. Because I hike and fish, I am constantly in snake country so this is a big issue for me. Also crossing fences and blackberry infestations etc. I need something really tough and the light weight synthetic cool hikers just don’t do it. I want long pants that have a tight weave, are thick and loose around the lower leg because this gives snakes a large loose target which increases the chances they might only get a mouthful or cloth. I wear heavy weight gaiters underneath in the hope of extra protection and wet wade with boots and thick socks. So I want all this cloth to shed water freely and dry as quickly as possible for a heavy cloth. So the cloth weight and toughness keeps narrowing my options to cotton or polycotton as I react badly to wool. As this is not an ideal fabric, I am not prepared to spend a lot so that brings me to work wear. Most work, military or hunting wear is 100% cotton due to the issue of fire related injuries (welding etc) but there is some 60%-40% polycotton which is a compromise. I have seen a polycotton ripstop but only in military multi camo, so if you don’t mind that….. In all the years I have been fishing, I have not found anything I would regard as ideal rugged outdoor pants.

Cotton is relative cool for weight and handles odours well but not water. Though I find keeping on the move dries polycotton reasonably.


Regards,
Ken

juju wrote:How does one get thermal tights off without taking ones shorts off when the weather warms up?
I've been thinking about this problem for a long time and I wonder if a pair of button crutch shorts would be the go? From a woman's perspective it would have certain other advantages...

Have you considered wearing the knee warmers (covers mid thigh to mid calf) or leg warmers (ankle to top of thigh) that cyclists use? They work a treat. Put them on when it's cold and pull them off again when it warms up - no need to remove anything (the knee warmers are wide enough to take off over your shoes/boots; the leg warmers have a zip at the bottom to allow this). You can get varying thicknesses depending on the temperatures you are likely to be walking/riding in. (I had some because I ride and decided to try them for bushwalking/hiking). They work a treat!

Cheers,

JB

sailfish wrote: I need something really tough and the light weight synthetic cool hikers just don’t do it. I want long pants that have a tight weave, are thick and loose around the lower leg because this gives snakes a large loose target which increases the chances they might only get a mouthful or cloth.

That sounds like a job for nylon to me.

It's tough, It can be had in reasonable weights, and it dries quick. Patagonia, ExOfficio and others do it. Unfortunately overpriced here if you can find them. I've been using some ExOfficio nylon pants since 2005 and have found them to be unbreakable. They were called 'the basic pant' but seem to be discontinued now. (probably because they lasted so well, no-one ever came back for more)

Here's some Patagonia pants to look at:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/bookings/tr ... _pants.htm

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/bookings/tr ... _pants.htm

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/bookings/tr ... _pants.htm

sailfish wrote: want long pants that have a tight weave, are thick and loose around the lower leg because this gives snakes a large loose target which increases the chances they might only get a mouthful or cloth. ....

I got no experience with these in real life use (and hope i never will) but maybe something like this can come in handy too?
http://www.moontrail.com/accessrs/a-emerg/venom_extractor.html

juju wrote:How does one get thermal tights off without taking ones shorts off when the weather warms up?
I've been thinking about this problem for a long time and I wonder if a pair of button crutch shorts would be the go? From a woman's perspective it would have certain other advantages...

Juju as a fellow female hiker I often go with either -as the others have said thermals under shorts, but also I make use of my compression tights as well. On a hot day I use compression shorts (bike pant length) and then I have a pair of the calf ones that go from your foot to just below your knee. I find these work well under my gaitors then I wear shorts over the top. if its really hot i dont bother with the bike pant length ones.
I'm also a fan of the zip off pants too.

ninjapuppet wrote:

sailfish wrote: want long pants that have a tight weave, are thick and loose around the lower leg because this gives snakes a large loose target which increases the chances they might only get a mouthful or cloth. ....

I got no experience with these in real life use (and hope i never will) but maybe something like this can come in handy too?
http://www.moontrail.com/accessrs/a-emerg/venom_extractor.html

A venom extractor? Seems like a ploy to extract cash instead.

Lindsay wrote:

ninjapuppet wrote:

sailfish wrote: want long pants that have a tight weave, are thick and loose around the lower leg because this gives snakes a large loose target which increases the chances they might only get a mouthful or cloth. ....

I got no experience with these in real life use (and hope i never will) but maybe something like this can come in handy too?
http://www.moontrail.com/accessrs/a-emerg/venom_extractor.html

A venom extractor? Seems like a ploy to extract cash instead.

Hmm, that's exactly what I was thinking. Funny how all the advice is to not mess with the bite site, just pad and wrap and keep wrapping the whole limb.


Regards,
Ken