Mid May OLT advice

[Benoulli]

Hi all,

Hoping to get a bit of advice from some experienced overland trekkers.

The wife and I have booked in for the OLT starting from the 10th May, basically we have some gear already and would like to know if you guys think we will be warm enough or if we need to upgrade.

We have Denali lite 200 sleeping bags, Sea to Summit comfort plus insulated sleeping mats and a Ninox 3600 tent.

In theory I think these will be fine, especially combined with thermals and jackets if needed but I'm not experienced with Tassie weather so just looking for some professional advice.

Thanks!

[north-north-west]

It depends on whether you sleep warm or cold. If the temp ratings on the bags are accurate you'll probably be OK. But May can turn on anything from snow to heatwave, so there's never a certainty.

[Benoulli]

Thanks for that! I'm a hot sleeper however my wife is a cold sleeper, might just look for a new bag for her then I think.

[founders]

Just wanted to tack a question on to this thread.

I'm thinking of walking with my partner in May next year. She has a Macpac bag that is rated (looks like a formal certification) -3/-9 (comfort, limit). We've been in the Walls in early April on a cold night at Dixons (must have been around zero, but nothing froze, a bit of frost about), and she was okay with thermals.

My feeling is that we should probably source a warmer bag for her? If we only slept in huts I think she'd be fine, but I'd be worried if we had to sleep in a tent for whatever reason. Another option is that we could take my Large One Planet Nitrous as a backup and use it as an extra layer in case of emergency, but seems excessive, and I hate these ultralight bags in cold, wet Tasmanian walks.

She'll be on a sleeping mat with a 4.2 R rating at least, so I don't think that would be an issue.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[north-north-west]

Tents are often warmer than huts. Far less empty space for your bodies to heat up.

[eggs]

I have a light weight bag which is not sub zero, but have used a bivvy bag [155g] which can go over it to substantially improve the warmth.
I have not had to use it with my sub zero bag yet, but it gives a nice degree of flexibility for changing weather conditions.

[Last]

I have a bag that is rated -9/-15 and have been out in the central highlands in June when that wasn't enough. Crystal clear nights. It was -10 at Liawenee, no idea what it was where I was. Wore everything I had. Was never really warm. You need to be equipped for the worst case scenario.