Bushwalk Australia

Lightweight backpacking is easy in warm, dry climates. It’s not that difficult in cold, dry climates either. You just need warmer clothing and sleeping bag. Change that dry to wet though and backpacking, light or heavy, becomes much harder. Staying comfortable when the rain pours down, wet mist swirls over the land and the ground is sodden requires the right equipment and the skill to use it efficiently, especially when such conditions last for days or even weeks at a time. In some places such conditions are not unusual. I’ve hiked for weeks a time in cold, wet weather in the Scottish Highlands, the Norwegian mountains and the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As I live in the Scottish Highlands I hike and camp in cold, wet weather regularly every year and have done so for over thirty years during which time I’ve tested a huge range of equipment and discovered what works well in the wet and cold and what doesn’t. I’ve also developed techniques that make the best use of equipment and minimize the chance of getting wet and cold, which is the big danger. Staying completely dry is not an option in these conditions; the choice is between being damp and comfortable or wet and cold.

greyim wrote:Hi Wayno, It's a good point, I've never been lightweight on wet trips...
Can you advise, examples of a "windshirt" also Paramo, do we have similar here. Merino I understand!