Critique My Gear - Great Ocean Walk (well some of it)

[Dexter]

Heading off to walk some of the GOW (about 3 and a bit days)...

I'm sure the chair will be deducted by most but I'm keen to see if I think it's worth the weight. What would you remove or add?

https://lighterpack.com/r/v44nn0

Edit: food needs tweaking. I'll take a fresh wrap for day one, and come up with some lunch ideas. I'm not much of a breaky guy. I usually have a cup of tea and after setting off start snacking on trail mix and m&ms.

[EGM]

Looks like a pretty well thought out list.

Without knowing what other equipment you own I would take a lighter sleeping bag and water filter because I assume most of your water will come from tanks and the temp won't get too cold this time of year. I wouldn't bother with the gaiters or rain pants depending on the conditions.

As for anything to add, I always like a fleece but if it's meant to be hot I guess you won't need it.

I'm intrigued by the road running shoes. How do you find them for bush walking?

Enjoy the trip

(Others are almost certainly more experienced than me so take my suggestions with a grain of salt)

[Dexter]

I think you're spot on with the sleeping bag. It won't get down to below about 12c. But alas, it's the only bag I have that isn't a non hiking synthetic 25 year old bag. A summer bag is something I do need to be fair.

Showers are forecast but nothing serious. I could leave the rain pants but they can double for a bit of warmth if the shorts are a bit chilly on the willy! I can swap the shorts with some black soft shell-ish pants that have zip off bottoms and turn into shorts. I'll give that some thought, and compare weight.

The shoes! No idea, have gone from boots to GTX trail runners, and now tying out these non waterproof runners instead. I'm not really convinced that Gore-Tex shoes are helpful and they just stay wet. These are obviously much lighter and more breathable, but still have an aggressive tread pattern. No real protection through the sole for stones and such though. I'm giving them a spin I guess.

Oh, and the water filter is kinda heavy. I'm a touch paranoid at getting sick from water so a filter if some kind, even for piece of mind is something I'll take. It's great for camp and there's usually three of us. Since it's communal and I am carrying the significant weight of the first aid kit, I could also palm it off to one of the others. But I also feel a little bad, they are substantially smaller than me. Not at all saying ladies aren't fully capable of carrying weight, but the reality is their gear isn't as good as mine and already carrying as much or more than I am. The filter is also incredibly fast. We can top up all our water in a matter of mins.

[EGM]

You might have some sweaty nights in that bag haha.

I should have been more specific about the filter. I wasn't suggesting you don't filter, I like to use a steripen for tank water because it doesn't need filtering just sterilised. If you're in a group your filter makes sense.

I agree that GTX runners are a waste of time in decent conditions but there are lots of non waterproof trail runners. They tent to have a bit more stability.

I just had a squiz at the weather and looks pretty perfect.

[Dexter]

Yeah I have been searching for some breathable trail runners. Easy enough to get online. I bought some Salomon XA 3D. I'm not sure if it's because they are the new V8 model or if the non GTX fits different. I've worn the GTX version for years and they always fit like a glove. These slipped at the heel and I sent them back. Since then, I've not wanted to buy any without trying them on. All the outdoor stores around here stock waterproof shoes. I've asked about it and they say that's what everyone wants even though they agree non waterproof is better for most bushwalkers. They can order some in for me but I'd like to be able to try on a few and see what feels right for me. That's when I just switched to ditching the trail runner idea and just buying some comfortable runners with a decent tread pattern.

I wouldn't think I'd want to use them off trail but for fairly well maintained tracks I reckon they will be okay.

Yeah I've had a number of nights with that bag opened up like a blanket instead of zipping it up!


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[Lamont]

I would definitely spend (add) and get a long sleeved nylon button up collared UPF30+ fishing shirt. BCF/Patagonia.
Your runners will be fine as long as they're in pretty decent nick before you set off.
Have a top time.

[Eremophila]

I'd ditch the chair as all of the campsites have a 3-sided shelter with bench seating around the walls.

No sleeping clothes?

I'd be quite happy with that sleeping bag, I'm a cold sleeper and would prefer to be too warm/unzip/sleep on top than be cold.

When I was there in September, Aire River was quite mosquito-ish and I'd imagine it would be much worse now. Some kind of repellent might be handy. And in view of recent rainfall the leeches may be plentiful too.

Technology wise, I don't know enough about GPS units to know why you would want both the watch and the eTrex. That said, I take my Kindle which is around 350g - I like to read in the tent at night.

That's a very stylish hat

If you are really skimping on weight, you won't need a compass.

I've only ever used Micropur tablets and haven't had a problem. There was a fallen tree/bush over the water tank inlet at Blanket Bay, this was being attended to by Parks the day I left.

I wore my rain pants over my (long) hiking pants a couple of times in the evenings, for some extra warmth. Good if it's breezy.

I've found my Macpac Uber Light to be not-very-warm-at-all. After around 18 months of wearing and washing (always tumble dried), you can see the down in small clumps with lots of space in between. It wouldn't be warm enough for me, especially without another long sleeved top.

Will you be hungry enough to be wanting to cook noodles for lunch ?

Re the toilet paper - all of the WC's had oodles of paper in them, so you're unlikely to need more than what you've allowed.

Enjoy!

[Dexter]

Great advice! Cheers. I have the rain jacket to go over the uber light if I get cold. The ladies will be glad to hear the loo paper haha.

The GPS is new so I'm keen to give a run. I've marked out all toilets as waypoints lol. The watch is more for a fitness tracker just for fun.

I've got some Bushman's for bugs. I must have missed it on the list.

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[ChrisJHC]

Depending on your itinerary, you may find some of the suggested legs quite short.
Hence you’ll be spending a fair bit of time in camp.
Second the need for a Kindle or similar to while the nights away.

Alternatively, look at combining some of the easier / shorter sections to do two in a day.

Re rain pants, I prefer to walk in shorts down to about 10 degrees. I only carry rain pants if heavy rain is forecast. I then use them when stopped rather than while walking.

Warm clothes to change into for camp are a great idea.
I also carry sandals for camp but they’re one of the first things to go if weight is an issue.

Chair - no need as others have mentioned.

Re lunch on day 1 - if you’re starting in Apollo Bay the bakery is great! Not sure I could stomach their scallop pie, though.

Re water treatment, I’m 99% convinced the warning signs are CYA only, however your call.

Hope that helps!

[ChrisJHC]

You might like to pack some Nurofen for the aching muscles as well.

[nezumi]

I'm approaching this from an ultralight/weight weenie mindset, so potentially a different approach entirely, but here goes:

• As mentioned above, a summer weight bag would be good. Is the sleeping bag liner to actually be used inside the bag, or over the sleeping mat?
• Unless you are a sucker (pun intended) for the hydration bladder setup, replace this with 2 x 1-1.5L generic water bottles from the supermarket, e.g. mount franklin/coles brand/woolies brand. Weight saving: ~240g
• Aquatabs and a filter? ome or the other. If you have a lighter filter, go for that? Sawyer mini/squeeze/ Katadyn BeFree?
• Do you need to take both phones? Would a single phone + battery pack work? Similarly for the GPS watch & eTrex.
• That first aid kit seems really heavy - it's around 7% of your base pack weight. Is there anything you can drop from that?
• Wallet? Unless you need everything, just take some cash + license for the drive to the walk + maybe one bankcard? Given the carrying of two phones, surely one has NFC and the ability to pay from the phone?
• Just a list note - record the empty weight of the fuel canister once it's known, so that you can record the remaining gas weight as a consumable next time. Likewise, under worn clothing, you have a t-shirt listed but don't have it marked as worn.

[Dexter]

Thanks for that! Loads to think about. I'm far from an ultralight hiker as you can see! But always great to see where others would strip weight. There's a lot to respond to haha. I guess I'll add some of rational for a few.

The first aid kit is something I've thought about slimming down. At the same time I don't know if I want to make concessions on it? I have a lot stashed in there in addition to the initial kit... anticeptic, stingos, snake bandage, 2x space blankets. Truth be told I don't know what I should cut out, or if I should.

Filter and tablets I'm sure is potentially overkill but in regards to weight, the tablets are so light that I have no real reason not to take them along. If the filter were to clog up or break somehow, I'd have tablets as an option. I'm probably overly cautious when it comes to first aid / water / safety.

A summer bag is something I should look at. The liner is something to sleep in without the bag if it's warm, and means I don't have to go through the trauma of washing the bag very often. I feel more comfy in it whether using the bag around me or just over me as a blanket.

GPS I just bought. I want to give it a run, but also just like my gadgets and like to see ETA and distances to camp etc. I'm sure I don't particularly need one on the GOW. The watch I just use to track the activity - because I like looking at fancy graphs! I don't use it to navigate. I like calculating how many beers worth of walking I've done, and potentially drinking that many when I'm done

Two phones was actually me losing some weight. Instead of taking a 440g camera, one phone switched off and left in the pack if a call needs to be made. Other used as my camera. I just dont like the idea of potentially flattening the battery of a phone that may need to be used in an emergency. I have an Anker 5000mAh power bank but really not that much different in weight anyway.

Bottles vs bladder is something I've gone back and forth on, but I'm definitely a sucker haha. I just don't drink enough with bottles. I forget to.

If one thing I've learnt from this thread is that a lighter bag is something to look at in the future. Cheers!!





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[Dexter]

Oh and thanks for mentioning the shirt. It's a new shirt and forgot to add it as 'worn'.

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[Dexter]

Depending on your itinerary, you may find some of the suggested legs quite short.
Hence you’ll be spending a fair bit of time in camp.
Second the need for a Kindle or similar to while the nights away.

Alternatively, look at combining some of the easier / shorter sections to do two in a day.

Re rain pants, I prefer to walk in shorts down to about 10 degrees. I only carry rain pants if heavy rain is forecast. I then use them when stopped rather than while walking.

Warm clothes to change into for camp are a great idea.
I also carry sandals for camp but they’re one of the first things to go if weight is an issue.

Chair - no need as others have mentioned.

Re lunch on day 1 - if you’re starting in Apollo Bay the bakery is great! Not sure I could stomach their scallop pie, though.



Re water treatment, I’m 99% convinced the warning signs are CYA only, however your call.

Hope that helps!

Thanks for that. What is CYA?

Noted - Bakery sounds good to me!!

Yeah they are short days, but we generally don't do fast pace large walks. I would say I'm probably able to go a little further than my friends, but they also have older heavier gear and much smaller than I am. I'm happy to go for a relaxing getaway.

I could ditch rain pants, but mozzies were also mentioned. They go to town on me. I must have tasty blood! So I'm a tad hesitant to let them go, they could be helpful in the evenings.

I bought the worlds smallest Uno set.... I might take that along for time at camp

[Eremophila]

I think Chris is meaning Cover Your A**.

You’ll have time to have a nice leisurely breakfast each day. I spent a good hour watching the light from the rising sun hit the waves at Johanna Beach. It was mesmerising.

I’m not generally a target for mozzies but at Aire River they were biting through my pants without a problem.

The weather is looking pretty good for you.

[Dexter]

I think Chris is meaning Cover Your A**.

Ohh yep. That's likely the case most of the time you see signs regarding treating water. At the same time getting gastro while on a multi day walk is my idea of a nightmare. The tiny amount of effort to treat water seems a no brainer to me.

Yep! Weather holding off, the only thing that could throw a spanner in the works is one of the crew is coming down with something. Hopefully it's just the sniffles and she's good to go.

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[ChrisJHC]

I think Chris is meaning Cover Your A**.

Yep.