Bushwalk Australia

funny story...

https://agrihq.co.nz/article/hut-etiquette?p=113

Theres a lesson there. Be extra careful with metho.

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Hut etiquette
1 when you are finished cooking shove your stuff out the way
2 don't set up cook stuff all over the seats, others might like to sit down and not get a sticky dirty *&%$#!
3 keep your *&%$#! gear in a small area
4 clean up after yourself pigs
5 leave wood in the fire ready to Lite when you depart

I am a bit confused by hut etiquette in the alpine region. All the info from the official sources state they are for emergency purposes. Yet all the journals seem to indicate that it's okay to stay in them for whatever reason. What's the actual story?

Well, there's a bit of karma with the sleeping bag anyway.

jjoz58 wrote:I am a bit confused by hut etiquette in the alpine region. All the info from the official sources state they are for emergency purposes. Yet all the journals seem to indicate that it's okay to stay in them for whatever reason. What's the actual story?

I think it is pretty common for people to have their meals in huts (tables and chairs are mighty appealing), but generally you should plan on sleeping in a tent outside.

Part of the official discouragement comes from not wanting people to rely on them - either the huts are already full, that they are still available for those who stumble in 2 hours after dark and are borderline hypothermic, or people who hadn't been aware that a particular hut had burned down over summer can get caught with no shelter. And perhaps to reduce the risk of the hut burning down due to spilt fuel or a spark in the chimney.

Personally, if no one else has turned up close to nightfall, I'll often sleep in the hut.

Also, in the context of the article, I think that sleeping in huts is far more acceptable in NZ than it is in Australia.

Stay in them if you want. Just be mindful of others, some huts have the seats as beds so don't set everything up early afternoon. Expect Walkers to arrive after dark and want to use the hut to cook and sit for a bit, just because you and your mates are taking up all the beds and got there first doesn't mean it's YOUR hut.

walkon wrote:Stay in them if you want. Just be mindful of others, some huts have the seats as beds so don't set everything up early afternoon. Expect Walkers to arrive after dark and want to use the hut to cook and sit for a bit, just because you and your mates are taking up all the beds and got there first doesn't mean it's YOUR hut.

Good to know, because if I'm unlucky and strike snow, I will be seeing it for the first time and would rather be in a hut. Otherwise I prefer my tent.

jjoz58 wrote:I am a bit confused by hut etiquette in the alpine region. All the info from the official sources state they are for emergency purposes. Yet all the journals seem to indicate that it's okay to stay in them for whatever reason. What's the actual story?

The actual story is that for a building to be officially acceptable as overnight accommodation (in anything other than an emergency), there are very strict requirements as to construction and equipment standards. It is not possible to build or maintain these huts to those standards, so the owners and managers (mostly the relevant P&WS) have to officially state that they are not to be used overnight except in emergencies, even though they know (and in most cases accept) that many people count on using the huts to sleep in.
I've seen quite a few 'lightweight' walkers - especially in KNP - who don't carry tents but rely on the huts. Dangerous if the weather goes off, which it can do very quickly up there.

jjoz58 wrote:I am a bit confused by hut etiquette in the alpine region. All the info from the official sources state they are for emergency purposes. Yet all the journals seem to indicate that it's okay to stay in them for whatever reason. What's the actual story?

In NZ you can purchase a backcountry pass (about $50 a season) that gives you right to stay in any of the back country huts (not the great walk huts which are $30-40 per night). They are very high quality huts, I think there is some rule limiting the length of time you can stay in a hut.

http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recrea ... -bookings/

theres quite a few other huts besides the great walks huts that require booking at least at certain times of the year, you can't use a back country hut pass for those huts, check with the doc website site, every year they keep adding to the huts that require booking... if its a popular area. chances are it will need booking or will eventually turn into a hut that needs booking.

jjoz58 wrote:I am a bit confused by hut etiquette in the alpine region. All the info from the official sources state they are for emergency purposes. Yet all the journals seem to indicate that it's okay to stay in them for whatever reason. What's the actual story?

One reason not to stay in many of them is the existing inhabitants, eg, mice and rats. Read the log book for reports before deciding to stay inside.