mistakes i have made

[wayno]

summer tramp. two cups of coffee before I started, drinking sugared cordial from a small bottle on the track. eating nuts raisins and chocolate, walking up a mountain in mid twenties heat in the sun... big dehydration problem.... couldn't get down to the river fast enough..
last time I ever drank coffee before a trip, last time I ever drank cordial. in the future took far more water. avoided eating too much dry food on a hot day...

all those years carting around heavyweight winter gear in the middle of summer, wearing heavy wool tops in summer, wondering why I had prickly heat down my back..

[walkon]

Got heaps of these.

Should I tighten those laces, nah she'll be right. Ouch blisters and who needs toe nails anyway!

This looks a nice spot for a tent, after arriving way past dark dog tired. Awoke and tent felt like a water bed. Dry floor though boots outside drenched and tent in a massive puddle.

Yeah been here a ton of times before I know the area like the back of my hand! No no no never trust anyone else with directions and go anywhere without a map/gps/compass.

Just a few of many

[Clusterpod]

I knew I should have checked to see if I had packed more than one memory card

[perfectlydark]

Forgot the stove once

[DanShell]

I can relate to having a loose shoe lace but it was under my gaiter so I didn't worry about it.......blister

Poor tent site selection....laying in a river after a down pour

Thinking I could compensate for a poorly rated sleeping bag with clothes......freezing all night

Forgetting charging leads to camera

Not bringing waterproof gloves and it snowed and rained and hailed and the wind was blowing a gail......freezing hands

Not checking the depth of water before stepping into it.......standing in waste deep water on a freezing day

Not keeping an eye out for the pad.....spend the next hour or so bush bashing going no where on a hot day in steep terrain

[Hiking Noob]

I'll be using a $20 Aldi sleeping bag to do the OLT later this month so I will no doubt add to this thread, hahaha!

I have already regretted buying a couple of bits of gear because they were on sale rather than buying the perfect item for the job, I've ended up spending more buying a second item.

[DanShell]

I'll be using a $20 Aldi sleeping bag to do the OLT later this month so I will no doubt add to this thread, hahaha!

I have already regretted buying a couple of bits of gear because they were on sale rather than buying the perfect item for the job, I've ended up spending more buying a second item.

I have to ask...whats the rating of the sleeping bag? Might be better to solve the problem before you add that one to this thread! Its not a pleasant feeling being freezing.

[north-north-west]

Not bringing waterproof gloves and it snowed and rained and hailed and the wind was blowing a gail......freezing hands

Funny how that works. I've run into that sort of weather three times since I moved back down. Two of those walks were the only two in that entire time where I didn't take the heavy goretex gauntlets . . .

It's kind of like guaranteeing the cloud will lift by leaving your sunnies in the car.

[wayno]

taking a softshell jacket on a tramp I knew there was going to be torrential rain on... and believing the reviews it was as good as a waterproof jacket..... some places in the world must have a rather different definition of the words waterproof and rain to the NZ definition....

[perfectlydark]

I'll be using a $20 Aldi sleeping bag to do the OLT later this month so I will no doubt add to this thread, hahaha!

I have already regretted buying a couple of bits of gear because they were on sale rather than buying the perfect item for the job, I've ended up spending more buying a second item.

if its the lighter 'hiking' style one then replace it (they are good for summer around sydney but i wouldnt take it on the OLT). If its the bigger warmer one then replace it just too bulky imo but good enough for an overnighter if its not going to be below zero

[Hiking Noob]

I'll be using a $20 Aldi sleeping bag to do the OLT later this month so I will no doubt add to this thread, hahaha!

I have already regretted buying a couple of bits of gear because they were on sale rather than buying the perfect item for the job, I've ended up spending more buying a second item.

if its the lighter 'hiking' style one then replace it (they are good for summer around sydney but i wouldnt take it on the OLT). If its the bigger warmer one then replace it just too bulky imo but good enough for an overnighter if its not going to be below zero

Yeah it's the light one, I'm pretty fat and normally a sleeping bag works like one of those oven bags you put a chook in, I get cooked in my own juices. I just run hot so I don't think it will be an issue(however I'd imagine you guys would know a lot more than me), I'm in shorts and a shirt until about 10degrees so 2 degrees at night in a bag shouldn't be an issue......... Also this is my first hike and I really hope a few things go wrong, being perfectly prepared makes for a boring story. Watch for me on the news- Idiot hiker drowns in Aldi sleeping bag because he put his tent in a water course and his cheap tent turned into a raft, or something along those lines.

[perfectlydark]

Yeah id take something warmer. Those bags are 12 or 15 degrees comfort,.something like that. Even if your a hotter person thats a big differential.
you might be able to borrow something off someone if moneys an issue.
trust me, you are not going to want to be cold at night

[GPSGuided]

Where's that item? Damn! Still at home. Should have used a list.

[Empty]

None! Zippo! Zilch! My wife on the other hand..........

[Strider]

None! Zippo! Zilch! My wife on the other hand..........

So, you're saying that you made the mistake of marrying her?

[Empty]

I see your logic but am inclined to reject it and substitute my own.

[corvus]

Left the gas behind ,fortunately it was in my Trangia use days and we were in an area where a fire was possible so the Steaks et all got cooked

[geoskid]

Oh so many.
Worst was deciding to go over the Forth weir in a 2 person sit on top canoe.
The lights went out, and very, very nearly did'nt come back on.

[vicrev]

Well & truly lost, in a forest, in France,walked around for hours,had no food with me,turned out to be a commercial mushroom forest............I hate mushrooms....

[corvus]

I'll be using a $20 Aldi sleeping bag to do the OLT later this month so I will no doubt add to this thread, hahaha!

I have already regretted buying a couple of bits of gear because they were on sale rather than buying the perfect item for the job, I've ended up spending more buying a second item.

You read like a sensible person and if you are really as chubby as you say I believe that Sleeping Bag will do the job provided you intend Hut use especially this Month ,if you get cold sleeping put on more clothes

[ofuros]

Forgot the pot scourer on one of my earlier trips in tassie, so I substituted it with a teatree sprig from a nearby tree...for the next 3-4 days
every meal was tainted with *&%$#! teatree oil !

[Clusterpod]

I was so certain those boots would easily last just one more trip.

There was no way that that sole pealing off the uppers would just fall all the way off! No way at all.

Dental-floss lashings don't last much more than a kilometer on rocky ground, I can tell you that.

[north-north-west]

There are days when it feels like the only real mistake was getting into bushwalking in the first place . . .

[thejungleisneutral]

I once failed to read the instructions which came with a new Jetboil.

Overfilled it, then boiled it. The water bubbled over, meaning I scalded my fingers pretty badly while trying to turn it off.
Had carefully carried two fresh eggs for the first morning's breakfast. Proceeded to boil them in the JB cup. Stepped away for a moment, leaving the JB unattended. Sure enough, I was away long enough that it boiled dry and burst the egg shells, the contents of which burnt themselves onto the bottom of the cup and the cup became so hot it melted the neoprene cozy.
With a now-unusable cup (scraped off most of the baked-on eggs, but the charred egg smell stayed and it actually tainted the taste of any water I tried to boil), I started boiling my water by placing a 1lt aluminium billy directly on the jetboil's burner unit. It had to be offset slightly to work and thus my "melt the plastic base of the jetboil" adventure began. The metal bayonet fitting melted its way into the plastic base, so when it was done, the cup could only sit at a rakish angle.

By the end of the trip the poor thing was trashed

Lesson learned? Read The Freakin' Manual

[north-north-west]

Lesson learned? Read The Freakin' Manual

Don't be silly. You're a bloke. The rule for blokes is:
if all else fails, read the manual. Unless there's a beer handy. And if there isn't it's time for a run to the nearest bottleshop.

[Chezza]

summer tramp. two cups of coffee before I started, drinking sugared cordial from a small bottle on the track. eating nuts raisins and chocolate, walking up a mountain in mid twenties heat in the sun... big dehydration problem.... couldn't get down to the river fast enough..
last time I ever drank coffee before a trip, last time I ever drank cordial. in the future took far more water. avoided eating too much dry food on a hot day...

all those years carting around heavyweight winter gear in the middle of summer, wearing heavy wool tops in summer, wondering why I had prickly heat down my back..

Had a similar situation last winter. Two strong cups of coffee in the morning, a problem with my hydration hose, not being willing to stop to fix it, and not taking off my wind jacket when I was clearly overheating saw me suffer from dehydration and heat stress on 5 degC day. I don't consume caffeine when active outdoors anymore. I'm quite sensitive to the stuff and it makes no sense when proper hydration is critical. A long walk is also a good chance to kick the caffeine dependency, even if only for a little while.

[walk2wineries]

How do you start the day on only 2 cups of coffee?
Costco had thermos travel mugs with a genuinely waterproof top which can be disassembled and put in a dishwasher. Its had a couple of outings and it is my new don't-leave-home-without-it for day walks. Sometimes I take long life small cartons of coffee flavoured milk. Or freeze the normal ones. Extended walks - I like supported walks (tents etc by 4WD to the camping spot. Or lodges. or..) - if I don't trust the vendors to provide at least a litre of coffee before I start walking I ensure I have those coffee flavoured sweets. The Indonesian brand has caffeine. ..............

[walkon]

Lesson learned? Read The Freakin' Manual

Don't be silly. You're a bloke. The rule for blokes is:
if all else fails, read the manual. Unless there's a beer handy. And if there isn't it's time for a run to the nearest bottleshop.

You sure we haven't met?

[north-north-west]

Lesson learned? Read The Freakin' Manual

Don't be silly. You're a bloke. The rule for blokes is:
if all else fails, read the manual. Unless there's a beer handy. And if there isn't it's time for a run to the nearest bottleshop.

You sure we haven't met?

It's not necessary. I know (some things about) men.

[Pika]

Attempted Carlon Head on a rainy day with no climbing experience and a fear of heights.