Could I get a gear check please?

[RonK]

Went with the OP for its durability.

A mistake I persisted to make over many years. Eventually my knees rebelled.
Since you are going to NZ, four-seasons gear and good rainwear are essential. I'm surprised Wayno hasn't commented about this.

[JohnStrider]

Looking to add rain gear in the coming weeks. Particularly a pair of rain pants.

[photohiker]

One Planet Ned Medium - 2.7kgs
One Planet Wurley 3 Tent - 2760g (inner and fly only, poles and pegs carried by someone else)

5460g

Gossamer Gear Mariposa ~800g
TarpTent stratospire2 ~1300g

2100g

Saving: 3360g

[JohnStrider]

I should add that this list is designed for my trip in Dec. I realise the tent is a little on the heavy side, but it's for two people. If I'm going by myself, I'll take my one person tent.

Last night I split up the fly, inner and pegs + poles and weighed them individually. The pegs + poles and the fly came to 1.9kgs, while the inner by itself was 1.5kgs. I think that's reasonable weight for a single person to carry.

Last edited by JohnStrider on Mon 06 Apr, 2015 6:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[stry]

I should add that this list is designed for my trip in Dec. I realise the tent is a little on the heavy side, but it's for two people. If I'm going by myself, I'll take my one person tent.

Last night I split up the fly, inner and pegs + poles and weighed them individually. The pegs + poles and the fly (can't remember which one as I don't have it on me at the moment) came to 1.9kgs, while the inner by itself was 1.5kgs. I think that's reasonable weight for a single person to carry.

I wouldn't sweat the tent JS. I think that Wurley may be a bit of a sleeper performance wise, and looks like very good value, particularly at the price you paid.

That little extra weight could be expected to provide some extra robustness and space, neither of which is a bad thing. And you are splitting it between two.

[JohnStrider]

That's the way I'm looking at it. One thing that I, and I'm assuming others when they go on multi day hikes, is that your Day 4 weight will be lighter than Day 1 due to food consumption. My plan would be to eat my heaviest food first.

Could probably carry 2 litres of water, instead of 3, with me every day. Heading down to NZ at the end of next month to suss out the trail's water spots and other areas I'm not too certain about.

[stry]

I have no experience in the North Island, but certainly wouldn't be carrying 2 litres of water anywhere that I have been in the South Island.

Wayno, where art thou ???

[JohnStrider]

More you reckon?

[Moondog55]

More warm gear perhaps may be Waynos advice # 3 litres may be too much water but as I've never been there; better to have the capacity and not need it, than need it and not have it. if it's empty thats 3 kilos less on your back

[JohnStrider]

More warm gear perhaps may be Waynos advice # 3 litres may be too much water but as I've never been there; better to have the capacity and not need it, than need it and not have it. if it's empty thats 3 kilos less on your back

I feel as though more clothes will be my next investment.

Re: your comment about having the capacity for more water and not need it, that's why I bought a Source 3L. I don't think I've ever filled it all the way to the top. If I have, I have never finished it.

[whitefang]

I'm not sure where you will be but in January I only carried 1L between huts on the Tongariro northern circuit. I would drink anywhere between 750ml and 1.5L with breakfast before heading out. Temps were in the mid to high 20s with no cloud.

[JohnStrider]

Tongariro is part of our trek, but at the end point. Hoping - weather pending - to climb Ngaurahoe. I like the strategy of drinking a litre or so before heading off for the day. I think it's where a filter or purifier will come in handy.

[kitty]

Pack liner dry bag to keep the contents of your pack dry (lighter than if they get wet)
Pack cover to keep your pack drier and lighter in rainy conditions. ..your pack will get heavier if it gets soaked in the rain and does not dry out

Edit...OK sorry you were asking where to save weight...not what additional things you needed...so I deleted the extras.

[Gadgetgeek]

pre-loading water is not a bad idea, especially if the rest of your hydration is coming from a bladder. A lot of people find that they have trouble keeping track of how much they have drunk, either running out early, or not drinking enough, and having to catch up at the end of the day. I'm also of the opinion that a group should always have at least some spare water, or some way to get it easily without splitting up, in case of an injury and one party member being immobile. That depends a lot on the overall environment though. up to you really.

[perfectlydark]

IMO packs are like shoes. Go with what best works for you. Comfort being one of the primary concerns as well as durability and required capacity. Weight is after all those for me when talking packs

[stry]

More you reckon?

Way less for me in the South Island. Usually somewhere between none and 500/600mils.

I have had one long, high, much climbing day in another country with NO water (not deliberately) and that was no fun - swollen tongue, lying in creek at end of day glugging it down etc .

So while I don't want to die of thirst, in general, I think perhaps the water/hydration thing has become almost obsessive. The stuff weighs 1kg per litre.

[JohnStrider]

Pack liner dry bag to keep the contents of your pack dry (lighter than if they get wet)
Pack cover to keep your pack drier and lighter in rainy conditions. ..your pack will get heavier if it gets soaked in the rain and does not dry out

Edit...OK sorry you were asking where to save weight...not what additional things you needed...so I deleted the extras.

Happy to hear any suggestions on other things I need. As mentioned, my next investment will be in some warm clothes as I think I have already sorted out clothes should it be hot.

IMO packs are like shoes. Go with what best works for you. Comfort being one of the primary concerns as well as durability and required capacity. Weight is after all those for me when talking packs

I looked at the One Planet website and completely re-adjusted my pack according to the website. I then loaded it up with all the stuff on my list, plus a 5kg weight to represent food, and it felt ok. Granted I wasn't hiking, but it didn't feel like I was going to break my back.

pre-loading water is not a bad idea, especially if the rest of your hydration is coming from a bladder. A lot of people find that they have trouble keeping track of how much they have drunk, either running out early, or not drinking enough, and having to catch up at the end of the day. I'm also of the opinion that a group should always have at least some spare water, or some way to get it easily without splitting up, in case of an injury and one party member being immobile. That depends a lot on the overall environment though. up to you really.

I think carrying 2 Litres is a reasonable weight to carry. I hadn't thought about pre-loading water before, but the more I think about it, the more I think it makes sense. Think I read somewhere that water was easier to carry if it it's your stomach. Or something to that effect

[Gadgetgeek]

keep in mind, and adult can absorb about a liter of water an hour. So that gives you an idea about how fast you can put in into your system. at times, you can sweat out more than that, but that takes some serious work.

[kitty]

Waterproof mitts - eg extremities tuff bags
Rain pants - as you mentioned
Pillow - eg S2S aeros ultralight 60g
Sleeping bag liner - a light one
Insect repellant, antihistamine and stop itch cream for sand flies (if they are in the area you are walking)

[JohnStrider]

Waterproof mitts - eg extremities tuff bags
Rain pants - as you mentioned
Pillow - eg S2S aeros ultralight 60g
Sleeping bag liner - a light one
Insect repellant, antihistamine and stop itch cream for sand flies (if they are in the area you are walking)

Have been camping twice and haven't bothered with a pillow. My pack or EE quilt compression sack with some clothes in it is more than enough.

Sand fly spray is a definite. Have heard Wayno speak about it quite a bit as a must for NZ.

Don't need mitts.

[wayno]

wheres your insulation layer, you're not seriously just taking a base layer and a raincoat are you?
new zealand weather does anything at any time of the year...

[Moondog55]

You probably do not need mitts but why not add a couple of bread bags ? Plastic bread bags do double duty as socks
I have to say tho that all of these "Just in case" items can quickly add kilos to the load and that is to be avoided. Storm clothing is a must; but the weight of storm clothing should be kept to the minimum required.
If the weather is so bad that you cannot safely walk through it you simply make camp and wait it out
Heed Waynos advice about clothing tho, you do need at least a fleece jumper.
I would advise a LW fleece jumper and a synthetic vest no matter where you are going except perhaps the tropics

[JohnStrider]

wheres your insulation layer, you're not seriously just taking a base layer and a raincoat are you?
new zealand weather does anything at any time of the year...

Nah of course not. I think I mentioned before more clothes were my next investment. Seem to have everything else sorted.

Any suggestions?

[JohnStrider]

You probably do not need mitts but why not add a couple of bread bags ? Plastic bread bags do double duty as socks
I have to say tho that all of these "Just in case" items can quickly add kilos to the load and that is to be avoided. Storm clothing is a must; but the weight of storm clothing should be kept to the minimum required.
If the weather is so bad that you cannot safely walk through it you simply make camp and wait it out
Heed Waynos advice about clothing tho, you do need at least a fleece jumper.
I would advise a LW fleece jumper and a synthetic vest no matter where you are going except perhaps the tropics

Makes sense re: the fleece jacket and vest.

[Moondog55]

Any 100 weight fleece jumper with a half or quarter zip will do so get the cheapest. Fleece and pile are such mature technologies that even ultra cheap Chinese work wear would be considered state of the art a couple of decades ago, just make sure it fits well, close but not tight and with sleeves long enough to cover the wrists [ thumb holes are a great idea so if that is an option go for that design feature and pay the extra] with the vest tho it becomes more difficult as I don't currently own or looked at one recently. My own vest is an old army M-65 liner with the sleeves cut off and I wouldn't bother with anything less warm so I would say a vest with at least 60GSM of insulation
For example the LW fleece in this link
http://www.bogong.com.au/outdoor-clothi ... red-1.html
For example the Primaloft vest in the link
http://www.bogong.com.au/outdoor-clothi ... ens-1.html

If you happen to be an XL I do have some stuff in the "Pay it Forward" section, we have a house rule 1 in 1 out and I purchased a new top last year

[JohnStrider]

They look pretty decent, MD. I think I'm a large in most of my clothing sizes, but I appreciate the offer.

I've got a fair bit of time before I go, so I'll gradually add these items over the next 8 months. Clothes were always going to be next on the checklist.

[wayno]

wheres your insulation layer, you're not seriously just taking a base layer and a raincoat are you?
new zealand weather does anything at any time of the year...

Nah of course not. I think I mentioned before more clothes were my next investment. Seem to have everything else sorted.

Any suggestions?

it varies for the conditions and from person to person as to what works, some people are a lot hotter and cope with the cold better, unless you know which you are I can't tell you exactly what to take.

i take fleece for on the move, i have a range of fleeces for different conditions, fom lighweight grid fleece vest to 300wt fleece jacket and everything in between which i choose from according to what the weather is doing.

its almost always damp if not soaking wet, fleece works best in those conditions when you're on the move or exposed to moisture
for camp or hut i take a down filled top, again the type of jacket varies according to the weather. from light vest to baffled jacket..

primaloft is Ok but still not as good as fleece when its really wet the inner shell is slower to dry and colder when wet... the yanks go bananas over it because its warmer for its weight and packs down better and is lighter than fleece. but a lot of places in the states are a lot drier than NZ esp in summer... you can't bank on NZ being dry at summer, some parts of the country rain more in summer.
a lot of the mountains in nz get metres of rain a year, up to 11 metres. it can be like a cold version of a monsoon.

[JohnStrider]

Some good info there, Wayno. Cheers.

Personally, I can put up with cold weather. Rain, much like sharp winds, doesn't bother me all that much, so long as I have correct clothing thatll keep me relatively warm. I'm not sure if you are familiar with the Gembrook area in Melbourne's outer east, but I was camping there the other week and it got quite cold at night. While sitting around the camp fire, I was wearing my Skins, football shorts, merino Icebreaker socks, long sleeve merino top and my rain coat. That was more than enough in weather that was quite cold without raining.

Fleece looks quite good, particularly the top MD suggested, but what's it like when drying after it has been raining?

[wayno]

cold isnt about cold, its about cold and humidity,
a canadian commented he'd been the coldest in his life in NZ.... it doesnt geat anywhere near as cold as canada in nz, but it gets very damp and cool and the dampness sucks the heat out of you far faster than dry cold does even when you're layered up...

[JohnStrider]

cold isnt about cold, its about cold and humidity,
a canadian commented he'd been the coldest in his life in NZ.... it doesnt geat anywhere near as cold as canada in nz, but it gets very damp and cool and the dampness sucks the heat out of you far faster than dry cold does even when you're layered up...

Interesting comment from the Canadian. So trapping the heat would be the aim here. Would a fleece jacket be able to prevent this?

Apologies if this comes across as a silly question. Still getting my head around some of the clothing technology, so any pointers you, or anyone for that matter, can provide me with would be greatly appreciated.