Feedback for OLT tent and gear list

[sasha_thiedeke]

Hello!

I'm looking for some general feedback on my gearlist for my Overland track trip with two other friends in April please. I've done hikes ranging 2-5 days but I'm from Brisbane and have no real idea of what Tassie weather is like so I'm not sure if I'm underprepared or over prepared in regards to clothes and whether I have all the things I need (you only ever need two layers here in QLD winter!).

https://lighterpack.com/r/ow5wgt

But my main topic I'm after advice on is a suitable tent. I've been researching tents since I booked the trip mid last year and I'm sooo confused as to what to get... I'd like to go as light as possible as I'm small (5'2") and max out at about 13kgs, but I'm also concerned about the durability of 20D fabric (I dont want to spend $700 on something thats going to rip within 5 uses) so I've been considering trekking pole tents such as the SMD Luna Solo, or Skyscape Scout, that are similar weight as MSR Hubba NX1 and Slingfin Portal, but are higher D fabric. I'd like some opinions on whether these are compatible (will the cup hook method work?) with the platforms and suitable for April weather such as temp and possibility of snow on the track please!

Note: the main difference between the Luna Solo and the Scout are Luna Solo is single wall single pole and Scout is 80% double wall with mesh and uses two poles.

Thanks sm everyone!

[north-north-west]

If you are only going to be pitching the tent at the official sites, you don't need a bombproof unit as these places are reasonably sheltered. You're more likely to have condensation issues with a single wall tent, but some people get away with them.

I realise with IBS you have to be careful with what you eat, but there are better options than Backcountry, especially sticking to just one kind. Personally I am not a fan of the "hot water in foil pouch" meals, not least because of the bulk and the amount of waste, but even sticking to them Backcountry is a long way from being the best.

As for conditions, Autumn is generally when we get the more stable weather but, this being Tassie, you have to be prepared for anything any time of the year.

[sasha_thiedeke]

Hi
Thanks for the reply!
Yeah, we're not planning on any unofficial pit stops and apart from a few cautions about wind speed - which won't be as much of an issue it sounds, if the weather is settling and the camps are sheltered - the tents both have pretty good reviews about weather. The condensation is another thing, although not ideal, I'm resigned to deal with a bit condensation for the weight if I go with the single wall option. My main concern is the chance of snow I guess... I suppose if the forecast looks bad I can hightail it to the cabins early?

IBS is a nightmare, I can't have onions and garlic which are in pretty much every preprepared foods ugh (goodbye ramen), I actually have to change the BCC sachets, they're a stand in at the moment. Do you have any favorites for dinners?

Cheers!

[north-north-west]

Your best bet is to dehydrate your own meals so you can control ingredients precisely. But it's a lot of work to get started on. You could also just get dehy/freeze dried ingredients and combine them to suit yourself. Campers Pantry do various vegetables (beans, peas, spuds, cauliflower etc), Strive have both meat and combined vegie packs and it's easy to get mushrooms and some other dehy veg from supermarkets and Asian grocery shops. My fave commercial meals are Strive (bigger serves, less waste and far better value than any others I know of), but I don't know if they'd work for you.

[Mookie]

I have found pre-packaged freeze dried meals quite difficult to stomach after a couple of days, they make me feel nauseas at the thought of eating them. I bit the bullet and purchased a sunbeam dt6000 food lab dehydrator (top pick recommended by choice, and also after reading many good reviews on it). I picked it up for $153 from myer during their current stocktake sale.
Last week I dehydrated some Dahl, and on camping this weekend, it rehydrated so so well!! So delicious and much nicer (for my tastes) than store bought meal packs. I cannot wait to explore other meal ideas using the dehydrator!! I highly recommend DIY meals also!

[matagi]

I have the E-book version of the book below: I would suggest getting a copy. Very detailed recipes including nutritional breakdown and vegetarian/vegan alternatives.

https://xtremegourmet.com/collections/all

[JohnnoMcJohnno]

Hmmm. Don't think I can help you much. I have no experience with IBS. I do have a 20D tent which I have used for 3 years and maybe 20 nights in total, but it's sil-nylon, not sil-poly like those SMD tents and I'm not sure they're comparable. For warm gear in Tassie in October I carried a warm jumper, a light jumper, a light jacket, a long sleeve thermal top and two pairs of long johns. I never used the warm jumper or the second pair of long johns. If I went again I'd probably take a similar set-up to you with maybe a heavy-weight long sleeve thermal top for insurance. Oh, and choose your thongs wisely. Mine leaked water up through the plug holes and got my socks wet.

That's all I've got. Sorry.

[Staceykate]

Can I just weigh in, since your list includes bras, I'm assuming you're a girl.

I'm a complete convert to the icebreaker long line bras. I live in Melbourne and not only do they keep me warm, they absorb sweat when it's hot. I dry them out overnight hanging in my tent. So much more comfortable for multi day hikes than my sports bras.

Have a think about a merino bra I hated them the first time i wore them, but 3 wears in and I will never go back. Especially in winter!!!

Might be helpful for you coming from Brissy to Tassie.

[matagi]

Looks like Icebreaker only do the short racerback bra now, at least that's the only one on their website.

[stry]

Not sure about your fuel weight. If your figure is net gas only it should be just enough. I always like a little more than just enough.

If your figure is gross, including the canister, it won't be enough.

[stry]

To add : That food list would not get me through that walk, particularly if the weather is cold.

I am a 60kg male, and you know your own body better than anyone, but at the least, I would add a little extra as a contingency allowance, if for no other reason.

[Baeng72]

Not sure about your fuel weight. If your figure is net gas only it should be just enough. I always like a little more than just enough.

If your figure is gross, including the canister, it won't be enough.

I did the overland Nov 19. with my son.
I had 2 230g canister to boil water for DIY dehydrated & Backcountry meals and a bit of warm water for breakfast (porridge sachet/weetbix & powdered milk in ziplock).

I was warned by the Bus driver that 1 canister would be pushing it so I bought another canister at the Cradle visitor center.
It turned out 1 canister was plenty and I donated the unused second to the parks Tas collection on the bin at Lake St Clair.
I guess just boiling a couple of cups a water a day for 6 days doesn't use that much?

[wildwanderer]

I guess just boiling a couple of cups a water a day for 6 days doesn't use that much?

The only resource you will ever need.. from the stove god himself!
'Hikin Jim'

https://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.co ... d.html?m=1

[north-north-west]

Not sure about your fuel weight. If your figure is net gas only it should be just enough. I always like a little more than just enough.

If your figure is gross, including the canister, it won't be enough.

I just got back from 16 nights in the SW. There is still gas in the single 230g cylinder I took. If it's just for rehydrating dinners and morning porridge, it should be plenty for the OT.

[stry]

Not sure about your fuel weight. If your figure is net gas only it should be just enough. I always like a little more than just enough.

If your figure is gross, including the canister, it won't be enough.

I just got back from 16 nights in the SW. There is still gas in the single 230g cylinder I took. If it's just for rehydrating dinners and morning porridge, it should be plenty for the OT.

That would work for me also NNW. Probably my 2 x 350mil cups of tea with brekky and another two after dinner, plus the pre dinner cup of soup (each cup a fresh boil up) would explain the discrepancy between our usage figures. I can make 8 full days with a smidge left doing what I do, and I expect that what you have detailed would use about half as much for me.

None the less, I won't take the chance of having to eat crunchy dry food washed down with cold water, even if only for a day

[Nuts]

Hello!
'm small (5'2") and max out at about 13kgs,

hahaha

[Nuts]

SMD Luna Solo

We used these on The Overland Track a few times. I can probably sell you one if you like.

Anyway.. I would take something in this class, they are pretty strong. Just be aware with shelters like this that the vestibule doesn't get close to the ground so (assuming you don't want to modify) they aren't ideal on platforms as the rain can splash back a bit and possums can easily wander in. These aren't a show stopper, just issues a bit more unique to platforms and busy campsites.

As mentioned, most of the mapped sites are pretty sheltered and there are many other sheltered areas.

[Dexter]

I guess just boiling a couple of cups a water a day for 6 days doesn't use that much?

The only resource you will ever need.. from the stove god himself!
'Hikin Jim'

https://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.co ... d.html?m=1

Sorry to get a touch off topic here... But I've been curious about boiling with high heat vs low... and which is more efficient. I'm guessing it's a somewhat complex answer and there would likely be a bit of a bell curve with diminishing returns at some point. Surely if it's too low, you'd be fighting any ambient heat exchange or wind to a larger degree? Is a 'Medium' heat usually the way to go? Any kind of rule of thumb? Am I over thinking this, and asking too many questions?

Sorry again, I don't mean to hijack this thread.

[wildwanderer]

I guess just boiling a couple of cups a water a day for 6 days doesn't use that much?

The only resource you will ever need.. from the stove god himself!
'Hikin Jim'

https://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.co ... d.html?m=1

Sorry to get a touch off topic here... But I've been curious about boiling with high heat vs low... and which is more efficient. I'm guessing it's a somewhat complex answer and there would likely be a bit of a bell curve with diminishing returns at some point. Surely if it's too low, you'd be fighting any ambient heat exchange or wind to a larger degree? Is a 'Medium' heat usually the way to go? Any kind of rule of thumb? Am I over thinking this, and asking too many questions?

Sorry again, I don't mean to hijack this thread.

Hikin jim has you covered
https://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.co ... s.html?m=1

[Dexter]

that blog is what prompted the question. But it seems to raise more than it answers for me and seems a bit anecdotal. Not to say that it isn't helpful and I know there's a lot of variables at play here. I would love to see a graph of fuel used vs temp under idea conditions to confirm some of it. I guess you'd go through a lot of canisters trying to work that out.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

[wildwanderer]

that blog is what prompted the question. But it seems to raise more than it answers for me and seems a bit anecdotal. Not to say that it isn't helpful and I know there's a lot of variables at play here. I would love to see a graph of fuel used vs temp under idea conditions to confirm some of it. I guess you'd go through a lot of canisters trying to work that out.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

I've always found that blog to be reliable. He does a lot of testing of different stoves in varying conditions. So he likely knows better than anyone. There is some more precise data in other areas of the site from memory.

As you mentioned the challenge with creating meaningful graphs is the variables are significant. Eg wind, temperature, altitude, pot width, lid on or off, heating food vs water... the list goes on.

My general rule of thumb is a medium heat. Lower if I'm simmering, higher if I'm impatient for a coffee. I'm usually quite generous with my fuel allocation so I'm not needing to get the greatest efficiency possible in order to make the fuel last an entire trip.

[Dexter]

that blog is what prompted the question. But it seems to raise more than it answers for me and seems a bit anecdotal. Not to say that it isn't helpful and I know there's a lot of variables at play here. I would love to see a graph of fuel used vs temp under idea conditions to confirm some of it. I guess you'd go through a lot of canisters trying to work that out.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

I've always found that blog to be reliable. He does a lot of testing of different stoves in varying conditions. So he likely knows better than anyone. There is some more precise data in other areas of the site from memory.

As you mentioned the challenge with creating meaningful graphs is the variables are significant. Eg wind, temperature, altitude, pot width, lid on or off, heating food vs water... the list goes on.

My general rule of thumb is a medium heat. Lower if I'm simmering, higher if I'm impatient for a coffee. I'm usually quite generous with my fuel allocation so I'm not needing to get the greatest efficiency possible in order to make the fuel last an entire trip.

Yeah I agree. I usually have more than enough too and probably don't need to really worry about it, but it's in my nature to optimise and tweak! No doubt the blog is reliable, it's more my curious mind thinking out aloud than any kind of criticism. I just switched to a titanium pot from aluminium, and I'm sure it doesn't hold heat or disperse it as efficiently. A bit of a trade-off for the reduced weight I guess.

Sorry again for thread hijacking sasha!

[Son of a Beach]

Sorry to get a touch off topic here... But I've been curious about boiling with high heat vs low... and which is more efficient. I'm guessing it's a somewhat complex answer and there would likely be a bit of a bell curve with diminishing returns at some point. Surely if it's too low, you'd be fighting any ambient heat exchange or wind to a larger degree? Is a 'Medium' heat usually the way to go? Any kind of rule of thumb? Am I over thinking this, and asking too many questions?

Sorry again, I don't mean to hijack this thread.

Check out the discussion at: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2794 . In particular the (currently) last post: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2794#p29138

Although Tony's experiments were specifically to test wind shields and how much the flame running up the side of the billy helps to heat it, it also shows some results from different gas valve settings.

In brief, medium setting is best. Turns out that the flame running up the side of the billy doesn't help much, and is therefore a waste of gas. And as you said, wind is also a major factor - a good wind shield makes a huge difference.

[Dexter]

Sorry to get a touch off topic here... But I've been curious about boiling with high heat vs low... and which is more efficient. I'm guessing it's a somewhat complex answer and there would likely be a bit of a bell curve with diminishing returns at some point. Surely if it's too low, you'd be fighting any ambient heat exchange or wind to a larger degree? Is a 'Medium' heat usually the way to go? Any kind of rule of thumb? Am I over thinking this, and asking too many questions?

Sorry again, I don't mean to hijack this thread.

Check out the discussion at: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2794 . In particular the (currently) last post: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2794#p29138

Although Tony's experiments were specifically to test wind shields and how much the flame running up the side of the billy helps to heat it, it also shows some results from different gas valve settings.

In brief, medium setting is best. Turns out that the flame running up the side of the billy doesn't help much, and is therefore a waste of gas. And as you said, wind is also a major factor - a good wind shield makes a huge difference.

That's super interesting! Thanks.

[matagi]

In brief, medium setting is best. Turns out that the flame running up the side of the billy doesn't help much, and is therefore a waste of gas. And as you said, wind is also a major factor - a good wind shield makes a huge difference.

Flame running up the side of a pot on your domestic gas stove is also a waste of gas. Ideal is to have flame almost to the edge of the base - this principle works for both camping and domestic gas cooking.

[BarryK]

But my main topic I'm after advice on is a suitable tent. I've been researching tents since I booked the trip mid last year and I'm sooo confused as to what to get... I'd like to go as light as possible as I'm small (5'2") and max out at about 13kgs, but I'm also concerned about the durability of 20D fabric (I dont want to spend $700 on something thats going to rip within 5 uses) so I've been considering trekking pole tents such as the SMD Luna Solo, or Skyscape Scout, that are similar weight as MSR Hubba NX1 and Slingfin Portal, but are higher D fabric. I'd like some opinions on whether these are compatible (will the cup hook method work?) with the platforms and suitable for April weather such as temp and possibility of snow on the track please!

I have just received a couple of cheapies from China. From Aliexpress, via Aliexpress Standard Shipping, ordered Feb. 2, arrived yesterday and today -- only 9 days, that's incredible! I'm in Perth WA.

I almost wasn't going to post this, as the tents are only 15D silnylon outer tent. Inner floor is 20D. But then, you might want to take a look at them for comparison. The two-layer pyramid tent only cost $106 including GST, the tarp tent with inner mesh bivi was less, about $96 I think. EDIT: I just checked, the tarp tent with bivi only cost $63 including GST.

Anyway, I posted pictures and links, and have measured the weights of all the components for them:

https://bkhome.org/news/202102/planning ... nture.html

I will probably take the two-layer pyramid tent out very soon, for a weekender hike.

EDIT: I live in WA and don't know anything about snow conditions, so these tents might not be suitable. Other people reading this could advise if you need something more durable. I would also be interested to know what hikers experienced with snow conditions, think of these tents.

[sasha_thiedeke]

I'm a complete convert to the icebreaker long line bras.

Oh fantastic thanks a lot! Ill look into these.

Update;
I've ended up buying the SMD Luna Solo and tested it a couple time in humid and rainy Brisbane, it's definitely a wipe down the insides with a towel before getting up in the morning sort of deal. Other than that I'm really happy with it, great internal length and width, when you pull out the guy lines you get a bit of extra face room when lying down. It needs extra seam sealing in only one place after a night of rain and but otherwise seems pretty good!
Thank you everyone for your feedback and advice it's been very helpful!

I would add a little extra as a contingency allowance, if for no other reason.

Yes! Thanks, I'm currently revamping my food list. I ended up buying a dehydrator because I cant eat onion or garlic and EVERYTHING has it in it so I'm making my own meals. I might start a thread for IBS people at some point!

I did the overland Nov 19. with my son.

Hi, how was the temperature?? It's forecast about the same in Nov and April and I'm wondering if my 145gsm Merino thermals are heavy enough? My other layers are a Mountain Designs fleece and a puffy jacket and a super thin hiking shirt dirt protection layer.

[johnrs]

Sasha
Good quality 20D silnylon is fine, don't leave it pitched in the sun for weeks though.
John

[TentPeg]

Not 100% sure but you may need to check quarantine for food imports on home made meals.

[Warin]

Tassies don't want anything that has seeds .. so dehydrated kiwi fruit is out.... as are dehydrated tomatoes etc...

Yes .. you can by fresh tomatoes and kiwi fruit in Tassie ... so ... it is their policy, it does not have to make sense. There are probably other things you should not bring in too!

And don't forget to clean your tent, tent pegs, soles of shoes/boots, walking poles ...

See https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/biosecurity-t ... o-tasmania
This has contact phone numbers for questions...
--------------------------

If you have some hours to spare then this is good food and water purification information ...
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCflIoV ... DDw/videos
American based so brands etc not so relevant.