Essential Gear for Mt. Kosciuszko 3 Days Hiking

Ltrantonz on 15/11/2018 - 18:53
Last edited 15/11/2018 - 20:11 by 1 other user

Hi everyone

This is my first time doing a multi days hiking so I would love to hear from you what to bring for this trip.

So basically we will camp under the mountain on the first day. The second day we will start hiking from early morning, then I will camp on the top for one night before heading down. We will be hiking and filming video for a TVC.

I don't have much experience and all I have is a hiking shoe, a sleeping bag, a torch and a tent (heavy one) so far. I'm aware that we will be carrying quite a big amount of gears and equipment to the top so I'm specifically looking for light weight gear.

Any advice on gear and anything related to the trip is highly APPRECIATED!

Cheers,

Tim

Sports & Outdoors

Comments

  • serpserpserp on 15/11/2018 - 19:23

    Some boots. https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/415053

    • trantonz on 15/11/2018 - 19:27

      Thanks. I forgot to mention that I've already bought a Salamon hiking shoes.

      • oscargamer on 15/11/2018 - 20:06
        +6

        Walk in them for hours and hours NOW, to break them in. Wear two pairs of socks. Thin one next to skin. Thick one over them

      • [Deactivated] on 15/11/2018 - 21:31

        Salamon? Were they cheap from a market?

        • trantonz on 16/11/2018 - 11:26

          I bought it for $280

        • Tacooo on 16/11/2018 - 12:50
          +1

          Hope not. Might catch Salamonella.

  • Tacooo on 15/11/2018 - 19:37
    +2

    Holy shit I literally spent 10 minutes writing a guide then pressed F5 by accident. Plus my auto-save extension wasn't working. Screw it, I'll come back to it in an hour or so.

    • trantonz on 16/11/2018 - 11:26

      Please come back!!!

      • Tacooo on 16/11/2018 - 12:07
        +3

        Oh I'm glad you reminded me. Ok here goes.

        What sleeping bag do you currently have or what is it rated to? Find out the temperature of Kosciuszko when you're staying and subtract 10 degrees (for ground temps). Is your sleeping bag rated to that temperature or not? If it's not you could possibly freeze overnight. If you have a good quality sleeping bag it's worth getting a liner too so you don't dirty it up and ruin it prematurely.

        Do you have a sleeping mattress? If it's hot when you're going you could get away with a roll-up foam mattress for $10-$20. If it's cold when you're going then you're going to want to purchase a good quality inflatable air mattress to prevent heat leeching into the ground and again, possibly causing you to freeze overnight. I personally recommend Thermarest myself along with a bag pump (just a plastic bag with a valve on the end that you pull air into and then push out into the mattress. This prevents moisture from your breathe entering the mattress and possibly starting to mould and rot inside. Air mattresses range from $50-$500 and from 200g to 2Kg so choose wisely. If you need advice hit me up.

        First aid kit. Get one. Doesn't have to be the biggest and best but it should have a compression bandage, sling, safety pins, bandaids, ibuprofen/paracetamol/whatever painkiller you're not allergic to and all the other regular items. Go buy a St John first aid kit from Chemist Warehouse for $20-$30 and it'll do for your trip. I also recommend you get some Scholl blister plasters (trust me) and chuck them in there too. You don't need to keep the FAK in the original box (being it's quite bulky) so find some fabric case you can put it in to to save space and weight. I managed to reduce mine to about half size by rearranging things and putting it in a smaller case. Lastly, bring sunscreen and bug spray/roll on (without Deet, as a lot of Deet products damage sleeping bags and tent materials).

        Print out an overhead view of your trail (Google Maps satellite) from day one to done and highlight your route with points indicating where abouts you'll be stopping each night. Write down your full itinerary, your possible camp locations, your leave date and return date, your emergency contact number (parents, partner etc) along with your own mobile number on it (and the same for anyone travelling with you). Place this face down on the drivers seat of your car when you leave so that anyone who comes looking knows where to go.

        Water purification tablets. Chemist Warehouse sell a 50 pack of AquaTabs which will treat 50L of water for $10. They're literally small enough to keep all 50 in your pocket at once and weigh nothing at all. Good idea to keep them in your FAK if you can. While we're on the subject of water, get a durable hydration pack that won't burst in your bag. The last thing you want is to be halfway between camps and water sources with nothing to drink. If you can, I'd suggest an MSR Dromedary. Very tough, double (maybe triple?) lines and can hold 4L, 6L or 10L depending on what you need.

        Take a torch and a backup torch. Take batteries and backup batteries. You may not use any of them or you may use all of them. Either way, you need a light source.

        If you know how to read a compass I'd suggest you buy one as well as a topographic map of Kosciuszko. You never know if you'll need it or not but it's better to be overprepared than under. If rain is expected get a map case (or even if it isn't expected, it just helps keep the map in good condition).

        If you're expecting rain I'd suggest a backpack rain cover. Sea To Summit sell a good variety of sizes in their "UltrSil" line. It's siliconised cordura meaning it's rip resistant and completely waterproof. Just goes over your bag and you pull it tight to close it. For yourself I'd recommend a rain cover over your other clothes or a proper waterproof jacket if you wanna splash a bit more cash.

        Spare socks, spare jocks. Don't underestimate how important they can be. Keep these in a plastic bag or other waterproof/watertight bag to prevent them getting wet. The last thing you want is to be walking around in wet socks and shoes for a few days. That's how you get trench foot and is a great way to feel cold constantly.

        I'm not sure if Kosciuszko is a national park or not but I'd be surprised if it wasn't. Saying that, most national parks ban material fires (wood, leaves etc) and require you to carry in your own cooking equipment. There are a ton of really tiny stoves out there that connect to a small butane bottle. I've got a stove that weighs 25g and the gas bottle is 486g last I checked. I ran that thing for >8 hours straight to test how long it would last so don't worry about getting the large sized one or running out at all because you won't. Any good camping store will sell you both. You could purchase a liquid fuel canister but that's more for the really experienced hikers and probably not necessary for you.

        For food I'd suggest some of the freeze dried packets from camping stores. Personally I like Back Country Cuisine at 90g or so per meal (before you add water). They're nutricious and for the most part, delicious too. Bring a little salt, pepper and chili flakes though to help spice things up if they're not as great as they could be. You could of course bring in cans of beans and stuff but at 400g per can you've got a lot more to carry with a lot less variety. Plus you then have to carry out 6+ metal cans which take up space.

        Finally, please, please don't leave any rubbish. If you bring it in with you, take it back out again. Don't leave your stuff lying around campsites or on trails to ruin the environment and for other people to deal with. In my experience Chinese tourists are notorious for this and the amount of Chinese rubbish I've seen lying around Wilson's Prom and other places made me want to cry.

        I guarantee you I've missed some things so I'll come back as I go.

  • chumlee on 15/11/2018 - 20:09

    Socks & jocks

  • thirtysixd on 15/11/2018 - 20:18
    +1

    got a good backpack?

    I've never done Mt. Kosciuszko but a lifestraw is pretty cool (and fun the first couple of times you use it)

    • trantonz on 16/11/2018 - 19:42

      do you have any recommendation on a cheap backpack? I don't think I will go for another hiking trip soon so a basic one is ok.

      • thirtysixd on 17/11/2018 - 12:40

        define cheap :P

        aliexpress is actually pretty good for backpacks
        branded stuff obviously much more pricey

  • elgrande on 15/11/2018 - 20:29
    +4

    I'd reccomend a second shoe.

  • [Deactivated] on 15/11/2018 - 21:29

    Selfie stick.

    • trantonz on 16/11/2018 - 11:26

      Ahhh right. All the filming gears we plan to bring, we forgot to put the selfie stick in the list.

  • KitchenSink on 15/11/2018 - 22:24

    a good backpack. Nothing worse than carrying all the gear and having a backpack break or be uncomfortable the whole time.

    I've had good experiences with Osprey backpacks.

    Some people swear by having trekking poles. I personally hate them and find them annoying.

    • trantonz on 16/11/2018 - 11:25

      Do you have any recommendations on a cheap backpack (-$100)?

  • Davo1111 on 16/11/2018 - 00:07

    where are you hiking from? If you start in Charlotte Pass it's an easy hike. It's the trips that take you into the valleys that are tough.

  • TheBilly on 16/11/2018 - 05:21

    Small Tent - Sleeping Pad - Bug Spary - Sunscreen - Non Chafing Socks - Light Airy Pants and Long Sleeve Shirts - Hat Wide Brim (Not alot of Shade) - Water Bottle - Food - Mobile camp stove (Jet boil)

  • twww on 16/11/2018 - 08:14

    What are the odds?

    I'm thinking of going to do Kosciusko next mth and possibly Mt Feathertop.

    Though, I have all the gear, BC experience and have done it before.

    Just bought the parks pass yesterday.

    Where are you starting from, Thredbo or Charlotte's pass? How many people in the group? Are you expecting this to be a cheap endeavour?

    What is TVC?

    You might get better info from the guys/gals at ski.com.au…

    • trantonz on 16/11/2018 - 11:24

      We will be hiking on the first week of December. A large group of 10.
      TVC is a Television Comercial video, mostly for advertising purposes.
      I’m not sure on the starting point yet. The only thing I’m sure is we’re not gonna take the easy track. We probably will do with the off track ones as the TVC is for Red Bull in Asia, we need something tougher than normal lol

  • Archi on 16/11/2018 - 10:10

    personal GPS

    • Tacooo on 16/11/2018 - 12:32

      Better off just buying a map and compass and learning how to use them. If you wanna splash cash buy a PLB instead.

      • Archi on 16/11/2018 - 12:47

        I Have limited experience in bush walking and hiking. I usually stick to groomed trails and labelled tracks.

        however I did do a bit of off road mountain biking when I was younger, and PLB would have helped in one of the situations where I crashed and came off my bike on the side of a cliff.

        a map and compass is a great idea if you learn how to use it. but useless if you are hurt and can not walk and you are not on a designated walking path where someone will see you easily.

        • Tacooo on 16/11/2018 - 12:50

          To be fair, a GPS is pretty useless if you're off the beaten path, unable to walk and no one can see you either. PLB is the real life saver.

  • altomic on 16/11/2018 - 10:23

    wear 2 pairs of socks - 1 thin and 1 thickish. 2 pairs are more likely to stop any rubbing by your boots.
    take a second pair of light weight canvas sneakers (like the ones you get at kmart for $5) perfect for wearing around the camp site.

    carry at least 3 litres of water.

    • trantonz on 16/11/2018 - 11:27

      Awesome! Thanks for your advice!!

      • fantombloo on 16/11/2018 - 22:07

        I always carry a pair of thongs for at the camp. Also great if you need to enter water. Very light.

  • Davo1111 on 16/11/2018 - 17:59

    Make sure your paperwork is in order. No point being tresspassed on day 1 because you dont have permission to film.

  • Euphemistic on 20/11/2018 - 07:07

    Are you allowed to camp on too of Kos…? Best check that, I suspect you aren’t, but may be able to camp somewhere near the summit.

  • twww on 20/11/2018 - 08:50

    https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/safety/alpine-safety/ko…

    "camping restrictions apply:

    There are also restrictions within 200m of the following:

    Summit of Mount Kosciuszko…"

  • BuyoTheCat on 21/11/2018 - 11:52

    Alpine condition adds an extra element to normal hiking. Depending on our outdoor craftsmanship, it could be fun or not, life or death.

    Realistically you do not want to be carrying more than 18kg for a climb. Look at what you want to pack, think about what you can throw out, repack. do this a few times.

    I urge you to be prepared and know what you are getting into. It really helps if you have someone familiar with the condition.
    If none of you have been, I suggest a reconnaissance/location scout hike to see what it is like and work out how you would film. no point lugging heavy gear not knowing what kind of shot you want and where you are going to do it.

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