This new hiking mat @ 425 grams and R4.4 and US66.95 from Amazon looks great: http://pacoutdoor.com/sleeping-pads/view/peak-elite-ac-womens It has been surpassed by the Thermarest Neoair Xlite Womens 2 340 grams R 3.9: http://www.cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-rest/mattresses/fast-and-light/womens-neoair-xlite/product See above: This is now my favourite mat. I cannot recommend it too highly. Get one fore your next birthday!
My experience is this is the world’s best sleeping bag (at 544 grams) – and you can just about wrestle a bear in it! http://www.moontrail.com/mont-bell-ul-spiral-down-hugger-3-reg.php
14/08/2011: Just to lighten up a bit, you might want to bookmark this one. Knots are very handy and this site shows how to tie them easily. There MAY be a hangman’s noose there as well, which could be handy in this political climate: http://www.animatedknots.com/
Just back from four great days hunting/hiking in the Wonnangatta-Moroka NP with my son-in-law, Matt Dennis. Now have six camps in various lovely spots there complete with shelters and other gear which works well. Saw lots of deer but Matt was too kind to shoot a stag.
Two great days canoeing/hunting on the Wonnangatta River with my boys Bryn and Matt. Life is SO good. Matt has a fridge full of venison to show for it. Bryn has a great trophy deer head. We all no doubt have some sore muscles and bruises. The camps I have been setting up worked well.
When my son was planning to go backpacking overseas I made this list of essential items for him to have in his pack. A useful list for anyone who is interested in ultralight backpacking. ———– You need to start ordering around six months ahead as some items may take a while to be made/arrive. It would be
Spent New Year canoeing-hiking in the Wonnangatta-Moroka wilderness, the most remote spot in Vic. Could be half way round the world in the time it took to get where I was. Beautiful serene wilderness slowly recovering from wildfire. Saw many deer but they are out of season.
For those interested in lightweight hiking these links are great: http://www.titaniumgoat.com/links.html I already go away for a week carrying less than 10kg including food and booze. About half that for a weekend. Most enjoyable.
Della & I and Kerri are planning to walk the South Coast track in Tasmania this summer/autumn, my back permitting. You can see someone else’s Youtube about it. We hope to do a shakedown walk along the Baw Baw plateau very soon to test ourselves and our gear. Should be nice and cool up there
Some Pages I Like: Backpacking Gear Test Hikelighter Ultralight Insights The Hiking Life Outdoor Veteran Sgt Rock Ultralight Skunk Works Chris Molloy Jolly Green Giant Brian Green Jason Klass Erin McKittrick Brawny Some Favourite Hiking Suppliers: Backpacking Light Australia Mountain Laurel Designs Gossamer Gear Hummingbird Hammocks Zpacks Tier Gear Titanium Goat Montbell Montbell Australia Trail
