Ultralight gear list 2023 - Bibbulmun Track thru-hike

Рет қаралды 3,412

Жыл бұрын

In this video I provide a comprehensive overview of the gear I used for my successful end-to-end (thru-hike) of the Bibbulmun track. This is also the gear I currently plan to use moving forward, but off-course things may need to change a little as I test out new gear or adapt things for particular hikes/conditions.
This is a reasonably ultralight setup, here is a link to this gear list on PackWizard...
www.packwizard.com/s/_Cj54cE
I was really happy with my gear choices overall, however I do highlight a few gear failures that occurred along the way (there weren't many but worth considering contingencies).
There is often a perception that ultralight gear is expensive, uncomfortable or unsafe. I disagree on all counts. While I have spent a lot on gear over the year, what I was carrying on the Bibbulmun was of similar or lesser cost to more mainstream alternatives. I was as comfortable, or more comfortable in many ways in my opinion (e.g. with only a light pack to carry), and had more than enough food and resources (with appropriate contingencies in place - for example, I go out of my way to ensure my warm clothes and sleep system stay dry, protect my food and pack from rodents, have appropriate first aid and survival kits and have extensively researched and tested the gear I carry).
In the video, I mention a number of videos that provide more information (such as technique or on equipment choices). Links for these are below.
Trekking pole technique...
• Is Your Trekking Pole ...
Why men should wear leggings...
• Why men should wear le...
Best hat for thru-hiking?...
• Best hat for thru-hiki...
Nashville Cutaway pack...
• Nashville cutaway (New...
Predicting injuries among backpackers...
www.backpacker.com/survival/s...
Impact of backpacks on ergonomics...
www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/11/...
Health advice for packs not to exceed 10% of body weight...
uihc.org/health-topics/your-b...
My video on the best alcohol stove and wind shield combinations...
• The alcohol stove and ...
My video on first aid kit for hiking...
• First aid kit (2023 hi...
Toiletries and electronics...
• Toiletries and electro...

Пікірлер: 28

@michaelmcphee2930 3 күн бұрын

G'day mate I found them at BCF in Perth and have worn it from Walpole to Albany on the Bibbulmun track. Without at doubt the best headwear I've had, its light and doesn't blow off in gale force winds. Thanks

@former4326 Жыл бұрын

Thanks Simon. A useful video and great to see some Australian UL content on KZfaq!

@AustralianRuralAdventures Жыл бұрын

Onya mate, currently getting ready to tick off the northern section and might treat myself to some new gear. Definitely going to grab some compression pants, I’m sick of being bitten by ticks and mozzie 😕

@whatsimonsaysabout...6447 Жыл бұрын

I hope you have a fantastic walk. The pants work well against ticks I find, but mozzies and march flies can bite you thru them. Shouldn't be much of a problem at this time of year, but I put rain or wind pants over the top when I get to camp (for both warmth and insect protection). Haven't tried spraying with repellent? Certainly I would/do treat them with Permethrin (along with socks, shoes, etc).

@meldefreitas2622 8 ай бұрын

A really comprehensive review. Thanks so much for this. Happy trails mate.

@whatsimonsaysabout...6447 5 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@gregmccaslin7400 Жыл бұрын

Really nice bit of kit .👍

@whatsimonsaysabout...6447 Жыл бұрын

Thanks! It all worked really well for me.

@davef5916 Жыл бұрын

Nice to see someone else combining ultralight with some good bushcraft 5Cs style approach for safety. Durston Kakwas have an internal frame too, my 55L pack is 880grams.

@davef5916 Жыл бұрын

oh and youre not joking about getting that peppermint bronners in your eye, I did that once, luckily I was at home but my god it hurt. If it had happened on trail I wouldn't been in quite a lot of discomfort.

@whatsimonsaysabout...6447 Жыл бұрын

@@davef5916 yes got to be careful!

@RC-qf3mp 5 ай бұрын

Nice set up. I have the cutaway, and it’s a shame you’re using a waist pack with it. I have a waist pack collection and love the handiness of putting lots of things in it. But with the cutaway, I just put all those things in the bottom pouch and it’s easy to reach back (even with my short arms) to get stuff. Skullcap, phone, snacks (snack bag in a sturdy ziplock), gloves, AirPods, etc. Not having a waist pack is incredibly freeing, improves visibility, balance and therefore safety. Also just more fun. Yes, adding some weight to the front is a good idea, but not at the sacrifice of visibility and mobility. If you pick up the pace, the waist pack bounces around. If you scramble/climb, your knees go up and the thigh can bump into it. With a lightweight set up, adding more weight to your front in a waist pack isn’t doing that much - the water bottles on your chest are 90% of the weight you’ve transferred. I went to a no soaking when I got my Cutaway. Just made it my mission to find delicious and nutritious food that I like which is nutrient dense and hiker friendly. You could save about a pound in weight and go from over 11 lb base weight to under 10 lbs. another change I made after getting the cutaway, going to no-soaking, and ditching a waist pack, was getting good hiking pants and using those pockets (on sturdy hiking pants) for adding more of the small things that are comfortable to wear and won’t impede motion. Liner gloves, small packets of emergency medicine, small flashlight, etc. Just something to consider if you want to drop about 1 lb of weight and have a more comfortable ride. The hard part is researching food, but everybody likes a ton of no-soak food , they just don’t know it yet. Only hardcore coffee addicts need the stove. I like tea, but realized I can get matcha tea and brew it cold. Problem solved. Also- I’d move the poncho gorundsheet to the back pocket and put food/other stuff in the bottom pouch. That pouch is for what you need while hiking- snacks, phone, gloves, buff, hat, etc. I wouldn’t use that valuable real estate for a groundsheet tarp, even if I knew it would rain. Lastly, I’m skeptical that your improvised hip belt is accomplishing anything. There’s nothing to transfer load from the back/pack to the hip from that. You need a frame or some kind of rod, like zpacks uses. More importantly, just get a pack with a hip belt that’s designed to transfer the weight. But if you’re ultralight, you don’t need that. The cutaway, the way I wear it, I feel the pressure spread out around my chest from the running style . It’s amazing and comfortable. My back feels pressure mostly around the bottom. Perhaps toggle with the adjustments, but a lightweight load shouldn’t be at all uncomfortable or need a hip belt for you. You say you have some issue… if so, get a pack which actually is physically capable of transferring load to the hips. Your set up with the hip belt addition just seems redundant.

@whatsimonsaysabout...6447 5 ай бұрын

I'm glad you like the setup broadly. And thanks for the suggestions. I think a lot of points come down to how things work best for me with other constraints/choices/preferences (but always willing to consider alternatives). I'll just address some of the key points... I know most people don't use some sort of chest pouch (multipack). I don't find it obscures my view of the ground. If I felt it was unsafe I wouldn't use it. The Zpacks multipack is quite small (I see Treadlite gear has one now that looks interesting too, a bit narrower). Having said that, for some conditions (like steep climbs, or if I just want to travel on public transport with less dangles) I would move it into my packs. I know a lot of people use the bottom pocket for snacks, but I prefer having quick access to retrievee and stow my poncho, while keeping the pack on. Snacks are one thing, but I wouldn't trust a front facing pocket (that I access regularly) with small high value items that are easily lost. Maybe it has something to do with having a foam mat partly covering the entrance or perhaps just my lack of wrist mobility after breaks and surgery, but I find it difficult to use the bottom pocket. Large items like the poncho are OK, I can yank it out or ram back in. But small items I need to finess are a different matter. The pot? I have considered cold soaking and will look at the options you suggest. I'm not sure I'd go without some sort of pot though. As a survival item it's another way to purify water. For example. Heavy duty (or even light) pants or shorts give me a lot of grief with chafing and heat rash. I use the compression pants and running shorts because they've worked for me over thousands of kms. I find the hip belt makes a different in back and shoulder pain. Maybe how I load the pack or use a pad as a back panel? Either way I can transfer weight. I have lower back and neck/shoulder problems.

@RC-qf3mp 5 ай бұрын

@@whatsimonsaysabout...6447 I have the zpacks multipack. It’s thin, but your pot set up must bulge out. It’s just odd you don’t get a pack with a hip belt, frame to transfer load to hips, and load lifters to adjust as you go. The zpacks arc haul with the extra wide hip would be perfect for you. OR… go no-soak, lighten the load, ditch what you can to relieve back stress. Physically, it seems impossible that your hip belt attachment is doing anything other than creating a placebo effect. There needs to be a sturdy structure, like a flexible metal rod, to transfer load to the hips. Even the 5,000 year old Iceman backpack had a wooden frame with a flexible piece of wood, not unlike what current lighter frames do. Just seems strange to use a backpack specifically designed for people who don’t need or want hip belts or hip belt pockets and then add a hip belt and a waist pack. Like ordering a veggie burger and then replacing the veggie patty with a beef patty, and the fake cheese with real cheese. Just order a regular cheeseburger, right? The wide pack hip belt is incredible at transferring weight, and with hip belt pockets, you can add more weight directly to your hip, since that’s your style. I think you like the idea of the cutaway… it’s a great pack. But it’s not suiting your needs as well as something like an arc haul would. I wouldn’t recommend a cutaway to anybody with a base weight above 10 lbs, or anybody who likes hip belts or even waist packs. You are all three. The cutaway is like a two door sports car, but what you need is a sedan.

@whatsimonsaysabout...6447 5 ай бұрын

@@RC-qf3mp We'll have to agree to disagree. When I bought the Cutaway, Nashville packs didn't produce a pack with a frame. They briefly made one but I haven't seen it on their website. I reviewed a wide range of packs and decided that was what I wanted to go for. Unless there's definitive research one way or the other I guess it's just a subjective assessment. I certainly feel a different when the hip belt is done up vs not (and can loosen shoulder straps right off without the pack slipping further down my back, suggesting it's doing something). Find the same with my other framless packs (which also have hip belts). I have owned UL packs with metal or carbon fibre frames (such as original Zpacks [whatever they called it?]). But have found the Cutaway does what I need now. If it was uncomfortable with the weight that would be a different story.

@raykinit4701 Жыл бұрын

try the 1/8 inch pad on top of the concertina pad with your space blanket and every other item underneath warm and comfortable zero failure possibilities

@whatsimonsaysabout...6447 Жыл бұрын

Thanks! I'm thinking of picking up one of the concertina pads to try when back in Perth. Will do some experimenting.

@melitarees4271 7 ай бұрын

Gday Simon! Thank you so much for your video. Mate what brand is that bivvy bag with the insect netting? Thanku😁

@whatsimonsaysabout...6447 5 ай бұрын

Sorry, I thought I'd responded. It's a Borah Gear Bivy.

@michaelmcphee2930 22 күн бұрын

Did you get your cap in Perth? The light reflective colour appeals.

@whatsimonsaysabout...6447 5 күн бұрын

@@michaelmcphee2930 sorry, have been hiking the Flinders Ranges last few weeks (Heysen Trail). The Adapta-Cap? I'm not sure where I bought it now (have had for a while). Perhaps online or in Lismore. Available at a lot of places.

@Shiftystrolls 8 ай бұрын

Hey Simon, can you give me some more details on your Bivy bag, can't seem to find sabori gear bivvy ? Much appreciated

@whatsimonsaysabout...6447 8 ай бұрын

I've got the Borah gear bivy. Here's the link. I went for a longer and wider bag with the side zipper. For maximum space and ease of use. borahgear.com/ultralightbivy.html

@Shiftystrolls 7 ай бұрын

Legend, thanks very much. Also really enjoyed the content and have pretty much exact the same set up

@melitarees4271 7 ай бұрын

Sorry just found your previous comment on it; all good😁