Bushwalking Gear

Sometimes it’s necessary to go on a long, multi-night walk to get to a caving or canyoning location. For this, and because it’s fun, NUCC sometimes does bushwalks. Gear for bushwalks that only last a single day is pretty easy, but when you have one or more nights, you need to be a bit more careful about what you bring. Here’s some thoughts and suggestions about gear for longer walks.

Essential Gear-

Something in the vicinity of 40-60L is good. Starting out, it’s hard to get enough gear in a smaller pack, and larger packs just encourage you to pack more. Critically, make sure it has a chest strap and a decent waist belt, and is comfortable with a load in it

A good 1p tent should be in the 1-2kg range, a 2p (more space, even if you’re not planning to share) tent 2-3kg. Lighter options certainly exist, but are often more specialist and require greater care. For most uses that don’t involve direct exposure to high winds or heavy snow, a 3-season tent is sufficient, although a 4-season tent is also worthwhile for the added durability and protection (and the distinction between the two is blurry anyway).

Some areas have rocks and stuff that could damage the base of your tent. Buy a cheap sheet of throwaway plastic so that you don’t have to patch a million holes in your tent. Make sure it’s light and packs up small

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Discretionary Gear-

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Group gear-

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