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# The Ultralight Hiker

Ultralight hiking, backpacking, bushwalking, deer hunting, canoeing, pack rafting, tips, trails, adventures, gear, reviews...Over 1600 posts & 70 years' experience.

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## Posts

- [Tim Severin - What a Guy!](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/05/11/tim-severin/) - WHAT a guy! Not many in modern times (save perhaps Thor Heyerdahl: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/kon-tiki-thor-heyerdahl/) have adventured like this chap, eg: The Brendan Voyage (1976–1977), The Sindbad Voyage (1980–1981), The Jason Voyage (1984), The Ulysses Voyage (1985), The China Voyage (May–November 1993), In Search of Moby Dick: Quest for the White Whale (1999): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Severin
- [Fiordland Moose:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/06/21/fiordland-moose/) - Contrary to popular culture, these monsters are NOT a myth, but are alive and well and living in Fiordland. My own observations are that they are quite widely dispersed. This is more than confirmed by Ken Tustin’s Herculean efforts over 40 years to spot just one of them. During many trips along the Seaforth River
- [Only the Moon and Me](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/06/12/only-the-moon-and-me/) - Packrafting the Thomson River, Gippsland #1: This is probably the best weekend trip in Victoria. It may be mid-winter now but soon you should be planning your wonderful spring/summer trips - and this should be one of them! You start this just downstream of the historic Brunton's Bridge where the road of the same name
- [A Visit to Woods Point](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2026/07/19/a-visit-to-woods-point/) - On successive weekends lately we found time to drive to Woods Point for a counter lunch. Woods Point is one of those last surviving towns in the Victorian mountains. For us it is a 280 km round trip from our front gate to Woods Point and approx 6 hours' driving. However it is one of
- [DIY Tents](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2026/07/18/diy-tents/) - In this post I thought I would pull together my 'adventures' with making my own tents/shelters over the years. My experience has evolved from utilising simple tarps/ponchos as shelters to creating a variety of tent 'prototypes' in Tyvek often followed by a lighter silnylon model (which I then take up the bush to try out).
- [19 Gram Dyneema Camp Shoes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2026/07/03/19-gram-dyneema-camp-shoes/) - (Correction: 17!) I just finished making this pair of US Size 9 ultralight camp shoes for my Dusky track walk which I start on Monday. They are made from 3.6oz/yd2 Dyneema fabric. Together with a pair of down socks from https://goosefeetgear.com/products/down-socks/ (approx 50 grams per pair), I should have nice dry, warm feet at the
- [A Hands Free Umbrella:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/12/14/a-hands-free-umbrella/) - What a good idea that would be, especially if you need to use both hands for trekking poles on rough or steep terrain. When the weather is really humid, you really need a roof to keep you dry (and warm). A raincoat in such circumstances will just see you soaked and frozen. Or you might
- [The Carry-on Knife Problem Solved](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2026/07/01/the-carry-on-knife-problem-solved/) - It is such a nuisance arriving at your destination and not having your favourite knife available for those simple tasks like peeling an apple, opening a box, cutting a rope etc. It is also awkward to have to post your knife ahead for pick-up or buy one then throw it away or post it back
- [Lost at Fromelles:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/07/20/lost-at-fromelles/) - Just like thousands of other Australians I lost a relative at Fromelles a hundred years ago today. Private Joseph Leslie (Roy) Martin Number 1584, 30th battalion AIF, an ex cadet, single labourer from Grenfell NSW, an uncle who would never be - disappeared that day aged just 20 – and has never been found since.
- [Slow Walking the EBC 2](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2026/05/29/slow-walking-the-ebc-2/) - We made good time (and enjoyed ourselves) on our 'training walk' circuit from Lukla-Surte-Chauikharka-Lukla and on our first day Lukla-Benkar. But disaster can strike anyone/anywhere. What happened wasn't really disaster and didn't ruin our trip but it certainly had that potential. We decided to split the day's walk from Benkar to Namche in two, remembering
- [Topo Boots](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2026/04/12/topo-boots/) - I have praised the Topo shoes in a previous post. Della and I both just acquired new Topo Terraventure 2Wp boots for an upcoming EBC hike. Mine cost A$279 delivered from Sherpa. Topo have improved the shoes since my first pair. Eg They now have really super grip Vibram soles which just about glue you
- [Slow Walking the EBC 1](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2026/05/28/slow-walking-the-ebc-1/) - During May (2026) we returned to the EBC for our fourth (and probably last - due to our age) visit. This time we were (not unexpectedly) much slower than we had been in years' past. I don't think you should allow such slowness or a level of fitness to put you off what should otherwise
- [Surviving the Everest Base Camp Trek](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/11/18/surviving-the-everest-base-camp-trek/) - This may be harder than you think in the 'post covid' era. However, Della and I (plus Leanne) have just ventured there and back (again)... I will largely let them tell the story this time (our third) - with well over 100 photos and maybe some useful advice. PS: Della and I are/were 144 collectively
- [Ultralight Shoe Horn](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2026/05/25/ultralight-shoe-horn/) - If you have trouble putting your hiking shoes on (as I do due to age, arthritis, back injury etc) no doubt you need an ultralight shoe horn. I sometimes use my toilet trowel but this purpose-built item probably works better/more comfortably. This Shoe Doctor 17cm/17 grams Shoe Horn works very well and is available from
- [The Secret of Fire](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2026/05/24/the-secret-of-fire/) - Fire lighting is a profound 'secret' which if you do not master, you might come to a time when you do not survive at all because of your ignorance. Take the time and patience to learn to be its master. Prometheus the Titan has a lot to answer for – but Boy, have we ever
- [DIY Side Burner Metho Stove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2026/04/29/diy-side-burner-metho-stove/) - If you have never tried out an alcohol stove (or made one yourself) you should really try this. All you need is a sharp blade a a pair of scissors and an empty can. You will be surprised how well it works. You should also read this post: Fuel Follies. Then if you take a
- [Fuel Follies](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2026/04/24/fuel-follies/) - Of course you know what this is; it's a very silly empty fuel container which you can see weighs 5.1 oz or 147 grams. Lots of unwise hikers lug these stupid things around! Let's look at it another way. A lightweight bottle to carry alcohol (meths) in might weigh 10-20 grams. My lightest burner weighs
- [Small Game](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2026/04/18/small-game/) - Was once the bushman's standy-by. It is usually abundant, enormously varied, relatively easily to take, involves little waste or preparation and is often tasty and nutritious. Of course much of it is also illegal. You will notice though that in my post about the journey to Cromarty not so long ago everyone used to take
- [Sleeping Ultralight](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2026/04/13/sleeping-ultralight/) - I noticed this morning that Nemo have a 'new' Tensor Elite Ultralight Insulated pad which weighs as little as 215 grams (though only R2.4) at US229.95 (April 2026) . That is certainly a game-changer for summer or maybe 3-season camping. Weight-wise this compares favorably with my personal favourite the Thermarest NeoAir X-Lite Regular Small (formerly
- [A Hummingbird in the Hand:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/04/14/a-hummingbird-in-the-hand/) - I just took delivery of these fabulous new ultralight hammocks. One, (the lightest of course -147 grams) will be coming with me on my upcoming Dusky Track adventure. I would not be ‘betting my life’ on one for ten days in the wilderness unless I had every confidence they are a superior product. These are
- [A Lazy Man’s Guide to Hiking and Hunting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2026/04/11/a-lazy-mans-guide-to-hiking-and-hunting/) - Work equals force by distance, where a single newton of force represents the amount of force needed to move one kilogram one meter. The equivalent imperial unit is the foot-pound which is self-explanatory. Image: Sisyphus: ‘In Greek mythology Sisyphus or Sisyphos was the king of Ephyra. He was punished for his self-aggrandizing craftiness and deceitfulness
- [Making Tracks](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2026/04/11/making-tracks/) - I know this will be anathema to the LNT set but let me say that they are anathema to me! Such posturing and hand-wringing is the worst kind of virtue signalling. Nature can be improved for the benefit of man and indeed for the benefit of both - particularly in regard to the prevention of
- [Poncho Multi Tarp](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2026/03/22/poncho-multi-tarp/) - This has been a long time coming. I sewed the prototype in 2023 and am just finishing it off today (January 2026) but I think it will have been worth the wait. I hinted that I would be making it years ago in this post 7 x7 Poncho Multi Tarp. This design doubles (quadruples) as
- [The Everlasting Powerbank](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2026/03/16/the-everlasting-powerbank/) - When your phone's screen begins to flicker and die or your torch grows dim I bet you wish for one of these - something which will keep them charged forever. It outputs around half an amp (at 5 Volts) at the recommended 1 rpm ie 2.5 Milliamp hours/watts (per hour) - enough to charge your
- [Powerbank Accessories](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2026/03/16/powerbank-accessories/) - I have written about ultralight USB cables and this really miniature usb lamp but had you ever wished you could light a fire with your power bank? Now you can. Mine came free with the Hand Dynamo I just wrote about. You can buy similar ones from Aliexpress here and here for between A$2 and
- [Keweisi USB Amp Tester](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2026/03/12/keweisi-usb-amp-tester/) - This is a really handy piece of gear (18 grams). After you have bought it/them you are going to be throwing out a heap of other things! It measures the voltage and amperage through itself when plugged into a USB outlet and can time and add the total so that you can see how long
- [Trailstar Double Hammock Tarp](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2026/01/13/trailstar-double-hammock-tarp/) - The tents I make all double as hammock tarps too. I am very taken with my (Chinese) Trailstar and wondered whether it could be repurposed likewise. I am pleased to report that it can - and that it is (just) big enough for a tarp which both of us can lie underneath in our hammocks.
- [Victorian Megafires](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2026/01/10/victorian-megafires/) - Victoria is on fire again - as I predicted in this post Mt Darling an Emerging Inferno (though it hasn't actually got there yet). I suspect the hut will go before I ever get a chance to renovate it but it is still west of the fire and the fire is moving east, so who
- [Flames Creed Trailstar Minaret](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/12/21/flames-creed-trailstar-minaret/) - I have owned the earlier heavier version of this (Chinese copy) Trailstar tent for several years. It weighed close to 800 grams with pegs etc though I have been very happy with it. I decided to give this lighter version a try. It is available from Aliexpress from around A$80 including shipping. Hard to beat.
- [Mitchell River Packraft Day Trip](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2026/01/07/mitchell-river-packraft-day-trip/) - This is a delightful white water day trip or a very leisurely overnight - as we did it - seeing in the New Year (2026) together again (our 55th!) Our put-in and take-out points were respectively the Den of Nargun, Wallers Rd and the Final Fling Rapid on Fraser-Alexanders Rd, Glenaladale, Gippsland Vic - a
- [A Day Pack Rafting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/12/20/a-day-pack-rafting/) - We have been wanting to get Della back into a pack-raft by herself in case we get the opportunity to Pack Raft the Remote Wonnangatta this summer. She needed a bit of practice paddling by herself again after all these Double Pack Raft trips. I took along the double (paddling it alone) in case she
- [Ultralight Ultracheap Deer Hunting & A Ripping Yarn or Two](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/12/13/ultralight-ultracheap-deer-hunting-a-ripping-yarn-or-two/) - First: Gear Advice I am often approached by prospective deer hunters for advice, particularly about what they need to acquire before beginning hunting. How little both in weight and dollars do you need to spend (supposing you already actually own nothing - unlikely)? I have put together here some suggestions (with relevant links to previous
- [Slow Walking NZ's South Coast Track](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/12/08/slow-walking-nzs-south-coast-track/) - I called the post 'Slow Walking NZ's South Coast Track' as that was what we intended to do with both of us now in our seventies and not really fit enough for the rigours of the track, ie 7+ hour sections etc. I thought I had worked out ways to shorten each section (and I
- [Tyvek Solar Reflector](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/12/09/tyvek-solar-reflector/) - This device boosts the electrical output of my solar panels by approximately several times (and weighs approx 28 grams). Its output is only limited by the input circuitry on the USB outlet of the solar panel. The wonders of Tyvek once again! Tyvek reflectivity is just about as good as it gets: 97% eg as
- [Asta Gear Yun Chuan 2 Tent](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/12/05/asta-gear-yun-chuan-2-tent/) - This is a Chinese version of a two-pole A-frame design which has been around for a few years since at least 2016 - before the X-Mid anyway, I believe. Other examples of it are the Sierra Designs High Route, the Black Diamond Beta Light and the Durston X-Mid to name a few. I have read
- [DIY Ultralight Sprung Tent Pole Extension](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/04/06/diy-ultralight-sprung-tent-pole-extension/) - Never have your tent sag again! I may call this 'The Skyhook' as it makes your tent seem to float on air. We have been gazing at it in astonishment all night. There would be a million dollars in this invention if I could afford to patent it. May be my best DIY idea yet.
- [Avenza - Never Get Lost Again](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/12/31/avenza/) - Avenza has morphed into a really great mapping tool. I used to use the previous free version (PDF Maps) in conjunction with bought versions of Vicmap topographical maps but abandoned it in favour of Paper Maps a few years ago. Today I took a fresh look at it. Now it has a vast swathe of
- [Paper Maps App](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/12/01/paper-maps-app/) - This is a great App I have just discovered. It opens Pdf Maps and many other types. If you are tired of Avenza's version of Pdf Maps only allowing you to open three maps before you hand over cash to them every year - and taking forever to open every map into the bargain (I
- [Black Snake Creek Revisited](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/11/30/black-snake-creek-revisited/) - A year ago...Our adult kids were so motivated by our post Paddling into History they all readily agreed to a return trip (after an absence of over twenty years) to our old holiday spot on a very fine day last weekend with a water level of just under 1.8 metres on the Waterford gauge. Here
- [Waitutu to Port Craig](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/11/30/waitutu-to-port-craig/) - The fourth installment of my post Slow Walking NZ's South Coast Track. We had intended to break our journey at the Percy Burn hut, making for two reasonably comfortable days but unfortunately the hut is now rented by the Hump Ridge people and locked (though it can be booked), so that we had another long
- [Long Point Hut Fiordland - A Hidden Gem](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/09/22/long-point-hut-fiordland-a-hidden-gem/) - This is a continuation of the post Slow Walking NZ’s South Coast Track. After we left the Waitutu River on the South Coast Track we planned to detour South before the Angus Burn to spend a night at the Long Point Hut - and perhaps visit its extensive grassy sandhills and lighthouse, a red deer
- [Wonderful Waitutu Lodge](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/09/25/wonderful-waitutu-lodge/) - This is the third instalment of my post Slow Walking NZ's South Coast Track. After we left the Waitutu Corporation's wonderful Long Point Hut we intended to have a short day and be at the Waitutu Lodge within 4-5 hours (which we should have been). We were at the Angus Burn in around three hours
- [A Visit to Port Craig](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/11/30/a-visit-to-port-craig/) - This is the fifth installment of my post Slow Walking NZ's South Coast Track. The second was Long Point Hut - A Hidden Gem, the third was Wonderful Waitutu Lodge and the fourth was Waitutu to Port Craig. After having walked further than we intended the previous day (32,000 steps rather than the 20,000 just
- [Glenaladale Weir Walk](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/11/29/glenaladale-weir-walk/) - An amazing 'ancient' stone monument. Without visiting ancient Egypt or similar you will never see anything like this anywhere in Australia, so the trip is definitely worth the effort. Glenaladale Weir (on the Mitchell-Wonnagatta River, Gippsland Vic) was constructed c 1891-2 and destroyed by floods within only about a year. Some history is available on
- [Deer Hunter's Tent #2](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/11/22/deer-hunters-tent-2/) - A tent that is also a tarp and a hammock shelter. This tent has been evolving in my head for a number of years and I realise that some of you are impatient that you have not been able to buy one or other of its iterations. However your wait might soon be over. Be
- [Silnylon Hammock Tent](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/11/14/silnylon-hammock-tent/) - I have completed sewing a silnylon version of my 10 x 10 tent (actually 3 x 3 metres) out of some 1.25 0oz/yd2 (43 gsm) silnylon I sourced from China for US$2.50/metre. The key to understanding how it works is where to put the tie-outs. The photos below show it erected as a tent (for
- [South Coast Track New Zealand](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/08/13/south-coast-track-new-zealand/) - New Zealand's South Coast Track is a magical journey through one of the world's completely untouched forests where no axe has ever fallen or anyone ever lived. I/we have been there four times and plan to go again, maybe in late spring this year if my knee is good enough by then, otherwise next autumn.
- [Wonnangatta Track Clearing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/09/19/wonnangatta-track-clearing-2/) - I have spent the past four days walking ~6okm alongside the Wonnagatta River within the trackless Mt Darling Wilderness with my lovely dog, Honey as (illegal) company. At 76 a 20 km stretch which used to take me five hours is now taking me six (with a 10 kg+ pack) but it is much less
- [More Marvelous Mitchell](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/08/22/more-marvelous-mitchell/) - It's months ago now (I have fallen behind on my posts) when Della and I took three delightful days rafting a section of the Mitchell River (Gippsland) back in autumn (April), of course with the dogs. Last time I pack-rafted this section (by myself Mitchell River Overnight) I took only two days but the double
- [How to Make a Tent Pole](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/08/18/how-to-make-a-tent-pole/) - I made a sub one ounce hand saw for this purpose, but this is even easier than sawing a branch to length: You can cut approx 10" (25 cm) of 1" (25mm) poly pipe to join two hiking poles like this. I used standard 'rural C' grade poly pipe because we have it lying around
- [Cheap and Light: 3F UL Qidian 3.0 Pro Pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/08/18/cheap-and-light-3f-ul-qidian-3-0-pro-pack/) - As I have said many times, you don't have to break the bank to go hiking. I have been eyeing off various Dyneema packs on eg Aliexpress for years but recently (it was my birthday - 76. Who'd have thought?) I decided to buy yet another unnecessary pack. The 'choice' was between a 'conventional' (ie
- [Sambar Deer Stalking #102:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/08/04/sambar-deer-stalking-102/) - Having mastered the art of lighting a fire in terrible conditions (I hope you have: How to Light a Fire in the Wet), and making a passable comfy shelter so you can enjoy your time in the bush, the next big step is mastering the art of walking. Too many men take overlong strides and
- [Eagle Rock](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/08/18/eagle-rock/) - We have been having some predation of our Finnsheep lambs by wedge-tailed eagles which is costing us a lot of money - and anguish. The other morning as I went around the lambs I saw one flying higher than our largest gums with a lamb's head in in its claws. I clapped my hands and
- [Toothbrush Spoon #2](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/08/06/toothbrush-spoon-2/) - The Toothbrush Spoon was not my original idea but had been patented way back in 1934 as I discovered when I re-invented it back in 2020. Still Della and I were both very pleased with it/them and have been using them ever since. I realise now that I could have drilled a hole in it
- [From Dawn to Dusky #1:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/07/09/from-dawn-to-dusky/) - New Zealand's Dusky Track a wonderful challenging 8+day trek in Fiordland
- [NZ's South Coast Track: Westies Hut to Cromarty:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/07/29/nzs-south-coast-track-westies-hut-to-cromarty/) - After you have completed the wonderful journey on the South Coast Track from the Rarakau Car Park to the magical Westies Hut it is possible to continue the journey all the way to Puysegur Point Lighthouse, the Te Oneroa shelter and the ruins of the old mining town of Cromarty way out at Preservation Inlet
- [The Valley of the Deer](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/11/25/the-valley-of-the-deer/) - I guess every hunter dreams of some secluded valley where it feels like you are the first person to have ever trod - at least where the deer are as plentiful and tame as rabbits and there is no competition from other hunters. Where you can arrive at your camp after a couple of day's
- [The Ultimate Hunting Trip](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/07/23/the-ultimate-hunting-trip/) - (or, A Further Use for Toilet Trowels) Disaster will sometimes happen upon you in the wilderness. The important thing is to survive it - as less experienced folk frequently don't! For months I have been 'stir crazy' what with slow recovery from my back operation and (seeming to) need a new knee, but I have
- [Messing About in Boats](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/06/28/messing-about-in-boats/) - I have to agree with Ratty, “There’s nothing––absolutely nothing––half so much worth doing as messing about in boats.” ('Wind in the Willows,' Kenneth Graham) And it was a glorious long weekend after 34 mm of rain to be doing it. We had intended to head up to Eaglevale for a splendid voyage on our favourite
- [Sambar Deer Stalking #101:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/06/28/sambar-stalking-101/) - An Introduction to hunting sambar deer written for a novice by a hunter with over 40 years experience hunting them in the wonderful Gippsland (Victoria, Australia) mountains.
- [Mighty Tiny Phone:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/05/25/mighty-tiny-phone/) - Following the success of their ‘Jelly’ the smallest 4G smartphone, which is still available for US124.99 (May 2018) Uniherrtz have developed this little beauty the 'Atom' which comes with many other features (including now a really serious 16 meg camera). If you remember the Jelly weighs only 60 grams and fits in the fob pocket
- [Wifi Booster And Security Cam Set-up](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/07/28/wifi-booster-and-security-cam-set-up/) - We have had a spate of burglaries on rural properties around here. Even our next door neighbour had a break-in and a car stolen recently , so we decided it was past time to upgrade our front gate security (at least). We are also thinking about security doors and window screens in the future as
- [Air Chair](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/05/21/air-chair/) - Sea to Summit have an 'Air Chair' which is a fair replacement for Big Agnes' 'Cyclone Chair' (no longer available) - though a bit heavier (plus 60 grams). We have been using our Cyclone Chairs now for over 20 years. They just use your sleeping mat to form a comfy. chair. The biggest pluses about
- [The Lure of the Moose:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/12/19/the-lure-of-the-moose/) - O, the enchantments of Fiordland: Time and again I have been drawn back to this lush green Eden questing after one of these surviving prehistoric giants, which though sundered from their ancient homeland in the vast boreal forests of the North, still linger there today. For me it is a tale which began when I
- [South Coast Track Fiordland NZ Wairaurahiri to Waitutu 2016:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/04/16/south-coast-track-fiordland-nz-wairaurahiri-to-waitutu-2016/) - Since we were there last year some new alternatives have emerged. On the way out we were able to follow a lovely dry even old hunter’s route along the coast to the crossing of the Crombie Stream, then walk up the ridge on its true right bank (facing downstream) and rejoin the South Coast track.
- [Essential Knots](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/03/08/essential-knots/) - There are a few essential knots (for hiking etc) some of which can save your life. A piece of string and the knowledge of how to form such an essential knot may be the ultimate ultralight 'tool'. One such knot is the Taut Line Hitch or Midshipman's Hitch (shown below). It is an adjustable knot
- [South Coast Track Fiordland NZ: Waitutu to Westies:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/04/14/south-coast-track-fiordland-nz-waitutu-to-westies/) - I can't believe it is five years ago today we were there. Time for another trip. We have not seen Long Point, the Slaughter Burn, Big River...I was reminded of this by our jet boat pilot (Roffy) posting this on Facebook yesterday. The trip out to Westies is the journey of a lifetime. Do not
- [Canoeing With Dogs #2](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/02/13/canoeing-with-dogs-2/) - Just to prove that all of our trips don't end in disaster: As the rainfall forecast for the rest of the summer is dismal and the river heights are rapidly falling we seized (maybe the last) opportunity to shoot one of our favourite sections of the Wonnangatta, ie Black Snake Creek to Waterford (Meyers Flat)
- [Double Hammock #2](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2025/01/25/double-hammock-2/) - We were feeling the need to perfect our double hammocking skills as preparation for yet another wilderness trip. As we often hike in Fiordland NZ where it is apt to rain on average an inch a day and it can be difficult anyway to find a level spot for a tent, it is well to
- [Lightest 5000mAh Power Bank](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/09/25/lightest-5000mah-power-bank/) - Litesmith have recently utilised the 21700 Lithium battery to make perhaps the most compact and lightest (at 73.5 grams) 5000 mAh power bank. These batteries are available to 5800 mAh so expect some improvements still.They are selling for US$22 (Sep 2023). This size should allow you to charge (once) the largest mobile phone around (usually
- [Canoeing With Dogs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/12/30/canoeing-with-dogs/) - I'm sure you know we have been doing this for very many years - but it is getting harder. Because of Della's eyesight she is less comfortable with the plastic boats we have used in the past: the Perception Minnows she/we used when the kids were little (over thirty years ago) , the Nylex Pioneers
- [Satellite Communication Woes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/12/22/satellite-communication-woes/) - Making calls to satellite phones has been restricted, though most will not know. Because we have cause to use one (both a satellite phone and satellite messenger) This is deeply worrying for us. About a year ago Telstra decided you now have to have a new dedicated SIM for your sat phone (without telling us)
- [Can You Have the Best of Both Worlds?](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/11/24/can-you-have-the-best-of-both-worlds/) - I can't imagine just how much ink and energy has been wasted on the conundrum, 'What's best as a camping option a tent or a hammock' (plus fly)? But you can indeed have the best of both worlds - as the saying goes. You can carry a tarp which can be used either for sleeping
- [Simple Hammock Double Up](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/04/30/simple-hammock-double-up/) - You can hang two hammocks side by side from the one pair of trees using just one tarp with this simple expedient. You need one (or two) spacer bars (3/4" thick branches or parts of your hiking poles will do) and some of these 25 mm (1 inch) poly plumbing fittings from eg Bunnings at
- [The Little Star - a great little tent](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/12/13/the-little-star-a-great-little-tent/) - If you are not into DIY. Also a great weight (390 grams in silnylon - even lighter in DCF which I eschew) and price (US$220 Dec 2024). What's not to like? It is very like my Siligloo (but a little simpler). I have MLD's 'big brother' the Supamid which I can attest is well made
- [Mt Darling - an Emerging Inferno](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/12/11/mt-darling-an-emerging-inferno/) - I must say that it was with mixed feelings that I greeted the announcement (in 1985 I think) by then Minister for 'Conservation' Joan Kirner that Victoria would create/declare 'Wilderness Areas', the first being the Mt Darling - Snowy Bluff Wilderness Area where I have spent a lot of time (before and since). On the
- [Dos and Don'ts on the EBC (and Elsewhere):](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/11/24/dos-and-donts-on-the-ebc-and-elsewhere/) - I intend this post to apply to lots of other hiking destinations, but at least it should improve your experience and expectations on this iconic walk. 'You live and learn - or you don't live long' - as the man said (ie Lazarus Long, 'Time Enough For Love'). I have lived long, and intend to
- [Preventing Batteries From Going Flat at High Altitudes:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/12/11/preventing-batteries-from-going-flat-at-high-altitudes/) - Yes this really does work. This is my 'Poor Man's Satellite Phone' after two weeks at between 3.000-6,000 metres elevation during our recent EBC trek. As you can see still 94% charged. 'Normally' such battery devices would be pretty much flat after just one day (even without use) - as I found out on my
- [Wilderness Exploration](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/11/26/wilderness-exploration/) - I have always loved Shelley's poem 'Ozymandias' which showcases the futility of Pharaoh Rameses' efforts to secure his immortality. Many people these days are obsessed with mankind's (supposed) destruction of nature, an observation which I do not wholly disagree with, but nature has a way of coming roaring back, all but obliterating mankind's works. For
- [Ultralight Ground Sheet:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/11/22/ultralight-ground-sheet/) - If you are sensible and don’t use a tent, but instead sleep under a nice airy tarp, you may nonetheless want to protect your bottom and other expensive equipment with a ground sheet. As I have mentioned before a mylar space blanket (at about 50 grams) is good enough for this and does double duty
- [Yarra Falls](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/01/21/yarra-falls/) - A reader writes: 'We decided to use the day searching for the lost ‘Yarra’ Falls. Quite a lot of bush bashing (nearly three hours in, one and a quarter out) brought us to the top of the first cascade, No #1 of SIX (!) which plummet hundreds of metres down the valley!) Perhaps Victoria’s greatest
- [Ganesha Folding Gasifier Hobo Stove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/10/19/ganesha-folding-gasifier-hobo-stove/) - I recently encountered this little delight. If you are in the market for a fuel stove which burns clean and won't scorch the ground (and sets up in a jiffy) this may be the solution for you. It unfolds (out of its bag) from its flat-pack form in less than five seconds. Another few seconds
- [The Seventieth Birthday Platypus](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/09/25/the-seventieth-birthday-platypus/) - Five years flies by very quickly (when you are having fun). I had hoped that this post would be titled 'The Seventieth Birthday Stag' but he did not emerge from his lair during my recent sojourn up the bush to check how my hunting camps had fared from the terrible bush fires of earlier this
- [A New Knee](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/05/12/a-new-knee/) - As you may know I have been having trouble with my left knee (especially) for quite some time - around nine years in fact. I have tried just about everything to make it better as the posts I Kneed You, A Cure for Knee Pain, & Knee Cure News will make clear to you, but
- [A Gibbo Memory](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/08/28/a-gibbo-memory/) - Recently I drove to Corryong and back to scan a heap of photos and documents which had been collected by my (late) first cousin which had become the property of his son on his death. It turned out there were 614 family photos and about 200 family documents - quite a trove, so as you
- [The Perfect Guy Line for a Tent or Tarp:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/12/08/the-perfect-guy-line-for-a-hiking-tenttarp/) - These tiny luminous line locks (.7 gram ea) are just great as is ultra light 1.25 high viz spectra cord (available at Zpacks) which (together) makes for a perfect guy line for a hiking tent/tarp. They glow in the dark so well, you can see them clearly through the material of your tent. The Clam
- [Hunting the Wonnangatta Again](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/08/26/hunting-the-wonnangatta-again/) - I guess you realise I have been haunting this wonderful valley for decades, but now that I am over half way though my eighth decade I suppose I will be doing such big tough trips less than I used to. However I was up there for a few days a couple of weeks ago. I
- [Snowy Bluff - Mt Darling Wilderness](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/03/08/snowy-bluff-mt-darling-wilderness/) - 2014: Wilderness: Just spent a couple of days with Spot in the heart of the Snowy Bluff-Mt Darling Wilderness (around 1500 metres). The ‘easy’ way in is to follow the old ‘Carey Rd’ (closed 30 - now 40 - years ago) 200 metres on the right before Dimmicks lookout (off the Howitt Rd above Licola).
- [Upper Yarra Track Instructions:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/08/24/upper-yarra-track-instructions/) - I have posted dozens of times about this wonderful trail which (in an extended version) can be walked all the way from Moe to Lilydale. Here is some indication of track times and distances and here is a detailed set of instructions. Below you can find some of my posts about it in the order
- [Upper Yarra Track Instructions:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/08/24/upper-yarra-track-instructions/) - I have posted dozens of times about this wonderful trail which (in an extended version) can be walked all the way from Moe to Lilydale. Here is some indication of track times and distances and here is a detailed set of instructions. Below you can find some of my posts about it in the order
- [More Simmer Stoves](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/08/14/more-simmer-stoves/) - It is easy to make an ultralight alcohol stove which will boil water (instructions here and here - and in the comments below) but a bit more difficult to make one which will simmer. Many of my recipes require that the food simmers for 10 minutes or so (usually to soften lentils etc). I guess
- [Quilt Modification and Comparison](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/08/02/quilt-modification-and-comparison/) - I recently modified my Waratah Quilt and Zpacks Quilt so that they would better fit me, would be easier to enter and exit, and in the case of the Waratah be fractionally lighter as well. I found Kam Snaps to be just the trick for these mods. As I said in that post I will
- [60 DIY Ultralight Hiker Ideas:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/09/07/60-diy-ultralight-hiker-ideas/) - It has been quite a while (over two years) since I first posted this. Time for an update. There are now over 179 'ideas' to try out. Most will save you money or at least improve your outdoors experience; nearly all of them are my own 'inventions'. Hope you find something useful to you. 181:
- [Converting a Sleeping Bag Into a Quilt](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/07/31/converting-a-sleeping-bag-into-a-quilt/) - There is much debate about which is better, a sleeping bag or a quilt? But why not have both? In most cases it is easy to convert your old bag so you can use it as a quilt. I just did this with my old Montbell bag - and it works a treat. The conversion
- [Kam Snaps](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/07/28/kam-snaps/) - If you are into DIY (as you should be unless you want to be a perpetual victim/pauper) then it's about time you discovered these wonderful plastic gadgets, an amazing (ultralight) improvement on the traditional press-stud. I had a need to modify a couple of quilts I have been trialing as they weren't quite right for
- [Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/12/31/zpacks-arc-haul-ultra/) - I have been a fan of Joe Valesko's Zpacks for nearly twenty years - back when he was just a lad sewing all the packs himself. We have kept in touch. I have tried many of his products as they became available and generally promoted them. I doubt there has been any single person who
- [XTherm or Bust](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/07/13/xtherm-or-bust/) - So, as you know I bit the bullet and bought myself a new Thermarest XTherm at 440 grams for its standard 6' model. Though I definitely did not 'need' a new pad I wanted to see whether I could reduce size/volume in my pack - and I was just curious whether the improvement in the
- [An Ideal Cheap Pillow](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/07/13/an-ideal-cheap-pillow/) - While we are on the topic of sleeping (which we are), I have also really 'lashed out' and added an excellent $2 pillow to my sleeping arrangements from Aliexpress. I should add that I have modified my Waratah Quilt so it is a little lighter and easier to enter and exit. It is already delightfully
- [Absolutely the Lightest Sleeping Pad Inflator](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/07/04/absolutely-the-lightest-sleeping-pad-inflator/) - The Pad Pal weighs only 9 grams, costs a mere US$48 (July 2024) and will pump your pad up in a little over 30 seconds. This tiny device will revolutionise how you inflate your sleeping pad. Eat your heart out Flextail - which otherwise I was going to buy some day, but at nearly 100
- [Ultralight Furniture](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/05/27/ultralight-furniture/) - Should I buy a Helinox Zero or just sit on a log? We have used the Big Agnes Cyclone Chair (at approx 170 grams) for years. It uses a sleeping mat to make a comfy chair with a supporting back-rest that you can sit in your tent with (in front of a warm fire in
- [Kinetic Log Splitter](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/06/29/kinetic-log-splitter/) - We have had a hydraulic log splitter for a number of years, probably since I had some joints replaced in my arthritic hands such that the doctors recommended would not handle heavy work such as swinging a sledge or block buster (though I still do). I think it was rated at about 8 tonnes when
- [Ultracheap Packraft](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/12/30/ultracheap-packraft/) - What's not to like about this? A Naturehike Packraft for less than A$600 - or a double for A$830 (Sept 2023). Aliexpress is great. This is a big saving over other brands which come in now at twice or more than three times that! We received ours as a New Year's 'present' - it came
- [More Fun in the Rain](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/06/22/more-fun-in-the-rain/) - Ponchos, Umbrellas or Raincoats? That is the question. What's the best way to stay dry in the rain and enjoy yourself in the outdoors while doing so? I have been soaking wet, all over, every 'warm' layer down to my skin, more times than I can count.
- [Follow Your Nose](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/06/16/follow-your-nose/) - Learning to use your sense of smell when hunting deer will ensure success
- [Gully Walking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/06/10/gully-walking/) - Some top hiking Circuits in Victorian valleys. Add a pack rafting adventure to your hiking trip.
- [Things You Find](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/06/04/things-you-find/) - We visited the Hunter Valley where I grew up last week to catch up with relatives which was really great, however I did not expect this amazing treat. My cousin Brian had pulled this strange object out of the ground where we/they used to live in Tenambit (Maitland) when he was circa 8 years old.
- [Ultralight Head Gear](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/06/03/ultralight-head-gear/) - A 1970s US army survival guide used to claim that you lost up to 50% of your body's heat from your head. As the surface area of your head is only 10% of your body (though your brain uses a lot of your blood supply) this is almost certainly not true. However, not very much
- [Ion Idriess: The Desert Column](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/04/28/ion-idriess-the-desert-column/) - Facsimile CoverWhen I was a lad I thrilled to the works of Ion Idriess http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion_Idriess (and Nevil Shute: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevil_Shute ‘A Town Like Alice’, ‘On the Beach’, etc) I still wonder at his retelling of the Kidman story (‘The Cattle King’) I confess I have not read the wonderful book reviewed so capably here: https://quadrant.org.au/magazine/2011/09/ion-idriess-and-the-desert-column/ regarding
- [Ultralight Firewood Saw](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/05/26/ultralight-firewood-saw/) - I realise this is something of a 'holy grail' but sometimes you really do need to be able to saw some pieces of firewood down to size and you may need to have carried a saw to do so - or you are not going to be very warm tonight. This was (nearly) our situation
- [DIY Ultimate Ultralight Saw](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/05/20/diy-ultimate-ultralight-saw/) - A reader (Paul - thank you) has gazumped me in the ultralight saw stakes after viewing my post Ultralight Saw Experiments with a 'saw' that probably weighs under 5 grams but could still be used to make Ultralight Tent Poles - or similar items of camp furniture. In his own words (and picture): "I have
- [Ultralight Saws](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/03/06/ultralight-saws/) - Particularly when track hiking (which I mostly avoid) I have found that I sometimes need to clear a small spot to erect my tent. Often the track times do not suit such retired folks as ourselves (and many other much younger people!) so that you find yourself needing to camp where there is no campsite,
- [Ultralight Saw Experiments](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/11/20/ultralight-saw-experiments/) - I have not been completely happy with a DIY saw which weighs around an ounce for making my Ultralight Tent Poles when I am up the bush. Seems like I ought to be able to save around 20 grams on that - so here is my first effort which weighs exactly half that at 14
- [Federation and Feathertop](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/05/13/federation-and-feathertop/) - Last week my friend, Brett proposed we walk out to Federation Hut and Mt Feathertop for an overnight trip. Though I had a bad cold and was not feeling very fit I jumped at the chance. There is just so much work to get done around the farm - I may be avoiding some of
- [New Aussie Cottage Gear](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/03/23/new-aussie-cottage-gear/) - I have recently discovered this excellent new Aussie cottage outfit, Neve Gear. They currently make and sell backpacks and quilts/sleeping bags - but I doubt it will end there. They are young, having a go and deserve your support. They are making fine products which are competitively priced and as they are local (NSW) their
- [Waratah Quilt](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/05/12/waratah-quilt/) - I recently had a chance to try out this very nice Waratah Quilt from Neve Gear. They are priced from A$419 (May 2024). I have had it for some time actually, but the weather has been too warm so I had to wait until I could go somewhere it was going to drop below freezing
- [A Taste of Tasmania's Overland Track](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/04/21/a-taste-of-tasmanias-overland-track/) - A week of fine autumn weather in April (we thought) would be ideal to take a peek at a couple of Tasmania's 'beauty' spots - so off we went, flying into Launceston (for $57 from Melbourne with a rental car at $25 a day!) 2-3 hours later (after lunch at Deloraine and driving the more
- [Tasmania's South Coast Track - Hell's Holiday](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/12/15/tasmanias-south-coast-track-hells-holiday/) - Della: 'A warning to those considering hiking Tasmania's South Coast Track. It is now a full week since we reached Cockle Creek after completing the South Coast Track wilderness walk. After a week, I finally feel a little recovered and therefore equal to the task of recording the experience, so that others contemplating the walk
- [South Coast Track Tasmania](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/03/05/south-west-track-tasmania/) - Hard to believe it has been 11 years today - how time passes when you are having fun! We just returned from South Coast Track, Tasmania. The track was really too wet so mud, mud, mud up to our knees or worse for 7 days. Also track times and distances were much longer than quoted
- [Overland Track Video](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/04/30/overland-track-video/) - My friends Brett Irving (and his wife, Kim) walked Tasmania's Overland Track back in February (2024) They were kind enough to share some of their (80+) photos and some memories of their experiences. It is one of the reasons why Della and I ventured down there for a 'look-see' last week. For example, here they
- [It’s Not My Fault](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/04/30/its-not-my-fault/) - It’s Not My Fault: Self-help before you despair. I had this post The Parting of the Ways (Below) in which I hinted that not only may there be a small group of themes which inform our lives but that there may be a small group of delusions which drag them down. As an example of
- [I followed my footsteps: Everest Base Camp Trek #4](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/10/31/i-followed-my-footsteps/) - Walking the Everest Base Camp Trail: Description and instructions. Dos and don’ts. Trekking advice. Budget hiking in Nepal.
- [The Lightest Hiking Chair](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/04/29/the-lightest-hiking-chair/) - No, it's not the Helinox at around 800 grams ever so comfy as it might be - though I am still using my (approx 160 gram) Big Agnes Cyclone Chair and have been doing so for many years. I have just seen this interesting idea from the indefatigable Steve at Suluk Gear ie the Puttuck
- [Tasmania's Overland Track - Last Day](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/04/22/tasmanias-overland-track-last-day/) - After sampling the first day of the Overland track we headed around through Queenstown to have a look at the last day. We had intended to catch the ferry to Narcissus then take in Lake Marion and maybe Pine Valley (where there is a hut) too - but we were wildly over-optimistic. We allowed too
- [Alps Walk](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/04/06/alps-walk/) - This short post is courtesy of Gerard White. I have meant to post it earlier. He and a friend walked this wonderful track a couple of years back. It is a long way from Melbourne to Canberra, but you can do this bit in a little over a week. These three wonderful shots fairly make
- [Adding Down to a Sleeping Bag:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/10/17/adding-down-to-a-sleeping-bag/) - I have a Montbell Super Spiral Down Hugger #3 which will take me comfortably just below freezing (-1C) but on my/our Everest Base Camp hikes it was likely to get down to maybe -14C ( or worse eg at Gorek Shep) so I needed a little more warmth. In this post I will be adding
- [Poacher’s Moon](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/03/26/poachers-moon/) - The poachers of yore endowed us with so many gems of wisdom such as, ‘Stolen fruit taste best,’ ‘Little fish are sweet,’ ‘Putting meat on the table’, ‘Feeding the family’, etc. Traditionally the ‘poacher’s moon’ in the UK is the first full moon after the autumn equinox, when poachers could get out and harvest wounded
- [The Big Four on a Budget](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/03/01/the-big-four-on-a-budget/) - Too many people are spending too much money on their hiking/hunting gear instead of just getting out there and doing it. Instead of spending maybe $600 on just your sleeping bag, this should be enough to buy a sturdy comfy pack, a reliable shelter, a lightweight sub-zero down bag, a similar sleeping mat, a kitchen
- [Forbidden Wilderness](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/02/13/forbidden-wilderness/) - Della and I are just back from a four day backpacking exploration of one of our greatest alpine wildernesses, the Mt Darling Snowy Bluff Wilderness created in 1983. This is a trackless mountain vastness suitable only for the most experienced outdoor adventurers. We return 'bowed but unbroken' Forbidden Wilderness: (Well they might as well be)
- [How to Create Water for Your Camp Site](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/03/13/how-to-create-water-for-your-camp-site/) - We may prefer to think we will always be able to camp by some peaceful verdant stream but sometimes our path leads us elsewhere - sometimes indeed there are splendid adventures to be had and beautiful vistas to see where there is no water at all - some treasured remote and solitary spot which we
- [New Alcohol Stoves](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/01/20/new-alcohol-stoves/) - You should switch to an alcohol stove for ultralight cooking. The switch will save you heaps of grams. Certainly at least the weight of the empty canister (approx 150 grams) plus unused fuel - a weight saving of at least 200 grams - almost more than your entire current cookset weighs. Just can't imagine why
- [A Hiking Bidet](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/08/03/a-hiking-bidet/) - An idea whose time is right: A Portable Bidet As you can see these guys have raised a million bucks on an ‘ask’ of $36K. Not bad. Gives some idea of the demand for these things – yet they were not focusing primarily on hikers. However their device weighs only .5lb (225 grams?) lasts 3
- [The Toothbrush Spoon](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/12/10/the-toothbrush-spoon/) - The patent for this idea was filed in 1934 so it is not my idea, but it is my take on it - and at 2.38 grams it works and saves you weight on your toothbrush. How low can you go? Just cut the toothbrush down then add a couple of small o-rings and voila!
- [What’s Nxt?](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/12/11/whats-nxt/) - Thermarest Nxt Series pads: If you are in the market for a new pad and can manage to wait until next year it might be worthwhile. Thermarest's new series of pads are going to be quieter and lighter than the current models as well as 1/2" thicker (at 3") , which will be nice. I
- [Modifying/Shortening Hiking Mats:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/04/11/modifyingshortening-hiking-mats/) - Sometimes hiking mats just come in the wrong length or width. For example, I would like a wider pad but they only come very much longer. Is it possible to cut a bit off them and reseal them? Yes it is. Here are some links on how to do just that: How to Cut and
- [Aricxi $30 Tent Review](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/09/05/aricxi-30-tent-review/) - It took quite a while to get here what with Covid 19, but it came a couple of days ago. I am as pleased with it as I thought I would be when I mentioned it in this post back in April. The tent is very well made and well thought out. For most people
- [Should you blow up your mat by mouth?](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/05/20/should-you-blow-up-your-mat-by-mouth/) - This has to be one of those great hiking myths like whether you need to filter/purify your drinking water. (in most cases, No, but if you want to, consider this post: Trouble With Water Filters). Folks are convinced that the moisture (nasties?) in their breath will ruin the inside of their hiking mat so they
- [Paddling into History](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/02/18/paddling-into-history/) - Last weekend we again completed one of our favourite sections on the Wonnangatta River in the new Double Packraft: Bullock Flat to Black Snake Creek. We never tire of this marvelous river. Taking into account the long car-shuttle (from home for us - over 3 1/2 hours each way) we usually choose to do this
- [Oh Come With Old Khayyam](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/08/28/come-with-old-khayyam/) - My new 375 gram tent, the Siligloo: Oh, come with old Khayyám, and leave the Wise To talk; one thing is certain, that Life flies; One thing is certain, and the Rest is Lies; The Flower that once has blown for ever dies... Khayyam too was a tentmaker from Naishapur Iran in the C12th. I
- [Wonnangatta Double Packraft](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/02/05/wonnangatta-double-packraft/) - Recently I posted that we had bought and trialed this fine Naturehike packraft. Last weekend there was 1.8 metres of water on the Waterford gauge (perfect) and the weather was in the low thirties - so off we went! For us this raft is just about the perfect size. We can lash a waterproof pack
- [The Merino Polo](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/01/06/the-merino-polo/) - These people have the solution for a lightweight merino wool shirt for hiking, farm work, everyday wear etc. They are also (roughly) only half the price of competitor's products. I took a couple on a recent trip to Nepal. Wool is the most sensible fibre/fabric for hiking/hunting/outdoors generally as it retains its insulative ability even
- [Mini Rocket Stove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/01/31/mini-rocket-stove/) - I saw this little guy on Aliexpress for under A$30 and just had to try one out. It came as a most intriguing 3D jigsaw without instructions - a modest intelligence test - which took a little while to figure out. The leftover piece (centre) turned out to be the supporting leg at the rear
- [DIY $4 & 20 Gram Roll-Up Titanium Stove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/03/28/diy-4-20-gram-roll-up-titanium-stove/) - I have just completed making this titanium version of my roll-up hobo stove (as threatened here) and the carbon fibre cosy to go with it. I started with a 500 mm by 100 mm piece of titanium sourced from Aliexpress for less than US4. As stated in my earlier post You can buy the titanium
- [Firelighting Tip](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/12/08/firelighting-tip/) - You know how when you are trying to light a fire (or Brasslite Stove – as pictured) with a cigarette lighter how you burn your fingers? A strip of bicycle inner tube will hold a Mini Bic (such as I carry – in a snap lock bag to keep it dry) in the On position
- [There's an Island in the River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2024/01/12/theres-an-island-in-the-river/) - I didn't expect my youngest, Merrin to remember this song from her childhood so many years ago (I used to sing it on the river apparently) but when she called for it yesterday on 'our' old stretch of the Macalister, of course I instantly obliged - in my usual toneless manner. https://www.theultralighthiker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/10000000_7037413992972452_7387290084400462902_n.mp4 Della and
- [Canoeing the Macalister River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/11/01/canoeing-the-macalister-river/) - We have been canoeing various sections of the Macalister River for over 25 years. Our favourite section has been: Basin Flat to Cheynes Bridge. This is one of the few rivers you can canoe with one vehicle by hitch hiking as the road parallels and comes back to the river . I guess you could
- [Upper Yarra Walking Track](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/05/31/upper-yarra-walking-track-2/) - My friend Gerard White walked the Upper Yarra Track last week - from Waburton to Walhalla. With his kind permission here is his account of the trip: Day 1: Big Pats Creek to New Federal Mill (21km) (4 people) Last week (Sunday) I set off from Warburton headed for Walhalla on the Upper Yarra Track.
- [More Tent Stove Progress](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/12/10/more-tent-stove-progress/) - I am delighted that Tim Tinker has been squirreling away at improving the design and functionality of (his) tiny tent stoves of which he has designed so many. His latest foray involves miniaturising an oil (or smudge) burner for heating a tent utilising a a tiny Cavendish & Harvey fruit drop tin which must be
- [Ultrafire Knife](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/12/02/ultrafire-knife/) - Here's a great little 'Stanley' blade (neck) knife which weighs less than 20 grams available from Litesmith for US$19.95. It also includes a built in ferro rod (in the sheath) and so doubles as a fire starter. You will need a Phillips Head screwdriver if you wish to remove the blade so that you can
- [Geoscience Australia’s Free 1:250,000 Topo Maps](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/10/27/geoscience-australias-free-1250000-topo-maps/) - A complete topographical map of Australia is available free in 1:250,000 scale. This is quite adequate to find your way and prevent your getting lost. You can download the maps, copy them to a storage file on your phone and then open them with PDF Maps Or Avenza - if you want to be restricted
- [How Many Clothes Should I Take in My Pack?](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/11/19/how-many-clothes-should-i-take-in-my-pack/) - I’m sure many people take far too many – just as they take far too much of everything else – and yet often not enough survival equipment, such as a knife or a roof or a satellite messenger, for example. I don’t think it matters whether you are just away for the weekend, or for
- [Grand Strzelecki Track](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/10/12/grand-strzelecki-track/) - Ten years ago today: 7 ½ hours walking the ‘Grand Strzelecki Track’ doing a section (Jeeralang West Rd to Branniffs Rd) which is supposedly 12 km. This was the longest 12 km we have ever walked. I would estimate the last four hours along Billy’s Creek was >12km. My wife Della and the two Jack
- [Lightest Cheapest Powerbank](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/03/20/lightest-cheapest-powerbank/) - Lightest cheapest power banks. From 24 grams as pictured, They double as chargers for 18650 batteries . I recommend (eg genuine) Panasonic NCR18650B 3.6V 3400mAh (flat top) 6.7 amp discharge capacity. These batteries weigh a bit over 40 grams each, so the single bank pictured is 71 grams and the four battery version is 245
- [Warm Feet Warm Heart](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/09/24/warm-feet-warm-heart/) - Isn't there a saying something like that? In any case for many years we have used some Goosefeet Down Sox (which I highly recommend) which cost US$69 (Sep 2023) and roughly one ounce (28 grams each -twice that per pair) in Size Medium US 9s. They are very fine quality and toasty warm being filled
- [Amps are Everything](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/02/21/amps-are-everything/) - It’s hard to find a solar panel which fits on top of a backpack and which can reliably charge eg an 18650 battery/powerbank. This one from Alexpress looks pretty good. It is 275 x 150 mm (10 ¾” x 6”) and weighs:141 grams. so it should just fit on top of your pack, particularly suitable
- [Car Camping Scotland:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/09/20/car-camping-scotland/) - As you know we have recently spent ten days car camping there. As this was Della’s trip, I will mostly let her tell it: ‘And so we have been to Scotland...Such a trip, to the land that bore my parents and countless generations of ancestors before them, has been a dream of mine for as
- [What a Star](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/06/25/what-a-star/) - Available now on Kickstarter the new Unihertz Jelly (Star) phone for US$169ea (or US$310 for two). I have been using the Jelly 2 for a couple of years now and found it just great. I will be ordering this new model because of the (much) improved camera. From 16 Megapixels to 48! Wow! Huge! I
- [You Must Learn to Shoot Your Own Dog](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/09/10/you-must-learn-to-shoot-your-own-dog/) - This was one of my father's favourite sayings, by which he meant you must stand on your own two feet and 'shift' for yourself. Never delegate such responsibility to someone else. So, for 40 years I have been fixing my own cars. For example I have been rebuilding a sequence of Subarus since circa 1978
- [Silver River, Endless Sky](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/09/11/silver-river-endless-sky/) - Canoeing the Macalister Gorge (from Basin Flat to Cheyne's Bridge). When the river height is approx 1.7 metres on the Licola Gauge and the weather is in the twenties (as it is later this week) it's time to go. This is probably my favourite section of this wonderful river, and I confess I have completed
- [Vargo Pocket Cleats](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/08/12/vargo-pocket-cleats/) - Tractional security just got even lighter. The new version of Vargo's ultralight crampons weigh a little over one ounce each (32.6 grams) as compared with their previous version which was around twice that. They have these plates on either side to keep them located (also lugs under) They look pretty grippy here on one of
- [Converting Hiking Poles to Tent Poles](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/08/19/converting-hiking-poles-to-tent-poles/) - I have fiddled with this before but without a really satisfactory result which meets every need. It is easy enough if you have adjustable poles or the type which one section from another pole can be added to the first one, but the method below works whatever type of poles you have. I have played
- [Wildlife Proof Fencing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/08/06/wildlife-proof-fencing/) - It is lambing time again here (Aug 2023) and it is so nice to go out and around the ewes and lambs on the hill to find they are all alive and well - none eaten by foxes (though we had one stolen by an eagle yesterday). This is why: our entire property is ringed
- [Mattresses I have Known:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/07/31/mattresses-i-have-known/) - I doubt anything else about camping has changed so much as sleeping. When I was a lad I always just slept on the bare ground. As a bit of a sissy, my only concession to comfort was to dig the traditional hip hole (which was derided by tougher-minded types) then maybe lean my head on
- [Ultralight Hiker EBC Videos](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/12/14/ultralight-hiker-ebc-videos/) - As you know we were recently in Nepal, hiking the Everest Base Camp Trail (see links below). Here are a just a few snippets of video which did not seem to have a home anywhere else, but which I though .you might enjoy. (I have lots more, but I'll try not to bore you). Della
- [9 Days Trekking the EBC](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/10/30/9-days-trekking-the-ebc/) - (A Year Ago Today) Della: ‘And so we are back! 9 days trekking along the Everest Base Camp trail, Lukla to Dingboche. Our final climb above Dingboche was as high aa Everest Base Camp, but I never wanted to experience the cold and privation of the last 2 days of the trail, so we were
- [Sounds of Nepal](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/05/30/sounds-of-nepal/) - We were lucky enough to hike the EBC in November 2019 before Covid locked us all away from the world. We expected to have returned for other adventures before now and still hope to do so later this year or maybe next year. When Della was in Namche she bought this yak bell as a
- [Winter Joy](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/07/22/winter-joy/) - (Della): Sharing some winter joy in my garden. When I first created my rose garden 30 years ago, I was sad to see it so bare and drab during the colder months. After retirement, I worked on finding things that would add winter interest, and this afternoon's warm, setting sun helped to reward me for
- [Budget Pack Mods](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/06/29/budget-pack-mods/) - Recently I bought a couple of cheap approx 40 litre packs from Amazon for less than US20 each. I thought these would be a good recommendation to someone who wanted to begin hiking on a small budget. The first thing you need after all is something to comfortably and reliably carry your stuff in. I
- [Wonnangatta Pack (Raft) Track](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/06/26/wonnangatta-pack-raft-track/) - Many people may not know that the famous C19th Wonnangatta Station was 'serviced' by a pack track up the true right bank of that river (ie the right bank facing downstream) along which all its supplies came (including even a large piano). No doubt other sections still exist below the Moroka Junction, but this post
- [The Ultralight Sauna](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/06/28/the-ultralight-sauna/) - Fancy a sauna in the back country? I thought I had pretty much sorted out Bathtime on the Trail with that post as well as The APC and the Sponge Bath and Keeping Clean on the Trail & etc, but the ingenious Tim Tinker has now come along with a modification of my Hiking Desalinater
- [Dusky Track 50th Wedding Anniversary Walk](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/02/17/dusky-track-50th-wedding-anniversary-walk/) - I will let Della begin (from her Facebook post about it): "First of our Fiordland adventures: (More to come later). We spent 3 magical days on the Dusky Track. On the first day we crossed Lake Hauroko in a water taxi and spent the night with the Hauroko Hut all to ourselves: Not everyone's notion
- [Ephemera](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/06/25/ephemera/) - When I am filling the kettle to make the morning coffee I usually happen to glance out the kitchen window just to see what wonders the day has in store for me. There are always some, a number of which you have been a party to over the years, such as this secretive rabbit which
- [Hatchet](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/05/30/hatchet/) - I’m sure most of you are familiar with the best-selling young adult’s story ‘Hatchet’ by Gary Paulsen, which spawned the film Cry in the Wild and a heap of sequels. I guess it was inspired by the classic Heinlein SF ‘Tunnel in the Sky’ which if you have not read, do - withal it may
- [Easy Hammock Tarp Centre Line](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/05/26/easy-hammock-tarp-centre-line/) - A centre line is the best idea when using any tarp rather than just trying to tension the tarp back towards the tree against its own weight which is all too likely to damage it or tear out the grommet or tie-out. You will also want to secure the line to the tree/s quickly and
- [Dusky Track: Canoeing the Seaforth](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/05/24/dusky-track-canoeing-the-seaforth/) - Some folks are just downright suicidal, and sometimes I am one of them! In 2009 I had conceived a plan to be the first person (I think) to canoe the mighty remote Seaforth River in Fiordland NZ (14 years ago today!). I had a brand-new Alpacka ‘Fjord Explorer’ packraft (https://alpackarafts.com/product/fjord-explorer/) courtesy of Kevin Rudd’s bushfire
- [In Praise of Chimney Dampers](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/05/20/in-praise-of-chimney-dampers/) - Our green overlords long ago banned the sale of these in Oz but they are still available on Ebay, Aliexpress & etc (for less than $20). They allow you to use about a third less wood yet produce more heat from your wood stove. Very easy to install, just drill two holes in the pipe
- [DIY Universal Stove Jack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/04/24/diy-universal-stove-jack/) - Universal stove jack-Fit all tent stove pipes. Another brilliant and thoroughly useful post from the indefatigable Tim Tinker. I was going to have to make a stove jack myself once I perfected my tent stove and chimney, projects which I have not given up on - just that other projects are ahead of them in
- [A taut string will act as a tripod or a gun rest!](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/08/09/4-gram-string-reverse-tripod/) - Believe it or not: A 4 Gram String Tripod: A taut string will act as a tripod! You can tie an approx 6’ (1.8m) length of string to a small bolt the size which fits in the tripod socket of your camera then screw it in to the camera. If you stand on the string
- [Super Ultralight Tent Pegs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/01/08/super-ultralight-tent-pegs/) - Sometimes you just need a really, really ultralight peg, perhaps one which weighs only 1 gram! These guys will not have the same 'purchase' as a heavier, thicker diameter or longer peg bu they are super ultralight: only one or two grams each. They might suit for pegging down the edge of your ultralight titanium
- [Silnylon Deerhunter's Tent Progress](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/04/12/silnylon-deerhunters-tent-progress/) - I know I have promised the pattern and instructions (or even production and sale) of this for years following my original post about it in The Deerhunter's Tent way back on May 12, 2016. I also realise heaps of people have made (its progenitor) their own Tyvek Solo Fire Shelter using the pattern and instructions
- [The Ultralight Swagman](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/05/12/the-ultralight-swagman/) - I just came across this interesting new poncho which doubles as a swag, the Helikon Swagman Roll Poncho. It would be lighter than the traditional wool blanket which (obviously) can be configured in much the same way (as I explained here). It weighs 1.64 pounds (743 grams). It is lined with Climashield Apex insulation. US$124
- [Better than a pack rifle?](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/04/10/better-than-a-pack-rifle/) - Unless you live in somewhere like Australia there is a greater choice of ultralight and miniature firearms for hunting/hiking/self-defence & etc. I would like to have acquired a (repeating) Pack Rifle in .22 magnum such as the Packable Rifle, but though it would be legal in Victoria the cost of an individual importation was too
- [Windy Old Weather](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/03/14/windy-old-weather/) - 'Windy Old Weather'. I guess you have all heard the old sea shanty at one time or another and you know the refrain, 'When the wind blows, We'll all go together'. If you are high on some solitary mountain top in the Victorian Alps and a 'Southerly Buster' comes rolling in off the Bight, or
- [1600 Posts](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/04/05/1600-posts/) - Today marks my 1600th post here at The Ultralight Hiker. Quite a milestone. And time maybe to recall the last hundred or so - or roughly the last year. A year ago in February (2022) I finally 'bit the bullet' and had that pesky worn old left knee replaced with a shiny new titanium one.
- [Pack Rafting the Remote Wonnangatta, Day 1](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/03/30/pack-rafting-the-remote-wonnangatta/) - Suppose you didn't have two 4WDs, or a 4WD at all...Nonetheless, could you hitch a 4WD ride to Victoria's most remote place, the Wonnangatta Station so you could pack raft the Upper Wonnangatta from the Humffray Confluence to Eaglevale? Sure Can! (Fridays afternoons or) Saturday mornings are definitely the best option. If you are there
- [High Flying](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/09/28/high-flying/) - A year ago today: Into Vic's high country with The Grey Flyer. At last our draconian Covid restrictions have been eased a bit and we are able to get away hunting/hiking for a few days by ourselves. It is almost too late for this year's deer hunting season though, as soon it will be too
- [The Grey Flyer](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/09/22/the-grey-flyer/) - I have just finished making and erecting my new (476 gram) tent ('the Grey Flyer - it is a very windy day, hence the name!) in the garden, as you can see ahead of a trip I am planning soon. I just couldn't resist finishing it so that I could take advantage of the 150
- [Steve Intent](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/10/15/steve-intent/) - I have been making a new floor for my Grey Flyer Tent. You should understand that this tent doubles as a hammock tarp. Here it is in action in High Flying. The roof in this 1.15 oz/yd2 material weighs around 310 grams with tie outs and guys. As you can see it is big enough
- [Pumpkins](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/04/03/pumpkins/) - (Della) Nice little crop of orange pumpkins - well done Steve! We opted for a quick-maturing variety this year due to the late summer season; I suspect that my preferred Queensland Blue variety would not have ripened in time! Cherry tomatoes are producing nicely now, although the larger varieties are only going to get to
- [Short Season Crops](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/08/15/short-season-crops/) - That is things which produce a harvest in as little time as possible are something you should be giving serious thought to. You need to be collecting seeds from such plants (not F1 hybrids from which no useful seeds can be collected). Many varieties of all the common vegetables were long ago developed for use
- [Spreading Out](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/04/01/spreading-out/) - People need to be more widely dispersed in the back country, the very opposite of the (Nuts to) Leave No Trace folk, who have got it all wrong. I know you may not want to hear this, but please read on. Just camping alone with my dog, Spot in the trackless Victorian Alpine wilderness (2021).
- [The Perfect Ultralight Firearm](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/03/30/the-perfect-ultralight-firearm/) - How lovely is this? A miniature single-shot .22 calibre pistol which weighs a mere 7 ounces (198 grams).Our restrictive gun laws in Australia mean that I can't have one, but one can wish. Introducing the Trailblazer Lifecard The hidden container holds three spare rounds. A tiny folding firearm which is only about the size of
- [Mitchell River Overnight](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/03/17/mitchell-river-overnight/) - We have canoed this section of river before but not as a two-day (weekend) overnight trip and not at such a low water level. This is my solo pack rafting rig. I completed this section by myself in 9 1/2 hours paddling (in a packraft) and could have shortened it by another hour if I
- [Droughts and Flooding Rains](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/06/17/droughts-and-flooding-rains/) - I guess if you are anywhere near my age (worse luck for you!) you will know Dorothea McKellar's famous poem, 'My Country' by heart, at least this part: "I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains, Of ragged mountain ranges, Of droughts and flooding rains. I love her far horizons, I love her
- [Jurassic Update: The Culprit: Caught in the act!](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/11/28/jurassic-update-the-culprit-caught-in-the-act/) - You would think this blue tongue lizard would have a red tongue the number of strawberries he has eaten. He is trying to hurriedly make off, but in his haste he has tangled himself temporarily in the netting. He knows the way around it though. I just weeded that bed this morning. There were a
- [The Tale of a Rail](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/03/16/the-tale-of-a-rail/) - Charles Kingsley was right. Imagine finding one of these in your garden. A Lewin Water Rail. We admit the garden has become a bit overgrown, but we also suspect the fox-proof fence around the farm is helping make it a haven for various unusual critters. Della now tells me that there have only been 146
- [Wings Over Fiordland](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/03/08/wings-over-fiordland/) - I have written about this wonderful airline, Wings And Water before. For our 50th anniversary we just had to have a flight into Supper Cove (since we did not quite make it on our walk) and a tour of Dusky Sound and some other beautiful fiords: Breaksea, Dagg, Doubtful, etc. The flight took approx 2
- [From Dawn to Dusky # 3](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/04/27/from-dawn-to-dusky-3/) - It will take you slightly longer to walk from Lake Roe to Loch Marie than it did from Halfway Hut, though this will come as a surprise when you seem to have walked 3/4 of the way there over pleasant snow-grass tops sprinkled with myriad jewel lakes and you are gazing down on the Loch
- [From Dawn to Dusky # 4 & 5](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/04/27/from-dawn-to-dusky-4/) - The trip to Supper Cove is a side trip taking two days - but really worth it! The walk up/down from Loch Marie to Supper Cove takes me 7-8 hours. I know you may be younger and in more of a hurry - who know why? Most of the distance is very pleasant, flat walking
- [A Doubtful Deluge](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/02/21/a-doubtful-deluge/) - Milford vs Doubtful Sound? Which is your favourite? The road to Milford is one of the most wonderful in the world I'm sure, and there is no doubt that Sound is the more famous, but for my money the Doubtful beats it hands down, and if you can manage a trip there the Dusky beats
- [Canoeing the Hollyford](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/02/21/canoeing-the-hollyford/) - There are many wonderful sights along the Milford Rd. This trip we witnessed some intrepid whitewater canoeists. I thought I had done a lot of whitewater work - but not like this. The guy reckoned this was Grade 3+. I beg to disagree. I have canoed a lot of Grade 3 water in Oz but
- [Interesting New Windscreen](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/01/28/interesting-new-windscreen/) - A reader drew my attention to this interesting piece of parallel evolution. The X-Boil is a roll-up windscreen very similar to my roll-up titanium stove which I posted about here a year earlier than the X-Boil. I made later modifications to it in posts here and here, though until last week when Craig alerted me
- [A Taste of the Kepler Track](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/02/18/a-taste-of-the-kepler-track/) - Undaunted by our (unsuccessful) fiftieth anniversary foray on the Dusky, a couple of days later we decided to give the Kepler Heli-Hike a try. It involves a (claimed) 3 1/2 hour walk down from the Luxmore Hut to Brod Bay on the Western shore of Lake Te Anau (pretty accurate - for us anyway -
- [Garden Doings](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/01/28/garden-doings/) - (Della) "We often see satin bower birds in the garden at fruit-ripening time, but yesterday gave us a special treat: I discovered a hesitant fledgling bower bird that had been separated from his frantic mother by a flock of noisy cockatoos wheeling overhead. Mum was flying about and calling from a nearby tree, and you
- [DIY Shoulder Pouches](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/01/15/diy-shoulder-pouches/) - My new Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra came without shoulder pockets (or pouches) as I could so easily make my own, as I have done this morning (forgetting to photograph the process too sorry!) If you have recently purchased a sewing machine as I have (often) suggested, you can make a pair too. I hope this
- [Finnsheep - Unexpected second lambing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2023/01/15/finnsheep-unexpected-second-lambing/) - This fourteen year old ewe has lambed unexpectedly for the second time this year. I hardly expected her to live (She had been quite ill after her first lambing back in August), let alone do this. She has been a spectacular ewe with four working teats who has often raised quads (when she was younger).
- [Ants for Xmas](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/12/25/ants-for-xmas/) - Della: "So while everyone else is enjoying Christmas Eve, I have been enjoying a novel experiment. In preparation for our family Christmas celebration on Boxing Day I figured that people might not notice the rampant weed growth in my garden if I strategically pulled out the very biggest of the weeds. After only the first
- [NZ Topo Maps: App for Hiking in NZ](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/03/24/nz-topo-maps-app-for-hiking-in-nz/) - We are now using this App New Zealand Topo Map by Mason Blackwood : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.co.mbit.topo&gl=US It is free and really simple to use. Simply download and open it then (while you are online) scroll through the area of interest at the magnification you require and it will load it onto your phone (both topo
- [The Joy of Closed Roads](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/11/19/the-joy-of-closed-roads/) - As a follow-up to my post Find Your Own Places to Explore can I suggest that for years (in Victoria - and elsewhere) our masters have been closing off previously useful access roads and tracks. Though these may not be open to vehicles (often despite sterling efforts to negotiate around piles of logs, rocks or
- [The Sheep That Lambs in Litters](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/12/18/the-sheep-that-lambs-in-litters/) - This year’s cohort of our amazing Finnsheep are about ready to go to their ‘forever homes’. We were just shearing their dams and sires yesterday and crutching all the lambs, some of whom are waiting their turn here: They have grown approx 1” of wool per month as you can see. They are (roughly 4
- [Experiment First](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/12/11/experiment-first/) - Before heading right off into the backcountry it’s best to test your gear and your skills somewhere much closer to home where you can walk away from your mistakes a little more easily. Sometimes these mistakes can be pretty bad, so it will pay to Be Prepared. My new Deerhunter's Tent undergoing testing right now
- [A Wild River Stag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/12/09/a-wild-river-stag/) - I know lots of you have seen this photo before as I have used it as a signature image for some time. Unsurprisingly a number have asked, 'There must be a story behind that stag, Steve. Tell us about it'. Well, here goes...You can no doubt tell by how much I have aged that it
- [Birthday Walk:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/12/08/birthday-walk/) - Della: "Wow, what a birthday! I am feeling very spoiled by the lovely messages and comments from so many people yesterday. Thank you all for thinking of me and making me feel so special! I loved hearing from you, and will reply to you all individually today. Some birthday pics here from yesterday: I spent
- [New Pack Suspension System](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/12/06/new-pack-suspension-system/) - For years I have been quite dissatisfied with backpack straps. They place a quite unnecessary and undue strain on a small area of the shoulders. It seems to me that for horses this problem was solved back in circa the C14th with the invention of the horse collar and associated hardware to allow a horse
- [Catching Your Breath - Walking Uphill](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/11/30/catching-your-breath-walking-uphill/) - I am often gob-smacked by just how bright Willis Eschenbach is, but this observation was astonishing. Could breathing out more combat the breathlessness you get by strenuous walking uphill. I tried this out on my recent hunting trip, and it’s true. I was able to walk in one go to the top of hills I
- [All the Rivers Run](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/11/05/all-the-rivers-run/) - We have been having a wet Spring here in South-Eastern Australia - as you may be aware. Dorothea McKellar's observations in her famous Poem, My Country are well and truly vindicated this year, ie 'I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains, Of ragged mountain ranges, Of droughts and flooding rains." Rivers which
- [The Deer Hunter’s Tent:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/05/20/the-deer-hunters-tent/) - Diy Ultralight Tyvek tent for Deer Hunting allowing heating by a fire outside. Inside of the tent will stay dry in the rain when one side of the tent is open.
- [Tyvek Solo Fire Shelter](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/05/28/tyvek-solo-fire-shelter/) - It weighs less than 600 grams. Here is my plan for an excellent one person shelter which will keep you safe from just about everything and can be warmed by a cheery fire out the front. You can cut it in one piece (as shown) from a single sheet of 3 metre wide Tyvek ‘Homewrap’
- [DIY Crampons Equals 4WD Boots](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/11/23/diy-crampons-equals-4wd-boots/) - As Della observed in the last post it has been very wet around her lately. We have ad 4" of rain this week alone! Going around the lambs or trying to spray thistles on our steep hills has been fraught with difficulty on account of how slippery it has been. I have had a number
- [Sword of Damocles](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/11/23/sword-of-damocles/) - (Della): A wild and windy night! We were checking on the creek and dams this morning after all the bad weather and discovered this new "Sword of Damocles"which had obviously launched itself from the huge blue gum above, embedding itself firmly and deeply in the ground on the track below. So glad no-one was underneath
- [Thomson Dam on the Thomson River Gippsland](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/09/13/thompson-dam/) - The Thomson Dam is nearly full right now. Only a couple of years ago the river/gully was just a trickle along its bottom and I was contemplating a once-in-a-lifetime canoe trip along the length of the empty dam (I only wish I had!) I did hunt/hike it though; the photos I took of the stream
- [Upper Thomson River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/09/14/upper-thompson-river/) - Swingler’s ‘Portal’ on the Upper Thomson River: This is the type of weir which could be built CHEAPLY on a number of other rivers (Aberfeldy, Macalister, Barkly, Moroka, Wonnangatta, etc) to increase (Read: ‘DOUBLE’) Melbourne’s water supply by diverting some of the surplus winter flow. As you can see it takes up only about an
- ['Free' Power Bank](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/10/26/free-power-bank/) - 'Waste not, want not' was another of my mother's favourite maxims - one I have certainly taken to heart, as my wife will attest as I have fill our house and sheds up with all sorts of 'mathoms' - hobbit for 'junk'. I had two 'dead' laptop batteries which I probably ought to have binned
- [DIY Ultralight Pipe Gun](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/03/27/diy-ultralight-pipe-gun/) - In places where they are legal people might consider making one of these eg for protection from predators of various sorts, survival situations or to secure food for the pot. They can be stowed safely in two pieces and take up very little space and weight. When separated in its two pieces (eg in separate
- [Find Your Own Places to Explore](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/10/13/find-your-own-places-to-explore/) - A sequel to an earlier post, Gully Walking I have always liked Robert Frost’s poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ even though I realised long ago how much he/it owed to my even more favourite poet, Edward Thomas who was also a close friend of his until his death in WW1. However I too, early in
- [The Debris Hut](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/07/10/the-debris-hut/) - I think this is something you should have a try at at least once. I always carry a cigarette ligher even though I have not smoked for over thirty years. It is only a few grams and comes in handy again and again. One day having a cigarette lighter may even save your life. Anyway
- [Blizzard Bag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/06/11/blizzard-bag/) - A cheap lightweight reusable waterproof sleeping bag/shelter which will save your life in an emergency. I have had one of these in the bottom of my day pack for over ten years. To date (fortunately) I have never had to use it, though I have come pretty close a number of times. By the same
- [Merrin's Wiggly Stick](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/10/10/merrins-wiggly-stick/) - This afternoon as I came out of the front door after lunch to go work on the tractor I saw the largest red-bellied black snake I think I had ever seen just sliding under the fridge on the verandah then it simply disappeared. I poked around under the fridge, even moved the fridge; yet there
- [Glamping Wilsons Prom](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/10/08/glamping-wilsons-prom/) - You can spend a lovely two days walking from Mt Oberon Car park to Wilsons Prom Lighthouse and back staying in pretty plush accommodation at the lighthouse. The distances are considerable, but this way you only need to carry a daypack with emergency supplies, a bottle of wine to drink on the verandah at night
- [Be Prepared](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/10/05/be-prepared/) - Baden Powell, the hero of Mafeking was right. Even though I have never been a scout, having long followed Groucho Marx's dictum that I would not be a member of anything which would have me as a member - besides I prefer to travel alone - nonetheless I am an admirer of such proverbs and
- [A New Way to Travel to the Waitutu Lodge](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/10/04/a-new-way-to-travel-to-the-waitutu-lodge/) - Outback Boats: A New Way to Travel to the Waitutu Lodge (and elsewhere): You can buy one of your own. Imagine the places you could go. I can think of many such here in Gippsland too but probably they are illegal here like most things: http://www.outbackboats.nz/ Can't wait to get back to the South Coast
- [How to have Fun When Hiking in the Rain](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/09/30/how-to-have-fun-when-hiking-in-the-rain/) - Having spent more than fifty years working outside in the rain I was delighted to see this take on the subject. It reminds me a bit of the old adage, ‘When it don’t rain the roof don’t leak; when it do (you) can’t fix it nohow!’ Most times I love being outdoors in the rain.
- [Responsible Sambar Deer Hunting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/03/27/responsible-sambar-deer-hunting/) - As I recover from my total knee replacement operation (five weeks now -and going well so far hopefully, thank you), every morning my attention is drawn to this sight outside my kitchen window. I know as a responsible farmer I should not allow this guy even to exist, but no-one is perfect - and it
- [Best Five Backpacking Blogs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/09/17/best-five-backpacking-blogs/) - Of course we were delighted to have our humble blog chosen to be amongst the best in the world in this comprehensive survey. Feedspot's Best Ultralight Backpacking Blogs. Thank you to Anuj and his staff for their endorsement. It has been a lot of hard work and is all the more extraordinary in that it
- [7 Gram Magnetic Hook](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/09/09/7-gram-magnetic-hook/) - The Magnactor. A magnetic hook. What a handy little gadget. The ultralight hiker will find a number of uses for it. I think first of all for easy hanging of a torch/lantern from the roof of my tent or hanging a knife around my neck, and at only 7 grams it 'fits' into ultralight. Available
- [Best Deer Hunter’s Cap, Best Ultralight Cap:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/09/08/best-deer-hunters-cap-best-ultralight-cap/) - At 76 grams in 61% Merino wool, 19% Tencel, 14% Nylon, 6% Lycra these are just the best caps I have ever found. (Black colour only) Your head stays drier and either cooler/warmer (depending on season) than any other head wear I have worn when you are working hard: Icebreaker Cool-Lite Quantum Cap They were
- [The Ultralight Deer Hunter:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/09/02/the-ultralight-deer-hunter/) - How to save weight on overnight or extended hunting trips.
- [Best Tarp Seam Stitch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/09/02/best-tarp-seam-stitch/) - If you are joining ultralight waterproof material such as Membrane Silpoly as I am just now to make a new version of my 7 x 7 Poncho Multi Tarp this stitch seems to work better than anything I have ever come across before. It is better than my Flat Felled Seam Alternative, a flat-felled or
- [Ultralight Survival Made Easy](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/03/29/ultralight-survival-made-easy/) - I decided here to update the post The Complete Survival Guide (which you should still read) as it had become a little out-of-date in the three years since I wrote it and I had since written many other useful pieces of advice which I could incorporate in a new post, which this is. I might
- [Secrets of Shelter](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/08/26/secrets-of-shelter/) - I deem that shelter is the most important primary need which you can supply yourself. You certainly must master the secrets of shelter if you want to be confident of enjoying yourself in the outdoors and surviving. No doubt all of you have heard about Maslow's 'hierarchy of needs'. You will (perhaps) note that amongst
- [7 x 7 Poncho Multi Tarp](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/08/28/7-x-7-poncho-multi-tarp/) - This 7' x 7' tarp can be used as a ground or hammock shelter or as a poncho - and weighs just over 120 grams.
- [Hole-less Poncho/Shelter/Hammock Tarp:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/07/28/hole-less-ponchoshelter/) - Here is my poncho/shelter which I promised some time ago. When we first made this (back in 2000 - for my first ‘moose hunting’ trip to Supper Cove, Fiordland) there was no such thing as a waterproof zip. As you can see we used 2 oz ripstop and Velcro. Della made three of them in
- [$50 No Spoil Sheep Hay Feeder](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/06/17/50-no-spoil-sheep-hay-feeder/) - Being rather tired on account of all the work clearing up after our disastrous Gippsland storms/floods I first typed 'sheep hat feeder' which sounds pretty good too - maybe I should have left it like that? During the 'lean' times of late winter/high summer stock will always 'do' better if they have access to some
- [A Caldera Cosy](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/06/20/a-caldera-cosy/) - You will have seen the Jetboil and similar devices supposed to save fuel. I suppose they do but there is something wrong with the whole concept of carrying canister stoves. This 'device' saves fuel on an alcohol stove. I have made one for my caldera cone which is an important component of my Cookset but
- [Cabbage moth tunnels](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/06/09/cabbage-moth-tunnels/) - From Maze Greenhouses (avail Bunnings). What an excellent product: I have NEVER before seen our Brassica flourish like this: http://mazedistribution.com.au/product-category/grow-your-own/ BTW: They now have a greenhouse version of this (3 x 1 metre) also available at Bunnings.
- [Blowhole's Beach Camp](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/11/24/blowholes-beach-camp/) - It’s been a bad year: I have not spent (much) more than a month sleeping outdoors, away from home this year – still, there are nearly six weeks to go! But I have been HERE (and many other beautiful places) - and you have a solid day’s WALK to get there: See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-south-coast-tracks/
- [Westies Hut: South Coast Track Fiordland NZ](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/04/12/westies-hut/) - We have just returned from this magical place four days walk along the South Coast Track from Tuatapere, Fiordland NZ where we stayed in this wonderful hut nestled in a sea cave at the Western end of Price’s Harbour at the far end of the fabulous ‘South Coast Track’: This is the first view you
- [Fire Umbrella:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/07/27/fire-umbrella/) - The fire umbrella of fire canopy is a method of lighting a fire in the rain without the danger of its going out.
- [South Coast Track: A Walk in Fiordland](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/03/28/a-walk-in-fiordland/) - The last two years ago today, this is where we were. How I wish I was there again. Of course we can't go this year because of Della's sudden angina. Maybe the Dusky next year! What I said two years ago: 'Home from the Waitutu Forest! More posts to follow. In brief, the South Coast
- [Toughened Foam Flip Flop 30 grams:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/10/23/toughened-foam-flip-flop/) - This foam which is toughened on one side making it suitable for quieting and insulating concrete workshop floors makes a more durable foam flip-flop which also has some grip. You can cut it out in a minute with a pair of scissors. All you need is a little contact adhesive and some Velcro to finish
- [Tier Gear Catenary Cut Hex Tarp](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/07/08/tier-gear-catenary-cut-hex-tarp/) - Making your own Tier Gear Catenary Cut Hex Tarp
- [Waterproofing Paper Maps](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/07/16/waterproofing-paper-maps/) - I know the old John Donne map store in Little Bourke St Melbourne used to sell a brush on (wax?) product for waterproofing paper maps (topos etc) called perhaps 'Map Seal' or the like. I admit I have never used it, or a spray on silicone normally designated for raincoats, boots etc (eg 'Camp Dry')
- [Wide Shoes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/07/15/wide-shoes/) - Choosing and buying wide shoes: Keen Targhee 2 Wide
- [Happy Sixth Birthday Ultralight Hiker](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/05/26/happy-sixth-birthday-ultralight-hiker/) - Six years ago today my daughter Merrin kicked this blog off with this post: "Lately I have been working on a new website and Facebook page for my dad Steve's incredible Hiking Blog "The Ultralight Hiker". If you or someone you know is interested in hiking, canoeing, camping, hunting etc in Gippsland, Australia and New
- [F Break](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/06/13/f-break/) - F Break is at the end of 'The Cape' Road off the Cape Paterson Rd between Wonthaggi and Cape Paterson. This part of the world used to be a great delight but there is much development going on nowadays so it is being spoiled alas. Still you can see it now before it is altogether
- [A Walk on the Wild Side](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/06/11/a-walk-on-the-wild-side/) - You can set off from Rye or San Remo (Phillip Island, Gippsland Victoria - public transport available) and walk all the way along the beach to Screw Creek, Inverloch. This comprises the beginning of the magical http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-great-gippsland-circuit/ which will be a hiking holiday that takes a couple of months to complete exploring many of Victoria's scenic wonders.The
- [The Great Gippsland Circuit](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/03/12/the-great-gippsland-circuit/) - A hiking trail which ‘circumnavigates Gippsland. This is an idea I have been turning over in my mind for some time. Much of it is already in place, but someone (me?) needs to ‘join the dots’, work out connection, water and resupply points, camping spots, track instructions, times and a map. It will take some
- [Ultralight Towel](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/06/12/ultralight-towel/) - Of course the very best ultralight towel is none at all - but you might not enjoy waiting (maybe in a cold wind) to dry off (though you will). It's not so bad in the summertime but can be a tad testy in the colder weather. The same strategy can be applied to clothes washing
- [Wonnangatta: Waterford to Angusvale Day One:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/12/13/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-one/) - This is a truly wonderful section of the river. One of Australia's greatest treasures and one of our last wild rivers! It took us fourteen hours (paddling and portaging) to make it from Meyers Flat (15 minutes below Waterford by canoe - but easier to put in) to the first take-out point at Angusvale. The car/bike shuttle took 50 minutes each way.
- [Ingenious DIY Hobo Blower Stoves](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/06/08/ingenious-diy-hobo-blower-stoves/) - As a a follow-up to my DIY Fire Blower and to my DIY 33 Gram Roll Up Hobo Stove I would like to draw your attention to these two of Tim Tinker's ingenious DIY Hobo Blower Stoves Ultralight Blower Stove & Ultralight Coffee Cup Stove If you really want lightweight heat to cook with these
- [DIY Fire Blower](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/05/21/diy-fire-blower/) - I had been looking at some of erstwhile DIY genius Tim Tinker's posts, eg Solar Fire Blower, Blower Stoves and USB Fire Blower so I decided to order some 5 volt laptop PC cooling fans from Aliexpress. They cost me US$1.40 each! The 3/4" (19mm) plumbing fittings were also only 50c or so from Bunnings.
- [Ultralight Glasses Case: 12 grams](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/05/13/ultralight-glasses-case/) - If you have got to my age (or had other bad luck) you no doubt need glasses. I now wear progressive frameless titanium glasses (14 grams) all the time, but I also need a spare pair in case I lose (which I have done once) or break them. The quite lightweight case they came in
- [A Cool Dry Back](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/05/01/a-cool-dry-back/) - The Vaucluse Cool Dry Frame. This looks like such a good idea and may well work. It is an open hexagonal frame intended to sit your pack of from your back an inch or so to allow air flow and (hopefully) prevent that nemesis of all backpackers, a wet back. You will have to pay
- [Cheap Down](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/01/01/cheap-down/) - Aegismax have ultra-cheap down sleeping bags, pants, jackets, socks etc on Aliexpress for unbeatable prices. What's not to like about an 800 fill power ultradry down jacket for US$76.76 (Jan 2019) including delivery, or down pants for US46.41, socks for US$16.24, balaclavas for US$24.85 or 480 grams +5C sleeping bags for US 75.88! The one
- [Lakes Entrance](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/05/07/lakes-entrance/) - It’s lovely to take a day off during the warmer months and spend it driving up and back to Lakes Entrance (Gippsland). Because of the awful fence they have now built down the middle of the road between Sale and Bairnsdale we always take the Sale by-pass then when we hit the highway again we
- [Hunting Tales](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/03/28/hunting-tales/) - You will find many, many posts in this blog which mention hunting (particularly sambar deer hunting which has been a passion of mine for much of my adult life) but there are many more which are relevant to the art and skill of hunting. I have been a hunter since I could walk over 70
- [Zpack Plex Solo Tent](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/03/13/zpack-plex-solo-tent/) - This morning I received an ad for this tent on Facebook (as you do). Zpack Plex Solo Tent. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, they say. I’m sure this is not the case here but this tent is so, so , like my original Deer Hunter’s Tent which evolved from my Tyvek Solo Fire
- [Tyvek Tent Designs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2012/11/08/tyvek-tent-designs/) - I have been thinking about my Tyvek tent designs again: I believe I can now make an approx 6 foot high, zero condensation 'fire' tent for 2-4 people which will weigh under one kilo including floor and zipperless mosquito netting and which will set up against a tree or with the aid of a hiking
- [One Pole Tyvek Tipi:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/06/17/one-pole-tyvek-tipi/) - The ‘skin’ of a tipi is very nearly a semicircle. If it is a ‘normal’ 60 degree (cone) tipi, then (apart from a slight overlap for keeping out drafts), that’s exactly what it is. A semicircle with radius ‘R’ (eg 10’ – the width of the widest roll of Tyvek) will make a tipi
- [The Pocket Poncho Tent](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/08/10/the-pocket-poncho-tent/) - I have completed my poncho tent in 1.3 oz/yd2 silnylon. It weighs a mere 185 grams - as you can see, and fits in my pocket - as the name suggests and the pictures show! In Ripstopbytheroll's .77 ozyd2 Mountain silnylon it will weigh 109 grams. This may be the smallest tent in the world
- [Do You Need a Bug Net or a Tent Floor](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/04/29/do-you-need-a-bug-net-or-a-tent-floor/) - If you have been following this blog and particularly my DIY Tents etc you will realise I don't think you do. I have slept under the stars collectively for several years of my life - more than enough for a dozens of 'through-hikes' which are things I would probably never do, as I dislike tracks
- [Tyvek Bivi, Poncho, Tent Floor:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/07/29/tyvek-bivi/) - 7’ x 5’ of ‘Tyvek Homewrap’ (and some waterproof zippers) is all you need to make this multi-use piece. Most people who use a tarp use a Tyvek groundsheet/footprint anyway. If it can double as a bivi, before bed you will have a spacious comfy floor, and when you turn in you can be confident
- [The Remote Wonnangatta, Day Two](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/11/22/remote-wonnangatta-day-two/) - Posted Monday night on Facebook: 'Listen to the birdsong: 6:30am Monday morning in one of the most remote spots in Victoria, Wonnangatta River Alpine Nat Park. From Melbourne it would take you 7 1/2 hours by car (1 1/2 of them 4WD) and either a solid day's hiking or 4 hours in a pack raft
- [Tyvek Jack Russell (Rain) Coat: 13 grams!](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/08/30/tyvek-jack-russell-rain-coat-13-grams/) - You all know I love Tyvek. My little chaps can get quite wet and cold if we are in the bush for long days in the winter so I thought I would treat them to some waterproofing. Surprisingly, my first effort worked very well - you can see Spot modelling it here. He was quite
- [Tyvek Twin Fire Shelter:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/06/16/tyvek-twin-fire-shelter/) - I have completed this design today. I know it will make a wonderfully comfy shelter for 2-3 people. The photos are of the prototype. The tent is 6’ (1.8m) high at the front. Some finishing work and bush-testing is needed, but if you are keen to make your own and try it out, here goes:
- [What a Bogler](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/04/28/what-a-bogler/) - I just bought a new trowel which I am very happy with, a BoglerCo Ultralight Trowel. Mine weighs 13.45 grams on my scales. It is made from (hardened) aircraft-grade aluminium. It is intelligently designed so it does not wear a hole in your hand which is a decided improvement on most such things so that
- [Autumn in Jeeralang](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/04/26/autumn-in-jeeralang/) - (Della) No "season of mists" today, but plenty of the "mellow fruitfulness" (a nod to John Keats here, for those of you who have forgotten your high school poetry lessons). Persimmons, figs and macadamia nuts. Thanks to Steve for snatching them from the jaws of sundry possums, parrots, blackbirds, currawongs etc etc etc....Hopefully this batch
- [Vermin-Proof Fence](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/04/01/vermin-proof-fence/) - Electrified Ringlock! I fenced a previous farm like this (and it worked a treat). Now I intend to re-fence our home property similarly. I will pin 30cm rabbit-proof netting to the bottom earth wires and to the ground inside. The grass will grow through it and anchor it. After that nothing will come through (or
- [ Trouble With Water Filters](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/03/08/trouble-with-water-filters/) - On a recent trip (Forbidden Wilderness) we ran short of water. It is something I am always prepared to deal with, as is the issue of finding water in difficult situations and desalinating it if necessary. I included this tip in that post: 'Tip: I have learned this about water filters. When your need is greatest
- [Power from Heat: The Candle Charger](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/04/15/power-from-heat/) - This device can power your phone in a blackout or when you are camping: ‘When the power is cut, modern life is thrown into disarray. But thanks to a new project you may not have to worry about your smartphone dying. The Candle Charger is described as an "indoor power plant for smartphones," providing USB
- [A friend I met on the Dusky Track, Fiordland NZ](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/08/02/a-friend-i-met-on-the-dusky-track-fiordland-nz/) - 'I was feeling a little down (due to some internet bullying), then a young friend rang to wish us 'Seasons Greetings' from Washington, which really brightened up my day! He is Steve Hutcheson a young American (29) I met on the Dusky Track, Fiordland NZ in 2012. At the time I had such a bad back
- [Ultralight Windscreen or Chimney Closure](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/04/05/ultralight-windscreen-or-chimney-closure/) - This is so far a 'proof of concept but it will soon be a new model of my diy ultralight roll-up titanium stove/windscreen and may be incorporated into sections of chimney for my ultralight tent stove as it will be so much easier to roll up - and there is nothing to get lost. We
- [Mastery of Fire](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/11/05/mastery-of-fire/) - For a million years (or more) this has been a defining 'element' of human life, indeed so much so that certain ancients considered it as one of four primordials: earth, water, air, fire. Indeed this classification has a resonance to it still. Early man learned that fire not only provided essential warmth (and protection from
- [Beautiful East Gippsland](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/08/22/beautiful-east-gippsland/) - East Gippsland has SO many beautiful places. In winter it is @18C and you have it completely to yourself. Due to an ongoing fox control programme you have to be very careful where you camp with dogs. Picnic areas are probably safest.
- [The Compleat Survival Guide:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/08/11/the-compleat-survival-guide/) - If you have no air, you have only about a minute to live. The absence of shelter and warmth may kill you in a few hours, lack of water in a few days, lack of food in weeks. Therefore it is clear where your priorities should lie, yet every year many folks perish/suffer mostly for
- [DIY Tripod Stool Hack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/11/14/diy-tripod-stool-hack/) - You can dismantle a cheap $20) tripod stool which you can buy just about anywhere to scavenge the top cover (which in this case weighs less than 100 grams) to make an ultralight hiking stool - with the aid of your new Pocket Serra saw I wrote about here: Ultralight Tent Poles If you are
- [So What is Still Good and Cheap?](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/05/13/so-what-is-still-good-and-cheap/) - Interesting thoughts: 15 Things That Were Made For Poor People That Rich People Ruined – so what is still good and cheap? PS: I am loath to make suggestions unless I get priced out of life! When I was a kid we ate a lot of prawns which were cheap because 'toffee noses' hadn't discovered
- [Backpack Repairs:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/04/21/backpack-repairs/) - You may have noticed this photo in one of my recent posts about the South Coast Track: Della making stirling efforts to repair my backpack under trying conditions: overcast, rain, sandflies etc at the Waitutu Hut; a woman to die for: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/south-coast-track-fiordland-nz-waitutu-to-westies/ Now that we are home she has properly repaired my old backpack (http://www.zpacks.com/backpacks/zero.shtml)
- [Other Uses for a Garbage Bag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/03/27/other-uses-for-a-garbage-bag/) - Many of you no doubt use a trash bag as a liner for your pack - which is a great use for them. As a spare ultralight raincoat is another. Still another is re-purposing one as a pad inflator (bag). I almost never carry the inflator bag (because of the weight which came with my
- [Ultralight Personal Hygiene](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/01/04/ultralight-personal-hygiene/) - Some tips and tricks on how to stay clean and healthy on the trail, how to wash and dry your clothes and more. I have been doing this for nearly seventy years so I must be doing something right! Some of these issues are a bit of a ‘No No’, but someone needs to bring
- [Water: Hiking Desalinater or Survival Still](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/01/08/water-hiking-desalinator/) - I was just working on this idea. Here I have epoxied a copper flange to an old can of powdered milk and attached 1 metre of old silicone tube. I was catching the water in a Vargo 450 ml (cool lips) titanium mug. I was just cooling the steam with wetted down tea towels. I
- [Ultralight Knife Sharpener](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/02/13/ultralight-knife-sharpener/) - OK, so you have your ultralight knife (eg the Kabar Johnson Adventure Piggyback I have recommended so often (Carry a Knife) which you have used so many times for cutting up your lunch on the trail (Lunch on the Trail) or splitting twigs to make a fire in the wet (How to Light a Fire
- [River Crossings](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/02/28/river-crossings/) - River Crossings: This is one of the most fraught parts of hiking. I have seen so many people come to grief doing this (and have had to arrange emergency air rescue for a number who foolishly injured themselves). For example, many folks will spend lots of time trying to find a log to cross on.
- [Upper Jordan Catchment](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/09/26/upper-jordan-catchment/) - Spent yesterday traipsing (16km) around the Upper Jordan catchment, once the richest alluvial goldfield in the world (the average 3.6 metre square 'paddock' yielded 200 ounces of gold!) with Spot and my two 'boys' Bryn & Matt. We found an old boiler surrendering itself to the forest amid a welter of other old mining equipment,
- [The DIY Gunsmith:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/06/22/the-diy-gunsmith/) - In the US this is a popular (and legal) pursuit though quite properly it is an offence to misuse any firearm. In Australia it is definitely a criminal offence to make your own, even a shanghai (see below). Mind you the fact that here (despite our draconian firearms laws) the great majority of guns ever
- [A Sand County Almanac](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/08/26/a-sand-county-almanac/) - “We reached the old wolf in time to watch a fierce green fire dying in her eyes. I realized then, and have known ever since, that there was something new to me in those eyes—something known only to her and to the mountain. I was young then, and full of trigger-itch; I thought that because
- [Hand Line Fly Fishing:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/06/02/hand-line-fly-fishing/) - Fishing with a bubble or float is an old technique. I’m sure most of us have used this method with live baits to catch a variety of fish. It also works well with flies and other floating lures to catch trout. My handline of choice is Streamlines Tideland which weighs 2.4 oz. I cut the
- [Ultralight Ratchet Tie Down](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/03/27/ultralight-ratchet-tie-down/) - Here's a handy little gadget I picked up from Bunnings yesterday for A$14 per pair (Mar 2022) Each 6' (1.8 metre) tie down weighs 44 grams. Each metal hook seems to weigh about 10 grams whilst the plastic ratchet itself weighs only 14 grams so that if you wanted to dispense with the hooks for
- [DIY Ultralight Shoulder Pouches](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/03/15/diy-ultralight-shoulder-pouches/) - I sewed up a couple of shoulder strap pouches (for my Best $20 Backpack) from some 2 oz/yd2 ripstop nylon. I guess these are about 3/4 of a litre each, maybe a litre. They can contain an interesting assortment of items you might want to access quickly as you walk along. Spare ammunition, chewing gum
- [The Poor Man’s Satellite Phone:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/03/20/the-poor-mans-satellite-phone/) - Delorme Inreach SE @ 190 grams is a good choice if you are in the market for a PLB or Satellite Phone. It is only slightly dearer (and heavier) than a stand-alone PLB (& so much cheaper than lighter than an Iridium Extreme) but with two way SMS messaging functionality from anywhere on earth. Whenever
- [Best $20 Backpack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/03/14/best-20-backpack/) - Modifying Amazon’s G4 Free. Inflation has bitten a little since I wrote the previous post (below) such that now this excellent backpack costs $US 22.99 at Amazon instead of the US$19.99 I paid back in March 2018. That's inflation at 3.75% per year by the way. Still a lot cheaper than a plus $300 backpack
- [Kill Wasp Queens Now](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/10/16/kill-wasp-queens-now/) - Spring in Australia and the wasp queens are out and about. If you don’t kill them now there will be hundreds of these introduced pests everywhere come summer to spoil your barbecue or sting your kids. Last year I managed to tread on a European wasp’s nest and was bitten dozens of times. Let me
- [DIY Hiking Gear](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/06/14/diy-hiking-gear/) - I guess I started doing this over 50 years ago before I was 13 (or so). One of my first projects was (what is now called – there was no name, or thing then) a bivy bag (or swag) which I sewed out of PU coated 2oz green ripstop nylon as I didn’t have a
- [Backpack Tips and Tricks](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/03/15/backpack-tips-and-tricks/) - I have often seen folks spend lots of time (and oodles of money) selecting a backpack in a camping store. Almost inevitably they end up with something very heavy and very uncomfortable (for a long walk) and have spent so much money they are going to just go with it - and suffer! But, as
- [Ultralight Ultracheap Backpack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/02/17/ultralight-ultracheap-backpack/) - You really don't need a heap of expensive gear to get into hiking (or a ten ton load). You can start eg with a lightweight pack. You could consider the simple dual compartment 362 grams, 40 litre G4Free available at Amazon for US$19.99 (Feb 2018), and you could shave a bit off that weight if you
- [The Last of the Mountain Men:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/06/04/the-last-of-the-mountain-men/) - Isn’t this the feeling everyone who ventures far from track or trail is seeking: the freedom of the wilderness, the exultation of the hills, the distant roar of rapids, the whistle of wind in the trees, the ubiquitous echo of birdsong, the warning bark of a deer in a golden sunset… Della and I are
- [Strapless Backpack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/03/09/strapless-backpack/) - I have been thinking along these lines too (just a thought at present) but my ‘solution’ was more a U-shape (like carrying a bag of grain on your shoulders). The hobo’s swag is another example I suppose. See Humping Your Bluey and The Ultralight Swagman. This one looks a bit complicated. However, the point is
- [A Soft Pillow and a Warm Bed Under the Stars](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/03/03/a-soft-pillow-and-a-warm-bed-under-the-stars/) - Comfort. That’s what it’s really all about. A few extra ounces ought not to be sacrificed to inadequate rest. That’s why we always carry our Cyclone Chairs @ 180 grams so we can really enjoy the time at the end of the day. We use Thermarest Neoair Xlite Women’s sleeping mats @ 340 grams and
- [Nano Chair #2](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/11/18/nano-chair-2/) - Another version of an ultralight chair. I think this is the one I will go with - once I have refined it a little further. As you can see it weighs only two ounces (56 grams). It is slightly more comfy than my trusty Cyclone Chair i have used for many years but may not
- [Tali Karng - a Gippsland Gem](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/02/08/tali-karng-a-gippsland-gem/) - A friend of mine (Leanne) and companions walked there last weekend reminding me of our trip there twelve years' ago, not long after the 2007 fire. The bush has changed a fair bit since then. She kindly shared their photos with me, so I have been able to construct this photo essay about the trip
- [Straws Into Containers](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/02/07/single-use-antibiotic-packs/) - Making drinking straws into mini containers: Now that is a genius idea: DIY Single Use Antibiotic Packs ‘Place the straw over the opening of the ointment tube and carefully squeeze in a small amount of the ointment that is approximately one quarter of an inch in length. You’ll notice that transparent straws work best for
- [Eels](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/08/15/eels/) - The world’s oldest (authenticated) eel has died in Sweden at age 155, (clearly not enough folks EAT eel). I guess not all hail from ‘Ely’ in Cambridgeshire (as my ancestors did), a famed seat of ‘eel-lore’. We encountered some very friendly eels at Paronella Park in Qld recently. After the disastrous Alpine fires (in 2006)
- [The Ultralight Wilderness Hut](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/08/04/the-ultralight-wilderness-hut/) - You should read this post as an accompaniment to the posts Wilderness Hut and Debris Hut. There just can't be too many small wilderness shelters out there in the bush. Indeed there are drastically too few - but the situation is always improving, thanks to the ingenuity and industry of many hunters fishermen, cross country
- [The Importance of a Roof:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/02/06/the-importance-of-a-roof/) - Getting dry, staying dry, that’s what survival comes down to. Alan Remnant founding pilot/owner of Wings on Water, Te Anau, Fiordland who has flown me in to Supper Cove so many times (one of the world’s greatest trips) tells me he has often had to ferry deceased hikers out of there too, folks who could
- [Catenary Cut Tarp:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/04/22/catenary-cut-tarp/) - Looking for an ultralight sewing project? Six Moon Designs have this excellent free pattern for a cat cut tarp complete with insect netting plus sewing instructions: https://www.sixmoondesigns.com/images/stories/pdf/Pattern_NightWing.pdf A number of others are available if you look for them, eg here: http://www.backpacking.net/makegear.html PS: The ‘Jones Tent’ (approx 500 grams) is not named after me! PS: SMD
- [We Can Choose to do Anything:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/02/20/free-willdeterminism/) - We can choose to do anything. The corollary: we can do anything we choose. This is a priori. Truth. Though many people find it hard to choose, choosing instead the mob. (Horace: ‘odi profanum vulgus et arceo’ = 'I deplore the vulgar throng & put it from me'). There is this other truth: Many of
- [Ice Travel](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/01/27/ice-travel/) - Sometimes in winter on trails like the EBC etc there are dangerous patches of ice which need to be traversed. Obviously if you were expecting this as a constant situation you would be using more serious crampons. Vargo have just updated their ultralight pocket cleats (62 grams each) which can be quickly attached to your
- [Hand Drilling Water Wells:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/01/22/hand-drilling-water-wells/) - This hand made cutter has successfully hand drilled many hundreds of metres of water wells. For example, on our Hazelwood flats farm we drilled 10 of 25 metre deep 100mm diameter bores which collectively provided enough water to irrigate 50 acres ie66 megalitres (660 million litres) of water annually. Compare that to your ‘normal’ domestic
- [4WD Boots:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/07/02/4wd-boots/) - These tungsten carbide tipped studs provide huge levels of confidence in all slippery conditions underfoot whether that is due to ice, grass slopes, moss, seaweed or wet timber. Once installed they become part of the boot and the enhanced grip is available at all times. http://www.gripstuds.com/Boots.php & http://www.supatracks.com/best-grip-boot-studs-buy-online-uk.html See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/keen-shoes/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/foot-care/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/boot-chains/ https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/05/12/vargo-titanium-pocket-cleats/ A
- [Ultralight Clothes Pegs for Hiking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/01/23/ultralight-clothes-pegs-for-hiking/) - How to dry your clothes when hiking? I have had a number of strategies. First I always wear clothing which is quick drying such as light weight ‘super wash’ wool and nylon for example. My first resort has always been my own body’s heat. For many years I would wash my clothes at the end
- [The Joy of Small Streams](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/01/17/the-joy-of-small-streams/) - This is the Morwell River somewhere neither you nor I (probably) ever thought to canoe. I present it here as an example: The great adventures are mostly over. People have crossed all the continents and seas, plumbed the deepest depths and ascended the tallest mountains - but they haven't been everywhere. There is oft surprisingly
- [A Good Scout](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/01/17/a-good-scout/) - This is the Alpacka Scout which I bought for my wife Della (or was it for myself?) for a Xmas present - here modeled by my daughter and grandson in the farm dam. Pack Raft Australia are the Australian agents. Their prices are as low as you could possible get it from the US anyway
- [Tanjil River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/02/11/tanjil-river/) - Wonderful wedding anniversary: first a pioneering canoe trip on the Tanjil River followed by a lovely meal at Morwell’sGaztronomy Restaurant. Many happy returns Della Jones. The Tanjil IS canoeable from Rowley’s Ridge Rd (bridge/gauging station) to Blue Rock Dam (Steve’s Track/Casuarina Track – off Rowley’s Ridge Rd via Hill End) just as I suspected. There
- [Upper Latrobe River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/01/08/upper-latrobe-river/) - Yesterday in the heat we took a break to explore the Upper Latrobe again during the afternoon – it’s that close! There is a wonderful campsite down a ferny 4WD track off McKenzies Rd (Neerim East) near Noojee (shown). There is plenty of water for canoeing and you can put in under the bridge downstream
- [Bathtime on the Trail: The One Gram Platypus Shower:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/05/23/bathtime-on-the-trail-the-one-gram-platypus-shower/) - An ordinary water bottle cap will fit any Platypus bottle https://www.platy.com/bottles-storage (by the wonderful Cascade Designs who also make the absolutely best Sleeping Pad: https://www.thermarest.com/mattresses/womens-neoair-xlite). You can make holes with a large needle (doll needle pictured – much safer). With nine holes as pictured one litre lasts 6 ½ minutes. I usually carry one 2
- [Up Into the Singing Mountains:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/12/25/up-into-the-singing-mountains/) - Our family celebrate Xmas tomorrow (due to work commitments), so what better day to continue our exploration of the ‘closed track’ which used to link Downey (North of Tanjil Bren) with Newlands Rd (Baw Baw Plateau)? We are hoping that this track will complete our ‘Winter Route’ of The Upper Yarra Track. It has been
- [Keeping Clean on the Trail](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/06/22/keeping-clean-on-the-trail/) - I have written various posts about this over time but the issue remains important and the 'solutions' not known by everyone. Of course it is much more vital on a longer trip. If you are an ultralight hiker by now you will have discovered that it is not that hard to keep your skin out
- [Canoeing into the New Year](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/01/02/canoeing-into-the-new-year/) - There was 2.05 metres of lovely water on the Waterford gauge and 1.60 on the Crooked River gauge and several above 30C degree days to look forward to so we filled the 15 litre Esky keg with ice (and some celebratory cans of champagne for Della) tossed all our gear into two cars and headed
- [He Hiked With a Falafel in His Hand:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2022/01/01/he-hiked-with-a-falafel-in-his-hand/) - I already mentioned cooking falafel in the leftover fat from Chinese Sausages in Hiking Food: Protein (the first for dinner, the second for breakfast), but you can carry a pack of falafel mix and approx 60 ml of eg olive oil in a small plastic bottle (but this is better Out of the Frying Pan.
- [Second Air Bead Locks:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/09/07/second-air-bead-locks/) - If you have ever seen how much traction is improved by deflating your tyres (or installing wheel chains), you will not doubt the usefulness of these devices. In my opinion they are a better priority than adding a winch or diff locks (and cheaper at about A$200 per tyre), though you might add the
- [Ultralight Hiking #102](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/05/26/ultralight-hiking-102/) - First you figure out how to get your pack weight down to a sensible level say
- [Snippets #2](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/12/23/snippets-2/) - As I have mentioned before over at my older website Ultralight Hiking I have many other smaller posts too which might interest you. Here are December's offering. Merry Xmas: 23/12/2021: 23/12/2021: Mowgli’s friends attack: https://donsurber.blogspot.com/2021/12/monkeys-kill-puppies-libs-side-with.html 22/12/2021: Time for a good news story about a magpie and a dog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BI_ivMZUEQ&t=66s 22/12/2021: 7500 miles across America by canoe:
- [Tritium World's Smallest Light](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/12/19/tritium-worlds-smallest-light/) - I have to confess that when I saw the word's 'Tritium Vial' I had to go to DuckDuckGo to see what was meant. Of course I knew what 'Tritium' was ever since watching the 'Heroes of Telemark' and similar WW2 exploits aimed at crippling Germany's 'heavy water' production. Like Deuterium, Tritium is an isotope of
- [Lovely Titanium](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/12/19/lovely-titanium/) - Some times I feel like the character in Spike Milligan's Bed-Sitting Room who was in love with rubber - only for me it is titanium. I see beautiful objects crafted in this lovely metal and feel the need to lust after them. I understand that in many ways the dispute about which is better titanium
- [Upper Yarra Track: Section Three: Wirilda to Moondarra](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/12/15/upper-yarra-track-update-section-three-wirilda-to-moondarra/) - The track follows the true right bank (ie facing downstream) of the Tyers river until it crosses on an old pipeline. There are numerous spots where you could stop for a picnic, overnight or for a fish. The impressive cliffs below Peterson’s lookout are a feature. Birdlife, wildlife and wild flowers abound. There are a
- [Cyclone Chair:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/12/15/cyclone-chair/) - This is Big Agnes Cyclone Chair which weighs only 170 grams. I always carry one of these. Have been doing so for nearly twenty years. You can make a comfy chair with it out of just about any pad. Today I use the Thermarest Neoair X-Lite Womens or the Big Agnes Insulated AXL Air. In
- [Not Quite Alone in the Wilderness](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/12/13/not-quite-alone-in-the-wilderness/) - I faced a week of enforced bachelorhood anyway (as Della is craftily away) so I decided to take the pups for a week’s walk…Four hour’s driving later including a couple on bumpy 4WD tracks we gazed up a river somewhere, wondering… Who knows what wonders lie around the river's bend? Delightfully there are a number of
- [Self Cleaning Pet Water Bowl:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/04/19/self-cleaning-pet-water-bowl/) - I posted this back in 2013 but somehow it did not make it to theultralighthiker It is a self-cleaning pet water bowl. It is a modification of a small animal watering 'trough' which you can buy at many rural supplies stores in Australia. As you can see a timer empties the bowl (as often as
- [Hunting in Fiordland:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/12/12/hunting-in-fiordland/) - It is incredibly difficult country. Some ‘easier’ areas (eg along the South Coast Track) are flatter and safer. There are both pigs and deer there. In NZ they have these excellent DOC (‘Dept of Conservation’) huts all over the place (roughly a solid day’s walk apart with a pack; all have a helipad) which make
- [Cuben Tape](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/12/11/cuben-tape/) - This stuff is wonderful. First, there is its obvious utility in joining/repairing cuben fibre. There is a single-sided and a double sided version – and it comes in various widths). You normally use it to make joins to create a wider tarp, or to make ‘no-sew’ cuben fibre stuff sacks. Where it really comes into
- [Eddie Herrick - Moose Hunting at Dusky Sound](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/12/08/eddie-herrick-moose-hunting-at-dusky-sound/) - Venery is one of my passions. This is one of my all-time favourite photos. This was Eddie Herrick circa 1934 in his eponymous creek in Wet Jacket Arm, Dusky Sound, Fiordland NZ with his bull moose. In a moose hunting career in Fiordland which involved Eddie hunting there for nearly three months a year for
- [How to Light A Fire In the Wet!](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/12/10/how-to-light-a-fire-in-the-wet/) - Getting a fire going (in the rain and wet) is the most important thing you need to know – ever. If you don’t know it, one day you will die from your ignorance. It will always be unexpected. Folks are always heading off for a day’s drive wearing shorts and tee shirts into the High
- [Carry a Knife](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/12/10/carry-a-knife/) - It is highly desirable to carry a fixed blade knife mainly for those rare occasions when it is necessary to split branches to produce dry kindling and shave them to produce ‘excelsior’ (wood shavings) which are the best fire starter. Lighting a fire when it is very wet and cold is the most important time
- [DIY Dog Booties](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/12/11/diy-dog-booties/) - Does your dog rip holes in your sleeping mat (see photo), your pack raft or canoeing dry bag with their sharp claws even if you keep them trimmed? Instead of leaving Spot (or Honey) at home you could get yourself some dog booties to prevent such disasters. This is the hole Honey managed to rip
- [Handy 16.7 Gram Cap Torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/12/09/handy-16-7-gram-cap-torch/) - The 14.8 gram 650 lumen glow in the dark Awesome Flashlight I wrote about recently which can be made into a head torch like this can also be converted into a cap light by using the supplied 1.9 clip. This A5X model is absolutely brilliant. You could just use the side LEDs (without the silicone
- [Supercat Hiking Stove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/12/08/supercat-hiking-stove/) - This is a very useful hiking stove you can make with a paper punch from Officeworks and some empty cat food cans. Its inception was a genius idea from Jim Woods. Be sure you only use the punch on aluminium cans. I have found that there are two sizes of aluminium can and that one
- [A Day in the Garden](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/11/29/a-day-in-the-garden/) - (Della) First up was some garlic harvesting: This was a patch that I didn't harvest last summer as it was spindly. I left it growing out of laziness coupled with curiosity, and as it all fell flat a week or so ago, I thought I might as well dig it up and have a look.
- [The Commute](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/11/08/the-commute/) - Four days paddling the Tarago River in Gippsland. This guy is inspirational. Shades of Travels in a Donkey Trap. People need to get out exploring their local area more thoroughly like this: Beau Miles: "Following two rivers, one drain, one sea and one creek, it turns out that paddling to work, which ends up being
- [Buckley's Chance](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/11/08/buckleys-chance/) - Or "Buckley's or none". These are (or used to be) two common sayings in Australia indicating that the chances of survival were pretty slim. I have posted some other remarkable survival stories here such as those of Hugh Glass, John Colter and Everts for example. William Buckley's survival in the wilds of Victoria in the C19th
- [A River Somewhere](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/10/27/a-river-somewhere/) - Spot and I have been away for a few days enjoying camping next to a lovely fishing hole along one of our remote Victorian mountain rivers. This small trip has highlighted for me more than anything else how much I need a new knee. Though it was only 6-8 trackless kilometres each way over fairly
- [A Hawk in the Hand](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/11/23/a-hawk-in-the-hand/) - You've heard the saying, "A cat among the pigeons"? Della keeps a whole cage of these white homing pigeons just because she likes them. Unfortunately so do hawks. They sometimes catch and kill one but sometimes too they foolishly find their way into the loft and become trapped. Then they get a trip in a
- [Setting Free the Turtles](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/11/23/setting-free-the-turtles/) - There has been a veritable 'plague' of Long-Necked Turtles on the roads around here lately. Perhaps it is 'nesting' season. Yesterday I 'rescued' a couple for liberation in our dam to join a couple of local denizens who after all may be same-sex. It would be nice to have them breeding here. We plan an
- [DIY 20 Gram Rechargeable Head Torch + Tent Lantern](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/11/18/diy-20-gram-rechargeable-head-torch-tent-lantern/) - I will be using the Nano A5X (glow in the dark) 14.8 gram 650 lumen rechargeable torch for this mod though the pictures here are for the A1 which I already own (which is a whole gram heavier and does not glow- alas!) I have often added a simple O-ring, a length of 1mm dyneema
- [A Hiking Food Compendium:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/06/05/a-hiking-food-compendium/) - Folks are always asking me, 'What do you eat on the trail?' I have posted about this again and again, but I just thought I would bring all my posts about this together as one 'compendium'. When you get tired of eating all these you could just quit life or hiking/hunting I guess. These are
- [Awesome Flashlight](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/11/16/awesome-flashlight/) - These 'Nano' rechargeable (lithium) torches are quite amazing. I thought I would try the A1X (weight 16.8 grams = 650 lumens) just to see how it turned out and I must say I am delighted. I will probably buy a three pack now of the A5Xs to go in my hiking pack as my go-to
- [Cheap Tasty Hiking Meals](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/11/14/cheap-tasty-hiking-meals/) - I have often written about this. You should refer to the post A Hiking Food Compendium but here are a few we have been gnawing on lately. I long ago suggested you should just buy from the supermarket instead of the expensive (and largely inedible) specialist hiking meals from camping shops which even our dogs
- [Best Hiking Headtorch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/11/12/best-hiking-headtorch/) - Nitecore's NU25 rechargeable torch is very hard to beat - though no doubt it will be (by their next model). It weighs around 28 grams without the band (which weighs another 23 grams). You can save 22 of these grams (as I have done here) by fitting a piece of dyneema cord and a micro-cord
- [20 Gram Raincoat](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/11/08/20-gram-raincoat/) - Let it be a golden rule with you that you always carry some form of shelter with you when you are out and about. You can lose heat very quickly in cold. soaking rain and soon be in desperate trouble unless you have some form of shelter. The humble garbage (or trash) bag is quite
- [Tent Stove Progress](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/10/21/tent-stove-progress/) - This is a guide to making your own ultralight tent stove out of cheaply available materials using simple hand tools. The stove is intended to take up practically zero space in your pack and weigh as little as possible (250-300 grams total - about half a pound) cost less than $50 and take maybe an
- [Sub 100 Grams Carbon Fibre Hiking Poles](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/08/29/sub-100-grams-carbon-fibre-hiking-poles/) - (Updated) We have been using the Naturehike Carbon Fibre Poles at 128 grams for quite a while now but we admit that we would benefit from saving an ounce per arm with these little guys so we are going to try a pair out at US$88 per Pair. If you would understand why you should
- [Mobile Phone Antennae: 64 x Signal Strength](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/09/23/mobile-phone-antennae/) - It is a delight to venture into the mountains far from ‘civilisation’; when we do however we don’t have to forego the opportunity of all contact. A carefully chosen antenna system will draw in mobile phone and internet connectivity to quite surprisingly remote places. Note: You need less signal to send an SMS than a
- [Wonnangatta: Kingwell Bridge to Black Snake Creek](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/10/16/wonnangatta-kingwell-bridge-to-black-snake-creek/) - This section and the next (to Hut Creek) are the best family canoeing opportunities on the river. When our kids were little (just a quarter century ago) we must have canoed them a hundred times. In the morning you can drop in at the Kingwell Bridge, spend two delightful hours on the river (much more
- [Bugmesh on Steroids](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/09/29/bugmesh-on-steroids/) - RipstopbytheRoll have a 'new insect mesh which I will be using instead of my usual .7 oz/yd2 'Noseeum' mesh in future if I want to bugproof any of my tents etc. It is called Monolite the lighter version of which is the same weight as the 'traditional' Noseeum but this stuff is stronger and the
- [Bugmesh on Steroids](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/09/29/bugmesh-on-steroids/) - RipstopbytheRoll have a 'new insect mesh which I will be using instead of my usual .7 oz/yd2 'Noseeum' mesh in future if I want to bugproof any of my tents etc. It is called Monolite the lighter version of which is the same weight as the 'traditional' Noseeum but this stuff is stronger and the
- [Cheap Ultralight Pots](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/08/30/cheap-ultralight-pots/) - Tim Tinker has once again come through with a great idea. This time he has alerted me to where you can purchase some pretty good ultralight pots. A set costs as little as US$10 on Amazon, Aliexpress & Ebay. They are usually advertised as 'mixing bowls' and come with plastic lids for fridge storage etc.
- [Tyvek](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/03/02/tyvek/) - Over the years I have made many projects out of this wonderful material, particularly tents but other things besides (see below). I use the 3 metre wide 'Homewrap' version which I source by the 30 metre roll from Bensons (Home) Hardware in Morwell nearby at about A$200 per roll. Each roll is enough to make
- [Menagerie Manor](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/09/22/menagerie-manor/) - (Della): Home is often a bit of a 'menagerie manor' during lambing, but this little fellow takes the cake. Born prematurely to a maiden ewe a couple of weeks ago, we rescued him from a mud puddle next to his expired twin and brought him inside to see if we could save him with warmth
- [The Overnight Tent Stove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/09/10/the-overnight-tent-stove/) - This ‘Holy Grail’ of backpacking adventurers, fishers, hunters, skiers etc is inching closer and closer. Admittedly I have some work to do yet – and I also hope for assistance from other like-minded folks such as the indefatigable Tim Tinker for example. His wonderful website is here. I am coming at this from several ‘angles’
- [Tent Stove Self-Fueler](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/09/11/tent-stove-self-fueler/) - This is an addendum to this post The Overnight Tent Stove. The self-fueling tube works! Proof of concept: A 2" x 8" plastic tube filled with approx 1 cm gum pellets. Approx 1 gram of wood per 1 mm of height so I could just about fit 1.5 metres in my Grey Flyer Tent which
- [Canoeing the Thomson River, Gippsland, Victoria:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/11/04/canoeing-the-thomson-river-gippsland-victoria/) - I have canoed this wonderful river so many times over more than thirty years, from the Thomson Dam to Cowwarr Weir. Much of the water in the section from the dam to the Walhalla Rd Bridge was stolen by Melbourne Water nearly twenty years ago, so it is rare nowadays to be able to canoe
- [The Canine Pocket Knife](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/09/02/the-canine-pocket-knife/) - Which is how I would describe a Jack Russell. An excellent little dog - and if you haven't got 1-2 lying around underfoot at your place well it is about time you did. They make an excellent hunting/hiking companion too and you don't have to carry much food (about 100 grams/day) or other equipment to
- [Upper Yarra Track: Winter Route: Western Tyers: Morgans Mill & Skinners Camp:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/12/01/upper-yarra-track-winter-route-western-tyers-morgans-mill-skinners-camp/) - From Caringal you can journey to Western Tyers via Morgans Mill Rd (open forest) or Buckle Spur, cool wet forest tree ferns and mountain ash. Probably 2-3 hours either way. There used to be a walking track along the river which followed the old railway line all the way to Growlers, but it has grown
- [DIY Ultralight Camp Shoes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/09/02/diy-ultralight-camp-shoes/) - I get it that you might not be able to sew but I don't get that you can't learn and can somehow afford to buy $500+ tents and other such nonsense but you can't buy a $200 sewing machine and make your own even better tent for
- [Trees and Tree Guards:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/10/16/trees-and-tree-guards/) - This is a genius idea of Rowan Reid’s for cheaply planting trees in sheep paddocks. It will also protect them from wallabies. You can plant cuttings of willow/poplar for example in situ and clearly you will have a pretty decent sized tree in twelve months time particularly if you start with a large cutting in
- [The Fox Trap](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/07/31/the-fox-trap/) - We prefer to fence pests such as foxes, wombats, roos etc out with our Wildlife Proof Fences. If you don't live in Victoria where practically everything is illegal you might try using a breakneck snare to kill foxes which still manage to find their way through holes in your fences. These (stainless steel) snares cost
- [Skinners 2.0 Camp Shoes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/08/28/skinners-2-0-camp-shoes/) - If you can't sew yourself a pair of my Sub One Ounce Per Pair Camp Shoes you might consider buying a pair of these Skinners 2.0. They started with them on Kickstarter here. They are all over the internet at the moment. About the lowest I have seen them is around $15 a pair though
- [Zippo Hand Warmer as a Hot Water Bottle](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/08/03/zippo-hand-warmer-as-a-hot-water-bottle/) - A Zippo Hand Warmer costs about A$30 on Amazon. It uses about 2o mls of ligher fluid over 12 hours. If lighter fluid has about the same calorific value as kerosene then a litre produces about 9-10,000 watts so 20 mls produces 180 watts which over 12 hours equals approximately 15 watts per hour. You
- [Tim Tinker](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/05/29/tim-tinker/) - I am tossing around some ideas concerning DIY tent stoves - as you know, so I was delighted to stumble upon this amazing website: https://timtinker.com/ by a fellow Gippsland Senior - we are good for something still after all. As you will see Tim camps in the snow all the time, so his ideas clearly
- [Tinny's Gnomes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/08/07/tinnys-gnomes/) - While I was working on my post about Simmer Stoves I just could not resist ordering a couple of Tinny's stoves. I have to admit to being a bit of a collector of these wonderful contraptions. It is true that there are Minibull stoves I don't own, but time will probably take care of that!
- [Wilderness Hut](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/03/18/wilderness-hut/) - I am so glad there are others who are also not wholly smitten by the 'leave no trace' extremism. In any number of unlikely places over the years I have come across ingeniously constructed huts and fishing/hunting camps sprinkled (without eg Government or Parks Vic's blessing, or knowledge) throughout our wonderful Victorian mountains. 10,000 more
- [Our Finnsheep - 2021 Lambing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/07/28/our-finnsheep-2021-lambing/) - As you may know we have the oldest and largest flock of these unique sheep in Australia. I previously posted about them here: Finnsheep. These sheep are a fine longwool type who normally raise triplets or quads in paddock conditions. Some pre-lambing photos. The ewes are expected to start lambing within about a week of
- [Jelly 2 Mini Smartphone](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/07/29/jelly-2-mini-smatrphone/) - I have been using these fob pocket sized phones now for about three years - and would never go back to a larger phone. The first one I bought was the Unihertz Atom which I carried for a couple of years. Practically all the photos I posted for the last couple of years here at
- [Finnsheep](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/07/18/finnsheep/) - If you have read this blog regularly you will realise that I have been a farmer for many years. For the last few decades a sheep farmer. And more specifically Finnsheep, but not just any Finnsheep. These sheep are the result of forty years of very careful, very practical sheep breeding. I believe they are
- [Slime Mould Beauty](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/07/10/slime-mould-beauty/) - The slime moulds are out - at least that's what I think they are. Or maybe they are a kind of coal fungi – who knows? Millions of things have never been classified. There are some really enchanting life-forms out there in the woods though , aren't there? We admired a similar efflorescence on our
- [Fire Tent](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/03/03/fire-tent/) - Further to my post about being able to light a fire in the rain, (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/how-to-light-a-fire-in-the-wet/) I have also long toyed with the idea of carrying/constructing a fire rain hat or raincoat so that heavy rain doesn’t put out your fire. The two occasions when it is really important to be able to light a
- [An Open Shelter](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/07/16/an-open-shelter/) - We always camp in an open shelter (something like this) with an open fire out the front. So warm and cozy even on cold, wet days. This shelter is very easy to make. It consists of a square of Tyvek ‘Homewrap’ (available Bunnings in 30 metre rolls) 8’ x 8’ square. The ‘wings’ consist of
- [Life on a River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/06/27/life-on-a-river/) - I know Huck had the mighty Mississippi and Mark Twain to extol its virtues but the scale of that is just too vast for me. Instead I reckon one could spend much of one's life just exploring a small river such as the Tyers, Tanjil, Latrobe, Thomson or Wonnagatta in Gippsland. I know I have
- [The Great Ocean Walk](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/07/03/the-great-ocean-walk/) - My friend Chris has just (02-07-2021) finished walking the Great Ocean Walk in South-West Victoria from Apollo Bay to the Twelve Apostles (Port Campbell). You could view this as the beginning of the Great Southern Walk which stretches a further 250 km to Nelson. (I suspect you could begin at Geelong and walk all the
- [Ultralight Hot Water Bottle](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/07/02/ultralight-hot-water-bottle/) - For winter camping warmth. This inspired idea comes from the amazing Tim Tinker, a source of so many wonderful winter warmth ideas, particularly ultralight tent stoves. See for example Mostly Perspiration. You can read all about the idea here. The entire set-up weighs around 67 grams and keeps your sleeping bag toasty warm (in the
- [Hidden Worlds: Nocturnal Ants](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/02/28/hidden-worlds-nocturnal-ants/) - We have lived in this house for 27 years yet still there are things which surprise. Tonight I was taking the puppy (Honey) out the front door for her 'Goodnight' toilet stop. (She is making progress) when I noticed for the first time that there is a nest of these 1 cm+ golden beauties right
- [Wonnangatta: Waterford to Angusvale Day Three:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/01/27/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-three/) - We were so glad we stopped at the (first) Surprise rapid; The dawn was spectacular! As I went down to check the water just as the sun was lighting the hill to the East, its warmth caused the whole pool to 'boil' with mist. My eye was at first caught by a mysterious patch of
- [Tray Back Campers and Other Heavy Loads:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/03/04/tray-back-campers-and-other-heavy-loads/) - I have just finished fitting the suspension/steering hardware I mentioned here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/twin-shock-absorbers/ I then loaded up the camper on the Defender. Let me say the difference is astonishing. The whole rig now handles like a passenger car; the ride is wonderful; everything feels so safe and relaxing. It is so easy to keep the steering
- [Upper Yarra Track Side Trip: Poverty Point:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/03/14/upper-yarra-track-side-trip-poverty-point/) - From the Thomson River Bridge/s (‘Thomson Station’) you can walk a lovely 8 km circuit up along the West bank of the river then down along the East bank. If I were walking the entire UYT I would come down to Thomson Station as soon as it joined the Mormon Town Track and walk up
- [Upper Yarra Track Sidetrip: Horseshoe Tunnel/Coopers Creek](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/02/01/upper-yarra-track-sidetrip-horseshoe-tunnelcoopers-creek/) - Only a bit over a km from Platina Station on the walk from Erica to Walhalla you can take this lovely walk down to the historic Horseshoe Tunnel. The tunnel was created over a century ago to divert the river so the dry river bed could be sluiced for gold. The sidetrip takes about 1.5
- [Upper Yarra Track Section Eight: St Gwinear Track Junction to Whitelaw’s Hut:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/02/02/upper-yarra-track-st-gwinear-track-junction-to-whitelaws-hut/) - The route along the tops is a delightful mix of alpine heath and snow gums. Every couple of kms you will find a small stream (sometimes to the side of the track) with fresh water. For example there is water near the St Gwinear turnoff, just after Mt St Phillack, at Mustering Flat and in
- [Upper Yarra Track Section Eleven: Ada Tree to Big Pat’s Creek:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/02/02/upper-yarra-track-ada-tree-to-big-pats-creek/) - As you can see the track is well made, delightful and easy to follow from the Ada Tree all the way to Warburton, with numerous signposts. If you have a couple of days to spare, this is a pleasant jaunt. You can turn it into a loop: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ada-tree-loop-walk-4-days/ Gerard White and his partner Bridgette completed
- [Upper Yarra Track Section Eight: Baw Baw to Newlands Rd](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/02/06/upper-yarra-track-baw-baw-to-newlands-rd/) - Della: Steve and I, with Tiny and Spot, spent the last 2 days walking over the Baw Baw Plateau from Baw Baw across to Newlands Road on the Upper Yarra Walking Track. It was a delightful walk and we selected good weather for it (which is needed!). One section on the first day was particularly
- [New Tyvek 'Forester' Tent Design:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/02/12/new-tyvek-forestertent-design/) - I have been playing with Col. Whelen’s famous ‘Forester’ Tent design: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/col-townsend-whelens-forester-tent/ I have certainly come to the conclusion that the classic A-frame tent sloping away to the back has seldom been bettered. I reduced some of his dimensions and increased others. We do not need such a tall tent as his, particularly at the
- [A Spot of Solitude](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/06/26/a-spot-of-solitude/) - A couple of days roaming the wilds looking at deer makes a pleasant break from farm fencing. My back and knee are still giving me trouble but the Meniers which has plagued me for the last fortnight seemed to have taken a holiday, so I wanted to get away. I may need another back operation
- [Upper Yarra Track Section Eight: Phillack Saddle to Block 10 Road:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/02/23/upper-yarra-track-section-nine-phillack-saddle-to-block-10-road/) - What a lovely section of track! The high country has so much beauty, so many surprises. Phillack Saddle is a wonderful spot to camp on lawns tended by nature’s gardeners amid the alpine heath. There is beautiful clear water just off the saddle and a lovely stream (below) at Freemans Flat. It will be about
- [Upper Yarra Track Section Seven: Mushroom Rocks Carpark to Phillack Saddle:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/06/27/upper-yarra-track-section-seven-mushroom-rocks-carpark-to-phillack-saddle/) - This is a beautiful easy section comprising widely varying vegetation and topography, the spectacular ‘Mushroom Rocks’, the ruin of the Talbot Peak hut, Mt St Phillack, the highest point on the Baw Baws, and a delightful camp at Phillack Saddle. Side trips can be taken to Mt St Gwinear and Baw Baw Alpine Village. It
- [The Clean Up Continues](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/06/19/the-clean-up-continues/) - Della: Thanks Leanne Chancellor for the help with some storm clean-up this afternoon. The cypress branch hung up over over one of our fences looked like being a tricky job, but you and Steve managed to get the branch down with no damage to life, limb or fence (although I did panic just a little
- [1500th Post](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/06/18/1500th-post/) - Quite a milestone. Who would have thought six years ago that I would have written so much - well over a million words on this blog and nearly 45,000 photos apparently! I'm sure this would have been more than a life's achievement for many people, though for me it has been a hobby, one which
- [Best Hunting Daypack:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/09/18/best-hunting-daypack/) - If your day or overnight hunting pack weighs more than 400 grams you are carrying too much. The pack below is a great option (in Wasabi Green would be my choice). Remember this: every unnecessary gram you carry makes it just that much harder to make your footfalls quiet. It would make a really great
- [A Mongolian Eagle Huntress:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/06/03/a-mongolian-eagle-huntress/) - What a beautiful mini documentary. An enchanting young woman and an extraordinary life Do have a look:
- [Everest - Days 1 & 2: Lukla to Namche Bazar](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/11/17/everest-days-1-2-lukla-to-namche-bazar/) - with overnight stop at Benkar'. (Della) 'Main street of Lukla The road out of town Other trekkers: The person in front is carrying a largish day pack whilst the hired porter behind is carrying the rest of his/her gear. This was normal procedure for almost all trekkers. We, in contrast, proudly carried our own packs
- [DIY Simple Hearing Aid Safety Clip](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/03/12/diy-simple-hearing-aid-safety-clip/) - This is the simplest and cheapest way to make sure you don't lose your hearing aids on a hiking or canoeing trip (such as this). Works with any BTE (Behind the ear) type hearing aid. Bulldog clip, (dyneema) string, two simple slip knots. Attach clip to back of shirt collar. Cost: cents. Cheers. 3 grams
- [Why you should get your feet wet when hiking.](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/04/27/why-you-should-get-your-feet-wet-when-hiking/) - This has ever been my advice: ‘When you come to a stream just step right in it. Don’t pussyfoot around trying to keep your feet dry. Ultimately you won’t succeed and you put yourself at risk of a fall, like the one above or this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZV-_fGIaDY You should avoid the risk of a serious
- [The Importance of Landmarks](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/05/27/the-importance-of-landmarks/) - I meant to add a bit (to ‘Ultralight Hiking #102’) - actually quite a bit - about identifying and using 'landmarks'. A 'sense of direction' needs to be learned and cultivated. I have spent so much of my life deep in the bush it seems to be almost unconscious to me, but it can be
- [How Green Was My River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/03/09/how-green-was-my-river/) - Packrafting the Thomson River Gippsland Day #2: After a delightful night's sleep on My Neoair (Womens) mat on the soft warm sand snuggled in my little poncho tent, I awoke to a morning you only dream of. Look at the quality of the light behind me! A camera can only capture a faint taste of
- [Hammock Hunting Till Dark:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/05/20/hammock-hunting-till-dark/) - The best hunting strategy is to be about where the deer are in the dawn and dusk. The easiest way to achieve this is to hammock camp so that you stop hunting when it gets dark, sling your hammock and tarp between two trees and start again at first light. If you have to knock
- [A Hiker's Breakfast](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/05/17/a-hikers-breakfast/) - A couple of new (to me) things I have been trying out which are delicious and super-simple. Continental Soup Sensations 'Moroccan Vegetable Medley' and Uncle Toby's 'Breakfast Bakes'. The Moroccan Soup is without a doubt the best cupasoup I have ever eaten. I have always sworn by their Lakhsa and Dutch Curry varieties - both
- [Two Great Poly Tarp Configurations](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/09/06/two-great-poly-tarp-configurations/) - I know most people can't sew (and probably don't have much money either) so I suggest either of these two simple poly tarp 'hacks' for en excellent dry shelter (which you can also enjoy a fire out front with). They both also feature 'stand-up' room (at least if you are shorter than 6') which I
- [10 by 10 Tarp Update](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/09/24/10-by-10-tarp-update/) - I sewed the tie-outs onto the Tyvek tarp on Friday night and headed up the bush to give it a try-out on Saturday morning. Completed it weighed 610 grams. An acceptable weight for such a commodious and versatile shelter. In silnylon it would weigh under 350 grams. To reiterate (just in case you have not
- [Coffee Straw](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/05/13/coffee-straw/) - Unlike so many people I am not a coffee snob. I am happy with a cup of instant coffee (black). Besides which a cup of coffee never got lighter than that, but if you are a coffee connoisseur you no doubt want to know about every possible wrinkle for making a delicious cup of java
- [Everlasting Pen](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/05/01/everlasting-pen/) - Even in this electronic age sometimes you need to leave a written message. It helps if you can make it waterproof (these notepads will help) but it is also important that when the time comes to write it that your pen works (and is ultralight, of course!) You could just use a cheap length of
- [Motorbike Carrier](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/04/18/motorbike-carrier/) - For a number of years I carried my motorbike around on one of these which sits the front wheel up in the cradle while the rear wheel just tags along, basically turning your motorbike into a trailer. The trouble was that it was hard to turn around on narrow tracks mainly because I could not
- [An Ultralight Hiker's Xmas](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/01/15/an-ultralight-hikers-xmas/) - Many of you perhaps wonder what might be the 'dream' present for your ultralight hiker/hunter beloved. Maybe if I told you about my beloved's choice (for me) for the last two-three 'spoiling' occasions it might give you some inspiration? For example for Xmas she bought me this beautiful little pack rifle which I have been
- [Packable Rifle](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/08/02/packable-rifle/) - A packable .22 Winchester Magnum rifle at under 1 pound has to be a useful thing to own, surely? 'PRK is short for Pack Rifle Kit. The PRK converts your Crickett or Chipmunk youth rifle into a light weight, take down pack rifle. The PRK replaces the barrel and stock of of your Crickett or
- [The Pack Rifle](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/06/23/the-pack-rifle/) - The only readily available sub 500 gram take down rifle available in Australia is this little beauty. It is available in .22LR only and single shot. However if you need a bunny or perhaps a duck for the pot, or some protection from wild dogs (which are becoming ever more dangerous) in the High Country
- [Solo Pack Rafting with a Motorbike](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/02/26/solo-pack-rafting-with-a-motorbike/) - I now need one of these devices to aid me in my solo pack rafting: http://www.amazon.com/Motorcycle-Trailer-Carrier-Hauler-Towing/dp/B005XDM0XO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361789812&sr=8-1&keywords=Motorcycle+Towing+Cradle PS: I did buy one and I have used it many times. Nonetheless I am going to make a better one of my own.
- [Knee Cure News](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/04/11/knee-cure-news/) - OK, so there is a new thing you can do and I had it done yesterday, so it is early days yet. But...It is called Cooled Radiofrequency Ablation. Put simply it zaps the nerves coming from the knee which are causing you the pain and turns them off for around a year, perhaps two. It’s
- [I Kneed You](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/07/05/i-kneed-you/) - Knee problems are probably the (older) hikers greatest enemy. My own left knee has had pain for five eight years (arthritis) but has suddenly given out this week. The MRI says 'severe arthritis', 'macerated meniscus' and 'burst Baker's Cyst'. My GP says there is probably no alternative except a knee replacement. But now (2021) there
- [Long and Lazy River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/04/26/long-and-lazy-river/) - The Lower Latrobe is a delight particularly like now when most of Gippsland's rivers are too low for a canoe trip. From Thom's Bridge (Morwell) to Lake Wellington (Sale) is approximately 165 km (by river) or about 8 days paddling at our normal speed (4 km per hour) and five hours per day. Of course
- [Thomson Autumn Packraft](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/04/05/thomson-autumn-packraft/) - Perhaps the last lovely canoeing day of 2021's autumn. Time to spend a few hours on one of my favourite rivers. As I mentioned in this post Thomson River Packrafting Day Trip you can enjoy a number of different day trips on this beautiful river if you haven't enough time for a multi-day trip like
- [Hiking Hydro Power](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/04/03/hiking-hydro-power/) - A friend (thank you Bruce) sent me a link to one of these great gadgets which sent me off on a search of the possibilities, since many of us hike/hunt in mountain areas where there is often ample flowing water. Something like this would also be good for providing power to your Wilderness Hut. What
- [Seamless Tyvek Tipi](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/05/25/seamless-tyvek-tipi/) - How big a tipi can you make in a single piece out of a 3 metre (10’) wide roll of Tyvek? I began this project as I want to take one in and leave it in a canoe drum along with a small wood heater to warm it on winter nights at ‘our’ new ‘hidden
- [The Raincoat Swag - and other mods](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/04/01/the-raincoat-swag-and-other-mods/) - The humble raincoat is so often a life-saver. There is no other item so vital for your survival that you should take into the bush as some type of shelter (even if it is only the humble $2 space blanket which so easily slips in your breast pocket). For most people though that will be
- [Ultralight Tipi Tarp](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/03/24/nixitarp-tipi-design/) - I came across this truly brilliant small DIY tipi design (April 5, 2017 by Nick) over at Quest Outfitters (where they sell a kit for it for US$77.50 - Mar 2021) when I was looking to buy some other DIY supplies. A great place to buy them. I was so impressed by it I asked
- [Folding Staircase for Camper](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/02/07/staircase-for-camper/) - I am rather proud of our new folding staircase for the camper: In the fully folded position the staircase takes up less than 2" (50 mm) of space on the side of the camper (and is exactly the same height). In the fully down position there are six comfy steps which even our 15 year
- [An Ultralight Hammock](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/03/12/an-ultralight-hammock/) - You can now make a hammock which weighs (well) under 150 grams including its suspension system! Given that you can also make a hammock tarp which weighs less than this including tie-outs and pegs, (so a total carry weight of sub 300 grams!) you should seriously consider hammocking as an option, or at least as
- [Happy Trails](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/02/28/happy-trails/) - Thanks to reader Normand for this suggestion: People often ask when I am going to start making versions of my DIY tents for sale, and the answer remains, 'How long is a piece of string?' It is hard to get into a completely new enterprise post-70. If there is someone out there who wants to
- [Wonnangatta Proof-Testing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/02/27/wonnangatta-proof-testing/) - My Kevlar skid pad canoe repairs on a delightful overnight trip on a couple of beautiful warm days with abundant water from Kingwill Bridge to Hut Creek. We planned for a longer trip but Della began feeling unwell (and I blew up a clutch in one of the cars) so we had to cut it
- [The World's Greatest Machete](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/05/29/the-worlds-greatest-machete/) - In my opinion this is simply the world’s greatest machete. If you don’t already own one, you MUST. It will make easy work even of removing blackberries and anything else up to 1" or more: http://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-7860-Brush-Axe/dp/B000F99IEU/ref=pd_sim_hi_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0FZ0KWXB63ZCG1ZHF906 487 grams on my scales I have the Gerber version (http://www.amazon.com/Gerber-31-000083-Gator-Brush-Trimmer/dp/B0025VKMI2) 429 grams which is probably much the same except
- [Deer Hunter's Tent Goes Bush](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/05/17/deer-hunters-tent-goes-bush/) - I will not confess I broke the lockdown rule against 'camping' and took my Deer Hunter's Tent up the bush for a trial run. It is always possible at my age to have walked so far (and with this trick knee, back etc) that I could not safely make it back to my vehicle before
- [Gerber Folding Machete](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/02/27/gerber-folding-machete/) - The Gerber Folding Machete. What a brilliant idea! Length 15.1 in -38 cm (unfolded - about half that folded) Weight 18 oz around 500 grams. You can chop, split or shave with it, and it fits comfortably and safely in your pack (or on your hip via the included pouch) US$139 (Feb 2021). It is
- [Exped Synmat HL Winter M](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/06/30/exped-synmat-hl-winter-m/) - My thanks to reader (Belle) for alerting me to the Exped Synmat HL Winter M (I had overlooked) which weighs 430 grams and has an R-rating of 5.0 at 183 cm long 52 wide (35 cm at the foot) and 9 thick. This weight includes a 60 gram bag to blow it up, but this
- [Kevlar Skid Pads](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/02/25/kevlar-skid-pads/) - Our Old Town Pack Angler canoes really don't tolerate hard knocks on rough rapids well. Bruce and I tore a couple of holes in them when we came down the Macalister in late Spring (See Carpe Diem). I ordered the Kevlar to undertake these repairs back then but of course I didn't get around to
- [Prunes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/02/22/prunes/) - (Della) Our lovely prune tree which we planted over 30 years ago has had its last crop. It has been sickly for the past decade or more and its crops of purple skinned, yellow-fleshed prunes had been steadily diminishing until a couple of weeks ago a wind bought down half of the tree, leaving only
- [Ultralight Tent Poles](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/11/13/ultralight-tent-poles/) - Tent poles can't get any lighter than if you don't carry any - which is what I do/don't. This is particularly weight-saving if you are young and don't need to carry hiking poles, something which I simply did not need until I was nearly 65! Perhaps when I finally get my new knees I will
- [Upper Yarra Track Sidetrip: Baw Baw to Mt St Phillack:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/02/24/upper-yarra-track-sidetrip-baw-baw-to-mt-st-phillack/) - What a way to escape the heat! Others may flock to the beach. We give our hearts to the mountains. Mt Baw Baw was to be 8C cooler than home (with no power) and with a delightful cooling 30 kph breeze. When we left our car at the bottom of Candleheath Drive (Go down Frosti
- [Yarra Falls Shelter House:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/04/12/yarra-falls-shelter-house-2/) - A reader has located the ruins of this magical place and forwarded some wonderful photos: ‘It is on the South West side of the junction fairly high up, where the tree ferns diminish (beneath one of the highest on the edge of the spur). It is extremely difficult to find and you could walk within
- [A Bag Full of Tricks](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/01/24/a-bag-full-of-tricks/) - - alternative title: 'It’s All in the Bag' – ultralight stuff sacks, ziplocks or ditty bags for hiking. This is not just about weight saving but also about spoilage and organisation. However there are significant weight savings too. For example the ubiquitous (Glad) Ziplock bag is really quite heavy. Try weighing a standard sandwich bag
- [Snippets](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/02/06/snippets/) - Sometimes a post is too short really to suit theultralighthiker.com so it just ends up here on my old site instead. Here are some examples from the last little while: 5/02/2021: A Really Long Walk With You. Fifty years ago (this week) I first met Della, who has been life itself to me ever since.
- [Sub Ounce Per Pair Camp Shoes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/02/05/sub-ounce-per-pair-camp-shoes/) - I have been (very belatedly) making Della a pair of these using the 'pattern' I made my own with some years ago. That post says they weighed 19 grams but that was including the closed cell foam inserts. 13 without! That was in US Size 9. Della's in US Women's Size 6 weigh just 10
- [Spot's DIY Ultralight Dog Sleeping Bag #2](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/02/03/spots-diy-ultralight-dog-sleeping-bag-2/) - Our Jack Russells, Spot and Honey need new sleeping bags. The old ones, made hastily years ago from scraps of an old poor quality down sleeping bag were never very satisfactory - and were too heavy. I searched the net for designs but could not find a satisfactory one so I started from scratch myself.
- [Tooth Powder](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/01/26/tooth-powder/) - So you have made your ultralight toothbrush spoon but are still lugging around all that heavy toothpaste or painfully drying it. You should know that tooth powder is a thing (and has been for a long time). You can even buy your favourite brand (Colgate). Some studies even show that it is better for cleaning
- [A Golden Queen](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/01/10/a-golden-queen/) - Della: ‘This evening's harvest of Golden Queen peaches and apricots: How beautifully they glow in the early evening light! The wet spring and summer has given us bountiful fruit this year.The blood plums were ready over Christmas and New Year, and the bulk of that crop had either fallen or been eaten by the cockies
- [A Phone in Your Fob](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/09/03/a-phone-in-your-fob/) - If you work outdoors doing physical work as I have done most of my life you will realise that most smart phones are quite unsuitable. It is just about impossible to carry them in such a way that they will not break. I used to carry my small (4") Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini in a
- [The Perfect Thistle Weapon](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/12/30/the-perfect-thistle-weapon/) - Or brush cutter - also excellent for track clearing. As you may know we have been pretty much self-sufficient farmers most of our lives. If I can avoid it I would rather not use herbicides though this is not always possible. I doubt though there is a more effective way of eliminating blackberries from one's
- [Lightest Carbon Fibre Canadian Canoe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/01/03/lightest-carbon-fibre-canadian-canoe/) - Here’s the lightest carbon fibre Canadian I could find the Hornbeck Blackjack at 11 lbs (5 kg). An interesting alternative to a packraft (See below). Hornbeck Blackjack ($1,695-$1,795 in carbon fiber, hornbeckboats.com) L: 12′; W:30″; D: 10″, 11-15 lbs. Made in Peter Hornbeck’s pine shed just a short drive from our put-in at Follensby Pond,
- [Mighty Oaks](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/01/03/mighty-oaks/) - As they say 'from little acorns grow'. Yet there are those who debunk some of my modest efforts to reduce minor aspects of my pack weight (such as my recent 'Toothbrush Spoon' post -which saves at least 10 grams), or my DIY Ten Gram Pillow which probably saves you at least an ounce (or 30
- [76 Gram Cookset](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2021/01/02/76-gram-cookset/) - I am putting together an overnight/weekend kit which is as ultralight as I can get it, anyway under 2 kg. I will probably carry it in my 193 Gram Pack. It will definitely include this cook set. The pot is the Evernew EBT278R 55 gram 570 ml pot. You can find it on Amazon for
- [A Wider Lighter DIY Sleeping Pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/06/09/a-wider-lighter-diy-sleeping-pad/) - Unless you are tiny (like my wife Della) I'm sure that you have found that when you sleep on your back your arms fall off the sides of a 'standard' 20" sleeping pad such as my wonderful Exped Winter mat shown. This is both uncomfortable and cold. Of course you could buy a (much) wider
- [DIY 10 Gram Pillow](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/12/30/diy-10-gram-pillow/) - You can cut down the Graham Flexair pillow (which you can buy lots of places for about $2) using your home vacuum bag sealer to make a 10 gram hiking pillow (as shown). My sealer will only handle a seal of a little over 11" (28cm) so my pillow (sealed area) is approx 11" x
- [Mastering the Hiking Energy Budget](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/12/06/mastering-the-hiking-energy-budget/) - I guess 'everyone' understands about calories per gram in choosing their hiking food requirements - if you want to save weight, and have realised that does not mean eating nothing but peanut butter - 6 calories per gram or 7 for real butter, no matter how weight-desirable that might be (I have many food tips
- [More Pack Mods](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/12/25/more-pack-mods/) - You should not be afraid to 'have a go'. No manufacturer ever made the perfect pack (for you) but there is some chance you can do so yourself - at least it is worth a try. I have hauled this old pack around now for a number of years since Joe Valesko (at Zpacks) first
- [Camp and Trail](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/12/25/camp-and-trail/) - By Stewart Edward White (1907). What a gem this Project Gutenberg ebook is. Though you may be ‘ultralight’ in your hiking/hunting methodology now there is much you owe to strategies outlined here so long ago, or which you may have forgotten, and should re-learn. Anyway it will make an excellent Xmas holiday read if you
- [Unknown Bird Update](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/12/23/unknown-bird-update/) - Nature Finds a Way. The Horsfield Bronze Cuckoo (which is what it turned out to be – first mentioned in this post) in our garden has at last attracted a mate with the calling which we were unable to identify for some weeks (al la Edward Thomas’ poem) – and here they both are. The
- [The Deer Hunter's Phone](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/12/07/the-deer-hunters-phone/) - Also perfect for hikers, backpackers etc. Imagine a phone that allows you to communicate with someone else several kilometres away without being connected to the phone network. Unihertz's Atom XL is a very rugged fully waterproof dual Sim mobile phone which also takes a micro SD card with a 48 mp camera which also contains
- [One Cicada Doesn't make a Summer](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/11/30/one-cicada-doesnt-make-a-summer/) - I was just doing some work clearing our new walking path in the bush up the creek behind our house yesterday (and again today) when this big guy suddenly turned up on my arm. I had been lopping some small branches with the machete and he must have been on one. Gave me quite a
- [Ultralight DIY Bushcraft Chair](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/11/15/ultralight-diy-bushcraft-chair/) - I have posted about this chair before but I have to admit I had never made one myself. Well now I have - and I'm sold. This is the perfect chair for the backpack hunter, and anyone else. I made this chair out of a scrap of (approx) 2 oz/yd2 ripstop nylon from Spotlight I
- [The Nano Chair](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/11/18/the-nano-chair/) - I first made a prototype of this chair half way through 2017, but it has waited on some fancy fasteners to come to fruition. This is #1 (of two) of my Nano Chair, a hiking chair which weighs less than 2 ounces approx 50 grams. No-one needs be without a comfy seat in the wilderness
- [The Ultralight Bush Chair](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/08/26/the-ultralight-bush-chair/) - Reader Jenny wrote to tell me about these wonderful chairs she makes when hiking. She thinks she could get the pack weight of her chair down to 50 grams. She writes, 'The material is just a rectangle of fabric, with big seams top and bottom (bottom for the cross piece of wood to thread through;
- [DIY Ultralight Chimney Rings](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/11/07/diy-ultralight-chimney-rings/) - This is an update to my posts about a DIY Tent Stove and Ultralight Chimney. When you roll up the (eg .1 mm) stainless steel or titanium foil to make a chimney (which will otherwise fit in your billy - when it is rolled the other way) you need rings to hold the chimney shape
- [Ghost Shrimp and Other Small Fry](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/11/01/ghost-shrimp-and-other-small-fry/) - This post is an accompaniment to my recent post Small Game. It is not so hard to supplement your hiking rations with some tasty protein after all. A couple of hundred grams of protein will meet your daily requirements, whilst 500+ grams will be nearly enough for your total daily food needs. This is just
- [Morning Marauders!](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/10/21/morning-marauders/) - (Della) Our sweet cherry tree bears lovely fruit, but the local birds of all varieties have it well marked on their seasonal tour map. Each year they strip the tree earlier and earlier. This morning's raucous visit by a flock of cockatoos is probably the earliest I have witnessed, being only 2 weeks or so
- [My First Ultralight Chimney](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/10/18/my-first-ultralight-chimney/) - I am slowly working my way through the many issues involved in constructing ultralight wood burning stoves for tent heating, cooking and electricity generation. This will take some time. The most important first step however involved whether I could construct an ultralight roll-up chimney without having to be able to weld such lightweight metal foil
- [Poly Tent by The Ultralight Hiker on the Cheap:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/02/01/poly-tent-by-the-ultralight-hiker-on-the-cheap/) - As part of a series on economy backpacking, I bring you my new poly tent made from a ‘standard 8’ x 10’ poly tarp bought from the local Churchill Australia $2 shop. This one cost me A$7.99 and took only minutes to make. Mark out the tie-out positions as shown. Use Tarp clips (eg http://www.theultralighthiker.com/easyklip/
- [New Tent Pegs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/10/11/new-tent-pegs/) - I tend to buy a lot of tent pegs because I am always making new tents/tarps and I like to have them all complete against need. I have found Aliexpress to be a good source (if you can wait for delivery). The 'Tito' brand there is quite satisfactory, for example. I favour a Shepherd's hook
- [Today's Garden Highlights](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/10/11/todays-garden-highlights/) - (Della) Leeks are now into the harvest phase and tonight's asparagus pick was ample. We did justice to both in tonight's tea of an omelette with leek, garlic, asparagus, ham and cheese. The lilac is a special triumph for me. I planted it about 7 (?) years ago and have been disappointed by it's refusal
- [Superlight Hunting Pack: 193 Grams](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/04/30/superlight-hunting-pack-193-grams/) - You don’t have to spend a fortune or carry around a tonne of bricks to secure a wonderful hunting/hiking backpack. I recently bought three of these Clever Lees 35 Litre Backpacks from Aliexpress. They cost me around US$14 each (April 2020) about twice what I would have paid had I lived in the US! As
- [Two Great Cheap Tents](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/09/17/two-great-cheap-tents/) - Two weeks ago I posted a suggestion that you could get a pretty good tent from Aliexpress for around A$50. I was so impressed by my own hype I ordered two of them on the 2nd September and they were in my mailbox on the 12th - all the way from China! I am still
- [Yet Another Use for Toilet Trowels](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/09/20/yet-another-use-for-toilet-trowels/) - I have recommended that you always carry a metal trowel particularly as an aid to procuring survival water. A hatchet or machete is also vital for this if you ever travel in dry country - as who does not? Such a trowel is also a powerful tent anchor in sand or snow or other loose
- [Khayyam's Table](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/10/01/khayyams-table/) - Omar Khayyam of Naishapur (I prefer the old spelling) was a tent -maker, as I have observed before. In the past the truly great seminal thinkers were all tradesmen of one sort or another, that is they did not expect their thinking to pay their wages, but earned their living with their hands - as
- [Another Spring](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/09/22/another-spring/) - (Della:)"I enjoy the spring more than the autumn now. One does, I think, as one gets older" - (Virginia Woolf). Spring in my garden today: Even 10 minutes gazing at the plants or pulling some weeds lifts my spirits. The brooding skies this afternoon created the right light and the perfect backdrop for the delicately
- [Sketchers](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/09/20/sketchers/) - Yet another lightweight shoe. This one the Sketcher Go walk claims to be only 206 grams in Mens US Size 9! Only A$99 (September 2020) so maybe worth giving them a try even just as 'river crossing' or camp shoes. Here's what they say about them: 'The leaders in walking shoe technology continue to innovate
- [Sketchers](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/09/20/sketchers/) - Yet another lightweight shoe. This one the Sketcher Go walk claims to be only 206 grams in Mens US Size 9! Only A$99 (September 2020) so maybe worth giving them a try even just as 'river crossing' or camp shoes. Here's what they say about them: 'The leaders in walking shoe technology continue to innovate
- [DIY 33 Gram Roll Up SS Hobo Stove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/09/06/diy-33-gram-roll-up-ss-hobo-stove/) - I am over carrying heavy stoves - and fuel. This one will do me. I will produce a version in titanium which will weigh about half what this one does in stainless steel, so under 20 grams! And no fuel to carry. Good enough? This is an update of an aluminium flashing stove I made
- [Alternative Fire Lighters](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/09/20/alternative-fire-lighters/) - You will already know that I always carry a couple of Mini Bics for fire lighting. They are hard, if not impossible to beat at approximately 10 grams each. I recently added a 1.5 gram rubber Thimblette to prevent my burning my thumb especially when you need to hold the flame on for a protracted
- [Simple Ultralight Groundsheet](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/09/20/simple-ultralight-groundsheet/) - I just made this simple groundsheet for my Aricxi tent (and for a new tent I am working on ahead of a trip I am planning next week). It is made from some 1.1oz fabric I sourced from China which I am trialing, so I will let you know how it goes. The fabric has
- [Fathers' Day at Seal Cove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/09/06/fathers-day-at-seal-cove/) - Due to the Covid lock down none of our children could visit us but Della and I could still go for a drive together. Such freedom. That's what we all fought for! We headed down to a secret place along the Gippsland coast where we thought we might be able to scramble down the cliffs
- [Can You Keep a Secret](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/09/17/can-you-keep-a-secret/) - I know I can so if this had been one you would not be reading this! When we were at the coast the other day I found a mysterious small oblong block of what we both took to be marble at the time but it was surprisingly heavy. We popped it into the superlight daypack
- [Upper Yarra Track Mementoes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/03/18/upper-yarra-track-mementoes/) - A 'correspondent' writes: I returned from yesterday’s foray with these two. This afternoon my daughter was alarmed at what she saw as injuries to my right arm, what to me were just scratches, or badges of pride. Swinging my machete, the blasted ‘lawyer’ or ‘wait a while’ vine (so named ‘cause it won’t let go!) cut
- [Carpe Diem](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/09/13/carpe-diem/) - 'Seize the Day'. There are only a certain number of them. No-one knows how many or ever will. 'Some days are diamonds' as the song says - and in my (fortunate) experience, most are. Anyway one where you keep on breathing in and out has to be a good one. It was a beautiful spring
- [Ultralight Tyvek Wallet](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/09/09/ultralight-tyvek-wallet/) - Given my predilection for this wonderful material it will probably not surprise you that I have carried a Tyvek wallet for many years. I have probably worn out half a dozen over the years. I guess they usually last me 2-3 years before they look so shabby I feel I must replace them - as
- [Asparagus Dreaming](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/08/01/asparagus-dreaming/) - Della: Today's job was the asparagus bed: This is a perennial crop, and having planted the crowns about 30 years ago, we have little to do each year other than cut off the dead fronds each winter. Gardening guides say that you can do this once the fronds turn yellow in autumn, but that is
- [Washing Down Sleeping Bags](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/08/27/cleaning-down-sleeping-bags/) - Thanks to my friend Brett for his advice about washing/treating (down) sleeping bags. I have now used Nikwax’s Down Wash & Down Proof products http://meaningoflite.com (sent from England in 1 litre containers via eBay - cheaper than 300ml avail locally: 150ml of each needed per sleeping bag) on my ‘worst’ Montbell Ultralight Super Stretch Down
- [Wet Weather Pull-On Boots](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/08/27/wet-weather-pull-on-boots/) - Just bought a great new pair of wet weather pull-on boots, Otway Ranger Lo Soft (Toe) @ $75 from Scotts, Traralgon. I have just been around the lambs on the (steep) hill and can report that they have excellent grip on wet, clayey grass and are totally waterproof in 2” deep puddles. These are a
- [Mount Bartle Frere](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/09/01/mount-bartle-frere/) - We climbed this iconic peak back on 1st September, 2017. This year we are both having trouble for various reasons walking to the front gate - but we will overcome! It is Qld's highest mountain a little over 1600 metres situated just North of Innisfail approximately an hour South of Cairns. 1622 metres might not
- [DIY Unbreakable Shoe Laces](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/08/19/diy-unbreakable-shoe-laces/) - Make your own unbreakable shoe laces. That way you don't need to carry a spare. You can buy Aglets (ie ends - what a great word - from Old French 'aiguillette', a small needle) cheaply enough A$3.88 per 100 plus 50 ft 2.3 mm black Kevlar line A$24.92 (pictured) to make your own unbreakable shoe
- [DIY Roll Up Hobo Stove or Windscreen](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/07/15/diy-roll-up-hobo-stove-or-windscreen/) - I made this last night out of some aluminium flashing. The aluminium will most likely not stand up to the intense heat of a fire for long, but as a prototype/proof of concept I am happy with it. Some .5mm (soft) stainless steel foil has arrived this morning in the mail so I will be
- [The Best Hiking/Hunting Shoe Ever](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/08/13/the-best-hiking-hunting-shoe-ever/) - I received my new Topo Hydraventure 2 shoes from Injinji about a month ago. The new model is even better than the old one. Look at that tread. 310 grams in US size 9.5 The comparison shoe for me is Keen's Targhee 2 which weighs 436.6 grams according to their website. I have used these
- [The Ultralight Comb](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/11/02/the-ultralight-comb/) - The very best carbon fibre or titanium combs from the Chicago comb company so you can style your hair in the wilderness.
- [The Ultralight Hairdresser](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/06/25/the-ultralight-hairdresser/) - Of course you could just go about with your hair looking like an untidy birds' nest but few girls especially would want to. I have carried the same old comb below (3 grams) for twenty years. I own that I could probably have found a slightly shorter, lighter one but there is some sentimental attachment.
- [A Moondarra Maelstrom](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/08/02/a-moondarra-maelstrom/) - We took a break from building the fox-proof fence this afternoon to have a stroll on the Wirilda Track which snakes along the beautiful little Tyers River North of Morwell. For many years it has been the Latrobe Valley's principal fresh water supply. By starting At Moe Railway Station you can use the wonderful Wirilda
- [New Knife](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/07/15/new-knife/) - This is still my favourite hiking knife. I received one of these knives for Xmas 2013 and have carried it everywhere since. The Johnson Adventure® Piggyback®. It is just brilliant: overall weight 36.5g, knife only 27.5g (US$12.27 - Dec 2013). The blade is definitely thick enough and strong enough to split kindling. This is a
- [The Olfa Knife](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/07/17/the-olfa-knife/) - This is just about the greatest knife ever! I’m just a little late to the party concerning this knife which has been around nearly as long as I have - at any rate since 1956. As you can see it has a 55 mm blade. That’s just under 2 ¼”. (55mm = 2.16”) You could
- [The Tiniest of Knives](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/07/03/the-tiniest-of-knives/) - Just as a follow-up to my recent utility knife post I have recently become aware of these two wonderful little knives, one of which must just about qualify as being the tiniest of knives at .169 oz (4.8 grams) - less than a credit card, they say in their ad! The other is a cheaper,
- [Free Stuff for Hiking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/04/29/free-stuff-for-hiking/) - You really don't need to spend up big to have great stuff for hiking, hunting etc Many of the things I use pretty much cost me nothing at all. I just cobbled them together out of bits and pieces I had lying around. Certainly you can save a lot of money if you are careful. Some things were pretty much free, like the following dozen:
- [A Hobo in a Roller](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/06/22/a-hobo-in-a-roller/) - If you are a really up-market hobo you can buy this ready-made Tomshoo Brand titanium (of course) hobo stove from Aliexpress for US$14.94 (June 2020). It weighs 55 grams (1.9 oz). Dimensions are : 80 mm (high) x 91 mm (dia) / 3.15 x 3.58 in - so a little smaller than mine 1250mm x
- [Cookset Solutions](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/05/29/cookset-solutions/) - Today I am using the Gnomatic alcohol simmer stove below left. It is available from Minibull for US$25 (May 2020) plus freight and weighs 19 grams with the simmer ring. It is just about the best alcohol stove and simmer stove I have ever owned, and you do not have to worry about accidents because
- [A Hobo's Breakfast](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/06/18/a-hobos-breakfast/) - It costs nothing at all (and only a couple of minutes) to create your own safe wood burning hiking stove which will cook you up a wonderful breakfast (below) in just a few minutes without having to carry any fuel at all (or any other stove) with you into the wilderness. A big saving. You
- [Mostly Perspiration](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/06/17/mostly-perspiration/) - According to Thomas Edison that's what genius is - and he should have known, with his 2,000 patents. Each took countless experiments, lots of trials and error before he got it right. Tim Tinker is the Thomas Edison of the ultralight tent stove. For years he has been working away at his miniature radiative beauties
- [A Cure for Knee Pain?](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/06/10/a-cure-for-knee-pain/) - (Preliminary observations) ‘Always listen to the experts – and then do something else’, as the old saying goes. I thought I had about tried just about everything with my knee/s (as with my back in retrospect) and had about bitten the bullet that there was nothing for it but once again the dreaded knife –
- [Plumbing the Depths](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/06/14/plumbing-the-depths/) - You can repurpose many humble plumbing fittings into wonderful ultralight hiking tools. Take this cheap 19mm (3/4") irrigation tee from Bunnings for A$1.54 (June 2020) . I have carried one to sit the sharp end of my hiking pole in so it doesn't pierce the floor of my tent. An end joiner works well for
- [All Thumbs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/06/13/all-thumbs/) - Sick of burning your thumb when lighting the fire or the stove with your Mini Bic? I know I am. Here's the ultralight (1.5 gram) solution. J. Burrows' Thimblettes from office supplies for just 64 cents each. You can store one on the end of the lighter (as shown) so it is easy to find.
- [The Last Straw](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/06/11/the-last-straw/) - I first came up with this idea fifty years ago when I was helping my cousin John Priestley lay out irrigation in his (new) mandarine orchard along the Paterson River NSW. We had run out of poly pipe fittings (a relatively new idea then too) and he was all for sending me (quite a long
- [Ultralight Pot Lifters](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/06/08/ultralight-pot-lifters/) - I found this enchanting post on a chat forum this morning: ‘For the last 5 years I've been needlessly carrying this extra 0.40 Oz with my Evernew titanium pot. Now I can manage just fine with one handle’. – thank you Wayne Adelkopf‎. I do admire the lateral thinking here. It is just such genius
- [Backcountry Meat:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/03/24/backcountry-meat/) - If you worry about whether salami might/will spoil (some is marked as not requiring refrigeration - technically all should as this was the purpose of the preservation method, but ...) Simmenthal Jelly With Sliced Beef 140 grams net (can 12 g) 413 kj (99 calories). These cans are aluminium and extremely light. they can also
- [Hiking Food: Bulgur Wheat](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/10/21/hiking-food-bulgar-wheat/) - There are quite a few suggestions and recipes below. I admit I hadn’t thought of using bulgur as an alternative to rice, pasta, couscous, etc, but it does have a different taste. You can certainly add it to your dehydrated soups/stews (along with lentils. It will take a similar amount of time to cook. When
- [Neat Ultralight USB Light](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/05/26/neat-ultralight-usb-light/) - These are an interesting emergency light at 2.4 grams each. They plug straight in to your ultralight power bank. Some of them have a touch switch and are even dimmable (eg the Yitee one - quoted above). They are not as energy efficient as these 11 gram rechageables but would make a good spare, or
- [Born With a Wooden Spoon in My Mouth](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/06/04/born-with-a-wooden-spoon-in-my-mouth/) - If your wife loses your ultralight titanium/aluminium hiking spoon whilst doing the washing up (while you are folding up the tent) in the Franklin-Gordon wilderness (as my lovely wife, Della did - and she will never be allowed to forget it, poor thing!) or a similar disaster strikes, then it might be a good idea
- [1400 Posts](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/05/30/1400-posts/) - My daughter Merrin started this blog for me four years ago on 26 May 2016 so I am surprised I/we have been so busy, but today this is my 1400th post! Just thought I would take a few lines to highlight the last 100 posts which have occurred over the last six months or so:
- [New Evidence of Fiordland Moose](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/03/04/new-evidence-of-fiordland-moose/) - New (2020) Sighting Below: Some time back I was contacted by a young journalist, Charlie Mitchell from Stuff, New Zealand. I helped him out as much as I could from my experiences. Over the last two days I have been thrilled to read and see what he has put together of the continued existence of
- [Australian native finger limes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/05/16/australian-native-finger-limes/) - (Della) I bought one of these plants several years ago whilst indulging in a little garden-centre impulse buying. Since then I have sporadically noticed 3 or 4 of the fruit deposited at the base of the shrub during autumn and picked them up as a novelty. Today, however, I discovered that the shrub has become
- [Cookset Woes:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/01/26/cookset-woes/) - Some people seem to think it is fashionable to lug around the kitchen sink and a range simply to warm a couple of evening snacks, so you see people all the time with a food prep setup which weighs maybe a kg – or more. The empty canisters of such systems typically weigh more than
- [Better Seam Sealing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/05/25/better-seam-sealing/) - You have probably used Silnett and similar products to DIY seal the seams in your tents, tarps etc. You can mix up this mixture which is also good for increasing the waterproofness of your floors too but both these methods are fairly messy. Or you can buy some PU seam sealing tape which just irons
- [Snow Peak Titanium Sierra Cup](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/05/24/snow-peak-titanium-sierra-cup/) - Something ultralight to make your cup of java below with. Just 39.5 grams and 322 mls (10.9 fl oz) D 4.8" H 1.75" May also make a useful small billy lid eg for something like this. US 19.95 May 2020 on Amazon or SnowPeak Designed and manufactured in Japan, the Sierra Cup is made of
- [Sewn-free construction:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/10/05/sewn-free-construction/) - Or welded fabric construction. You too may not have encountered this newish method. My new shoes, the Topo Terraventure are made this way, and let me say they are excellent. There is not a seam in them to come undone or fray. I have by now walked several hundred kilometres in them (as has Della
- [Real Coffee Never Got Lighter](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/05/24/real-coffee-never-got-lighter/) - The Montbell 4 gram coffee dripper (US$19 May 2020): 'Lightweight, packable, portable, washable, economical, and ecological! This convenient coffee filter utilizes a 60 micrometer mesh to let you enjoy the "true" aroma and flavor of your favorite bean in the backcountry. Features Super elastic alloy wire to keep filter open while in use Mesh pouch
- [Fun in the Mud](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/05/20/fun-in-the-mud/) - (by Merrin): There was an old man who bogged a tractor. What a quacker he bogged a tractor! He bogged the tractor trying to rescue the truck. How's that for luck to bog a truck? He bogged the truck trying to save the ute. What an old coot, he bogged the ute........ What a story.
- [Thomson River Packrafting Day Trip](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/05/14/thomson-river-packrafting-day-trip/) - You can have some really wonderful single day packrafting adventures on Gippsland's wonderful Thomson River. I promised to post this ages ago, but the summer fires and the coronavirus lock-down has meant I have not had the opportunity to go take a look - and I need to take a couple of more looks in
- [The Creek #1](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/05/03/the-creek-1/) - We have a lovely unnamed creek here at Jeeralang Junction (I like to call it 'Sawyer's Gully' after the original selectors here) which rises high in the forest valley behind and winds through the bottom of our farm. Not long after we came here nearly thirty years ago I hacked a path through the blackberries
- [The APC and the Sponge Bath:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/08/17/the-apc-and-the-sponge-bath/) - A friend of mine coined the phrase 'APC' being a play on words for a major patent medicine of the 50s and 60s. Instead of the three chemicals which were its constituents (Aspirin, Phenacetin and Codeine - you just can't get good pain relief cheaply any more!), her expression stood for 'Armpits and Crotch'. A
- [Damsons](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/02/29/damsons/) - (Della): We planted a damson tree a few decades ago. I seldom get around to saving the fruit from the birds but this year, after seeing our enormous and trusty quince tree keel over in the last storm, I decided that damson cheese might make a timely change from quince paste on the cheese platter.
- [Jeeralang Social Distancing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/03/27/jeeralang-social-distancing/) - (Della): Social distancing is pretty easy where we live: Our afternoon walk.
- [Green Tomato Pickles](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/04/18/green-tomato-pickles/) - (Della): First task for today: Cooking up the green tomato pickle. Miserable weather outside keeping me out of the garden is the perfect backdrop! The finished product. Yum.
- [Grannies are ready!](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/04/19/grannies-are-ready/) - (Della): "Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness".. Plenty still on the tree, but if I get this lot preserved in jars and the drier over the next few days, we will be very well set-up for apple this year, as these will be in addition to some bottled Gravensteins from early in the season. That
- [Fun With Fungi](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/05/02/fun-with-fungi/) - (Della): This wet autumn seems to be favouring the fungi: Over the last week our afternoon walks in the local pine forest have been magically adorned by a myriad of poisonous fly agaric, whilst giant edible field mushrooms have emerged on our farm today, the latter slated to adorn our fettuccine tonight along with some
- [Ultralight Ultracheap Rain Fly](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/04/26/ultralight-ultracheap-rain-fly/) - Can't make your own? How about this one? 310 grams US$28.43 (April 2020). 3000 mm waterproof. You couldn’t make it for this. Of course you can't use it as a hammock tarp as well like mine but it is the beginning of a good cheap hiking kit. You can pair it with a bathtub floor
- [Merewether Lewis's Air Rifle](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/04/20/merewether-lewiss-air-rifle/) - A friend swore that Lewis and Clark had a high powered repeating air rifle that fired a large rifle-sized bullet that would punch a hole through a wolf or a 2" plank of wood 100 yards away. He claimed that it so impressed the Indians they encountered that they went unmolested in truly savage country.
- [Cheap Ultralight Bathtub Floor](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/04/26/cheap-ultralight-bathtub-floor/) - I was thinking of making one of these for my new Deer Hunter's Tent but at US$27 (April 2020) and a quite reasonable weight of 180 grams single ( 31 1/2" x 7' ie 80 x 210 cm) or 227 grams double (7' x 4' ie 210 x 120 cm) I might not bother. Comes
- [Miniature Whelen Hammock Tent](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/04/11/miniature-whelen-hammock-tent/) - A tent for two that is also a (two-person) hammock tarp which weighs 150 grams in cuben. How good is that? During this coronavirus lock down we are very busy here on the farm building several kilometres of new vermin-proof fences just for example. I also need to spend hours each day on share market
- [South Coast Track, Fiordland, NZ, Della’s Version:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/04/25/south-coast-track-fiordland-nz-dellas-version/) - Day one was totally passive, involving a jet boat ride over the beautiful Lake Hauroko and then helter-skelter down the fast-running Wairaurahiri River to the sea. There we stayed overnight in lovely wilderness accommodation and prepared our packs for the big walk ahead. Our jet boat waiting. Lake Hauroko was like a mill-pond: Lake Hauroko
- [Vale Westie, a Real Fiordland Legend](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/04/19/vale-westie-a-real-fiordland-legend/) - You have probably seen my posts about Westies Hut and about that section of the South Coast Track. We have stayed in the remarkable hut in a sea cave at Price’s harbour – and hope to do so again, next time for a slightly longer period, despite the sandflies. I doubt we will be staying
- [Insects can ruin a camping trip!](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/03/04/insects-can-ruin-a-camping-trip/) - Insects can ruin a camping trip. You need a Repellent which works. These guys are the solution. There has been a move by the touchy-feely crowd to bombard us with ‘natural’ ones which will see you eaten alive. Be warned. The product must have Deet (not so much it melts your raincoat, but lots). And
- [Tucktek Folding Kayak](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/04/18/tucktek-folding-kayak/) - Lots of people live in flats and don't have anywhere to store a normal kayak. It may be they don't have a car with roof racks either but they still want to go canoeing on a beautiful silvery river on a hot summer's day - as who does not? The folk at Tucktek have come
- [Hunting the Wonnangatta-Moroka](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/09/29/hunting-the-wonnangatta-moroka/) - Back from one of my favourite places in Wonnangatta-Moroka: six hours walk in from my car & five hours drive from here to the closest driveable location. This has to be one of the remotest areas in Victoria. Deer (and dingoes!) as common as rabbits elsewhere. Took our old Jack Russell, Tiny along for the
- [Flat-Felled Seam Alternative](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/04/11/flat-felled-seam-alternative/) - If you have sewn a couple of tents or similar projects you will no doubt have encountered this well-nigh compulsory seam. It is awkward to do. The cutting is tedious, the folding over is really difficult when you have 'hands like feet and feet like No 10 shovels' as I do, and the results are
- [Ultralight Hiking on a Budget](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/03/03/ultralight-hiking-on-a-budget/) - The 'Big Five' for less than $100 and under 3 kg! I recently posted about this 362 grams cheap 40 litre pack which you can buy from Amazon for US$20. I bought one just to see and found it very good indeed - as good or better than many more expensive packs I own/have owned,
- [Xionel: Cheap Flexible Solar](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/03/05/xionel-cheap-flexible-solar/) - I am looking for a way to efficiently charge a Mavik Pro drone battery in the field multiple times. I plan to take mine 'hunting' with me so I can get some really good aerial footage of sambar deer. Obviously I will not be using it to help me kill a deer. What I have
- [DIY Stuff Sacks](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/03/29/diy-stuff-sacks/) - I needed to make a stuff sack to finish off my Hammock Tent anyway so I thought I would post some instructions and photos showing how I do it. This may help you get into sewing your own gear - as I do. As you can see the completed tent with floor, all guys, line
- [Lay Flat Kettle and Pudding Bowl Stove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/03/11/lay-flat-kettle-and-pudding-bowl-stove/) - Some more great ideas from 'Tim the Tinker'. 'Winter is coming' as they say, so it is time to sharpen up your winter tent and tipis designs and complete your experiments in how to heat them effectively. It is a pure delight to be out and about in our wonderful Victorian fastnesses, (for example) chasing
- [Bebook Ebook Reader](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2011/12/06/bebook-ebook-reader/) - Best gadget we have bought in the last year a 5" Bebook reader but you can now get the new Sony 6" model for about the same weight @ 160g but it won't fit in your shirt pocket. It does not require you to pirate books but it sure makes reading a lot cheaper if
- [Faux Packraft VS Alpacka Raft](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2011/12/15/faux-packraft-vs-alpacka-raft/) - Well, we have tried our faux packraft against our Alpacka raft on a four hour Grade 2+ section of the Wonnangatta River on an overnight trip (during which we saw 9 deer!) and apart from some slight abrasion to the lamination of the poly tarp (nappy) the $40 raft stood up splendidly. I found a
- [Getting Back Into It](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2012/01/01/getting-back-into-it/) - Steve’s back prevented many planned activities in 2010 but it has improved a bit so we have been more active this year. For example, in early March we walked the South Coast Track in Tas with a friend, Kerri Cleaver. This was to be a shake-down for the Dusky Track in 2012 but it was
- [The Dusky](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2012/02/15/the-dusky/) - Every time he turns at Centre Pass to survey the magnificent view down the Seaforth Valley to the Fiord, he wonders will it be the last time he gazes on such a magnificent view? It is the last thing you do, you should do it at least once. Steve will do it again and again.
- [Touring Tasmania](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2012/02/16/touring-tasmania/) - We celebrated the sale of our farm with a week’s holiday touring Tasmania in February. Strangely we did not walk the South Coast Track again but we did camp in the Franklin-Gordon and Arthur wildernesses amongst other things. This sounds a lot better than it is, particularly the Pieman-Arthur and Tarkine wildernesses which as far
- [The Best Toilet View in the World!](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2012/04/28/the-best-toilet-view-in-the-world/) - I have been hiking in Fiordland NZ for ten days and have now returned 'bowed but unbeaten.' Met some great young people on the trail (and some not-so-great) and saw, as usual quite a lot of evidence for the continuing existence of moose there. I will post a photo of the best toilet view in
- [Hiking the Wonnangatta-Moroka](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2012/06/29/hiking-the-wonnangatta-moroka/) - Back from four days' hiking in Wonnangatta-Moroka area with a young American friend, Steve Hutcheson whom I met on the Dusky Track earlier this year: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-friend-i-met-on-the-dusky-track-fiordland-nz/ The rivers were flooded and difficult to cross but the weather beautiful. Probably sub-zero of a night but warm and comfy for us thanks to my Tyvek tarps and
- [Hiking with a Jack Russell](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2012/09/19/hiking-with-a-jack-russell/) - Went hiking with my son Bryn's little dog, Tiny. Expected to be out all week but unfortunately hurt my back so limped home. Here we see Tiny on her special hiking bed helping herself to some dog nuts and her caching some for later, just in case.
- [Lighting a Fire in the Wet #2](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/03/16/lighting-a-fire-in-the-wet-2/) - 'It is no trouble to light a fire with a large magnifying glass when the sun is shining in a clear sky, but it is a different matter if the lens is small or if only brief, occasional gleams of sun come through gaps in the clouds. It can be done quite easily, however, by
- [Wonderful Wilderness Areas in Victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/10/13/wonderful-wilderness-areas-in-victoria/) - We have many wonderful ‘wilderness areas’ in Victoria, defined by both their remoteness and there not being any tracks or roads in an area of @ 100 square Km. I have been studying my maps. Mt Darling-Snowy Bluff Wilderness, here I come! Several interesting days hiking to come. I think I will walk up the
- [Moose Hunting in Fiordland](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/02/21/moose-hunting/) - Watched Ken Tustin’s new doco http://www.stealthfilms.co.nz/dvds/dvd005-bundle.html which I mentioned the other day. If you are interested in great scenery, Fiordland, the origin of the moose herd there or just hunting generally you will find something to captivate you here (for a mere $10). On every ‘expedition’ there I have found ‘moose sign’ whilst hunting about
- [DIY Ultralight Pillow](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/03/03/diy-ultralight-pillow/) - 27 grams as pictured. I have been using this pillow every night now for months. It has been the most comfortable pillow I have ever used. It started its life like this: You should have a go at cutting down a pillow or mat to size yourself. Unfortunately the valve on this cheap pillow was
- [Tinder](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/02/27/tinder/) - This is a gem from yesteryear. So much useful survival knowledge is all-but lost: 'Fire Without Matches: More nonsense has been said and written on the subject of lighting fires without matches than on any other—except, of course, the birth of the kangaroo. How can one tell, by reading what a man has written about
- [Another Cheap Hiking Mat](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/02/23/another-cheap-hiking-mat/) - The Vertex Mattress (which includes a pillow) at 450 grams, generously sized 74.8” x 22.8” with a reasonable R-rating for warmer weather of R 4.2 and an excellent price of US$39.99 (Feb 2020) would have to be good value. If you are shorter like Della and I are you could easily cut this down to
- [The Sleeping Bag Re-Imagined](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/02/18/the-sleeping-bag-re-imagined/) - The wild idea races far ahead of the imagined object. For many years I tossed up between hammock and tent camping using a 7' x 7' tarp and a 169 gram (including suspension rope) Nano hammock for hammocking, then I started rigging my 8' X 8' cuben tarp for either purpose, but it was only
- [A 1000 Fill Power Vest](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/02/01/a-1000-fill-power-vest/) - Just 150 grams and US$49.92 this little guy would make the perfect partner to its big brother the Naturehike 1000 FP Down Jacket which was on sale last week, sold out (at $60!) but is back again this week for US$ 67.43 - just in case you missed out! It has both hand warmer pockets
- [Montbell Ultralight](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/09/21/montbell/) - Make some awesome Ultralight gear. Mostly I like their sleeping bags and insulated clothing. For many years I have used the UL Super Spiral Down Hugger #3 now called Down Hugger 800 #3 & available at Larry Adler Australia for A$329). Mine was 624 grams and rated -1C. Montbell have even improved this bag by
- [Light, Lighter, Lightest](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/02/09/light-lighter-lightest/) - If things keep going on like this my backpack will have negative mass and will be carrying me! 'Lead balloons' will soon actually exist! In fact they were first imagined 'in 1670 by the Jesuit Father Francesco Lana de Terzi, sometimes referred to as the "Father of Aeronautics", who published a description of an "Aerial Ship" supported by
- [Do you tell your children wild camping is illegal?](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/02/02/do-you-tell-your-children-wild-camping-is-illegal/) - I think this is such a good title for a post. It is up there with my post title Nuts to Leave No Trace. The Nanny State wowsers would ban all fun if they could. The author is from the UK. One thing which surprised me during our trip around Scotland last year was how
- [I Talk to the Trees](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/01/25/i-talk-to-the-trees/) - Della: ‘This little sweetheart was out to welcome us home as we approached our driveway this evening. We had just encountered a goanna on our afternoon walk in the local pine plantation along with a couple of echidnas and the usual handful of wallabies and roos, and I am currently listening to one of our
- [Fourteen Days of White Water](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/01/21/fourteen-days-of-white-water/) - The Wonnangatta-Mitchell is Victoria greatest river. It rises deep in a wonderful remote wilderness that is the heart of Gippsland and finally finishes (weeks later) at the amazing 'Silt Jetties' where it enters Lake King. It can be canoed (when there is sufficient water, ie approx 1.8 metres on the Waterford Gauge) from the Humffray
- [Nitecore 550 Lumen Head Torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/01/22/nitecore-550-lumen-head-torch/) - What a great new head torch I managed to pick up from Deal Extreme for under US$30! Equipped with a CREE XP-G3 S3 LED, the NU32 emits a bright 550 lumens extending out to 125 metres/408 feet. In addition to this primary LED, which offers four different brightness modes, the NU32 also features high-CRI auxiliary
- [Upper Yarra Track Adventures](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/01/19/upper-yarra-track-adventures/) - Warburton to Bairnsdale Ride courtesy of Gerard White. There are many adventures you can have starting in Melbourne and utilising the wonders of the marvelous Upper Yarra Track. As you can see Gerard has just ridden his bicycle all the way to Bairnsdale. You can see the route he used here: Bundoora to Bairnsdale Route.
- [Ultralight Titanium Cards](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/01/18/ultralight-titanium-cards/) - These little guys are only US$13.95 each from CountyComm (or sometimes available from Drop for US$26 per pair. They weigh only 8 grams each. It is easy to think of a circumstance that you might need one of these. All you would need would be some line (eg from your repair kit) and you will
- [How good is this?](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/01/12/how-good-is-this/) - Naturehike 1000fp down 174 gram jacket with 70 grams of down fill, only US$65 (Jan 2020) on Aliexpress. I paid so much more for my Montbell ones years ago (currently US$329 plus freight) and I have had excellent service from them, but these look even better! From only US$58.82 at Dhgate! Get them while they're
- [Automatic Chicken Door Opener](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/01/12/automatic-chicken-door-opener/) - What a great idea this is - and only A$129.99 on eBay. I will certainly be getting and installing one. Of course foxes can strike during the day too - but so often it is because you are late home or have forgotten to lock the chooks up. I will be teaming this up with
- [Sleeping Pad News](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/01/14/sleeping-pad-news/) - New pads, new valves from Thermares and a new R-value standard. If It Works, Don’t Fix It – Thermarest’s WingLock™ and TwinLock™ Valve: https://www.thermarest.com/blog/crafting-a-better-valve/ Time to buy a mat while you can still opt for the ‘Classic’ valve perhaps . Extra weight and extra complexity for what? Who found it so difficult to pinch the
- [Nuts to 'Leave No Trace'](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2020/01/04/nuts-to-leave-no-trace/) - Leave No Trace strictures vs Vandalism: There is a better way. I have been involved in land management for nearly seventy years and have planted thousands of trees, even this year when I am laid up with this 'broken' back. Surely most who read this have also thrilled to depictions of just the opposite, such
- [20 Great  Places](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2010/01/01/20-great-places/) - Dusky Track: Canoeing the Seaforth From Dawn to Dusky Blond Bay The Great Gippsland Circuit Canoe Wonnangatta Yarra Falls Gippsland Packrafting Routes Everest Base Camp A Gorilla in the Bush South Gippsland Wilsons Prom Thomson River Snowy Bluff Upper Yarra Track More Upper Yarra Track Westies Hut Macalister River South Coast Track Avon River A
- [Upper Yarra Track Glamping: Baw Baw Overnight Hike:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/02/28/upper-yarra-track-glamping-baw-baw-overnight-hike/) - This is a beautiful glamping trip. You can walk from the Mushroom Rocks Carpark (just North of Erica - or from the Mt St Gwinear Carpark) to the Baw Baw Village in approx 5 ½ hours (our retiree speeds with overnight packs) each way. There is accommodation there year round, but at least three nights
- [To The Lighthouse](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/11/29/to-the-lighthouse/) - We recently hiked 43km over two days (one hot, one wet and cold) to and from the Wilson's Prom Light Station. Today we are a bit stiff and sore (I think mainly from the VERY hot walk on Wednesday afternoon) I am pretty happy to be still able to walk 20+km a day carrying a pack
- [Thomson River Canoe Trip](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/12/29/thomson-river-canoe-trip-2006/) - This video had somehow disappeared from my page so I have resurrected it. Somehow I managed to video most of the trip with my late friend Steve Cleaver with a non-waterproof very old video camera. There is no editing. It is all just as I filmed and narrated it. Nonetheless I think you will enjoy
- [Thomson River Canoe Trip](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/12/29/thomson-river-canoe-trip-2006/) - This video had somehow disappeared from my page so I have resurrected it. Somehow I managed to video most of the trip with my late friend Steve Cleaver with a non-waterproof very old video camera. There is no editing. It is all just as I filmed and narrated it. Nonetheless I think you will enjoy
- [EBC 4 & 5: And So Onwards and Upwards](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/11/20/ebc-4-5-and-so-onwards-and-upwards/) - 'Tengboche, Pangboche and finally Dingboche - the end of our ascent. 4,410 metres at Dingboche, but we climbed higher to look down the valley to Everest Base Camp, 2 more days ahead. These 2 days of cold and hardship were not on our agenda. A medley of pics following, some with explanatory notes.' (Della Again)
- [Naturehike Carbon Fibre Walking Pole 135 grams](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/12/22/naturehike-carbon-fibre-walking-pol-135-grams/) - US$38 each with free shipping (to Australia). US76 per pair. What’s not to like about this? I received a pair for Xmas. Stripped of the strap and its aluminium screw mine weighed 128 grams each on my scale and fold down to just under 50 cm (20”) – 51/110cm according to the Specs. They come
- [Marvelous Mitchell Day 3](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/12/27/marvelous-mitchell-day-3/) - What a wonderful ruin - like something from Ozymandias. Construction of this weir at the junction of the Mitchell and Stoney creek commenced in 1881 but the weir was destroyed by floods in 1893 soon after completion and has never been repaired. Two other attempts to dam the river at Billy Goat Bend and Tabberabbera
- [The Arch - Update](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/12/28/the-arch-update/) - Della: 'The new archway is beginning to settle in and look much less stark with the lower plantings taking off now and the roses starting to climb the uprights. What a difference a few months make in the garden (especially when spring and summer are also involved!) Thanks Steve Jones for the structural work and
- [Marvelous Mitchell Day 2](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/12/27/marvelous-mitchell-day-2/) - I spent a wonderfully restful night under the huge walnut tree lulled to sleep by the noise of the river rolling past - and surrounded by deer! The walnuts are a great magnet to them. They clearly check them daily to see whether a leaf or a nut has been discarded for their delectation. I
- [Marvelous Mitchell River Day 1](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/12/23/marvelous-mitchell-river-day-1/) - I canoed this lovely section of river from Angusvale Camping Ground to the Glenaladale Bridge over the last three days in my Alpacka packraft. The river heights were at the bottom end of this section's canoeability (see note below) and the smoke from the huge bushfires the environmentalists are having in East Gippsland spoiled the
- [The Fastest Hiker](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/11/20/the-fastest-hiker-2/) - I have been working on my page's speed once again. This time I have really succeeded, so I hope you appreciate my efforts. It has taken days and days (again!)- but in the end, like many things it was simple, and the 'experts' were no help at all - quite the reverse! Here are Google's
- [Deer Wars:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/12/22/deer-wars/) - 'Kim Hollows reprises his role as Executive Producer for the first time since creating Ata Whenua (Shadowlands). This is a story of men and machines, of incredible daring and unprecedented ingenuity set in the dangerous and unpredictable New Zealand mountains. Over a 20 year period these helicopter pioneers turned a national ecological disaster into a
- [Ultralight Mobile Clothes Line](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/12/15/ultralight-mobile-clothes-line/) - You might have noticed it in the cover picture below or this post, that I seemed to have something hanging from my pack as we walked in to Pangboche: It is a DIY mobile clothes line which I am drying one of my handkerchiefs on. If you walk the EBC some time you will find
- [The G4 is Back](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/11/16/the-g4-is-back/) - An updated version of this iconic pack is now available in 70D & 100D (as in the Gorilla) DWR coated Robic Nylon in three sizes from 578 grams & US$153 (Nov 2019), the G4-20 Ultralight 42 Backpack Quite a good price and weight. This would be very suitable for a lightweight hiking/hunting pack. Features include:
- [EBC Gear List](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/12/01/ebc-gear-list/) - A number of people wanted to know what we took on the EBC since we carried all our own gear and did not employ the services of a guide. I have answered some of their questions in the post Dos and Don'ts on the EBC but I realise people might like to see an actual
- [EBC 3: And Onward to Xanadu:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/11/18/ebc-3-and-onward-to-xanadu/) - 'I confess to having bored countless Eng Lit students of mine with my passion for Coleridge's poem "Kubla Khan". Little did I suspect that I would one day discover Coleridge's Xanadu in the Sherpa capital of Namche Bazar. I saw so many parallels to the poem, but perhaps the most relevant is the fact that
- [EBC Starting out: Kathmandu to Lukla.](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/11/16/ebc-starting-out-kathmandu-to-lukla/) - 'Flying to Lukla is the adrenaline-filled beginning to the Everest Base Camp Trek. Reputedly the most dangerous airport in the world, Lukla Airport has a landing strip just 500 metres long, with a sheer cliff on one end and a brick wall on the other. We took videos of both our landing and takeoff to
- [20 Tips and Tricks:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2010/01/01/20-tips-and-tricks/) - How to Light A Fire In the Wet Insects can ruin a camping trip: Finding Your Way: Simple Hammock Double Up The Lie of the Land The Importance of a Roof Raincoat Shelter How to avoid being wet & cold while camping River Crossings: Why you should get your feet wet when hiking Catching Your
- [How to Treat a Gunshot Wound: Part 2:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/11/05/how-to-treat-a-gunshot-wound-part-2/) - I found this article (and its forerunner) very helpful. It certainly had me downloading a First Aid App for one thing (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cube.gdpc.aus) and reassessing my First Aid kit…PLEASE NOTE that this article contains graphic and disturbing images: http://guncarrier.com/how-to-treat-a-gunshot-wound-2/ Such an injury (which can cause catastrophic blood loss) need not be caused by weapons, whether accidentally
- [20 Popular Posts:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2010/01/01/20-popular-posts/) - 20 Popular Posts: Sambar Deer Stalking #101: Ultralight Chair/Groundsheet: The Siligloo Mobile Phone Antennae: 64 x Signal Strength Straws Into Containers The Poor Man’s Satellite Phone: Tyvek Tent Designs The Deer Hunter’s Tent: Tyvek Bivi, Poncho, Tent Floor: Not Quite Alone in the Wilderness Hunting Daypack: Ultralight Pack: 19 Gram Dyneema Camp Shoes Cookset
- [Improvised Bow Saw:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/11/28/improvised-bow-saw/) - You can make an improvised bow saw from a bent branch and a couple of large key rings (or similar) I noticed Erin & Hig used small carabiners in Ben Fogle’s New Lives in the Wild Episode 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOUcDt96IrU Since a bow saw blade itself only weighs 30-100 grams (depending on length), this could be
- [Best $5 Spent on Camping Gear Ever](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/11/30/best-5-spent-on-camping-gear-ever/) - What is the most useful piece of gear you can buy for $5? I have lots of things I carry which cost less than $5 - and some which cost nothing at all! Here are my first twenty which just came to mind in no particular order:cost less than $5 - some which cost nothing at all! but here are some which just come to mind in no particular order:
- [Honda CT110](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/03/22/honda-ct110/) - My brand new Honda 2010 CT110 Dual Range has just arrived from Sydney thanks to Uship (20.7 km on the clock!) Many hiking/canoeing adventures await us thanks to this marvellous machine. Honda Australia (in its wisdom?) no longer imports this model (though every so often they weaken and let a few in) even though it
- [Ultralight Links](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2010/01/01/ultralight-links/) - 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
- [Upper Yarra Track Map:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/06/18/upper-yarra-track-map/) - Here is a map showing the whole of the (Extended) Upper Yarra Track from Lilydale all the way to Moe, approximately 250 km and 8-10 days: Australia's oldest and best long distance hiking track. It could be a better map, but it is better than no map. I have used the 1:250,000 Australian Topo map
- [Ultralight Charging Cable](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/11/23/ultralight-charging-cable/) - Tired of lugging around that long (heavy) charging cable - which maybe weighs all of an ounce? Ouch! You can do better than that. For example: Anker 2-Pack Powerline Micro USB (4 Inches) - Durable Charging Cable, with Aramid Fiber and 5000+ Bend Lifespan (Approx) 11.3 grams A$11.48 (x2) Nov 2019 USB (Male) to Micro
- [Securing Hearing Aids:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/09/12/securing-hearing-aids/) - Having nearly lost one of my Siemens Aquaris Waterproof Hearing Aids during my recent walk (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/spots-hunting-adventures-mystery-river-3/) I have had some feedback from a reader who has managed over time to lose three of them, all covered by insurance at the time, but he has now been refused insurance, as the bastards do! Given that
- [Never Get Lost - With Google Offline Maps](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/10/26/never-get-lost-with-google-offline-maps/) - So long as you have a smart phone (with GPS and Compass - be sure it does before you buy it!) you don't need a Garmin or any other GPS device, and you don't need to pay for any maps or Apps. You can organise your phone so that you need never get lost. However
- [Harbingers of Spring at Jeeralang Junction](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/09/06/harbingers-of-spring-at-jeeralang-junction/) - 'Snapped late yesterday as the cold front approached!' (Della) In other developments the Ring-Tailed Possum I thought a victim to Brer Fox has moved his house from the plum tree (too wet) to a Macadamia behind it: A little later: (Della again) Snapped these at the end of today's impressive rainfall: Spring is well underway
- [Cooking For Two](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/10/23/cooking-for-two/) - My wife, Della and I used to carry two complete cook sets but we have shrunk that down a bit. Mostly we carried two pots because it simplified heating water for a shower, but as Della almost always takes a sponge bath and as all the food we cook will fit in the one pot
- [Fire on the Snow:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/10/23/fire-on-the-snow/) - Obviously you can light a fire on the snow but it will quickly melt the snow, sink into it and go out. And this is just when you most need a fire, so what to do? Find somewhere clear of snow is the easiest choice: often there is little or no snow under trees. It
- [Best Coffee on the Trail](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/10/19/best-coffee-on-the-trail/) - While you are over at Tier Gear...This one has to be a bit lighter than the old coffee pot that John Wayne boiled over so many Western campfires. In Polypropylene Munieq's Tetra Drip coffee filter weighs a mere 12 grams and it folds flat making it a very solid competitor to Vargo's 36 gram titanium
- [Light from Heat](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/10/20/light-from-heat/) - Although they are not (at present) ultralight, I really like the concepts behind these wonderful lamps. Lumir-k: Cooking oil fueled LED lamp: & Lumir-C Candle Powered Led lamp: Lumir C: Lumir K: This is a similar concept, power from heat: https://drop.com/buy/biolite-campstove-bundle#overview & this: https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/07/20/power-from-heat/ PS: You should be able to make this system work with
- [Ultralight Folding Coffee Cup](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/10/20/ultralight-folding-coffee-cup/) - This cup has been officially classified as a work of art in its home country, Sweden - which it certainly is. It is a folding coffee cup which folds down to just 1" (2.5cm) high but it weighs just 25 gram (which is well-nigh impossible to beat for hiking). It holds 237 mls just shy
- [Most Beautiful Ultralight Windscreen](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/10/19/most-beautiful-ultralight-windscreen/) - This brilliant 14 gram windscreen by Munieq of Japan (and available at Tier Gear Tasmania for A$39.95 (Oct 2019) has to take the prize. You can use one eg with an alcohol simmer stove such as Tinny's that I wrote about here or you can join two together eg to use solid fuel. 'Flame visible
- [Nitecore Continues to Push the Boundaries:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/10/16/nitecore-continues-to-push-the-boundaries/) - They have a variety of ultralight rechargeable torches, as well as this excellent charger/powerbank which is all you need to charge them (and anything else!) I already wrote about their remarkable Tube torch here and here. Now they have much brighter models available such as the: Thumb (85 lumens + 25 grams with rotatable head
- [Small is Beautiful:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/10/16/small-is-beautiful/) - Tiny Containers: The search for small receptacles to stow various necessities is ongoing. My friend Meg loaned me these lovely aluminium ‘tins’ to evaluate. She uses them for some of her tiny art works such as her fabulous ear-rings & etc. The smallest one here is perhaps a 10 ml model (and weighs less than
- [Corner Inlet](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/10/08/corner-inlet/) - Corner Inlet (above Wilson's Prom) is such a treasure. If you are walking from Phillip Island to Eden along the coast (which you must, one day) you can wander along its amazing foreshore bird watching etc for days and if you have a pack raft you can even manage to get across the few spots
- [Canoeing the Macalister Again](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/10/03/canoeing-the-macalister-again/) - Yesterday was the first decent day of Spring: 28C and with enough water (1.73 at Licola - ideal) for a decent trip down from Basin Flat to Cheyne's Bridge. This is one of the few sections of river that you can canoe alone (as you can readily hitch a lift back to your canoe after
- [Ultralight Waterproof Fabric](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/09/29/ultralight-waterproof-fabric/) - I am after some light waterproof fabric to make one of my new 10 x 10 Tarps and new versions of my Pocket Poncho Tent and my Deer Hunter's Tent. I would like to source the fabric out of China (where most of it is made anyway) and have been trying and trying (with Alibaba)
- [On the Tip of the Tongue](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/08/15/on-the-tip-of-the-tongue-2/) - Tongue Point and Fairy Cove, Wilsons Prom, Gippsland, Victoria, Australia: A magical 20C winter's day yesterday, so time to try out Della's new heart and my new pack http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-stout-hikers-pack-2/ with a walk in Wilson's Prom NP, Gippsland, Victoria. I will let her begin: 'Return to fitness #2: Beautiful winter day and further heart progress - Steve
- [A Magical Day](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/09/19/a-magical-day/) - (Della) 'yesterday revisiting Tongue Point and Fairy Cove at Wilson's Promontory with friends. The beautiful spring weather, the good company and the 8 km walk were all very pleasant indeed, and we were warmly welcomed by the appearance of some winged luncheon guests at Fairy Cove (not actual fairies) as well as a killer whale
- [Della's Way Bread](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/07/12/dellas-way-bread/) - or Biscotti. You may or may not have tried Hard Tack which is what unfortunates such as British sailors used to have to subsist upon. Italian sailors were better chefs so they came up with Biscotti. Della has tweaked their recipes for this wonderful food until it is just perfect. It is as good as
- [The Rapid Raft](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/09/07/the-rapid-raft/) - Cheap, light, quick, simple and tough - and almost self-inflating. What's not to like? Here are the two most outstanding features. Wonderful. 15" x 5" when deflated. 33" x 72" inflated. 3 lbs. Tubes 200 denier. Floor 400 denier. The nearest competition I guess is the Ultralight version of this one: https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/01/02/new-diy-pack-raft/or Klymit's Pack Raft: https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/04/23/klymit-packraft/
- [The Intex Double Paddle](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/09/04/the-intex-double-paddle/) - If you have made a 'faux' pack raft (as here and here) as I have you will have had the same problem with the paddle. The cheap (Intex) rafts come with a set of oars which need to be converted into a double bladed paddle (which will fit in a canoe drum!) I tried several
- [Farewell Dot](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/09/04/farewell-dot/) - 'Our last little puppy went off to her new home yesterday. Farewell little Dot, now sporting the very grown-up name of "Stella" (melded from the names of her devoted Grandparents😀). The house is a little less bouncy and joyous this morning and Honey doesn't quite know what to do with herself. Stella, however, has scored
- [Home Made Pack Raft](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2011/12/03/home-made-pack-raft/) - I bought a $40 raft (Intex) from Clark Rubber and reinforced it with a layer of poly tarp which can be attached to it with polyethylene tape (from greenhouse suppliers), 'Gaffer' or 'Duct' tape. You could also use tarp clips if you prefer. This makes it well-nigh indestructible. The tarps come in three weights: 100grams/square
- [The Arch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/08/31/the-arch/) - Which I built in a morning (for $27) over thirty years ago is no more. Back on 08/06/2014 I posted this about it: Invisible worlds: the archway: Straight outside our front door we have this archway: you’ve probably seen it before in family photos, as it makes an interesting backdrop. Around here we have often
- [Snow Day](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/09/01/snow-day/) - The photo of me standing in the snow in front of the archway in the last post reminded me that back on 10th August 2005 we had this amazing dump of snow around here - South Gippsland and Southern Victoria in general. Much more snow and lower down than we 'normally get - whatever that
- [Anguish:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/11/27/anguish/) - Spotted at the National Gallery last week: What a moving painting: August Friedrich Albrecht Schenck: ‘Anguish’. As a ‘sheephusband’ for over thirty years, how many times have I seen this? Sheep have a (measured) IQ of over 60 - more than many folks who are allowed to vote (for the Greens/Labor, I suspect) – and
- [The Dragonfly – Ultralight Titanium Knife:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/08/20/the-dragonfly-ultralight-titanium-knife/) - Things just keep getting better and better. I was impressed by the CRKT PDK knife but I am even more impressed by this 10.4 gram little beauty. I confess I may have a titanium fetish, and yes, I do think you could dress a sambar deer with one. I have used the CRKT on one
- [Unusual Locking Folder](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/08/18/unusual-locking-folder/) - Opinel make some pretty unique knives. I guess I came to the party a bit late on this one, but I have two of them in my hand right now and they are magnificent! First I bought the Opinel No 6: because a reader (Tim) recommended it (in this post), as follows: 'Opinel #6 has
- [Lucky 13](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/08/04/lucky-13/) - This is my 1300th post here at the Ultralight Hiker! That's probably about a million and a half words (more than a dozen novels worth!) and over 25,000 photos. Quite an achievement in four years since May 2015 when I began this blog. It has been 200 posts since the 1100th post in May 2018
- [Johnny Cakes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/07/22/johnny-cakes/) - (or 'journey cakes' as they once were known) also fried scones and maybe 'bannock' (from the Latin, 'panis' or 'bread) if you hailed from Scotland. You can see that their (European) origin is quite ancient. They were once a basic food item. Folks took little else into the bush (by way of food) except for
- [Cuteness Alert](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/07/17/cuteness-alert/) - (Photos/Video Added) 3 weeks old, eyes open, 3 little bundles ready to start some supplementary feeding (to give Honey a bit of a break) and take over the house...for a little while! Thanks to our daughter for the super photo! One of the puppies is already spoken for with nearly a month to go before
- [Everything you ever needed to know about down jackets:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/07/12/everything-you-ever-needed-to-know-about-down-jackets/) - I have Montbell down clothing. At the time of purchase it was about the lightest and most economical I could find - I am also more than happy with the build quality and its durability (considering its extreme lightness) over the years. I carry a 'Superior Down' jacket and a vest, weighing approx 200 +
- [Ultralight Cookpot:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/09/18/ultralight-cookpot/) - Mountain Laurel Designs’ Titanium Mug has to come close to winning the prize at 39 grams for a 475 ml mug which is at least sturdy enough to carry around without its crushing. I would recommend this for ultralight overnight trips such as an ultralight hunter might undertake, for example. You could cook a simple
- [Poncho Shelters](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/07/03/poncho-shelters/) - One of Sea to Summit's ultra sil nano tarp ponchos which are 265 cm x 145 cm and weigh 230 grams (A$79.90 July 2019) as well as being excellent rain gear also provide all the shelter you need particularly if paired with an ultralight bivy bag of some sort. The US$16.99 Tyvek one I posted
- [Down Socks](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/07/03/down-socks/) - If it is going to be particularly cold (winter camping say) I always carry a pair of these. I have a pair of Goosefeet Gear's which I have found more than satisfactory for well over ten years. Mine are Size: Medium and weigh 2.2 0z the pair. They cost US$65 (July 2019) but you can
- [Tyvek Sleeping Bag Cover](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/06/30/tyvek-sleeping-bag-cover/) - or Ground Sheet. For those of you who can't sew but don't mind spending US$16.99, Flame's Creed has this little beauty. It should keep your sleeping bag clean and dry (and only weighs 130 grams apparently). I bought a couple of their ultralight tents and found them to be very good value and quality. You
- [Jobs Around the Farm](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/06/28/jobs-around-the-farm/) - (Della): So the last little while has been amazingly busy! (Sorry if I seem to be ignoring everyone here!) Having decided to finally have a blitz on ALL the major jobs that have needed doing chez nous, Steve and I started by demolishing the old fallen-down "buggy shed" on the property to make way for
- [Tiny Keychain Pen](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/06/27/tiny-keychain-pen/) - The Tipen: ‘The most striking quality of the Tipen is its size. At 50mm long and weighing only 4.3 grams, the pen stays true to its name. Combined with its lanyard-compatible keyring attachment point, the Tipen offers so many ways to carry it so you'll never be without a pen. The most obvious way to
- [Who Wants a Jack Russell?](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/06/26/who-wants-a-jack-russell/) - The Jack Russell is the Swiss Army Knife of the canine world. Regular readers will know we have owned one or two of these wonderful mutts over the years. This post is to announce that our current pair, Spot and Honey are as of yesterday now the proud parents of two girls and a boy.
- [Stop Losing Your Pillow](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/05/04/stop-losing-your-pillow/) - Does your pillow creep away from you during the night - or do you sometimes lose it altogether in the dark? I know I do. Here is a method of preventing that for a weight penalty of 1-2 grams. Well worth it. i think it is self-explanatory. I have just tied a piece of 1
- [Cheap Comfy Hiking Pillow](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/05/15/cheap-comfy-hiking-pillow/) - I was after a couple of cheap light weight pillows for another project (more about that later), so I sourced two of these on eBay for less than A$20 delivered (the pair). These pillows are approximately 18” x 12’ x 4” (45 x 30 x 10 cm) and weigh 100 grams.They have a delightful soft,
- [The Complete ‘Must-Have’ Ultralight Hiking Accessory](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/06/26/the-complete-must-have-ultralight-hiking-accessory/) - Instaprivy. Only 7 pounds! No, I don’t think you will be taking this beauty hiking; for that you need this or this. But for your next 4WD ‘adventure’ it might be just the ‘bee’s knees’. https://www.instaprivy.com/ Pre-order on Indiegogo from US$75 (July 2019) See Also: https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/11/20/ultralight-personal-hygiene/ https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/11/18/the-rolls-royce-of-back-country-trowels/
- [Thermoplastics #101](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/06/12/thermoplastics-101/) - I have been playing a bit with heat sealable materials. I decided to buy a sealing iron $A50 - a sound buy. Tried it out on one of the pillows I bought for my sleeping pad side insulation which I had been reluctant to touch as I was finding it so comfortable, but at 100
- [The Ultimate Camp Shoe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/05/24/the-ultimate-camp-shoe/) - Just like practically everyone I guess I had an ad from the ‘hellosunny’ shop (see below) for Waterproof Shoe Covers. I had spent a lot of time on this idea before coming up with my own 13 gram DIY version (https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/04/14/19-gram-dyneema-camp-shoes/) which have proven very serviceable and durable on many trips now. I guess that
- [Ultralight Chair: the Litesmith Qwikback:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/09/17/ultralight-chair-the-litesmith-qwikback-2/) - I don’t know which came first, the ‘Jerry Chair’ I posted about here or this 75 gram one. Whichever, this is an interesting idea for an ultralight chair for the trail if you are not handy enough to make your own. I don’t think it would be as comfy as the Big Agnes Cyclone, (which
- [Ultralight Chair/Groundsheet:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/04/26/ultralight-chairgroundsheet/) - I found this image on Pinterest but could not find who to recognise/praise for it (my apologies to the clever inventor). I have been going to make one of these (see: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tarp-bathtub-groundsheet/) out of Tyvek (will be soon for my new tent). I think it will be a simple matter to add some ‘pockets’ as
- [Mountainsmith Slingback Chair](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/02/27/mountainsmith-slingback-chair/) - I have become aware of this ‘new’ hiking chair this morning, the Mountainsmith Slingback Chair. It is normally US$24.95 but available on Massdrop for US$17.99 (Feb 2018) You have to say this chair looks very like the ‘Jerry Chair’ I posted about here: Don’t know whether it is a ‘chicken and the egg’ thing or
- [Ultralight Pack Raft](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/07/07/ultralight-pack-raft/) - Supai Adventure Gear say, ‘At just 14 ounces, our pack raft paddle is the lightest on the market…When combined, our pack raft (24 ounces) and paddle (14 ounces)…weighs an astonishingly light 38 ounces (2 lbs, 6 ounces).’ If you want ‘light’ these guys are the place to go! https://www.supaiadventuregear.com/ Their pack rafts range from US$299-349
- [New DIY Pack Raft:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/01/02/new-diy-pack-raft/) - You have probably caught up with the price of a brand new Alpacka raft (http://www.alpackaraft.com/alpacka-raft-series/) and put your canoeing dreams on hold, but there are cheaper options. (Currently A$ 250 Jun 2019). There is for example my home made pack raft (which costs less then A$40) that I posted about way back here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/home-made-pack-raft/ for
- [How Many of These Needed to  Make a Pack Raft?](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/07/04/how-many-of-these-needed-to-make-a-pack-raft/) - I recently bought one of these for $A20 (July 2018) from K-Mart to play with. I wanted to practice some seam heat-sealing with something available and cheap before I began modifying an expensive hiking pad: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/axl-air-down-pad/ . I had in mind that I would probably be able to make an inflatable pack frame with one
- [DIY Super Ultralight Pillow](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/08/25/diy-super-ultralight-pillow/) - Make your own 10 gram hiking pillow: These approx 17 grams (small) & 27 gram (large) Graham Medical Flexair Pillows are excellent for hiking and backpacking. The two sizes measure 14.5″x10.5″ & 19″x12.5″ They cost pennies: US $35.16 for the small & $43.41 for the large per box of 50! 70 cents each. Seriously! Unmodified
- [Ultralight Bivy Bag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/05/30/ultralight-bivy-bag/) - How much is your life worth? Is it worth laying out $80 and carrying 273 grams for example? This is the Outdoor Research Helium Emergency Bivy, a trimmed down version of their regular Helium Bivy (510 grams). If you carry a raincoat you could make a raincoat shelter for your head, and you could hold
- [Upper Yarra Track Winter Route: Western Tyers to Tanjil Bren:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/12/09/upper-yarra-track-winter-route-western-tyers-to-tanjil-bren/) - After you have camped the night, cooked and eaten your trout &/or crayfish, walk West along the Tyers. The Western Tyers Road follows the course of the old timber tramline which carried the forest’s products via Caringal to Collins Siding (Erica) and onwards to a wider market where they were used to construct houses and
- [The Western Tyers](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/03/08/the-western-tyers/) - Spent a couple of days at our old campsite on the Western Tyers (haven’t camped there for years). Still as beautiful as ever. We will be going back for a longer stay. So many beautiful places in Victoria. This tree has had thirty years to fall on us. Just have to give it another chance.
- [Helium Too Good to Miss:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/06/06/helium-too-good-to-miss/) - Outdoor Research’s Helium rain jacket (and pants) are available at the moment on (Mass)Drop, the jacket at US$99 and the pants at US$70! This is outstanding value for a highly praised set of rain gear. Whether they are the lightest/best is always arguable. I have Montbell's offering which I am quite happy with (but at
- [Winter Tent Stoves](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/05/23/winter-tent-stoves/) - A blast of Antarctic air is coming through Victoria in the next week so that it might be time to consider how to warm your tent. This great company Titanium Goat have extremely lightweight titanium stove (heaters), stove pipes, stove accessories, and a tent boot you can sew into an existing tent to vent your
- [Mountain Men Films](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/12/02/man-in-the-wilderness-1971/) - I am laid up recuperating from spinal surgery so I am 'festing'' on these. Some of those mountain men were tough, eg Hugh Glass. There is an excellent 1971 movie loosely based on his life, ‘Man in the Wilderness’ I have just watched again…Glass found himself abandoned, without weapons or equipment. He had festering wounds,
- [Ultralight Cutlery:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/06/03/ultralight-cutlery/) - How much can you say? I remember buying my first set of these (I guess) when I set about hitch-hiking to Cairns and back with a back-pack when I was about 13-14 years old. I had this, a home-made nylon sleeping bag cover, a billy and not much else. During the several cyclones I encountered
- [Della's Coconut Rice: (Hiking Food):](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/08/22/dellas-coconut-rice-hiking-food/) - People so often ask me this question, ‘But what do you eat…? I hope you will forgive me if I post about it fairly often and repeat myself…We have a home dehydrator, so this gives us a few more options, but you CAN dehydrate things in your home oven (if you are careful). Dehydrating cooked
- [Even More Free Stuff for Hiking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/05/29/even-more-free-stuff-for-hiking/) - Yet another sixteen 'free' ultralight hiking ideas. Enjoy. A Cure for Slippery Mats: I have just spent a couple of weeks sleeping on my new Big Agnes AXL Air 300 gram mat in Scotland. It is indubitably the most comfortable mat I have ever slept on, but it does suffer from being a tad slippery.
- [Adjustable Hammock Ridgeline](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/11/07/adjustable-hammock-ridgeline/) - A Great Idea: It adds 6 grams to my hammock set-up but improves comfort much more than that by allowing a flatter 'hang' - and it allows for somewhere to hang your gear. It works on the same principle as the Whoopie Sling. Genius. I bought mine from this guy for A$16.95 (Nov 2017). http://www.tiergear.com.au/11/products/adjustable-hammock-ridgeline Very
- [Extempore Hiking Poles](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/05/24/extempore-hiking-poles/) - You can use Pipe Insulation to make extempore hiking poles or tent poles when you are in the bush. The piece shown weighs 5 grams. It certainly saves you carrying hiking poles when you don't need them. When you do you can cut them to length with this 28 gram DIY ultralight saw. If you
- [Embryo Wire:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/05/17/embryo-wire/) - The Americans call this 'O.B. Wire' (for 'obstetrics'). Vets use it to cut up a stuck calf inside its mother! I have used this stuff to de-horn hundreds of goats in past years (It is not possible to breed poll goats as the poll gene is linked to hermaphroditism). You can quickly tie a length
- [Thermarest Lite Seat](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/05/16/thermarest-lite-seat/) - I recently bought one of these for Della for canoeing (weight saving is still relevant if you might have to portage). Her glutes are a bit underwhelming so she gets a very sore behind after a few hours paddling. She was using Klymit’s Ultralight Pillow (which is an excellent sleeping pillow) but it was not
- [A Crowning Achievement](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/05/15/a-crowning-achievement/) - I just saw the Granite Gear, the Crown X60 (ie 60 litre) pack on Massdrop for US$120 which has to be very good value for such a robust award winning hiking pack. As I already have $50 credit from folks whom I have recommended who have joined, it is hard to pass up. Perhaps for
- [AXL Air Down Pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/06/30/axl-air-down-pad/) - I am thinking of modifying one of Big Agnes' AXL Air Pads (by cutting it down say to 5'4") and adding in approximately 4 ounces of Hyper Dry Down. This should give me a pad which weighs around 360 grams is 4" thick yet has an R-rating of around 6.0 - so suitable for say
- [Safe Pain Relief](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/04/18/safe-pain-relief/) - My spinal surgeon recommended I try this (for my back and knee pain): P.E.A. (Palmitoylethanolamide). It is a naturally occurring fatty acid which works as a pain killer and anti-inflammatory. The daily dose she recommended was 1200 milligrams, easing to 600 after it had taken effect (a couple of weeks). You can view some case
- [Waterproof Carbon Fibre Playing Cards:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/05/01/waterproof-carbon-fibre-playing-cards/) - Maybe not ultralight, but certainly ultra-cool - and you can cut a banana with them! https://drop.com/buy/xc-carbon-carbon-fiber-playing-cards#overview 91 grams. US $60 (May 2019) 'No more frayed edges, stains, or fading: if cared for correctly, carbon fiber playing cards can last a lifetime. Made from 100 percent carbon fiber, these thin and durable cards have a twill
- [More Free Stuff for Hiking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/04/30/more-free-stuff-for-hiking/) - My first sixteen posts about free stuff for hiking proved popular, so here are another sixteen: Home Made Pack Raft I bought a $40 raft (Intex) from Clark Rubber and reinforced it with a layer of poly tarp which can be attached to it with polyethylene tape (from greenhouse suppliers), ‘Gaffer’ or ‘Duct’ tape. You
- [Wirilda Reflection](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/04/25/wirilda-reflection/) - We knocked off early on Anzac Day to have a stroll along the Wirilda Track from the W3 'road' downstream. (I am still recovering, slowly). You can put a canoe in here and with some difficulty paddle down to the old Morwell pumping station at Wirilda Park. The river used to be clearer (and may
- [Bush Shower: Mechanical Advantage](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/10/17/bush-shower-mechanical-advantage/) - This is an excellent idea: it would work well with a solar shower or camp shower too such as this one sold by Sea to Summit which weighs about 100 grams (if you ditch the stuff sack). I find two 1300 ml billies of cold water (add FIRST!) + 2 of boiling water gives a
- [No Sew Sandals 80 grams:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/10/23/no-sew-sandals/) - I made this pair as an experiment as I know there are lots of folk who don’t sew. This pair can be made with a pair of scissors, some blue hiking mat foam, a car inner tube, some Velcro and some contact adhesive (eg Selley’s Gel Grip) Should take you less than half an hour.
- [Telstra’s Go Repeaters:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/04/20/telstras-go-repeaters/) - Your mobile connectivity problems solved. We have had two different Telstra repeaters over the years: a mobile CDMA version and a 3G home version. Where we live the mobile service does not work at all without an external antenna (See this post which is a bit out of date now these new 4G antennae are available).
- [Lightest Hiking Garment](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/04/22/lightest-hiking-garment/) - I am a big fan of Montbell gear. Their new Ex Light Wind Vest comes in at a mere 37 grams. Pair this with these 28 gram shorts for an extremely light dry change (65 grams) eg when you are doing the washing. I usually wear a vest of some sort most days as I
- [Hunt 22:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/04/20/hunt-22/) - World’s Smallest, Lightest Torch - 6 Grams
- [Neat Feat](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/04/19/neat-feat/) - Sore feet will sure slow you down. You need to take good care of them. Before I started using this stuff I had cracked heels which were often very painful and would bleed. After a couple of weeks' use I had heels (feet) like a baby's. I use it every day now and have
- [Spinal Fusion](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/11/29/spinal-fusion/) - This week I am having four-level spinal fusion on my lumbar spine (irrevocably damaged by tough hard heavy work from when I was only a child). However, the surgeons have found one disc which is sound so I can have this done, be free of pain and just be a little stiffer getting out of my sleeping bag in the mornings
- [Closed Cell Foam Pad  Reinvented](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/04/07/closed-cell-foam-pad-reinvented/) - Nemo Equipment have 'reinvented' the closed cell foam pad. Agreed, it is bulky Well possibly even bulkier - at least than an inflatable) but their new 2 cm thick 'Switchback' pad promises much greater comfort still with a very acceptable weight (293 grams in 51" length and 415 in 72") and greater durability without the
- [Halls Gap](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/03/31/halls-gap/) - Della has been away 'crafting' for a week: 'Spending a few lovely days here at Halls Gap with the ladies, absorbing the energetic creativity of Grampians Texture. I am not doing any classes this year due to the prior claim on my attendance at our son's wedding on Saturday: Instead I am doing some of my
- [A Snippet in Time](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/03/30/a-snippet-in-time/) - SOG have a very nice little multi tool in competition with the Leatherman Micra, the 'Snippet'. Ultra-compact, Snippet is equally at home on a key chain, in the car or in a purse. Equipped with SOG-sharp scissors — with finger loops for precision.
- [Ultralight Multi-Tool](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/07/21/ultralight-multi-tool/) - ‘Do you need a knife you barely notice is in your pocket because it is so unbelievable light and thin? German steel and Swiss precision makes it a great tool.’ Crono N3: Weight: 28 g Measures: 9.5 x 1.5 x 0.4 cm Features: Bottle opener, fish scaler, wire stripper, cm-scale, hexagon (4x), wing nut opener,
- [Fire at Jeeralang](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/03/03/fire-at-jeeralang/) - Just one of the reasons posts are light at the moment is all the fire activity around. There is a big fire (less than) 2 km to the South of us. It has so far burned out nearly 2,000 hectares! Such things seem to only ever occur when the wind decides it will blow from
- [510 Gram 2 Person Double Walled Framed Tent](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/03/04/510-gram-2-person-double-walled-framed-tent/) - Not so long ago people thought this was impossible. I have been complaining for years that hiking manufacturers could not get their heads around making their products seriously light, so I have been making my own (such as this and this). Now, Big Agnes have made one for those of you who cannot do so for themselves, and they have even done it better than me! The Fly Creek Hv-2 Carbon. What a brilliant little tent! Of course you will have to have US$849.95
- [Big Agnes AXL Air Pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/01/18/big-agnes-axl-air-pad/) - Great news: I wrote back in August 'Big Agnes were showcasing a new pad at the Outdoor Retailer show. It will be 20 x72 x just under 4 inches thick - 9 ounces ie 50 x 180 x 7.5cm - 270 grams. It will be available in uninsulated (US$140) and insulated with Primaloft Silver (10
- [Twenty Most Popular Ultralight Hiking Posts](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/02/21/twenty-most-popular-ultralight-hiking-posts/) - Just to whet your appetite as to what this blog contains I have gathered together some of my most popular posts over the last three years into one spot - and here they are. Each of them has been read by tens of thousand of people. Hope you enjoy them too:
- [The Saddest Story Ever Told](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/02/19/the-saddest-story-ever-told/) - As a deer hunter and farmer I am bereft at this awful story. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has been slowly spreading through deer populations across the USA. As yet there are no reported cases in Australia I am aware of, but old sheep farmers such as ourselves will be aware of its similarity to the
- [A Tiny Life](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/02/23/a-tiny-life/) - 1st May 2000 - 8th Feb 2018 - a good innings. Over the years you will have noticed many posts which featured our beloved Jack Russell Tiny, (who would have been 18 this May). During that long life, these 'Tiny' paws covered a lot of country. It all began like this when my son Bryn
- [Fitting Your Backpack:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/05/30/fitting-your-backpack/) - This is really good advice. Apart from having a backpack which is too heavy and too large, the next biggest mistake people make is not having chosen/made it the correct torso length, then not having put it on correctly: http://gossamergear.com/wp/how-to-size-and-fit-an-ultralight-backpack That being said though, I think these standard instructions (which might be fine for slim,
- [Suppose you had just one pot](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/02/16/suppose-you-had-just-one-pot/) - What pot would it be? I have previously suggested this Vargo 450 ml pot at 62 grams for an overnight camp or for emergencies. It is an excellent mug (though lidless) with a wonderful cool lip - so you don't burn yours! but it would never do for a longer trip. I have pointed out
- [A truly ultralight tool kit:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/02/15/a-truly-ultralight-tool-kit/) - I will probably stick to carrying a backpack (or a few things in my pockets) for now, but I can imagine being in a situation where such a device as this would be handy. The novel 'Papillon' introduced me to the concept (of a 'charger') but I'm sure people who have spent any amount of
- [Yarra Falls 3](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/12/23/yarra-falls-3/) - There are some amazing wilderness areas in Victoria. Some maybe only a half dozen living eyes have seen. Such as this. People have been forbidden to venture here since c1955. This is the junction of Falls Creek and the Yarra River forwarded to me by an anonymous reader. Falls Creek is seen entering from the
- [Does Spot like to hunt deer?](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/04/30/does-spot-like-to-hunt-deer/) - This is our Jack Russell, Spot. Does Spot like to hunt deer? Say, ‘Yes’ Spot. Good Dog! Spot is three years old. He came into our lives on our 40th wedding anniversary. Perhaps we should have called him ‘Ruby’. Naturally he started out as 'JR' or "Jack' as they all do, but ‘Spot’ seems to
- [Sand and Sea Training](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/02/12/sand-and-sea-training/) - A walk around Shallow Inlet/Sandy Point South Gippsland Vic as part of the Great Gippsland Hiking Circuit.
- [DIY Crampons](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/02/07/diy-crampons/) - I bought a pair of Yaktrax Pros for my Everest Base Camp walk. You need some extra traction when you are going to be crossing glaciers like the Khumbu where a fall can be decidedly fatal. I have since seen even lighter ones such as Vargos but I need such things so little I doubt
- [To Build a Fire](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/02/04/to-build-a-fire/) - This 1908 short story by Jack London gives a breathtaking example of his virtuosity and of the hardships faced in the Canadian wilderness, but also underlines in very heavy ink the importance of being able to light a fire in all weathers - else don't be out in them!
- [Drone Hunting:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/01/26/drone-hunting/) - My son had a lot of lazy money so he bought one of these DJI Mavik drones I had been talking about for some time. What an amazing little gadget it is. It is only a question of time before they are banned. He brought it round one day in Spring when we were having
- [South Coast Track Fiordland NZ: Westie's Hut: Topo Map Errors](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/05/05/westies-hut-topo-map-errors/) - Westies Hut, Price's Harbour, Fiordland NZ. I have encountered this once or twice before (also with the Australian series): Westies Hut, at the end of the South Coast Track is marked in the WRONG position in the DOC and Linz topo maps. It is actually located at the WESTERN end of Price’s Harbour, as a
- [South Coast Track Fiordland NZ: Wairaurahiri to Waitutu](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/04/26/fiordland-wairaurahiri-to-waitutu-part-4/) - After a delightful night at the Waitutu Lodge (http://www.waitutu.co.nz/) we headed out towards the Waitutu River at 9:30, plenty of time for the 5 hours the sign at the Wairaurahiri Hut (and the DOC brochure opined), we thought. Little did we know that the signs at the Waitutu River pointing back where we were coming
- [South Coast Track Fiordland NZ: Wairaurahiri to Rarakau](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/04/27/fiordland-wairaurahiri-to-rarakau/) - Following our gruelling walk to the Waitutu River, we had a rest day at the WaitutuLodge (http://www.waitutu.co.nz/ on the Wairaurahiri River to pamper Della’s knee and socialise with the delightful caretakers. Well restored we said our farewells to Rose Baldwin who had made us a delicious dinner the night before, and set off to conquer
- [Bucket List: Westie's Hut: South Coast Track Fiordland NZ](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/04/10/bucket-list-westies-hut/) - BUCKET LIST#1: Westie’s Hut: built in a sea-cave at Price's Harbour on the South Coast Walk Fiordland New Zealand. Stunning views. Approx six hours up the ‘marked trail’ from the Waitutu River, four days in from Tuatapere; this is our goal for our current hiking ‘project’:http://www.doc.govt.nz/…/things-t…/tracks/south-coast-track/ And we did it! See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-south-coast-tracks/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-2014-2/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-walk-in-fiordland/
- [Fiordland 2015 #2](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/04/25/fiordland-2014-2/) - There was a huge dump of early snow the night before we arrived in Queenstown. Snow lay right down to the road along Lake Wakatipu and even across the road (having been cleared with snow ploughs making one metre high drifts on the side of the road in places eg on the road down from
- [Sambar Deer Stalking #103:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/08/01/sambar-deer-stalking-103/) - I have been a hunter for over 60 years. I still feel much more thought needs to be given to the ethics of the hunt. It never ceases to amaze me (for example) that Rene Descartes, one of the West’s pre-eminent thinkers (and someone I also recognise as an outstandingly bright hombre cf his contribution
- [Keen Shoes:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/05/03/keen-shoes/) - Photo: Voyageur. Keen make some excellent comfy shoes, particularly if you have wide feet like me in which case you pretty much have no other choice anyway. I have had a number of Keen shoes: Targhee 2, Gypsum, Marshall and now Voyageur. Until I bought the Marshall I thought Keen had pretty much sorted out
- [Topo Terraventure Shoes:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/10/11/topo-terraventure-shoes/) - We bought a pair each of these remarkable shoes about six weeks ago. I guess we have by now worn them a few hundred kilometres including in our ascent of Mt Bartle Frere in Qld back on 1st September, and of course we have been wearing them around the farm on our steep wet slippery
- [Restore Pdf Maps Functionality:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/07/07/restore-pdf-maps-functionality/) - I recommended this App back in Nov ’14: It's great for viewing eg Victoria's Topo maps in a Georeferenced form, ie the GPS on your phone will work to show your location, route etc on the map. All Qld's Topo maps will also work and are available free here: http://qtopo.dnrm.qld.gov.au/mobile/. Many folks have probably noticed that
- [A Carbon Fibre Lighter](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/01/24/a-carbon-fibre-lighter/) - For the ultralight hiker who has everything. Even if it isn’t ultralight, it is ultra-cool. The Colibri Monaco. Just love that triple pyramid flame. That will really get your cigar (or campfire) going! Maybe you could pair it with this to keep your cigars (or glasses) dry: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/11/09/ultralight-cigar-case/ What they say about it: ‘Inspired by
- [Aeon Li](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/01/21/aeon-li/) - At last from Henry Shires a pyramid tent which you can have open when it rains but the inside doesn't get wet - and also an acceptable weight at 496 grams including stakes - for the single model. It looks a little like my Deer Hunter's Tent. Parallel evolution is fascinating. Like my tent it
- [The Diamond Desert: Everest Base Camp Trek # 8.](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/12/26/the-diamond-desert-everest-base-camp-trek-8/) - Everest base Camp Trek instructions and advice. Budget hiking in Nepal.
- [Pneumonia: Running Out of Puff: Everest Base Camp Trek #6](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/11/23/pneumonia/) - Everest base Camp Trek instructions and advice. Budget hiking in Nepal.
- [Everest Base Camp & Three Passes Trek #2](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/10/16/everest-base-camp-three-passes-trek/) - Everest base Camp Trek instructions and advice. Budget hiking in Nepal.
- [‘My life was wide and wild, and who can know my heart? Everest Base Camp Trek #1](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/09/20/my-life-was-wide-and-wild-and-who-can-know-my-heart/) - Everest base Camp Trek instructions and advice. Budget hiking in Nepal.
- [Cold Weather Face Masks:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/10/07/cold-weather-face-masks/) - Everest base Camp Trek instructions and advice. Budget hiking in Nepal.
- [That Endless Skyway: Everest Base Camp Trek #7:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/12/02/thatendlessskyway/) - Everest base Camp Trek instructions and advice. Budget hiking in Nepal.
- [I Saw Below Me That Golden Valley: Everest Base Camp Trek #5](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/11/14/i-saw-below-me-that-golden-valley/) - Everest base Camp Trek instructions and advice. Budget hiking in Nepal.
- [To the Roof of the World:  Everest Base Camp Trek #3](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/11/10/to-the-roof-of-the-world/) - Everest Base Camp Trek. Dos and Don'ts. Advice and instructions. Budget hiking in Nepal.
- [Steep Creeks](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/01/13/steep-creeks/) - Adventure Pro. This is a great site for information about canoeing just so many wonderful streams in Australia. In this particular section they showcase little known and difficult sections, or 'steep creeks' such as the Moroka which I have copied below (hope they don't mind). This is the section I talked about hiking/pack rafting in
- [A Beautiful World:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/11/29/a-beautiful-world/) - We did a little afternoon excursion today to check on the existence of some old walking tracks around Erica. The first pic is of Steve Jones with Spot where the walking track disappears at Tyers Junction near the Caringal Scout Camp. It seems to be one of the 'roads less traveled' judging by the overgrowth
- [Dry Change 5.7 oz](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/01/07/dry-change-5-7-oz/) - The Massdrop Veil range has to constitute just about the lightest and cheapest dry change you can carry when hiking. I have had the similar thing in Montbell (a few grams lighter) and dearer for many years.
- [Life in the Wild](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/11/16/life-in-the-wild/) - 'When Miriam Lancewood and her partner Peter set off to live alone deep in the New Zealand wilderness, they told their families they'd be back in a year. But the couple came to enjoy their nomadic, off-grid lifestyle — foraging for edible plants and killing their own animals — so much that they're still living it, nearly a decade later.'
- [Whitetail Hunting in 1810:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/11/16/whitetail-hunting-in-1810/) - 'Forty-four Years of the Life of a Hunter', Meshach Browning 1859. Six deer taken in a single day with a muzzle-loader. Great hunting!
- [The Happiness Trick:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/11/21/the-happiness-trick/) - First thing in the morning, clasp one hand over the other then raise your hands above your head – and smile. It is just about automatic. Hold for a few seconds to a minute - at least until you have 'mastered' smiling! You might fix your mind on a pleasant memory. The smile will kick in serotonin production and actually produce happiness.
- [The Greatest Slingshot Ever:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/11/21/the-greatest-slingshot-ever/) - The Greatest Slingshot Ever: 'Hunt down bigger game with arguably the baddest looking slingshot without venturing into full on crossbow territory. This unit features a built-in magazine allowing you to pre-load up to 40 rounds of 8mm ball bearings or a single crossbow bolt.
- [At Last an E-ink Smart Phone:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/11/30/at-last-an-e-ink-smart-phone/) - I think e ink is all you need in a hiking phone as long as it has a reasonable camera (or perhaps none at all) and can display maps and books well enough. The trade-off of not having to charge for say a month is enormous value. This one weighs only 47 grams
- [The Loop Alien](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/12/15/the-loop-alien/) - The Loop Alien is an innovative tensioning device ideal for guy lines, hammock centre lines, tarp tensioners and more.
- [Their Torn and Rugged Battlements on High](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/12/21/their-torn-and-rugged-battlements-on-high/) - Unforgettable Australian High Country Walks: Mt Howitt and The Cross Cut Saw Walk
- [Why These Umbrellas Will Last Forever](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/12/27/why-these-umbrellas-will-last-forever/) - These Davek umbrellas are unconditionally guaranteed for life. Value for money at A$75.
- [Walking the Line](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/06/10/walking-the-line/) - You have one leg slightly shorter than the other. Therefore if you are blindfolded you will walk in a circle. Clearly you need some other clue to stop yourself from doing this in the wild. There are a number of ‘tricks’ to learn.
- [Ultralight Poncho Tent](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/06/08/ultralight-poncho-tent/) - This is going to be a 160 gram poncho which is also an excellent single person tent. It doesn't get much better than that. This is my second prototype of this wonderful piece of equipment.
- [The Ultralight Fisherman](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/05/10/the-ultralight-fisherman/) - An ultralight handline which weighs 1 oz (30 gram - including a selection of flies and leaders) made from a 100 ml plastic 'spice' bottle which easily and accurately casts 30 - 40 metres - as you can see!
- [Victorinox @work USB Multi-Tools](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/01/02/victorinox-work-usb-multi-tools/) - The Midnight Manager would be an excellent everyday carry tool. I would consider replacing my favorite older Victorinox Signature Lite (24 grams) knife (on Fruugo for A$54 - Jan 2019) with this because of the USB . Actually I already replaced it as my everyday carry with this Leathermaan Micra (51 grams) mainly because the latter has a solider pair of scissors
- [Honey](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/03/01/honey/) - As you have probably noticed we have a new puppy (for Spot) whom we have called 'Honey'. We had a very unhappy 'Spot' following Tiny's death in early February. We decided to do something about it quickly (this was also the vet's recommendation) so a quick trip to Digger's Rest and we became the new
- [A Gorilla in the Bush:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/08/30/a-gorilla-in-the-bush/) - So, finally I gave myself a couple of days off to go try out my new Gossamer Gear (GG) Gorilla backpack, and the hunting spot I have been wanting to access via packraft. Here is the pack already loaded up in our garden with our necessities and ready to roll. As you can see Spot,
- [Raincoat Shelter:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/08/18/raincoat-shelter/) - How to make your raincoat into a shelter. I hope you realise how this is important as every year people die because they keep on wearing their raincoat instead of sheltering under it. I know when you are out in the cold pouring rain probably the last thing you are going to think is, 'Must
- [ThermaRest NeoAir Uberlite](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/07/26/thermarest-neoair-uberlite/) - Thermarest has taken up the challenge of Big Agnes 270 gram AXL Air Pad and presented their new offering a 250 gram Uberlite pad at the Outdoor retailer Summer show in Denver. Of course it is also an uninsulated pad and so comes with a R-rating of 2.0 which would be fine for most summer
- [Honey, I Shrank the Tent:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/05/28/honey-i-shrank-the-tent/) - I thought I would make a slightly smaller ‘Decagon’ tent. It turned out to be over 250 grams lighter than the original model. See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/new-decagon-octagon-tyvek-igloo-tent-design/) It makes a tent which is still over 9’ x 7’6” (270 cm x 225cm) inside and 5’2” (155cm) high at the apex and 40” (1 metre) at the door.
- [Beginning Hiking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/11/04/beginning-hiking/) - Hiking for beginners, dos and don'ts, what to buy and not to buy. Hiking on a budget.
- [Jelly, The Smallest 4G Smartphone](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/05/04/jelly-the-smallest-4g-smartphone/) - This is a neat little phone – fits in your fob pocket, but has all the functionality of your regular smart phone. Only 60 grams, less than $100. It would be excellent for ultralight hiking. You might also consider it as a spare phone – if only you could have duplicate sim cards. Well, you
- [The Fastest Hiker:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/11/12/the-fastest-hiker/) - Update: Wordpress 5 broke my site on Dec 5th. My apologies for this. Perhaps it is fixed now (27/12). Expert help is required I fear. I failed to notice that recently the site had a glitch which was slowing loading times to to nearly a minute. Sorry. Because I go to the site to create
- [Hiking Food](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/05/26/hiking-food-2/) - HIKING FOOD: We are always working on this: one thing is pretty certain: those dehydrated meals sold in hiking shops & etc are almost universally inedible. We did a survey of them, cooking them up and sampling them at lunchtime at home, rating them: edible, palatable, inedible, disgusting etc. Then we fed them to our
- [Wonnangatta: Waterford to Angusvale Day Two:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/01/27/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-two/) - The second day we ventured as far as the 'Surprise Rapid' which took us five hours (this is including brief halts for lunch, snacks, etc - and at retiree speeds), but mostly speed is related to water flow, and we are canoeing the Wonnangatta this summer with very low flows because of the effects of
- [Shadowland - Fiordland Video](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/11/24/shadowland-fiordland-video/) - Breathtaking video of Fiordland National Park, New Zealand's most stunning World Heritage area.
- [Ultralight Glasses](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/11/16/ultralight-glasses/) - testing out the Eyeque Personal Vision Tester then using the prescription it gave me ordered a pair of progressive glasses from Zenni.
- [Fifteen Gram Blue Foam Flip-Flop Camp Shoe:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/09/22/fifteen-gram-blue-foam-flip-flop/) - A work of pure genius. Can there be a better camp shoe than this? Chris Morgan writes: ‘The Walmart foamy option is fairly durable (about 20 nights of heavy use, but a pad will make about a dozen pairs), very stable, ridiculously cheap and ultra comfortable. About 1oz for the pair: Step 1: Buy a
- [DIY Air Frame Pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/10/27/diy-air-frame-pack/) - DIY instructions: how to add an air frame to make your frameless pack more comfortable, transfer load to your waist belt and help keep your back dry.
- [Alex Honnold Free Solo Climbing Capitan](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/11/04/alex-honnold-free-solo-climbing-capitan/) - Just about impossible to watch – but then I’m not good with heights, or watching people die…The good news is he doesn’t. See video here: or here:
- [Liptrap to the Five Mile:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/11/05/liptrap-to-the-five-mile/) - A great remote two day Victorian coastal walk description and instructions.
- [I Just Love Hats:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/11/07/i-just-love-hats/) - Hats for the outdoors, hiking or hunting: Enlightened Equipment’ s Hooligan and Sealskinz’ Waterproof Beanie.
- [Ultralight Cigar Case](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/11/09/ultralight-cigar-case/) - Ultralight carbon fibre glasses case 28 grams.
- [THRILLING TALES #6: New Zealand's Remotest Family](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/05/03/thrilling-tales-6-new-zealands-remotest-family/) - A Life on Gorge River: http://www.odt.co.nz/regions/west-coast/109338/life-bush-family-039beansprout039 Kindle edition: http://www.amazon.com.au/Life-On-Gorge-River-Zealands-ebook/dp/B004R1R4ZM Also see (his & hers versions) http://www.amazon.com.au/A-Wife-On-Gorge-River-ebook/dp/B009AL6FMC Above: the Long family home Gorge River South of Haast in remote Sth Westland Fiordland NZ. See: New Lives in the Wild – Ben Fogle: https://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/e/wbsy2/ben-fogle-new-lives-in-the-wild-episode-guide/ Series 1 Episode 3: ‘The adventurer travels to the west coast of New
- [EyeQue Personal Vision Tracker:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/07/24/eyeque-personal-vision-tracker/) - EyeQue Personal Vision Tracker: This great little device is available here http://www.eyeque.com/home from US$29.99 (July 2017) You can use this device to ascertain your correct eyeglass prescription. Repeated self-tests will make you more and more accurate. Users report it gives as good or better result than their optometrist. It is very handy for on-line ordering
- [Thindown:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/11/14/thindown/) - A new down insulation material. Thindown creates this fabric by adding an adhesive to the down after it has expanded which then traps the down between two ultralight layers of fabric so what it can no longer move around. This means that the resulting product can be used in many different ways to create a
- [Cure Back Pain](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/10/03/cure-back-pain/) - Yes, it will! Try it yourself right now! This is a summary of the ‘McKenzie Method'. Try this before you let anyone cut into you! I have just had a laminectomy which has ‘gone wrong’. I should have stuck with this (and the instructions below) The 2/3 junction which had a disc bulge has been
- [Shepherd’s Crook:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/10/02/shepherds-crook/) - I bought one of these in Hawick during our trip to Scotland in May. The local feed and grain store had any number of excellent products and gadgets for caring for and saving the lives of sheep which are not available here. Goodness knows why. You would attach this to the end of a pole
- [Ultralight Pocket Lockpick](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/10/02/ultralight-pocket-lockpick/) - 54 grams: The SouthOrd Jackknife Lockpick. How could you go anywhere without one? Why bother to carry keys at all? They are probably heavier then this anyway. A great substitute for the Keychain Reinvented. Of course it might take a little practice to actually open your front door with it – and it may be
- [These Down-Filled Quilts are So Light](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/11/03/these-down-filled-quilts-are-so-light/) - Filled with hydrophobic down the Enlightened Equipment Enigma Quilts start at 272 grams for a 30F/-2C quilt in 5’6” Regular and cost from US229.99 on Massdrop. This would be Della’s size though she would go for a warmer version (20F) at 347 grams which would still save her over 50 grams on the one she
- [Hormel Real Bacon Pieces:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/01/23/hormel-real-bacon-pieces/) - This dehydrated food is quite delicious. If it seems pricey at >$4 for 85 grams it represents nearly half a kg of bacon, but it keeps without any refrigeration and will add some zap to an otherwise fairly bland pasta meal for example (particularly if you add some Kraft Cheddar cheese as well - which also
- [What a Beautiful Knife](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/11/02/what-a-beautiful-knife/) - The CRKT Eros K455TXP Titanium Gentleman's Folder available on Massdrop this morning for US$ 109.99 instead of the regular price of US$225 – over 50% off! What a bargain. Love this site! I know I don’t either need or deserve a new pocket knife but I am seriously temted (for Xmas perhaps?) It comes with
- [Hammock Camping](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/01/06/hammock-camping/) - Hammocks, I have spent months of my life sleeping in them. This is an older post which I have freshened up with lots of hammock related links for readers who 'came in late'. A plain nylon hammock with the addition of a rectangular inflatable mattress (such as a Thermarest Neoair) is all you need for wonderful
- [Riding on the Sheeps’s Back](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/09/25/riding-on-the-sheepss-back/) - Or vice versa. Patagonia’s Woolyester Fleece (US$139 - Oct 2018) might be a great mid-layer addition to your other wool clothing, your Kathmandu/Columbia thermal for example, and your Kathmandu or Columbia wool shirt. I rarely get cold enough (even in winter) when I am walking to need such a layer. I have probably put one
- [Klymit Air Beam Inflatable Pack Frame Update:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/10/23/klymit-air-beam-inflatable-pack-frame-update/) - After initially failing to inflate the pad from totally flat by mouth, I staggered to the incorrect conclusion that I needed some artificial means of inflation - hence the post about making an adapter for a Platypus bottle (which would work). Somewhere in there I bought a pack of Pope 4mm Sealing Plugs (possibly .1
- [Guaranteed for Life](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/10/21/guaranteed-for-life/) - These 'Darn Tough' socks are just beaut! You can see on the packet that they are 'guaranteed for life'. I don't suppose they will last forever really, but at least they will definitely last through a very long hike which many socks will not so that you can omit carrying a spare pair - which
- [Ramble On](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/10/22/ramble-on/) - I like the title. It sounds like something I would use myself! These folks have written a history of hiking. So far it is only available in paperback at US$18.95 from Amazon which is a bit of a problem for folks like me in Oz – but remember you can use Shipito. Perhaps there will
- [Tick Eliminator](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/09/27/tick-eliminator/) - These little pests are becoming more common in Australia. Of course in the States they carry the dreaded Lyme Disease. Carrying a safe means of removing them and/or treating tick bites on self/companion animals is becoming more urgent than ever. Paralysis ticks have even spread to Southern Victoria. a couple of them (undetected for too
- [How Light Can a Tent Be](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/09/27/how-light-can-a-tent-be/) - Well, let’s talk about a tarp really. You will need about an ounce I guess for the smallest Polycro groundsheet (unless you don’t use one, because you are perhaps desert hiking). To that you have to add the weight of a fly. I calculated that I could make my Pocket Poncho Tent (which weighed 185
- [Electric Drill Earth Auger:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/10/13/electric-drill-earth-auger/) - I have been substantially laid up with this back (slipped disc then back op. – basically since July dammit!). Slowly getting better I hope (?) Meanwhile however my daughter Merrin and I have planted about 300 trees mainly using this method which costs at most a couple of dollars ($A) and at least A$1 when
- [Eradicate European Wasps:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/04/05/eradicate-european-wasps/) - It is possible to bait European wasps (with readily available products eg Permethrin, Fipronil - sold as 'Frontline') in such a way that it does not harm anything else (bees, birds). The wasps take the poison (from converted milk bottle traps) back to their nests and kill the nests. Every wasp for 200 metres will
- [Sheep Farm Retirement](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2012/02/01/sheep-farm-retirement/) - Our commercial farm finally settled on Feb 1st so we are officially retired sheep farmers. We still have the 25 acre home property at Jeeralang Junction and about sixty Finn ewes - so we have enough to be going on with. We hope to complete the house and repair all the deterioration which has occurred
- [The Littlest Hiker:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/05/01/the-littlest-hiker/) - My grandson Milo ‘intent’! I have raised or helped raise a tiny army of little hikers. Some advice: always move at the pace of the slowest ‘little hiker’. This is best achieved by having him/her out the front. Little hikers’ prefer to skip, dance or run than walk. (You also will benefit from changing your
- [World’s Lightest Tarp Clip:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/08/26/worlds-lightest-tarp-clip/) - You can buy these approx 1” polystyrene balls from Spotlight for @ $2.40 for 20. They weigh about .2 gram each. You can carry a few of these in your repair/fishing kit (along with some string, eg 1-2mm Dyneema) for use at need, eg when you need some additional tie-downs for your tent/tarp or
- [Minnow Gripper](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/10/06/minnow-gripper/) - What’s not to like about these little beauties? https://countycomm.com/products/minnow-gripper Made in the U.S.A. ‘Hold up to 175 lb (80 kg) & weigh only .35 Ounce (10 grams). These heavy duty tarp clips create a grommet instantly on any material. Powerful cross-hatch surface gripping jaws clinch tighter as tension is applied. Great for fastening plastic sheeting,
- [1200th Post](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/10/04/1200th-post/) - Every hundred posts or so I take time to highlight significant posts on the website over the last few months. In this case it is 200 posts since 6th October 2017 and my 1000th Post. In that time I have made some belated posts about our Qld trip back in September including our ascent of
- [The Ultralight Persuader](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/10/02/the-ultralight-persuader/) - The Ultralight ‘Persuader’: I know many folks discuss carrying items for self-defence – and whether it is legal or not to do so. County.com’s Titanium Persuader is one such you might consider. US$45 (Sept 2018). It weighs only 1.1 ounce (31 grams) and is milled from solid titanium bar. It certainly looks like an innocuous
- [Cheap Insulated Pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/09/30/cheap-insulated-pad/) - US$69.99 (Sept 2018) Paria Outdoors a Texas-based company (Denver) have these excellent mats in stock at almost half the price of a Neoair. ‘The ReCharge UL camping pad is the perfect size (72 x 20 x 2.5 – 189 x 50x 6 cm) and weight (20 ounces – 570 grams) for ultralight backpackers and thru-hikers’.
- [The Ultralight Barista](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/09/29/the-ultralight-barista/) - So you would like a decent cup of coffee on the trail. I know that this is a problem for Della. Me? I am a philistine. I actually prefer instant. There are some little luxuries though where you might want to add a few grams to your otherwise ultralight outfit so that you can savour
- [How much weight in fuel?](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/09/28/how-much-weight-in-fuel/) - Alcohol weighs 0.789 gram per cubic centimeter (or per millilitre - same thing). I use about 7 ml to boil one (250 ml) cup of water or about 5-6 grams. If I used butane I would use perhaps only 4 grams as it has a higher heat coefficient. However once I count carrying around the
- [A Wind Shell and an Umbrella](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/09/28/a-wind-shell-and-an-umbrella/) - Might be your best choice combo for keeping dry in unexpected squalls without the need to carry a heavy rain coat. (You would be looking at around 5 oz/72 + 86 = 158 grams). A wind shell such a Montbell’s famous Tachyon is also the lightest way to add a little warmth on a cool
- [Hemmer Foot](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/09/26/hemmer-foot/) - If you are considering making your own tarp/shelter (you should) you might find one of these little gadgets a great help. You can buy a set of three (universal snap-on fit) from eg eBay for around $10. I will certainly be buying one. It should save me a lot of pinning. My finger arthritis also
- [Whoopie Sling Guy Line Tensioners](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/09/21/whoopie-sling-guy-line-tensioners/) - I am surprised you can’t buy whoopie sling guy lines. I am even more surprised that high-end tents don’t come with them as standard. They have to be the lightest and most elegant option. You will have to make your own. I would say that the 1.75mm ‘Zing It’ would be an ideal size for
- [Bird Feeder](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/09/20/bird-feeder/) - Della is happy at least with her new feeder: 'New view out my kitchen window! Thank you to everyone for this wonderful Birthday gift. The voucher for my choice of bird-house had been waiting months for me to redeem...but there were so many choices, and I wanted to find the best style and garden placement.
- [The Tree-Planting Team Today.](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/08/21/the-tree-planting-team-today/) - 'Over 80 trees planted since Thursday - Great work, guys!' (Della) Above, my grandson, Milo and my lovely daughter, Merrin, and me! No, at just under three years of age he is not too young to drive! I am very pleased - as my back was so bad a couple of days ago I had
- [Count Dracula Had It Right](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/08/01/count-dracula-had-it-right/) - Hanging upside down is the best thing you can do for a herniated disc. I bought this machine to get some relief from the agonies I suffered for years when I had bony arthritic spurs growing into my spinal cord and I had to wait for farms to sell before I could have an operation
- [How to Carry a Saw](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/09/09/how-to-carry-a-saw/) - A 31 gram 6" hiking/hunting saw sounds pretty good doesn't it? Complete with handle and sheath it cost me less then $A9. The Diablo saw blades are A$17.47 per pair in the Tools section of Bunnings. I will try to find an even better blade next time. Holding it in the vice I carefully cut
- [Vargo Titanium Pocket Cleats:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/05/12/vargo-titanium-pocket-cleats/) - Vargo has this lighter traction device for snow and ice slippery clay, etc: They weigh 2.3 oz 66 grams nearly 1/3rd the weight of the competition so they might find a place in your pack if you are going somewhere slippery. Cost is US$59.95 Ultralight Traction Device ‘Improve speed and traction on winter runs or
- [Small, Thin Pocket Knives](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/08/08/small-thin-pocket-knives/) - On recollection it seems I had my Cardsharp (http://www.iainsinclair.com/en/cardsharp4-natural.html) in my wallet on our recent trip to Cairns. They are exactly the size of a credit card so it is easy to forget you had one in your wallet for peeling a piece of fruit, opening a letter, etc. Those security people are getting really
- [Credit Card Knives:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/12/03/credit-card-knives/) - Boker Plus Credit Card Knife: A unique design from Massachusetts knifemaker John Kubasek. With its compact dimensions, slim profile, and removable pocket clip, this piece offers a variety of carry options. Fits perfectly in the credit card compartment of your wallet, can be carried via clip in the pocket of your shirt, or on a
- [Leeches:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/07/24/leeches/) - In Australia (and elsewhere) it is quite common to encounter these beasties in wetter areas. They avoid sunny patches. They do you no harm, though many (like me) have an allergic reaction to their ‘bites’, so it is good to avoid them as much as you can. I have already recommended this antihistamine Anthisan ointment
- [Womens Are Great in Bed:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/08/15/womens-are-great-in-bed/) - (US$110.99 Today!) You have probably noticed before how much I have extolled the virtues of Thermarest’s wonderful sleeping pads. I particularly adore this one (the Noeair XLite Womens) as it as light as a feather (340 grams), ‘fits’ me perfectly at 20” x 66” (51 x 168 cm) and is superbly comfortable (moreso I think
- [Hands Free Hammock Media Viewer:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/07/20/hands-free-hammock-media-viewer/) - The Hangtime Hook: This is a neat little gadget for watching a movie when you are lying back in the wilderness somewhere in your hammock. I can’t say I am so addicted to TV that I do this often, but I have done so a couple of times. It requires a ridgeline, which is a
- [Whoopie Slings - Great Hammock Idea!](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/06/02/whoopie-slings-what-a-great-idea/) - Hummingbird Hammocks have one of the lightest suspension systems around (2.3 oz - 66 grams per hammock). The genius idea about them is the whoopie sling tension adjustment system. Here's a little video I took showing how they work. Setting up your hammock just perfectly is literally a breeze and the work of a minute.
- [The Ames Window](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/09/20/the-ames-window/) - An astonishing optical illusion. We don’t see things with our eyes; we see them with our brain, and sometimes (?) our brains are wrong. Hunters particularly need to pay extreme care that what they are shooting at is what they are actually seeing. I remember many years ago (fox hunting) being just about to shoot
- [Jim Bridger, the Greatest Plainsman](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/03/25/jim-bridger-the-greatest-plainsman/) - Jim Bridger, the Greatest Plainsman: 'Even among the mighty mountain men, Jim Bridger was a towering figure. He was one of the greatest explorers and pathfinders in American history. He couldn't write his name, but at eighteen he had braved the fury of the Missouri, ascending it in a keelboat flotilla commanded by that
- [Mac Cat Tarp](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/09/17/mac-cat-tarp/) - If you are looking for a lightweight intelligently designed tarp which will keep you safe and dry in the back country I think you should try one of these. I would probably go for the MacCat Standard Silpro model myself - 285 grams, US$117.95 (including seam sealing - Sept 2018). This low-stretch material which Brian
- [Fizan Compact Trekking Poles](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/07/30/fizan-compact-trekking-poles/) - These are not the lightest trekking poles, but they are amongst the shortest when folded which can be important when you want to fit them inside luggage or inside your pack. At US$59.99 (July 2017) they are one of the cheapest.Add shipping to Australia quoted at US$4.60! Founded in 1947 by Domenico Fincati, Fizan pioneered
- [Wire Tricks: Cobb and Co Hitch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/09/08/wire-tricks-cobb-and-co-hitch/) - This is a wire variation of the Spanish Windlass whose name harks back to the C19th days of Chris Cobb and his wonderful coach service which opened up outback Australia. Do you remember the 60s TV programme 'Whiplash' based on his adventures? Surprising they haven't remade that one. I can imagine he or his coach
- [3F Ultra Cheap Tents](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/08/31/3f-tents/) - Some of these look very impressive (both weight and price). They should be worth a go if you are in the market for a cheap, light tent. A$50 (delivered) for a tough 2 person ultralight shelter is hard to beat! This 740 gram single person tent which is very similar to this one costs only
- [Trailstar:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/02/15/trailstar/) - This an interesting, innovative concept. It provides a huge shelter area for a small weight spend (18 oz - 513g in Silnylon; 11oz – 313g in Cuben) . Could be good for a small group of hunters. I think you should consider one of these shelters and some kind of groundsheet (eg a mylar space blanket)
- [Make Your Sleeping Pad Warmer](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/09/10/make-your-sleeping-pad-warmer/) - For the ‘budget hiker’ the sleeping pad and bag are no doubt the most expensive items. Such a pad need cost no more than US$13! If your expeditions are likely to only occur in the warmer months you can improve the insulative ability of a cheaper pad enough by simple expedients. In this post I
- [Midwinter Fruit](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/08/01/midwinter-fruit/) - Even here in Southern Vic you can enjoy a variety of seasonal fruits/nuts still even in the coldest weather (which no doubt belies the cost to transport unseasonal fresh produce to us). Here are some examples from our garden today. Of course some things have just finished (medlars, pomegranates) and some are swelling already: eg
- [Harbingers of Spring](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/08/01/harbingers-of-spring/) - Della: 'So while we have been madly busy with lambing over the last couple of weeks, spring has been making inroads on the garden as well as the paddocks. The almond blossom is well and truly out, so I stole a quick turn around the closest beds after checking on the lambs tonight. So much
- [Laybag, Koze, Kaisr Treeless hammock:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/04/13/laybag/) - Not exactly ultralight, but an inflatable hammock/raft @ 1200 grams. What a neat idea: https://vimeo.com/160150388?from=outro-embed & https://en.laybag.com/collections/frontpage/products/lay-bag-green-2?variant=16884098881 US$79! PS: I see these are going for A$46 on eBay at the moment! http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Fast-Inflatable-Air-Bag-Sofa-Travel-Camping-Beach-Lazy-Lounger-Sleeping-Bed-SHI/272248762981?_trksid=p5713.c100041.m2061&_trkparms=aid%3D333008%26algo%3DRIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140131132314%26meid%3D4a284c81e6e64d51b741c794527fcb36%26pid%3D100041%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D34%26sd%3D172141280403 Now available Aliexpress from US$30: http://www.aliexpress.com/premium/laybag.html?ltype=wholesale&d=y&origin=y&isViewCP=y&catId=0&initiative_id=SB_20160615150200&SearchText=laybag Update: Those ‘Laybags’ are getting ridiculously cheap. US6.79! (Sept 2018) See also: https://gearjunkie.com/koze-no-tree-hammock https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/kaisr-original-the-ultimate-inflatable-air-lounge#/ Other hammock related posts:
- [The Spanish Windlass](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/09/08/the-spanish-windlass/) - My father, Lawrence used to use this trick sometimes to pull stumps out of the ground. He would wrap a rope around a crowbar (as shown) then wind the rope up with a stout branch. This windlass applied enormous force and was enough to pull quite large stumps out of a line of fence, for
- [If Posts Are Light](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/09/07/if-posts-are-light-2/) - Della: I was planning on keeping this old heart of mine firmly in line, but it has been well and truly playing up again over the last couple of months. So yesterday I underwent a second angiogram (Just to take a look at things) and had my usual run of luck in being one of
- [Spring at Jeeralang](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/08/28/spring-at-jeeralang/) - (Della) ‘Well, the minus 2 temperature did feel a bit intimidating this morning, but looking out the bedroom window to a little spring blossom certainly cheers the heart to start the day! This is just a wild plum that grew up in the hedge outside the window as a result of total inattention during the
- [All Flesh is Grass:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/08/23/all-flesh-is-grass/) - How many deer are out there in the bush? The study below looks at an area in the Upper Yarra (Dam) catchment (you may not – legally – hunt) where the author has performed transects and other measurements to estimate 200 sambar deer per square kilometer in this small area of good feed. That’s two
- [The Deer Hunter’s Apprentice #2:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/06/14/the-deer-hunters-apprentice-2/) - To continue. Where is the deer? So, let’s say you have mastered walking quietly, that you can reason out where a deer has walked, and that you can see through the bush, so that if a deer is there it will be visible to you. Still and all, you need to also be looking in
- [Trapped by Flood Waters](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/07/21/trapped-by-flood-waters/) - 'I got away up the bush for a few days recently. Lots of rain came in. The rivers were in flood, went up over 2 metres and home was on the wrong side. Also discovered that the seam sealer tape on ultrasil dry bags deteriorates - my sleeping bag and all my gear was saturated wading
- [The Thermal Conductivity of Gases](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/07/18/the-thermal-conductivity-of-gases/) - It appears you can nearly double the R-rating of hiking mats or other gear by filling them with eg CO2 which is cheap and readily available instead of eg air or nitrogen. I can see how this can easily be done eg with closed cell foams, but for an inflatable mat you would either need
- [Beach Burial #2: The Cat](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/07/18/beach-burial-2-the-cat/) - We were 'minded of this line from Kenneth Slessor, 'they sway and wander in the waters far under' when we saw a dead cat amid the sea-wrack who had fallen from the cliffs at the Wallegoe Steps, Northern Scotland on our recent visit there. It may well have been the most poignant image that springs
- [Ultralight Camp Shower](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/08/17/ultralight-camp-shower/) - While we are on the subject of cleanliness, you should know that Sea to Summit make an excellent ultralight camp shower. They have reduced its weight over the years so that it now weighs a mere 120 grams. I suspect that this weight inclues the bag so you might subtract perhaps ten grams from that.
- [Hiking Washing Machine](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/08/17/hiking-washing-machine/) - In my last post I talked about what clothes I take with me hiking and mentioned that I usually wash them every day. I probably don’t get them as clean as one could (I usually just wash them in a river or stream without soap or detergent). And I usually just put them back on
- [Tales of a Rat-Hunting Man](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/08/01/tales-of-a-rat-hunting-man/) - Alas, we cannot all have the opportunity to bag innumerable elephants, pandas, platypodes, blue whales, etc - though I am sure we have all read all Teddy Roosevelt’s hunting books, etc but, here is an interesting book about a chap who satisfied his venality with the pursuit of rats, ‘Tales of a Rat-Hunting Man’ by
- [Topper EzLift turns your SUV canopy into a camper:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/08/13/topper-ezlift-turns-your-suv-canopy-into-a-camper/) - This looks like a great addition to your truck (at least if you are only a couple). They have a DIY kit for US$1995 (Aug 2018) PS: You have to supply your own 'Lacey'. Good luck with that. Visit: https://www.topperezlift.com/ Videos: See this post for a cheaper alternative: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/convert-a-car-to-a-camper-for-50/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/car-camping-scotland/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/great-scot/ PS:
- [What Tree Won't Sheep Eat?](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/07/21/what-tree-wont-sheep-eat/) - For years I have been planting trees in expensive guards to prevent the sheep from eating them. More recently I have started planting large cuttings in cheaper plastic guards which seems to work quite well. But I should really have been going round with my eyes open as there was a kind of tree I
- [Ultralight Hiking USB cables, etc.](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/02/23/ultralight-usb-cables/) - This is my tiny bag of cables and other electronic goodies. The cable (17 grams) is only 6" (15 cm) long and comes with interchangeable tips (5 grams each). Shown USB, micro USB (x2) and Sat Phone charger plug (comes with, so total = 27 grams) - this will get all my hiking devices charged
- [Thermarest Vesper Quilt](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/08/05/thermarest-vesper-quilt/) - Thermarest have a new down quilt, the Vesper, available soon. It comes in 32F at 15 oz (0C & 428 grams) and 20F at 19 oz (-7C & 542 grams) and insulated with Nikwax treated down. I would pair one with either their new Uber mat at 8.8 oz (250 grams) for summer or with
- [Snowy River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/06/16/snowy-river/) - Recently Della and I circumnavigated the Snowy River in our Defender and and camper (http://www.fourwheelcampers.com/). The area up around McKillops Bridge remains today an isolated place to live. It must have been much moreso eg when the Ambon Settlement was founded as a soldier settlement scheme after WW1 (there remains an interesting historic suspension bridge
- [South Coast Track Plans](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2009/12/26/south-coast-track-plans/) - We are planning to walk the South Coast Track at the bottom of Tasmania in February or March. This is an entertaining 8 day trek along parts of Tasmania’s wilderness coast. Should be just marvellous. Maybe YOU would like to join us, but beware: we are ultralight campers; you may have to carry the beer!
- [Glide on Camper](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2009/12/26/glide-on-camper/) - We are buying a glide on camper from http://www.fourwheelcampers.com/ in the USA to fit to our Landrover Tray which will enable us to ‘Go Bush’ in some style. Our most important considerations were light weight, low height, minimum width, welded frame, and the biggest fridge we could fit! Just can’t be too much beer or G & T!
- [Planning to walk the South Coast Track](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2010/12/16/planning-to-walk-the-south-coast-track-2/) - 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
- [Lightweight Hiking Links](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2010/12/16/lightweight-hiking-links-2/) - 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.
- [Moroka Wilderness](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2011/01/03/moroka-wilderness/) - 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.
- [Six Camps along the Wonnangatta](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2011/06/02/six-camps-along-the-wonnangatta/) - 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.
- [How to Tie Knots](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2011/08/04/how-to-tie-knots/) - 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/
- [Best Sleeping Bag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2011/08/08/best-sleeping-bag/) - 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
- [Ultralight Backpack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2011/08/13/ultralight-backpack/) - Should you become interested in lightweight hiking, try this site: http://jolly-green-giant.blogspot.com/
- [Lightweight Hiking Shoe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2011/08/14/lightweight-hiking-shoe/) - Who would have believed a hiking/running shoe which weighs less than 220 grams? http://www.inov-8.com/Products.asp?PG=PG1&L=26and these people have a river crossing shoe which weighs 53 grams: http://www.sprintaquatics.com/prodinfo.asp?number=901
- [Many Deer: Mt Darling- Snowy Bluff Wilderness](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2011/09/18/many-deer-on-the-moroka/) - Back from the bush after seeing MANY deer. Four beautiful days of fine weather and camping out. On the last day I walked out 20-25km of rough bush walking in 8.5 hours which I consider pretty good going for an old bloke. My new stove worked a treat http://packafeather.com/. It will simmer @ 1ml/minute -
- [Packraft Video](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2011/11/08/packraft-video/) - You could imagine Della and I doing this Grade 5 water in our Alpacka raft but the truth is water a little more gentle than this. Don't try this sort of thing in any other brand of pack raft though:
- [BLR Lightning Rifle](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2011/11/09/blr-lightning-rifle/) - Maybe you are thinking of an interesting Xmas present for your beloved. Maybe consider a Browning Lever Action ('BLR Lightning') rifle in 'take-down' format (ie it splits into halves to stow in your pack). Della bought me one for my 60th. Perhaps I should have got it in Winchester Magnum instead of .308 but I
- [Hiking Fishermen](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2011/11/09/hiking-fishermen/) - Hiking Fishermen: This is good: http://penfishingrods.com/shop/product_details.php?category_id=13&item_id=126 and so is this: http://www.moontrail.com/accessrs/a-misc/handline.html
- [Pack Rafts](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2011/11/19/pack-rafts/) - We have the 'Fiord Explorer' which is a bit heavy but takes two. I took it down the Seaforth River in Fiordland afer a 3.5 day hike in! For a one person boat you could try the 'Alpacka' or the 'Scout' (if you are as small as Della). These boats will handle any water you
- [Kumato Tomato](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2011/12/07/kumato-tomato/) - There is a 'new' tomato called a 'kumato' apparently originally from the Galapagos Islands which is interesting - though this may be spin. It is deliciously sweet. I recommend you try some, & save and plant the seeds. it is a small tomato so you should still get a crop if you are quick.
- [Cooking Oil Fire](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2011/12/07/cooking-oil-fire/) - Cooking oil fire: really important lesson. Who would have thought it could so easily be turned into something like a nuclear explosion? Only 34 seconds, please watch:
- [Big Cats in the Bush?](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2011/12/13/big-cats-in-the-bush/) - A friend thinks that reports of 'black pumas' etc may well be 'thylaceo leo,' the marsupial lion (there being no large black cats anywhere in the world only spotted ones) but this is a VERY long bow, though it would be nice. In 50+ years in the bush I have never even seen a large
- [Hunting inside a Whale](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2011/12/15/hunting-inside-a-whale/) - When we lived at Tarwin Lower we once hunted a house-sized dead whale on the shore of the inlet with hounds. We put foxhounds and bloodhounds right INSIDE the whale and shot nearly twenty foxes, some of which even came out the blowhole. Whether they were vixens making the traditional cry, 'Thar she blows' accurate
- [Great Inventions](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2011/12/15/greatinventions/) - 15/12/11: Other great inventions: the (1) Themarest Neo air (regular 370g) shown made into a chair using the (2) Big Agnes Cyclone Chair (150g) in the photo: 'Tyvek wigwam'! All that is needed to make this scene perfect is Bacardi 151 (and Della, of course!) 15/12/11: The faux & real pack raft & the Tyvek
- [Fenix LD01 Torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2011/12/22/fenix-ld01-torch/) - Must have for Xmas? Look at this new torch: 788 lumens from a single 3.7V battery! Twice the best torch of last Xmas! Things just keep on getting better. My favourite pocket torch is the Fenix LD01 which takes a single AAA and outputs 85 lumens. If you (carefully) screw off the lens cover (it
- [A New Ultralight Pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2012/02/22/a-new-ultralight-pack/) - My old ultralight pack (330 grams) is beginning to shred so I thought I would try one of these (at 450 grams) - probably suit as carry-on luggage too. A good buy at about A$150 delivered: http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/packs/Swift.html My choice for the other two of the 'big three' are the Thermarest Neoair Regular (370 grams) mat
- [Two Days Canoeing the Thomson River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2012/02/27/two-days-canoeing-the-thompson-river/) - I have been thinking it would be a really good weekend to canoe the Thomson River given the projected (over 30's) temperatures even though there is not a lot of water (suits me). Unfortunately my wife Della no longer feels confident enough to canoe the Thomson, so I am thinking about going by myself which
- [Six Moon Designs 'Swift' Pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2012/03/04/six-moon-designs-swift-pack/) - My new pack arrived (the Six Moon Designs 'Swift' - 450 grams) and it looks good. Improved its load transfer with 22 grams of carbon fibre arrow shafts, instead of their proprietary 'hoop stay'. I am using my Neoair pad in the pad pocket which is very comfortable. Looking forward to trying it our for
- [Wonnangatta Track Clearing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2012/04/08/wonnangatta-track-clearing/) - I've just spent four lovely days in the Wonnangatta-Moroka NP track clearing and blackberry spraying. Two guys had decided to camp in one of my spots and use all my firewood. Apparently they think I am a public servant as they did not replace it even when asked. The things you see when you have a
- [No More Hounds!](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2012/08/20/no-more-hounds/) - 20/08/2012: My family has been hound hunting in Oz for over a century but my back (and ears) will just not let me continue any longer with this great sport, so yesterday I gave away my last four beagles to a young hunter who can make much better use of them: a very sad day.
- [Nature the Opportunist](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2012/09/01/nature-the-opportunist/) - On a more cheerful note, I am always delighted at the way 'nature' exploits any change as a positive: we have a puddle outside our bedroom window created by the device which flushes the bird poo off the roof every time it rains instead of putting it in the tank. It is a treasure, an
- [Hunting near Bruthen](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2012/09/05/hunting-near-bruthen/) - Hunting about near Bruthen on Sunday with my boys (Matt & Bryn): a beautiful sunny day. Too bad the wet summers have thickened the bush up so much you can't even see the deer (though I heard lots). A beautiful sunny spring day: the wild fuschia, normally a vapid drab was a riot of scarlet
- [Six Moon Designs Dyneema Pack Review](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2012/11/08/six-moon-designs-dyneema-pack-review/) - I don't know whether I posted a report on my Six Moon Designs Dyneema pack, the Swift - which I think my wife gave me earlier for Xmas. It has proved wonderfully comfortable and durable. It would be hard to beat in a 428 gram pack (at $110!). I switched the waist belt for a single one
- [Gippsland's Rivers](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/01/20/gippslands-rivers/) - I love Gippsland's rivers. There are so many where a week or more's placid canoeing can be had. I think it would be a good idea to replace the Bible and the Koran in church and mosque with the book, 'Canoeing the Rivers & Lakes of Victoria' by Chris & Yvonne McLaughlin! It is three
- [The Best Canoe Shop](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/01/20/the-best-canoe-shop/) - In answer to a comment: The best canoe shop undoubtedly is 'Capacity Sports' in Bay Rd near Westfield Southland. No-one locally has much. There are many to chose from, but also many that are not very good. I think you should borrow a couple of ours first (we have a variety). No-one much has improved
- [Fires in Gippsland](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/01/21/fires-in-gippsland/) - Woke to lots of fog sailing past smelling of smoke. DSE have now taken down ANY fire map, so (though they admit that the fire is now twice as large as it was on Friday), we can have no idea where it is. The Southern front of the fire is about 30-40 km away stretching
- [Alpacka Rafts](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/01/22/alpacka-rafts/) - I was going to treat myself to a new canoe to celebrate my successful back operation this Saturday (you have to be optimistic) and so was going to purchase an Alpacka raft (https://www.alpackaraft.com/index.cfm/store.catalog?CategoryID=53&ProductID=66) with which I plan to tackle the Snowy as soon as I am recovered - probably alone, as Della's eyesight won't let
- [Back Operation](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/01/26/back-operation/) - Good morning world: I am alive and on my feet, no pain or other unpleasant sensations below the wound in my back so I trust it is fixed! There will be no stopping me from here on in! Thank you to everyone for your support and kind thoughts. I imagine they will still want to
- [Alpacka Pack Raft](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/02/26/alpacka-pack-raft/) - My new (fortieth anniversary) Alpacka pack raft has arrived. I am very keen to try it out. Perhaps this Saturday, weather and back permitting... Here it is much later on the Seaforth River Fiordland New Zealand. See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-track-canoeing-the-seaforth/ https://www.alpackaraft.com/index.cfm/store.catalog?CategoryID=53&ProductID=66
- [Woodchopping Tip](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/04/17/woodchopping-tip/) - Woodchopping: A tip I learned from Col Francis: don’t cut the block as you would a tomato or an orange; peel it like an onion: ie: work your way in from the outside...
- [Astonishing Hiking Equipment by Zpacks](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/05/20/astonishing-hiking-equipment-by-zpacks/) - These two young people make some astonishing hiking equipment, including fully functioning packs (http://www.zpacks.com/backpacks/blast.shtml) from 255 grams (Della & I both walked across Tasmania carrying one of these), This 2 person ‘tent’ (http://www.zpacks.com/shelter/hexamid_plus.shtml) from 133 grams, this double groundsheet/poncho combo (http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/groundsheet_poncho.shtml) from 173 grams, a sub zero sleeping bag (http://www.zpacks.com/quilts/sleepingbag.shtml) from 376 grams and a
- [1000 Fill Power Down Jackets](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/05/25/1000-fill-powder-down-jackets/) - For next year’s winter hiking warmth there is 1000 fill power down: (http://www.thegearcaster.com/the_gearcaster/2013/02/1000-fill-power-down-jackets.html) but this ‘Mirage’ jacket @$309 should keep Della warm enough this winter: http://www.moontrail.com/mont-bell-mirage-parka.php PS: Check out the freebies ($100 worth on this jacket) at Moontrail: they are a good company to buy hiking gear from. Tip: you may need a ‘shipito’ address
- [Neat Survival Gear](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/08/01/neat-survival-gear/) - These folks have some pretty neat stuff, suitable for presents (NOT a hint), survival & etc, eg miniature compasses & signalling mirrors, springers for fishing, a great range of knives - & this is ‘peanut lighter: http://www.countycomm.com/splitpea.html
- [A Great Torch!](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/08/17/a-great-torch/) - Great torch. Della bought me one for my birthday: Max 260 lumens. Weight 55 grams (with battery, 78 with headband too). A great little torch. Highly recommended. US$69 inc freight: http://www.zebralight.com/H502w-AA-Flood-Headlamp-Neutral-White_p_108.html
- [Our New Lightweight Tent](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/09/05/our-new-lightweight-tent/) - Our new TENT (A father’s day present!) z-pack’s hexamid solo plus tarp (http://www.zpacks.com/shelter/hexamid_plus.shtml = 176 grams) mated with their double poncho/groundsheet (http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/groundsheet_poncho.shtml = 173 grams), Total 349 grams plus guys and pegs and carbon fibre pole (57 grams) if not using a hiking pole, still totals less than 500 grams! Pretty light for a two-person
- [Hiking Food:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/09/11/hiking-food/) - We are always adding to our repertoire of hiking food: On our last trip Della’s dehydrated savoury mince added to Continental Dehydrated Potato Mash reconstituted to a very acceptable ‘Shepherd’s Pie’ for example. Lately we have been trying out several dehydrated lentil meals. Coles have several under the name, ‘Celebrate Health’ (eg Indian Marsala Lentils
- [Autobike](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/09/22/autobike/) - Autobike: If it can be coupled with a crank driven electric motor, this bike would be PERFECT: http://www.gizmag.com/autobike-shifts-gears/29135/
- [Teddy Roosevelt](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/09/30/teddy-roosevelt/) - I just LOVE the wild places, and have long ago discovered Teddy’s various books about hunting too; I think I started with a book about hound hunting mountain lions in what is now Yellowstone. It should never be forgotten that this, the first national park in the world was declared by this great Republican President
- [Hiking the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/10/10/hiking-the-appalachian-trail-by-bill-bryson/) - Bill Bryson has a new book on the year 1927, which is a very interesting idea for a book (Review here: http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/bill-bryson%27s-1927.aspx). I enjoyed his one about hiking the Appalachian trail (http://www.amazon.com/Walk-Woods-Rediscovering-America-Appalachian/dp/0307279464 )
- [Convert a Wagon into a Camper](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/10/16/convert-a-wagon-into-a-camper/) - Looking into ways to ‘convert’ a wagon into a camper. There ARE some interesting products out there, eg these two: http://www.gizmag.com/ququq-van-camper-one-minute/28009/pictures#1 & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMoUjjnZ5xE See Also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/convert-a-car-to-a-camper-for-50/
- [Get a REAL 4WD](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/10/18/get-a-real-4wd/) - ATTENTION dual cab owners: Get a REAL 4WD, one that can easily tow a bogged Landie (Warning: May not be road legal – or affordable!) : http://www.wired.com/autopia/2013/10/ghe-o-rescue/
- [Tickling a Platypus](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/10/27/tickling-a-platypus/) - The platypus sure is cute; I often delight to see one in the wild on one of my many backcountry hiking trips, but they rarely let me tickle them like this:
- [Waterproof Snaplock Bags](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/11/18/waterproof-snaplock-bags/) - Aloksak make really great waterproof to 200 metres snaplock bags. This one is even big enough to put your rifle in (great for canoeing/boating/hunting trips). It is the only waterproof gun bag I know of: http://www.survival-pax.com/aLOKSAK-Bags-Extra-Large.html
- [Shoe Innersoles](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/11/20/shoe-innersoles/) - Thinking seriously about investing in some better insoles to improve hiking comfort: http://www.walking.org/walking-equipment/footwear/walking-insoles-guide/ & http://www.superfeet.com/ PS: Check whether they absorb water before you use them in the wild. I tried a pair which added more than 200 grams to each foot when wet.
- [Pack Weight Reduction Tips](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/11/30/pack-weight-reduction-tips/) - Though still a bit stiff and sore (I think mainly from the VERY hot walk on Wednesday afternoon) I am pretty happy to be still able to walk 20+km a day carrying a pack (even in fairly rugged country). Of course it helps if you can reduce the weight of the contents of your pack
- [Single AAA Head Torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/12/17/single-aaa-head-torch/) - I see Fenix has a new SINGLE AAA head torch, the HL 10 (http://www.fenix-store.com/fenix-HL10/) weighing 42.5 grams including the head elastic. I have been using their LD 01 coupled with a couple of O-rings, one micro-cord lock and some hat elastic for this purpose but this arrangement doesn’t point well (due to the shape of
- [Waterproof Split-Toe Socks?](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/12/22/waterproof-split-toe-socks/) - Waterproof split-toe socks: you would THINK the Japanese (& others) who wear nothing but thongs would have long since invented them, but it seems they do NOT exist! However, I have modified my ultralight thongs into ultralight adjustable ‘thandels’ (@ 61 grams per pair) so that I can wear them with my seal skin waterproof
- [The Last Trapper 2004](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/12/17/the-last-trapper-2004/) - Watched the movie/documentary, ‘The Last Trapper’ (2004) tonight. Well worth a look. It certainly reminds me of why I still push for multi-day wilderness hiking trips – if you have never done such a thing, you should. (Put it on your bucket list! At least!). We are planning several days hiking out of Supper Cove,
- [Self-Winding Watch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/12/21/self-winding-watch/) - A SELF-WINDING watch! How I used to lust for such a treasure when I was a kid. I finally snagged one a couple of years ago for $200 and was over the moon. Quartz watches for some reason make me itchy and I haven’t seen a wind-up one for some time. This guy has Seiko
- [Camper / Defender Upgrades](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/12/29/camper-defender-upgrades/) - 29/12/2013: Have fitted a second pair of heavy duty shocks to the rear of the old Defender. That seems to have finally settled the camper down so that it is just like driving a car now. Looking forward to our next trip! Update: There is now a new instant gas water heater for campers which
- [Bodies on Everest](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/02/16/bodies-on-everest/) - It sure is getting crowded up there: http://theknow.ask.com/there-are-how-many-dead-bodies-on-mount-everest?utm_source=outbrain&utm=referral I'm kind of glad I didn't make it so far on my Everest trip. See eg: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/i-saw-below-me-that-golden-valley/
- [Hiking Food: Protein](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/03/03/hiking-food-protein/) - Hiking food, an occasional series: if you are an omnivore like me, you probably have at least occasional lusts for venal delights (hiking food, folks!) The trick to satisfying these is to do so without spoilage/food poisoning…’Hans Twiggies’ are a staple with us (eg chopped & added to ‘Four Cheeses’ pasta) as they require no
- [Don't let old age stop you.](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/03/10/dont-let-old-age-stop-you/) - Someone quipped to me just yesterday. ‘Old age is not for sissies!’ Boy, you’re not just ‘whistling Dixie’! The young just wouldn’t be up to this shit! But their turn will come. Most of my (old) friends are either already dead or might as well be, creeping safely towards the grave as they have been
- [A great hunting story.](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/03/20/a-great-hunting-story/) - A great hunting story; a reminder that there ARE still many wild places: http://standpointmag.co.uk/dispatches-january-february-2014-hunting-lynx-with-the-old-believers-ben-judah-tuva-siberia
- [Off to Fiordland](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/03/26/off-to-fiordland/) - Expect a break from me: tomorrow I am off for ten days’ hiking in Fiordland. In the unlikely event that I capture a photo of a live moose, I will come back $100,000 richer as there is a prize offered. I have seen one, and have seen much sign over the years: tracks, browse, fewmets…so
- [Clancy of the Overflow (Banjo Paterson)](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/05/30/clancy-of-the-overflow-banjo-paterson/) - One great thing about camping out in an open shelter (such as I posted about 27 May) you have this all your own: ‘And at night the wond’rous glory of the everlasting stars.’ Here is the whole poem, just in case you have forgotten it, or were so MUCH poorer, and never learned it: Clancy
- [The importance of hunting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/06/13/the-importance-of-hunting/) - The importance of hunting: ‘The report shows that hunting contributes $417 million annually to the Victorian economy, making us second only to the Spring Racing Carnival in importance to the state.’ http://gallery.mailchimp.com/e126ff12cbbcb8d3dfa71147b/files/7606e35c-a6a4-4da9-9775-acffc04f8211.pdf
- [Multifunctional Military Shovel](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/06/20/multifunctional-military-shovel/) - Holy Cow: With this shovel, the Chinese will conquer the world: Original Chinese Army Multifunctional Military Shovel:
- [Is this the best ad for a knife ever?](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/06/20/is-this-the-best-ad-for-a-knife-ever/) - Is this the best ad for a knife ever? The ‘Cold Steel’ brand kukri (Start about 37 secs in):
- [Kobo Mini Ebook Reader](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/09/23/kobo-mini-ebook-reader/) - Kobo Mini: I just bought one of these for hiking. Without the snap-on decorative back it weighs 117 grams, (48 grams less than my Sony) so I will certainly choose it as a dedicated hiking book which I can leave in my pack all the time. The ‘Mini’ has a 4 gig micro SD card
- [Great Scot](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/07/25/great-scot/) - Interesting things we saw on our Scotland trip. The massed cumulus clouds outside our plane window as we flew over the Nullarbor were the most breathtaking I have ever witnessed. They were miles high, yet somehow the lens does not do them justice. Just outside Edinburgh: hey have many beautiful weeds on the field verges
- [Klymit Insulated Static V Lite Sleeping Pad:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/12/16/klymit-insulated-static-v-lite-sleeping-pad/) - This pad is available on Massdrop (https://www.massdrop.com/buy/klymit-insulated-static-v-lite?referer=EJ89BQ) for US$59.99 (so about A$100 delivered) just now. It has a very good 4.4 R rating and is 23” wide! Just what you need to keep those elbows warm! I do not need it to be so long as this but can probably cut approx 6” (15 cm)
- [Happy Birthday Ultralight Hiker:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/05/26/happy-birthday-ultralight-hiker-2/) - Who would have thought three years ago today that this blog would have over 1100 posts, a million words plus of content, (ten+ novels' worth!) over 15,000 images, and so many followers - someone every minute! Some recent doings: Exploring a 6,000 year old Brock at Camster Northern Scotland last week: My daughter Merrin launched
- [Genius Strainer Post](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/05/17/genius-strainer-post/) - This was one of the most interesting things I saw on our recent trip to Scotland: I was astonished that (such a) short stay only about one-third of the way up even a tall post such as used on deer fencing nonetheless maintained the wire at a much tauter strain than I normally apply worked
- [Fox Airlite 100 Series Air Chamber Pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/07/18/fox-airlite-100-series-air-chamber-pad/) - This pad is on sale right now for US$0.00 (18 July 2018 - you will have to pay freight) which has to be pretty much an unbeatable price! Because of its integrated foot pump it may be an excellent candidate to add some down to (as I posted about here) if you want to make
- [How Warm a Bag or Quilt Do I Need?](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/07/19/how-warm-a-bag-or-quilt-do-i-need/) - I was asked this by a friend of mine who was planning his first overnight hunt (in winter) years ago in an area I often visit too. I have never needed a bag warmer than -1 to -3 C (and weighing just over half a kilo) even though I often sleep out in winter -
- [White Moose](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/07/15/white-moose/) - Just as the ‘polar bear’ is only a ‘sport’ of the grizzly bear, so every now and then nature throws up another white creature better adapted to an environment of snow and ice like this white moose, one of about 100 such roaming the boreal forests of Sweden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JoHGwSdRak and so like the wonderful white
- [The Mountain Gnomad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/07/13/the-mountain-gnomad/) - This young Kiwi chap Arash Tahan contacted me recently about his plan to spend a couple of years tramping and hunting the South Island of New Zealand. What an admirable idea. If I was 40-50 years younger (and unattached) I can imagine doing so too, but I have had my own adventures and continue to
- [Magic Places: Traralgon Railway Reserve](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/07/13/magic-places-traralgon-railway-reserve/) - Della: 'Milo wanted to show me one of his favourite places today: the Traralgon Railway Reserve, where he loves to feed the ducks. The ducks and pseudo-ducks were very happy to see us!' So many magical places hiding just around the corner! PS: Isn't it great to have a grandson with the same love of
- [Stealth Camping](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/04/26/stealth-camping/) - We have been off 'stealth camping' for a few days in our trayback camper on the Defender. Each night we have been able to chose a delightful spot in one of our National Parks, Marine Reserves, etc where there is an icon illustrating a tent crossed out (Well, we don't have a tent!) and
- [Pine Down Blanket](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/07/13/pine-down-blanket/) - Ultralight on a budget. Over at Massdrop they have this interesting 3 season down quilt for just US$99.99 (July 2018). It can be used as a blanket or a quilt due to some interesting innovative features. If you pair it with their Massdrop Klymit Ultralight V Sleeping Pad at only US$59.99 you have a very
- [Pack Raft Saves The Day](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/07/11/pack-raft-saves-the-day/) - Della and I had a foreshortened trip on the Wonnangatta River upstream of the Moroka confluence when she developed a bad chest infection on the second night out which turned out to be pneumonia. Fortunately I had brought along the Alpacka 'Fiord Explorer' raft, their 'moose boat' as they termed it (now the 'Mule'), so
- ['Super Cat' Metho Stove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/03/12/super-cat-metho-stove/) - Another great metho stove, the ‘Super Cat’ Ultra Light, Ultra cheap hiking stove you make with a paper punch: http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/SuperCat/ See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/supercat-hiking-stove/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/super-cat-metho-stove/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/soda-can-stove/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/diy-side-burner-metho-stove/ Lots more stoves here: http://zenstoves.net/
- [A Wonnangatta Spring, Day Three:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/11/15/a-wonnagatta-spring-day-three/) - From Neates Track down to the Kingwell Bridge takes about 2 1/2 hours paddling. If you put in at the riverside camp just above Neates track it would take three hours. This would be a pleasant excursion if you were camped there. Mostly this section travels through farmland but as with much of the river,
- [More Power to You:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/06/20/more-power-to-you/) - These ‘new’ lithium powered jump starters are amazing. I had been thinking of installing a dual battery system in the (’95) Discovery but it is difficult though not impossible to fit one in, as well as very fiddly. I already have one in the Defender. Anyway I realized that the main reason I would need
- [Have you tried the new Pulse Pasta?](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/07/09/have-you-tried-the-new-pulse-pasta/) - Made only from beans and peas instead of grains – and so much better for you. Especially if you have a blood sugar problem. Also gluten free. We have and found it delicious. It has more of a nutty flavour than normal wheat pasta: https://sanremo.com.au/products/pulse-pasta-spaghetti/ Of course you will need a sauce to go with
- [The Deer Hunter’s Apprentice #1:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/05/20/the-deer-hunters-apprentice-1/) - I’ll probably never stop taking in stray kittens even though I tell myself I will, and know that all the love and care you lavish on them is only preparation for the day they meet their ultimate roadside, still… Over the years I have taken dozens and dozens of aspiring youngsters deer-hunting, and practically every
- [Several Winter's Fires](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/07/02/several-winters-fires/) - I have been busy building a new wood shed and stocking it with rather more than my favourite poet Edward Thomas' 'recommended' 'Fifty Faggots'. I can get the wood to this one no matter how wet the paddocks are, and simply throw it straight off the tray and into the shed. It has plenty of
- [Everyone Loves a Good Fire](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/06/10/everyone-loves-a-good-fire/) - Certainly Della and the two dogs, Spot and Honey do. It's been such a dry autumn that burning off has been postponed into early winter to prevent the risk of fire. This pile used to be a large cypress that needed to come down in my daughter's front yard in Traralgon. Nearly 60 metres in
- [Our Valley of Plenty](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/07/02/our-valley-of-plenty/) - Della: 'This morning's light frost and valley fog has left us with a glorious winter day. Climbing our hill just now to get the sheep down for their pre-lambing injections I was struck anew by our wonderful home vista. I don't climb up to see this every day, but perhaps I should: It has certainly
- [Fifty Faggots:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/03/06/fifty-faggots/) - I love this poem (much as I hate the war that stole the poet from us - and that he foresaw his own death in it!) I so agree with the sentiment. It is the small acts of conservation count most. We have an archway I constructed 20+ years ago harbours many fine birds who
- [Cold Season Pads:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/06/09/cold-season-pads/) - I have used the Thermarest Neoair Womens for years. It has an (insulation) R-rating of 3.9. I was quite warm enough in it at around zero Celsius with just a Columbia Silver Ridge shirt and trousers and a pair of thin (Holeproof Heroes) wool socks in my - 1C Montbell bag. If it got a
- [No Cold Shoulder Spreader Hammock:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/06/30/no-cold-shoulder-spreader-hammock/) - I like the spreader bar on this new hammock from Rei. This would stop that annoying thing where the hammock fabric compresses the insulation of your sleeping bag at shoulder-to-elbow and creates a cold spot. There are several other ways around this eg a wider mat, a pad extender, etc, but I feel that this
- [Greatest Sling Shot Man Ever](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2013/06/18/greatest-sling-shot-man-ever/) - Amazing skill with a simple ‘weapon’: http://www.maniacworld.com/greatest-sling-shot-man-ever.html & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufus_Hussey & http://www.asheboro.com/users/teallen/rufus1.htm
- [Rich Beyond Telling](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/06/23/rich-beyond-telling/) - Most evenings if we go for a walk at the back of Yinnar a huge flock of yellow-tailed black cockatoos comes in to roost after spending the day dispersed sowing destruction on innumerable hapless plants all about (as is their wont). I guess there has to be at least a thousand of them. Their raucous
- [Car-Camper Conversion: $50](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/05/26/convert-a-car-to-a-camper-for-50/) - We have recently been on a car camping holiday in Scotland where we wanted to stay away from people as much as possible on such a crowded island, and save on accommodation costs by sleeping in the rental car wherever we could find a pleasant spot. The car we hired turned out to be a
- [Clever Titanium Windscreen](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/06/27/clever-titanium-windscreen/) - Steve Evans at Suluk 46 has a really cleverly designed adjustable titanium windscreen. You especially need a windscreen if you are cooking with alcohol or esbits, but in any case the wind will steal as much as half of the heat your stove is generating. That wasted fuel will weigh much more than this neat
- [Massdrop In Stock](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/06/24/massdrop-in-stock/) - Massdrop now have some of their great specials in stock - so you don't have to wait for a drop. For example, they have the Enlightened Equipment Quilt I recently posted about for US $219.99 (Jun 2018). Their excellent Fizan compact hiking poles I wrote about here are just US$59.99 a pair. The Massdrop Klymit
- [A Cure for Slippery Mats:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/05/23/a-cure-for-slippery-mats/) - I have just spent a couple of weeks sleeping on my new Big Agnes AXL Air 300 gram mat in Scotland. It is indubitably the most comfortable mat I have ever slept on, but it does suffer from being a tad slippery. I will be taking some of my own advice below. (The dogs as
- [The Other Kingdom](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/06/24/the-other-kingdom/) - This autumn we were in Scotland when our fields were alive with field mushrooms, alas. Mushroom time is one of my favourites. I always collect heaps of them, fry them up with lots of butter, onions and bacon then smother golden toast or pasta with them. I guess my waistline isn't missing them. This evening
- [Cheap Insulated Inflatable Pad:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/03/19/cheap-insulated-inflatable-pad/) - Klymit’s Ultralight V Sleeping Pad is on Massdrop this morning for US63.74 delivered to Australia ($64.34 delivered to USA address). They have an R rating of 4.4 – enough for the coldest night. You can also pick up one of their excellent pillows for an extra US15. I would go for the 5 foot model
- [How many miles can you paddle in a pumpkin:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/05/17/how-many-miles-can-you-paddle-in-a-pumpkin/) - This guy made 8.5 which is pretty awesome. What a wonderful addition to DIY watercraft this hobby is: https://www.ripleys.com/weird-news/aboard-a-gourd/
- [Verney Carron 'Stop&Go®'](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/05/17/verney-carron-stopgo/) - Considerable angst is being generated this morning about this ‘new’ action shotgun just as was present not so long ago about the Adler’s ‘new’ 150 year old action, and overlooking the fact that it is already available in shops as a ‘Speedline’ rifle. The firearm in question ejects the spent shell ‘automatically’ using the firearm’s
- [DIY Stun Gun:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/06/20/diy-stun-gun/) - Personal Defense: How to make a stun gun with a disposable camera. This is the guide to make a device which runs on a battery and produces sparks at tens of thousands of volts very rapidly. No doubt illegal in Victoria and many other 'nanny state' places, but very useful anyway. http://preppingfortheworst.blogspot.com/2012/10/personal-defense-how-to-make-stun-gun.html See Also: http://survival-mastery.com/skills/defence/homemade-self-defense-weapons.html
- [Deer O'Clock](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/06/20/deer-oclock/) - Three years ago we started to see the odd deer print on our evening walks. Then one day a fallow stag kindly donated me this nice antler. Back in February when I was telling you about losing Tiny and the progress we were making with her 'replacement' Honey, I posted this snap to illustrate how
- [Corrugated Heat Diffuser, 3 grams.](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/05/15/corrugated-heat-diffuser-3-grams/) - Sick of having to clean the burned bottom of your pot, particularly after a long simmer? Zelph has the answer. Place this underneath your pot above the burner. I’m afraid he doesn’t give any other clues to how it was made, but I’m sure if you have any experience in sheet metal work you will
- [Garmin Inreach Mini:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/06/17/garmin-inreach-mini/) - At last a fully functional GPS, satellite communicator and epirb which weighs 100 grams (3.5 oz!) The new and improved 'Poor Man's Satellite Phone'. I already own the earlier 'Delorme Inreach' model (190 grams) which I love, so can’t imagine just now spending perhaps A$499 (Jun 2018) on its replacement in order to save carrying
- [A Quilt for all Seasons](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/06/16/a-quilt-for-all-seasons/) - There is no doubt that a quilt can be lighter, more comfortable, and a lot less inconvenient to enter and exit than a bag. A down quilt can weigh under 500 grams for something which will rate around -10C (providing you have a warm mat), so you can see that you can definitely make one
- [Nightcore Tube Hat Clip:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/05/16/nightcore-tube-hat-clip/) - My thanks to Kiarnan over at Reddit for this idea https://imgur.com/gallery/JfLTn His bobby pin idea worked just as well with a couple of 'O-rings' such as I usually use in my own head torch mod Setting up the torch on the peak of your cap has the advantage of preventing the reflection on your glasses
- [Ultralight Cups](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/03/30/ultralight-cups/) - It's surprising how much weight you can save in small ways. For example, my improved Fancy Feast Stove created a simmer stove which weighs under 15 grams. This shaved 30 grams off my stove weight. Using small aluminum containers to store the various ointments etc you carry has cut nearly 100 grams from my pack
- [Eyesight and Hearing: Cheap](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/02/11/zenni-the-hearing-company/) - Zenni & The Hearing Company: As we age eyes (and ears) impose unwanted expenses. Some of these can be avoided by buying your glasses here (as we do). Medicare after all covers the prescription cost – so it is yours. Ask for/demand a copy. You will also need the pupillary distance (PD). You can measure
- [Boastful food shots:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/06/12/boastful-food-shots/) - Della: 'I have generally eschewed these on FB, but this one is a little different from the norm, I think. Nothing flash, not the good china, not the expensive restaurant, just what I dished up for Steve and myself for tonight's tea after a latish walk with the dogs. As a somewhat hit-and-miss vegie gardener,
- [Lentil and Bacon Soup](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/05/15/lentil-and-bacon-soup/) - Here is a simple tasty lentil soup (for those who don't like curry) made entirely from dry ingredients. I made some up for my lunch today and found it pleasant but perhaps a bit strong tasting. Next time i will go easier on some of the stronger ingredients such as the onion and garlic powder
- [What to include in a wilderness cache:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/06/12/what-to-include-in-a-wilderness-cache/) - I have a number of favourite spots I visit every now and then sprinkled around the Gippsland bush mainly far from roads. Many are on the other side of large rivers which sometimes rise unpredictably and can cut you off for many days from ‘civilisation’ – whatever that is. Here I was two days ago
- [Brawny’s ‘Tarptent’](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/05/29/brawnys-tarptent/) - This is a very useful video on how to create a lightweight shelter from a standard 10’ x 12’ silnylon tarp: Many other fascinating vids by this outstanding lady, Carol Wellman here: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=brawny03 You can buy such a tarp eg from Aliexpress for around $30: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-hiking-on-a-budget/ Hiking does not have to be just for the
- [Tanjil River Canoe Trip](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/01/24/tanjil-river-canoe-trip/) - I was forgetting it was a long weekend...the next hot day will be more suitable for us: fewer people about! Some beautiful campsites on the Tanjil off Rowley's Hill Road via Hill End (a lovely 2WD drive), eg near the gauging station (launch here) just below the bridge, (or for those with a 4WD -
- [GPS Phone Apps & 25K Vicmaps](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/11/29/gps-phone-apps-25k-vicmaps/) - These 25K Vicmaps are GREAT and value @ $8 ea: http://services.land.vic.gov.au/maps/content/topo30wizard They can be viewed with full georeferenceing functionality (ie GPS, etc) with this great App on your phone, tablet etc: http://www.avenza.com/pdf-maps You need never get lost and can safely plan your next adventure, eg to walk the ‘Upper Yarra Trail’ from Warburton to Walhalla
- [Della’s New Camera:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/04/26/dellas-new-camera/) - ‘Trying out my new camera today in the gloriously warm autumn light. Thank you Steve Jones for the great Mother's Day gift, and for allowing me to play with it ahead of time! The first pic was snapped on auto through the maple branches in our garden. No filter, only the warm glow of the
- [Never Get Lost - Just $20:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/01/16/never-get-lost-just-20/) - Only 37 grams, the Brunton Get Back Mini GPS: Quickly shows the way back to your starting point by the shortest, most direct route. Instead of retracting your steps at the end of the day, you can head straight home, as the crow flies, always on course. Points directly back to any of three points,
- [Hello Possums](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/05/06/hello-possums/) - As Dame Edna would say...Just installed some security cameras. This one shows our front gate. Pretty much as soon as it got dark our wild critters got very busy: one fox, two ring tails, two brush tails, two rabbits. Within two hours! Who know what will turn up as time goes on. So Brer Fox hasn't
- [Tray-Top Camper](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/07/15/tray-top-camper/) - This is our rig. We have a Landrover Defender - the 1995-99 models with the 300TDI engines are best - after that vehicles all became electric and impossible to fix when things go wrong, especially in the bush. In 2010 the camper cost us under $20,000 delivered. The vehicle cost us $10,000 around 2005. This
- [Ultralight Rain Gear](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/04/29/ultralight-rain-gear/) - Our new Montbell raincoats and umbrellas have arrived just in time for testing on an upcoming trip (PS: They worked just swell!) The two shown are Della's (modeled by our daughter, Merrin) in front of our Siligloo tent which we have been making a bathtub floor for. The coat is the Versalite Women's Medium (colour
- [These Jeans Will Outlive You:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/05/03/these-jeans-will-outlive-you/) - These jeans are 52% Dyneema which as everyone knows is stronger than steel. It is envisaged that you will never wear them out so that their high price of US$275 may well be justified: https://gearjunkie.com/outlier-dyneem-denim-jeans-review & https://shop.outlier.nyc/shop/retail/end-of-worlds.html You could pair them with this top which is claimed will last a century http://www.theultralighthiker.com/never-buy-clothes-again/ or these other
- [Honey Sticks:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/04/25/honey-sticks/) - Young Honey loves sticks. This one clearly won't fit through the doggy door! Spot is trying to tell her as much! See Also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/honey/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/some-days-are-sapphires/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/does-spot-like-to-hunt-deer/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-tiny-life/
- [Ultralight Bathtub Floor](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/04/27/ultralight-bathtub-floor/) - I have made an ultralight bathtub floor for my Siligloo tent in preparation for a trip we are soon taking. It replaces the piece of spinnaker fabric we have been using, adding less than 70 grams. You will remember that the Siligloo Tent weighed 385 grams when I made it. I have added some extra
- [Cosco Quilt](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/04/27/cosco-quilt/) - A DIY Sleeping Quilt for the Budget Hiker: A lightweight sleeping bag is one of the most expensive pieces of gear that the novice ultralight hiker will need. Lots of folks have suggested using/modifying the Cosco quilt which seems like a good idea if you are on a budget. You can buy them for about
- [Why do I love my garden?](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/04/25/why-do-i-love-my-garden/) - ‘Well, one of the many reasons is that it is full of memories of wonderful fellow gardeners. Today's pumpkin harvest is a perfect example! These are called "Greg's pumpkins", a variety developed by Greg Roberts and given to me by Claire Roberts 2 autumns ago to make a batch of pumpkin soup. They were so
- [Fuyu:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/04/25/fuyu/) - ‘Our Fuyu persimmon tree is loaded this year. The birds have started feasting on them so we picked the ripest and will finish them off inside. The tree is a young one so we haven't had enough of them to beat the birds before. They are firm but still edible at this stage, so hoping
- [Dragon’s Breath:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/04/21/dragons-breath/) - By Firequest, an incendiary 12 gauge shot-shell. Also available in .410 gauge. These things are spectacular. Take a look at their other Exotic Ammo: Armor Piecing, Tracer, 'Triple Doom’ May not be available from local 7/11 stores! http://www.firequest.com/G12-013.html
- [DIY Non-Fouling Pigeon Drinker](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/04/19/more-bird-brained-things/) - More Bird Brained Things! I have been making Della a non-fouling pigeon waterer. Given the huge number of people who are pigeon fanciers you would think such a thing would be widely available from pigeon suppliers but we have never been able to find one. I have made up two here out of some PVC
- [Ultralight Rain Jackets:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/11/03/ultralight-rain-jackets/) - I am looking around for a new rain jacket of both of us. People’s raincoats often weigh as much as 500 grams. Try weighing yours. So there is nearly a day’s worth of food (weight) to be saved in exploring a change to this item alone. For many years I hunted deer in winter in
- [A Blast of a Pack:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/04/14/a-blast-of-a-pack/) - I borrowed my son-in-law Matts’s Zpacks Arc Zip just so I could try it out. I loaded it up with about 10kg of stuff I would usually carry for a trip of about a week I guess and went for a five mile (8 km) walk in a local pine forest. Just the other day
- [Frogmouth](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/04/13/frogmouth/) - Della: 'A lovely welcome at our front gate tonight after a counter meal at the local. Poor photo quality due to only having my phone to hand. Tawny Frogmouth? If so, I have heard it on the edge of my sleep for years too numerous to mention, but have never suffered from insomnia, so wandering
- [The South Coast Track, Fiordland NZ:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/04/09/the-south-coast-track-fiordland-nz/) - Posted this day in 2014. (Oh, I wish I were there again. I am going to miss Fiordland this year. Hopefully I enjoy Scotland as much!) ‘The Fiordland South Coast Track is so much better than the similarly named South Coast Track in Tasmania. You can have a number of different trips there. What will
- [Somewear a 3 Ounce Satellite Messenger:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/04/09/somewear-a-3-ounce-satellite-messenger/) - These clever folk have rethought the Epirb and Sat communicator with this lightweight device. It functions as a PLB with the touch of an SOS button but it can also send and receive SMS/email messages (up to 160 characters each). Each message also sends your precise geolocation. It is available on Kickstarter for US299 so
- [Broken](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/03/29/broken/) - At least two of my old sites have been broken or seriously glitched for ages. I have been working on fixing them over the last few days. There is still quite a lot of work to do on some of other these old pages. It will get done. In the meantime, if you would prefer
- [Waratah Bay](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/04/08/waratah-bay/) - You can walk practically the entire Gippsland Coast from Phillip Island to NSW. After you have walked along Venus Bay Beach, (there is a path inland) past the Arch Rocks and rounded Cape Liptrap, if you have managed to make your way down to Maitland Beach, you will soon come to Bear Gully (or you
- [Powerfilm Lightsaver:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/04/04/powerfilm-lightsaver/) - I am looking to upgrade my solar charging ability. I have the Powerfilm USB + AA Charger at 1.5 watts which I have found adequate for myself. But we now have more rechargeable devices some having larg(er) wattage capacities so that I find it struggling. Ideally I think I would prefer a rollable panel which
- [Powerfilm USB +AA Solar Charger on Pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/10/17/powerfilm-usb-aa-solar-charger/) - With the batteries straight out of the storage drawer (so not quite charged) it happily charged my Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini (1900 mAh battery) in this configuration at 1% a minute in dappled sunlight (cloudy Spring 20C day) yesterday. I have mounted it to my Zpacks Blast (Zero) pack with some Lineloks and Dyneema. The
- [Liptrap](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/03/27/liptrap/) - (Cover Photo: Water Sprite). Cape Liptrap at the Western end of Venus Bay beach in South Gippsland is a scenic extravaganza as you walk the Victorian coastline perhaps beginning at Phillip Island and ending in Eden NSW, a journey which will no doubt take you several delightful weeks. Where else in the world could you
- [Universal Magnetic USB Charger](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/02/27/universal-magnetic-usb-charger/) - Another interesting idea for charging those 18650 (or etc) lithium batteries (and the like) Only 20.5 grams. Weltool version, Folomov version from approx US$12.69 (Feb 2018) To convert it to a 3600 mAh power bank you would attach it eg with cable or connector to something else, say your phone. See: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075F4MD1G NB the 18650
- [Brer Fox](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/03/23/brer-fox/) - I have such a love/hate relationship with this guy. We have farmed sheep here and on other farms nearby for nigh on thirty years now, (and far longer elsewhere). When we first moved here Col Francis, a (now late) friend I used to go deer hunting with came around and managed to spotlight 34 foxes
- [Water babies:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/07/26/water-babies/) - As Charles Kingsley said, ‘No-one can say water babies don’t exist because no-one ever saw one not existing’! But look at this beauty come all the way from ‘God Know Where’ to die on our roadside at the back of our farm. I found it yesterday afternoon whilst fixing the back fence. At first I
- [Hiking Tarka Dal](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/03/22/hiking-tarka-dal/) - This continues a series of recipes on simple Dals which you can make quickly from dried ingredients for hiking. Each of these dals has its own unique taste so that you will not tire of them (at least so long as you intersperse them with some of my other recipes). To a litre of water,
- [K-Mono Cut](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/03/17/k-mono-cut/) - I am looking for new lightweight raincoats for each of us. I came across this wonderful innovative cut on Montbell’s Versalite rain jacket (Womens Medium 142 grams, Mens 168 grams A$190). This is a really genius idea. ‘Cut from a single piece of fabric, K-MONO CUT drastically reduces the amount of seam lines eliminating areas where
- [New Fancy Feast Stove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/03/04/new-fancy-feast-stove/) - 'Zelph' is clearly a genius (like Jim Woods who made the original of the Super Cat Stove - if you have not made one yet, do so today!). He has taken the 'Super Cat' to a whole new level - and I'm definitely impressed. I hit upon his website yesterday, saw that he doesn't ship
- [The Five Mile](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/03/13/the-five-mile/) - One of Gippsland's 'hidden gems'. This sand track lets you access Venus Bay Beach about 8 km out from Tarwin Lower on the Walkerville Rd. You have to be really looking out for it, or you will miss it. At the beginning there is a gate (locked in winter I imagine) when the track would
- [Sony Ebook Reader (163grams)](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/09/26/sony-ebook-reader-163grams/) - You need to snap up the ‘New’ Sony ebook reader as Sony is soon to cease production. This will mean that you can only buy ‘proprietary’ ebook readers which create some difficulty if you want to load ‘borrowed’ books on them. This is a really great reader (163 grams), and is still available for @$100
- [Walk, Don't Run!](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/09/26/walk-dont-run/) - WALK! Don’t run. Fortunately this doesn’t happen in Oz, though Tiny and I were ‘hunted’ by packs of wild dogs last time we were in the Wonnangatta!: http://www.myfoxny.com/story/26592220/bear-suspected-of-killing-hiker-in-new-jersey
- [Ultra Light Dog Leash](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/09/30/ultra-light-dog-leash/) - Ultra Light Dog Leash: (8.5 grams): Mini ‘D’ carabiner 2.8 grams + 2mm spectra cord www.zpacks.com/accessories/carabiner.shtml Sometimes we have to walk on a ‘road’ aways or keep the dogs from ‘hunting’ some other pesky hiker, particularly in NPs (where the JRs have every right to be - they are Australians TOO, and pay all their
- [Hiking Circuits in the Victorian Mountains](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/10/06/hiking-circuits-in-the-victorian-mountains/) - There are many wonderful hiking circuits to be ‘found’ in the Victorian mountains. Just because the route is not marked on any map or DSE brochure ought not deter you. Some are quite long and would take a fortnight or so to complete. Others are shorter. The 'Four Rivers Circuit': Wonnangatta, Dry Creek, Caledonia, Wellington,
- [Hiking Music](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/10/08/hiking-music/) - Hiking Music #2: Sony ICD-UX (eg) 534F digital voice recorder includes an alarm clock @ 58 grams inc one AAA battery + hundreds of hours of music! There is a newer model of this item. It is still useful if you do not want to flatten your hone battery. US$135.39 Mar 2018) https://www.amazon.com/recorder-stereo-ICD-UX534F-International-Version/dp/B009GEAM2C http://www.sony.co.uk/support/en/product/ICD-UX534F/downloads/soundorganizer15
- [Camera Phones](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/10/10/camera-phones/) - I see Lumia (1020) has now included a 41 Megapixel camera on its latest phone (compare Samsung Galaxy K with 20Mp & 10x zoom: http://www.samsung.com/au/consumer/mobile-phone/smartphone/smartphone/SM-C1150ZKAXSA & Samsung-Galaxy-S4-Zoom with 16 Mp & 10x zoom) ). It won’t be long before the equivalent of 100 Megs is exceeded. The days of the camera ARE numbered. Likewise most
- [Bruegels' Dogs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/10/15/bruegels-dogs/) - Always loved Bruegels’ dogs (and Thurber’s!). An interesting analysis of their breeds: I think the hound in the right foreground could be taken right out of the painting and used (as a bloodhound) to hunt sambar deer in Victoria today. http://neveryetmelted.com/2014/10/11/bruegels-hunting-dogs/
- [Survival Shelter: Escape Bivy](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/10/19/survival-shelter/) - You would think Himalayan trekkers would all carry something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al4UUSAd5yQ ‘Live and learn or you won’t live long’! http://www.lifesystems.co.uk/products/outdoor-survival/4-person-survival-shelter.html I am taking the two person model (350 grams) to EBC in November 2016. The new breathable ‘Escape Bivy’ (http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/survival/survive-outdoors-longer-escape-litetm-bivvy-1.html) @ 157 grams is surely a must in your day pack along with (eg)
- [BCB Fishing Kit - As good as it gets!](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/10/20/bcb-fishing-kit-as-good-as-it-gets/) - I reckon this is about as good as it gets for a lightweight hiking hand caster @ 10 grams (inc. line). It has a handy notch for holding the line from unravelling when not in use. These BCB Fishing Kits are available from the UK for around $7 delivered if you buy half a dozen.
- [George Bass Coastal Walk](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/10/20/george-bass-coastal-walk/) - Della's ankle sprain is close to mended now. We went for a therapeutic trial walk along the lovely George Bass Coastal Walk yesterday and completed around 8km without ankle pain. Might be able to attempt something more uneven next week! The dogs had a lovely time too, as verified by Tiny's big grin on the
- [Camping by the Moroka River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/10/24/camping-by-the-moroka-river/) - Spent a couple of nights camped by the Moroka River, one at Horseyard Flat. Beautiful weather. Great mid-week company. No-one but Della and the two Jack Russells, who were born in Australia, pay their taxes on dog food, vet supplies & etc, so are entitled to share our beautiful National Parks with us! A.B.Guthrie on
- [Fishing on a Bicycle](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/10/25/fishing-on-a-bicycle/) - What sort of weird place is New Hampshire – where you are allowed to go fishing on a bicycle. Really? SUVs should surely be compulsory: http://www.surflandbt.com/october-17-sams-first-keeper-and-the-fish-bicycle/
- [Mobile Phones](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/10/27/mobile-phones/) - Mobile Phones: so many things to know…When buying one you really need to check out the frequencies covered, eg it must have 3G = 850 to function on Telstra’s nextG network, which offers superior connectivity in rural areas. Nearly all Samsung phones have an external antenna connection point under the back cover (you may have
- [Mobile Phones & Apps for Hiking/Hunting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/10/27/mobile-phones-apps-for-bushwalking/) - Mobile Phones: so many things to know…When buying one you really need to check out the frequencies covered, eg it must have 3G = 850 to function on Telstra’s nextG network, which offers superior connectivity in rural areas. Nearly ALL Samsung phones have an external antenna connection point under the back cover (you MAY have
- [BCB Fishing Kit/Speedhooks](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/10/31/bcb-fishing-kit/) - I recently posted about the BCB Fishing Kit (10.5 grams). http://www.theultralighthiker.com/bcb-fishing-kit-as-good-as-it-gets/ The ‘Speedhook/s’ might be a useful addition to (a couple of) these. Pack of six US$20.95. Nothing like a set line overnight to provide for the hungry, lazy hiker that fish breakfast (or maybe platypus?) in paradise: http://www.speedhook.com/servlet/the-1/Speedhook/Detail
- [Tin Canoes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/11/01/tin-canoes/) - Tin Canoes: I have been canoeing for a long time now…over sixty years: When we were primary school age we used to make tin canoes out of a sheet of corrugated iron, usually tacked to a plank front and stern, tar-sealed, the side edges folded and hammered flat so we didn’t cut ourselves to pieces.
- [An excellent one person tent.](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/11/01/an-excellent-one-person-tent/) - This looks like an excellent one person tent: http://www.trekkertent.com/home/home/3-stealth.html A 1 person, 3 season tent weighing from 570 grams (20 oz) Available in Green 40D silnylon or Green 20D silpoly Foot panel door/vent option Bathtub height increased to 125mm (5") Side panel tie-outs fitted as standard 180 UK pounds (Mar 2018)
- [Canoeing the Macalister](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/11/02/canoeing-the-macalister/) - I guess one of the great pleasures of canoeing is that you so rarely see anyone else canoeing. In 25 years canoeing (various sections) of the Macalister (for example) we ran into other canoeists just once. On that occasion one of them stolemy spare paddle, which would have left me quite literally ‘up the creek…’
- [Western Tyers River - Great for Crays!](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/11/08/western-tyers-river-great-for-crays/) - Escaping the heat: The Western Tyers is the BEST place I know to spend a couple of hot days: nestled under the South face of Mt Baw Baw, enclosed by Antarctic Beech and majestic Mountain Ash, it is always a lovely spot on such a day. You can brave the icy water (if you dare)
- [Camping by Victorian Rivers & Streams](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/11/09/camping-by-victorian-rivers-streams/) - The Western Tyers is beautiful. Victoria (yet) has many other lovely rivers/streams where you can camp undisturbed (especially weekdays!) Some other examples: Latrobe (above Moe), Mitta (above Blue Duck), Avon (above Wombat Crossing), Haunted Stream, Nicholson (above Deptford), Snowy (above Orbost), Tambo (above Bruthen), Wellington (above Licola), Macalister (above Licola), Moroka (above Licola), Caledonia, Ben
- [Watch Bands for Hiking/Bushwalking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/11/13/watch-bands-for-hikingbushwalking/) - I bought these watch bands on eBay for $1.99. I think they are great because you don’t lose the watch if you snag it on some brush or a vine and tear out one of the pins (which happens). I also added a wrist compass ($3.99) which makes this Seiko auto-winder ($49.99) set-up just about
- [Leatherman Micra Multitool](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/11/14/leatherman-micra-multitool/) - The Leatherman Micra is the greatest mini-tool I have encountered so far (@51 grams). I always have one in my pocket AND in my hiking pack. NOTHING I have discovered is as good for cutting one’s toe-nails – a vital safety precaution on multi-day hikes when toe-nail problems can lead to disaster! http://www.leatherman.com/20.html If you
- [Lightweight Shelters](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/11/16/lightweight-shelters/) - Baggage: Most folks (seem to) like nothing better than lugging vast chunks of stuff around. They require huge boxes (buildings) to cram it into, and huge wheeled thingummies to cart it all around in, all of which usually means they WASTE vast chunks of time acquiring, paying for and maintaining it all (worrying about whether
- [Gerber Knives - light & cheap!](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/11/16/gerber-knives-light-cheap/) - Gerber Knives: For lightness (and cheapness) I recommend Gerber's LST series knives, the 'big' one is around 34 grams, with a blade of 6.7cm (2¼”) & the 'little' one is around 17 grams, with a blade of 5cm (1.9”) & I also like their Pocket Sharpener at around 14 grams. Both knives plus the sharpener shouldn’t set you
- [Thomson River Canoe Trip 2006 Video](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2006/03/10/thomson-river-canoe-trip-2006-video/) - Here is the unedited video I took with my (alas late) friend Steven Cleaver canoeing this wonderful river in 2006. It had somehow vanished from this website - how alarming! As a foretaste, here is Steve powering down one of the Thomson's signature rapids:
- [Hiking Poles](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/11/26/hiking-poles/) - I notice these folks have nice (light 113 grams) three-piece carbon fibre poles which telescope to 50cm thus fitting in your pack when not in use. I managed to lose one of my two-piece poles pushing through thick bush on the Mt Darling Track last week http://www.theultralighthiker.com/snowy-bluff-mt-darling-wilderness/. I was carrying it on the outside of
- [Trout Fly Rod Conversion for Hiking Pole](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/11/27/trout-fly-rod-conversion-for-hiking-pole/) - While you’re looking at ‘ruta locura’s’ web-site (Sp = crazy journey; I like!) you might notice their 'Tenkara Trout Fly Rod Conversion' for a hiking pole. Now that’s a good idea if you’re a keen fly fisher (as you ought be!): http://www.rutalocura.com/Tenkara.html The Clarkii rod is a telescoping Tenkara fly rod that attaches to a
- [Three Stags](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/03/04/three-stags/) - I just love living at Jeeralang. Every day there is something new or wonderful to see, sometimes several. On our evening walks we often see some deer. Usually I only have my phone, so I have lots of lousy shots of them. This evening I had my new camera. I had thought until recently that
- [Ultralight Multi Fuel Stove & Cookset](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/08/16/ultralight-multi-fuel-stove-cookset/) - 29 GRAM multi-fuel stove. I wouldn't have thought it could get any better than this: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1080275728/critter-cr2-multifuel-backpacking-camp-stove Well, it DOES... I bent three of these 1 gram titanium tent pegs (http://www.amazon.com/Terra-Nova-Titanium-Skewers-Pack/dp/B007POB8IC) carefully like this to make a cradle for this 450ml Vargo (insulated lip) cup (http://www.amazon.com/Terra-Nova-Titanium-Skewers-Pack/dp/B007POB8IC) @63 grams. All you need to add is a mini-Bic (11
- [The Year of the Dog](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2012/02/20/the-year-of-the-dog/) - This year was certainly also ‘The Year of the Dog’. Once we owned 17 dogs! A year ago we still had 8, a healthy number. We are now down to one (Tiny, our son's 12 year old Jack Russell). I decided to give away the last half dozen of my hounds to a young fellow hunter as
- [Ultralight Power Bank - Nitecore Chargers:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/02/04/ultralight-power-bank-nitecore-chargers/) - The Nitecore F2 Charger: 46.5 grams plus battery weight, eg two X 18650s at 48 grams each = 6800 Mah of charging for a weight penalty of 142.5 grams (not bad), but if you add a second pair of batteries (96 grams) you have 13600 Mah for 238.5 grams which is just about unbeatable. The
- [Knee Pillow](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/02/24/knee-pillow/) - I sleep on my side too (and have suffered from sciatica) but I must have enough padding of my own, so I have never needed one – but evidently lots of folks do. John Abela has helped out all such people who enjoy hiking with this DIY instructional on how to make your own inflatable
- [Woodcraft: George Washington Sears](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/02/06/woodcraft-george-washington-sears/) - ‘Go light; the lighter the better, so that you have the simplest material for health, comfort and enjoyment.’ So he said way back in 1884. A ten pound canoe way back then! There are so many treasures you can download for free from Project Gutenberg or the Internet Archive for example. I mentioned some others
- [It's that time of year again.](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/02/20/its-that-time-of-year-again/) - Della: ‘There are not enough hours in the day to pick and preserve nature's bounty from our garden. What we don't use, the birds will certainty appreciate. And because I am a total fruit loop, we are about to take some containers with us on our afternoon walk with the dogs to grab some of
- [Hiking in the Rain:](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/08/14/hiking-in-the-rain/) - This is a very useful article. The author (http://gossamergear.com/wp/rain-guide-to-backpacking) is certainly right that after a while you are bound to get soaked to the skin. This may mean you have to camp early to get yourself under a roof and warm up (See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-importance-of-a-roof/) or it can be avoided by using an umbrella or (I
- [Cheap Packrafting Daypack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/02/18/cheap-packrafting-daypack/) - Isn't Amazon wonderful? Jeff Bezos deserves to be the richest person who has ever lived (which he is!) When I was doing the post below I found this excellent cheap packrafting day pack for US$16.99 (Feb 2018) which just about has to be a 'must have' to add to the G4 free below. It even
- [Upper Yarra Walking Track](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/12/02/upper-yarra-walking-track/) - Checking out the Upper Yarra walking track with a view to doing the 82km walk from Warburton to Walhalla. We are trying to locate water sources as the information on the track is a couple of decades old. Scenery is just beautiful, and tonight we are camped on top of Mt Horsefall (1134 metres). The view
- [Upper Yarra Walking Track (Day 3)](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/12/03/upper-yarra-walking-track-day-3/) - Day 3 of our reconnaissance of the Upper Yarra walking track: We cannot believe that such an outstandingly beautiful area lies so close to home and, even more amazingly, so close to Melbourne. In the 3 days we saw only 3 other vehicles, none of which was recreational. We sorted out the available streams for
- [Upper Yarra & Australian Alps Walking Tracks](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/12/04/upper-yarra-australian-alps-walking-tracks-2/) - The Upper Yarra Walking Track (82 km) which extends from Warburton to Walhalla is Australia’s oldest walking track (1907). It has been neglected for a long time. There are no Government brochures or websites dedicated to it. There is a track description in the Siseman Book ‘The Australian Alps Walking Track’ (1988) which is
- [Upper Yarra & Australian Alps Walking Tracks](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/12/05/upper-yarra-australian-alps-walking-tracks/) - Upper Yarra Walking Track: Update 1: I reckon the best approach to this track for most people would be to catch a train to Moe, then a taxi to Erica. MTE have a charter service: http://www.mountaintopexperience.com/ If there are four hikers this should not cost more than @ $30 ea. Walk along the old
- [Personal Locator Beacon](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/12/07/personal-locator-beacon/) - 130 grams is not very much to carry to save your life, these GPS Personal Locator Beacons look very useful: http://www.equipped.org/blog/?p=284 See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/get-lost-get-found-plbepirb/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-poor-mans-satellite-phone/
- [The Keyring Reinvented](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/12/09/the-keyring-reinvented/) - These folk have reinvented the keyring: http://getkeysmart.com/
- [New steps to the old hound yards.](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/12/11/new-steps-to-the-old-hound-yards/) - I have been building a set of steps at the back of the house. Still not finished. They would have been such a boon for me for around 25 years of all those winter’s nights as I led hounds down that wet, slippery slope (and back) to take them hunting the majestic sambar in our wonderful
- [New Zpacks Sleeping Bag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/12/15/new-zpacks-sleeping-bag/) - My wife Della’s new Xmas sleeping bag has arrived. I used to be such an advocate of Montbell’s Ultralight Superstretch Down Hugger #3, a minus 1C bag - mine (recently) washed weighs 738 grams in its compression bag on my scales; still a great bag. Della’s new Zpacks Medium, Regular, -7C weighs 499 grams in its
- [Spotted Pardalote](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/12/20/spotted-pardalote/) - This morning walking down to the creek to check on the pump I spied a young pair of these Spotted Pardalotes which have obviously taken up residence in our roadside plantation. It is so encouraging to see such birds taking advantage of all our work:

## Pages

- [Ultralight Gear](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-gear/)
- [Store](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/store/) - Welcome to TheUltralightHiker Shop Page. NB: Prices are in Australian Dollars. Price does not include freight but does include GST. I am still working on this page and what will be offered (soon) so please check back. The page is not completely working yet, but you should be able to buy some things and pay
- [Cart](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/cart/)
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- [About](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/about/) - Hi, my name is Steve Jones. I have been hiking, hunting, canoeing etc now for nearer seventy years, and am still doing so – though a little more slowly than I once did. Here I am in April 2017, age 68, moose 'hunting' (with a camera) in the Hauroko Burn, Fiordland NZ. My wife Della
- [Links](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/links/) - Zpacks Custom Ultralight Gear: http://www.zpacks.com/
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## Store Items

- [Deer Hunter's Tent Pattern and Instructions Available Now](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/store/deer-hunters-tent-pattern-and-instructions/) - The Deer Hunter\'s Tent: I have just been making a new version of this tent in some 1.25 oz silnylon I bought from China for $4/metre. This makes a roof at exactly 274 grams ( have weighed it) in a stretched version which I will be posting about soon (plus patterns to download). It allows for a ‘bed’ area of more than 7′ x 5′ plus a vestibule, so about 45 square feet all up.. This roof area would weigh 205 grams in the .93 oz fabric (US$8/yd) and 170 in the .77 (US$16/yd). I doubt the double cost is worth the 30 grams saving. When I add a floor to the existing roof the whole thing will weigh around 420 grams (including tie-outs). In the .93 fabric the tent with floor it will weigh 304 grams (250 for the .77 oz)In cuben you could go even (slightly) lighter but it is very expensive at around $30/yd (http://www.zpacks.com/materials.shtml)and very fragile. I have a piece I can salvage from another project so I may make a cuben model with a .93oz silnylon poncho floor – I expected the whole thing (including floor) would weigh under 250 grams after I have made another one in Tyvek to get the measurements just exact. This one was the prototype. Not bad for a two person tent though!The waterproof section of the floor would only be roughly 5’ by 7’ ( or anyway the size of the poncho), less a bit so that you get a ‘bathtub floor’ effect (if you use a poncho). However, there is also a floorless ‘vestibule area of about 7 square feet for dogs, and gear stowage. I expect if you are vertically challenged like us you will have plenty of room to shove bits and pieces at the ends and side.
- [Combo Hammock Tarp/Tent Pattern & Instructions Coming Soon](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/store/combo-hammock-tarptent-pattern/) - Home / Shop Combo Hammock Tarp/Tent Pattern & Instructions Coming Soon AUD $10.00 Home / Shop Combo Hammock Tarp/Tent Pattern & Instructions Coming Soon AUD $10.00 Model Number: Combo-Hammock-TarpTent-Pattern Maximum quantity exceeded Minimum purchase amount of 0 is required Maximum purchase amount of 0 is allowed Your Price: AUD $10.00 10.000 A one-time price of
- [DIY 40 Litre Backpack Pattern & Instructions Coming Soon](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/store/diy-40-litre-backpack-pattern/) - Home / Shop DIY 40 Litre Backpack Pattern & Instructions Coming Soon AUD $10.00 Home / Shop DIY 40 Litre Backpack Pattern & Instructions Coming Soon AUD $10.00 Model Number: DIY-Backpack-Pattern Maximum quantity exceeded Minimum purchase amount of 0 is required Maximum purchase amount of 0 is allowed Your Price: AUD $10.00 10.000 A one-time
- [5 Gram Titanium Shepherd's Hook Tent Pegs x 12](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/store/titanium-shepherds-hook-tent-pegs/) - Pack of twelve 3mm x 150mm shepherd\'s hook titanium alloy tent pegs. 5.5 grams each.
- [3 Gram Ultralight Tent Pegs x 12](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/store/ultralight-tent-pegs/) - Pack of twelve 2mm x 165mm titanium tent pegs. 3.0 grams each.
- [Pytitans](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/store/pytitans-1/) - View 10 25 50 Showing all 1 Results Default Sorting Price Low-High Price High-Low Title A-Z Title Z-A Newest Oldest Best Rating Most Viewed Product successfully added to your cart. View Cart 5 Gram Titanium Shepherd's Hook Tent Pegs x 12 5 Gram Titanium Shepherd's Hook Tent Pegs x 12 AUD $27.22 ADD TO CART
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- [](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/store/) - No Results Found
- [Poncho Tent Pattern & Instructions Coming Soon](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/store/poncho-tent/) - I have completed my poncho tent in 1.3 oz/yd2 silnylon. It weighs a mere 185 grams – as you can see, and fits in my pocket – as the name suggests and the pictures show! In Ripstopbytheroll’s .77 ozyd2 Mountain silnylon it will weigh 109 grams. This may be the smallest tent in the world unless I make it out of .32oz/yd2 cuben fibre, in which case it will weigh about 75 grams and probably fit in my fob pocket! It requires 9 pegs (54 grams) and two guys to set it up in front of a warm fire.
- [DIY 55 Litre Backpack Pattern & Instructions Coming Soon](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/store/diy-55-litre-backpack-pattern/) - Home / Shop DIY 55 Litre Backpack Pattern & Instructions Coming Soon AUD $10.00 Home / Shop DIY 55 Litre Backpack Pattern & Instructions Coming Soon AUD $10.00 Model Number: DIY-55-Litre-Backpack-Pattern Maximum quantity exceeded Minimum purchase amount of 0 is required Maximum purchase amount of 0 is allowed Your Price: AUD $10.00 10.000 A one-time
- [7 x7 Poncho Multi Tarp Pattern & Instructions Coming Soon](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/store/7-x7-poncho-multi-tarp-pattern/) - Home / Shop 7 x7 Poncho Multi Tarp Pattern & Instructions Coming Soon AUD $10.00 Home / Shop 7 x7 Poncho Multi Tarp Pattern & Instructions Coming Soon AUD $10.00 Model Number: 7-x7-Poncho-Multi-Tarp-Pattern Maximum quantity exceeded Minimum purchase amount of 0 is required Maximum purchase amount of 0 is allowed Your Price: AUD $10.00 10.000
- [10 x 10 Shelter + Hammock Tarp Pattern & Instructions Coming Soon](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/store/10-x-10-shelter-hammock-tarp/) - Silnylon Hammock Tarp That\'s what I called it when I made it back in 2020 anyway. It can be set up in several different ways, and you will no doubt discover others. You can use it as a fully enclosed (fire) tent for two but you will have to add some material to the floor area ( a piece of polycro etc) or you can use it as a hammock tarp for one or two people.I managed to source this (approx 43 gsm) silnylon from a Chinese supplier for US$2.50 per metre. There are 6 metres here (or US$15 worth) plus some gross-grain ribbon for the tie-outs and reinforcing, some glow in the dark guyline and some similar clam cleats. Less than US$20 worth anyway – and a few hours sewing. Good practice as a beginner project. I used heavier ribbon for the tie-outs and reinforcing than I usually do as it was what I had (and I don’t want to go on any unnecessary shopping trips because of the quarantine just now). It will make it stronger anyway (if maybe 50 grams heavier).The 8′ x 5′ spinnaker fabric floor weighs 101 grams. The 18 (approx 8 grams ea) pegs (so I can double up on all windward anchor points) weigh 153 grams including their stuff sack. The stuff sack/s weigh approx 7 grams.The tent alone weighs 527 grams (with guys and luminous line locks). Obviously it could weigh less out of 1 oz fabric or even .77 oz fabric probably 375 grams. Anyway I would save 152 grams on the fabric alone. I could also carry many fewer pegs – or none at all (and make them out of bush sticks (as with the pole).I could also use a lighter (and smaller) groundsheet, eg Polycro at perhaps 25 grams (so down another 76 grams) – so it could be 375 + 25 grams = 400 grams. Pretty good for a tent for two you can stand up in which can also be used as a hammock tarp. I guess the guys could also be lighter, or shorter…but sometimes I like something which is no trouble and which I know is bullet-proof.Even in this weight fabric, if I left the floor and pegs at home it could weigh about 550 grams in my pack. Its total length is 10′ (3 metres) and at its widest point it is 7′ 6″ (2.3 metres). Lots of room for two people, two small dogs and lots of gear. If I carry one hammock my shelter will still be under 750 grams.
- [The Ultralight Hiker](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/store/the-ultralight-hiker-2/) - No Results Found
- [The Ultralight Hiker](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/store/the-ultralight-hiker/) - View 10 25 50 Showing all 7 Results Default Sorting Price Low-High Price High-Low Title A-Z Title Z-A Newest Oldest Best Rating Most Viewed Product successfully added to your cart. View Cart 7 x7 Poncho Multi Tarp Pattern & Instructions Coming Soon 7 x7 Poncho Multi Tarp Pattern & Instructions Coming Soon AUD $10.00 ADD

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- [Latrobe River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/rivers/latrobe-river/)
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- [South Coast Track (Fiordland)](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/new-zealand/fiordland/south-coast-track-fiordland/)
- [Waitutu Lodge](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/new-zealand/fiordland/south-coast-track-fiordland/waitutu-lodge/)
- [Wairaurahiri River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/new-zealand/fiordland/south-coast-track-fiordland/wairaurahiri-river/)
- [Lake Hauroko](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/new-zealand/fiordland/south-coast-track-fiordland/lake-hauroko/)
- [Jetboating](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/jetboating/)
- [Automotive](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/equipment/automotive/)
- [Bucket List](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/bucket-list/)
- [Waitutu River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/new-zealand/fiordland/south-coast-track-fiordland/waitutu-river/)
- [Books & Films](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/booksandfilms/)
- [Tyers River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/rivers/tyers-river/)
- [Wirilda Track](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/walking-tracks-in-victoria/wirilda-track/)
- [Fishing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/fishing/)
- [How To Guide](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/how-to-guide/)
- [Guns & Bows](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/equipment/guns-bows/)
- [Repair Kit](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/equipment/repair-kit/)
- [River Crossings](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/river-crossings/)
- [Weather](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/equipment/weather/)
- [Macalister River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/rivers/macalister-river/)
- [Tarwin River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/rivers/tarwin-river/)
- [Wonnangatta River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/rivers/wonnangatta-river/)
- [Overseas](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/overseas/)
- [Canada](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/overseas/canada/)
- [Kazan River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/overseas/canada/kazan-river/)
- [United Kingdom](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/overseas/united-kingdom/)
- [Dusky Track](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/new-zealand/fiordland/dusky-track/)
- [Wildlife (Australia)](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/wildlife-australia/)
- [GPS](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/equipment/electronics/gps/)
- [Fishing Tools](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/equipment/fishing-tools/)
- [Hiking Poles](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/equipment/hiking-poles/)
- [Snowy Bluff - Mt Darling](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/walking-tracks-in-victoria/snowy-bluff-mt-darling/)
- [Survival Kit](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/equipment/survival-kit/)
- [Moroka Falls Track](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/walking-tracks-in-victoria/moroka-falls-track/)
- [Moroka River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/rivers/moroka-river/)
- [George Bass Coastal Walk](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/walking-tracks-in-victoria/george-bass-coastal-walk/)
- [Jordan River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/rivers/jordan-river/)
- [Four Wheel Driving](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/four-wheel-driving/)
- [McKenzie River Rainforest](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/rainforests-in-victoria/mckenzie-river-rainforest/)
- [Drummer Rainforest](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/rainforests-in-victoria/drummer-rainforest/)
- [Combienbar Rainforest](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/rainforests-in-victoria/combienbar-rainforest/)
- [Wingan Inlet](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/coastalareasofvictoria/wingan-inlet/)
- [Point Hicks](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/coastalareasofvictoria/point-hicks/)
- [Thurra River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/rivers/thurra-river/)
- [Mt. Useful](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/mountainareasofvictoria/mt-useful/)
- [Snow](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/snow/)
- [Canoeing / Boating Gear](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/equipment/canoeing-boating-gear/)
- [Queensland](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/queensland/)
- [Cairns](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/queensland/cairns/)
- [Hastie's Swamp](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/queensland/cairns/hasties-swamp/)
- [Babinda Boulders](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/queensland/cairns/babinda-boulders/)
- [Curtain & Cathedral Fig](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/queensland/cairns/curtain-cathedral-fig/)
- [Moho Creek Crater](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/queensland/cairns/moho-creek-crater/)
- [Tablelands](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/queensland/cairns/tablelands/)
- [Crystal Cave](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/queensland/cairns/crystal-cave/)
- [Josephine Falls](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/queensland/cairns/josephine-falls/)
- [Rainforests in Victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/rainforests-in-victoria/)
- [Coastal Areas of Victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/coastalareasofvictoria/)
- [Mountain Areas of Victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/mountainareasofvictoria/)
- [Moroka National Park](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/mountainareasofvictoria/moroka-national-park/)
- [Blowholes Beach](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/new-zealand/fiordland/south-coast-track-fiordland/blowholes-beach/)
- [Loch Marie](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/new-zealand/fiordland/dusky-track/loch-marie/)
- [Dusky Sound](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/new-zealand/fiordland/dusky-track/dusky-sound/)
- [Lake Roe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/new-zealand/fiordland/dusky-track/lake-roe/)
- [Morwell River / Morwell River Falls](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/rivers/morwell-river-morwell-river-falls/)
- [Wilsons Prom](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/coastalareasofvictoria/wilsons-prom/)
- [Grand Strzelecki Track](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/walking-tracks-in-victoria/grand-strzelecki-track/)
- [USA](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/usa/)
- [Blond Bay](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/coastalareasofvictoria/blond-bay/)
- [Lake Tyers](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/coastalareasofvictoria/lake-tyers/)
- [Snowy River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/rivers/snowy-river/)
- [Farming, Home & Gardening](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/farmhomeandgarden/)
- [Tasmania](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/tasmania/)
- [South Coast Track (Tasmania)](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/tasmania/south-coast-track-tasmania/)
- [Inspiring People](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/inspiring-people/)
- [Great Ocean Road](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/victoria/coastalareasofvictoria/great-ocean-road/)
- [Tamar Valley](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/australia/tasmania/tamar-valley/)
- [DIY](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/diy/)
- [woodlore](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/woodlore/)
- [EBC](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/category/ebc/)

## Tags

- [Fiordland](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/fiordland/)
- [Ultralight Hiking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hiking/)
- [Hiking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking/)
- [Wilkin-Young Track](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/wilkin-young-track/)
- [Waitutu Lodge](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/waitutu-lodge/)
- [Port Craig](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/port-craig/)
- [Percy Burn Hut](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/percy-burn-hut/)
- [Blowholes Beach](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/blowholes-beach/)
- [South Coast Track](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/south-coast-track/)
- [Waitutu River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/waitutu-river/)
- [Wairaurahiri River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/wairaurahiri-river/)
- [The Upper Yarra Walking Track](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/the-upper-yarra-walking-track/)
- [Gippsland](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gippsland/)
- [Victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/victoria/)
- [Australia](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/australia/)
- [Walhalla](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/walhalla/)
- [Warburton](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/warburton/)
- [Lilydale](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lilydale/)
- [Moe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/moe/)
- [Latrobe River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/latrobe-river/)
- [Tyers River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/tyers-river/)
- [Thompson River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/thompson-river/)
- [Yallourn North](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/yallourn-north/)
- [Erica](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/erica/)
- [Baw Baw](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/baw-baw/)
- [Yarra Falls](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/yarra-falls/)
- [Mr Horsefall](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/mr-horsefall/)
- [Tanjil River](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/tanjil-river/)
- [Places to See](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/places-to-see/)
- [laybag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/laybag/)
- [sambar](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/sambar/)
- [hunting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hunting/)
- [deer](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/deer/)
- [vistoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/vistoria/)
- [cloud forest](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/cloud-forest/)
- [Tyvek Tent](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/tyvek-tent/)
- [Ultralight Backpack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-backpack/)
- [Ultralight Backpacking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-backpacking/)
- [deer hunting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/deer-hunting/)
- [survival](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/survival/)
- [Victoria walking trails](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/victoria-walking-trails/)
- [ultralight pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-pack/)
- [pack raft](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/pack-raft/)
- [ultralight glasses](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-glasses/)
- [ultralight hiking pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hiking-pad/)
- [insulated hiking pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/insulated-hiking-pad/)
- [wide hiking pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/wide-hiking-pad/)
- [vapor barrier](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/vapor-barrier/)
- [canoeing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/canoeing/)
- [ultralight canoeing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-canoeing/)
- [everest base camp](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/everest-base-camp/)
- [ultralight clothing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-clothing/)
- [ultralight sleeping](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-sleeping/)
- [ultralight shoes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-shoes/)
- [ultralight sleeping pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-sleeping-pad/)
- [Ultralight Repairs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-repairs/)
- [ultralight torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-torch/)
- [ultralight DIY](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-diy/)
- [frogs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/frogs/)
- [Yinnar](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/yinnar/)
- [wildlife Australia](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/wildlife-australia/)
- [ultralight face mask](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-face-mask/)
- [cold weather camping](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/cold-weather-camping/)
- [Khumbu Cough](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/khumbu-cough/)
- [Coldavenger](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/coldavenger/)
- [Escape Bivy](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/escape-bivy/)
- [survival shelters](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/survival-shelters/)
- [self threading needles](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/self-threading-needles/)
- [easy threading needles](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/easy-threading-needles/)
- [Ultralight hiking repairs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hiking-repairs/)
- [ultralight hiking water](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hiking-water/)
- [Foam Kayak](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/foam-kayak/)
- [DIY canoe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-canoe/)
- [ultralight canoe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-canoe/)
- [ultralight paddle](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-paddle/)
- [ultralight packraft](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-packraft/)
- [Ultralight Sleeping Bag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-sleeping-bag/)
- [Adding Down to Sleeping Bags](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/adding-down-to-sleeping-bags/)
- [Trekking in Nepal](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/trekking-in-nepal/)
- [Three Passes Circuit](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/three-passes-circuit/)
- [Powerfilm USB +Aa Solar Charger](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/powerfilm-usb-aa-solar-charger/)
- [Ultralight Solar Charger](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-solar-charger/)
- [Ultralight Hiking Charging](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hiking-charging/)
- [Attaching Solar Charger to Your Pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/attaching-solar-charger-to-your-pack/)
- [lever action](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lever-action/)
- [lever action shotgun](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lever-action-shotgun/)
- [Adler shot gun](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/adler-shot-gun/)
- [water filtration](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/water-filtration/)
- [Sawyer Mini](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/sawyer-mini/)
- [Sawyer water filter](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/sawyer-water-filter/)
- [purify water](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/purify-water/)
- [ultralight water filter](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-water-filter/)
- [cleaning water filter](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/cleaning-water-filter/)
- [cleaning sawyer watre filter](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/cleaning-sawyer-watre-filter/)
- [Sawyer Mini water filter](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/sawyer-mini-water-filter/)
- [hiking water filter](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-water-filter/)
- [hiking deslalinator](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-deslalinator/)
- [lightweight water filter](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightweight-water-filter/)
- [lightweight deslalinator](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightweight-deslalinator/)
- [survival water sources](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/survival-water-sources/)
- [drinking water from dew](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/drinking-water-from-dew/)
- [harvesting dew](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/harvesting-dew/)
- [survival still](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/survival-still/)
- [ultralight desalinator](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-desalinator/)
- [hiking desalinator](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-desalinator/)
- [fresh water from the sea](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/fresh-water-from-the-sea/)
- [fresh water from salt](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/fresh-water-from-salt/)
- [ultralight sandals](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-sandals/)
- [ultralight hut booties](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hut-booties/)
- [DIY shoes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-shoes/)
- [DIY hut booties](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-hut-booties/)
- [DIY sandals](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-sandals/)
- [ultralight shoe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-shoe/)
- [ultralight sandal](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-sandal/)
- [ultralight hut bootie](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hut-bootie/)
- [ultralight camp shoe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-camp-shoe/)
- [DIY cam shoe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-cam-shoe/)
- [DIY hut bootie](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-hut-bootie/)
- [DIY sanda](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-sanda/)
- [DIY sandal](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-sandal/)
- [ultalight booties](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultalight-booties/)
- [DIY camp shoe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-camp-shoe/)
- [adler lever action](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/adler-lever-action/)
- [koala](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/koala/)
- [echidna](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/echidna/)
- [Nepal trekking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/nepal-trekking/)
- [Three passes trek](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/three-passes-trek/)
- [everest Base camp Trek](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/everest-base-camp-trek/)
- [ultralight cu](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-cu/)
- [ultralight cookset](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-cookset/)
- [ultralight cooking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-cooking/)
- [sea to summit](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/sea-to-summit/)
- [ultralight compression sack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-compression-sack/)
- [ultrasil compession sack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultrasil-compession-sack/)
- [sea to summit compression sack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/sea-to-summit-compression-sack/)
- [ultralight pillow](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-pillow/)
- [hiking pillow](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-pillow/)
- [lightweight pillow](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightweight-pillow/)
- [best hiking pillow](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-hiking-pillow/)
- [backpacking pillow](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-pillow/)
- [ultra light backpacking pillow](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultra-light-backpacking-pillow/)
- [satellite phone](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/satellite-phone/)
- [ultralight satelite phone](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-satelite-phone/)
- [lightest satellite phone](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-satellite-phone/)
- [best satellite phone](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-satellite-phone/)
- [thuraya satellite phone](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/thuraya-satellite-phone/)
- [ultralight hiking chair](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hiking-chair/)
- [ultralight backpacking chair](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-backpacking-chair/)
- [lightest backpacking chair](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-backpacking-chair/)
- [lightest hiking chair](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-hiking-chair/)
- [hiking seat](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-seat/)
- [lighweight hiking seat](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lighweight-hiking-seat/)
- [lightest hiking seat](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-hiking-seat/)
- [diy hiking chair](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-hiking-chair/)
- [diy hiking seat](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-hiking-seat/)
- [diy backpacking chair](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-backpacking-chair/)
- [diy backpacking seat](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-backpacking-seat/)
- [hiking advice](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-advice/)
- [ultralight backpacking advice](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-backpacking-advice/)
- [ultralight hiking advice](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hiking-advice/)
- [gossamer grear gorilla](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gossamer-grear-gorilla/)
- [gorilla review](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gorilla-review/)
- [gossamer gear gorilla review](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gossamer-gear-gorilla-review/)
- [best ultralight backpack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-ultralight-backpack/)
- [best hiking pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-hiking-pack/)
- [best backpacking pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-backpacking-pack/)
- [gossamer gear](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gossamer-gear/)
- [packrafting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/packrafting/)
- [pack rafting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/pack-rafting/)
- [gossamer gear gorilla](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gossamer-gear-gorilla/)
- [extending your pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/extending-your-pack/)
- [pack extension](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/pack-extension/)
- [pack tie down](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/pack-tie-down/)
- [pack straps](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/pack-straps/)
- [gear straps](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gear-straps/)
- [ultralight pack straps](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-pack-straps/)
- [lightweight back pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightweight-back-pack/)
- [diy pack instructions](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-pack-instructions/)
- [diy hiking pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-hiking-pack/)
- [gossamer gear pack gossamer gear](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gossamer-gear-pack-gossamer-gear/)
- [hammock hunting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hammock-hunting/)
- [hammock camping](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hammock-camping/)
- [ultralight hammock](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hammock/)
- [hammock tarp](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hammock-tarp/)
- [ultralight tarp](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-tarp/)
- [ultralight hunting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hunting/)
- [lightweight deer hunting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightweight-deer-hunting/)
- [hammock comfort](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hammock-comfort/)
- [hammock pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hammock-pad/)
- [hammock shoulders](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hammock-shoulders/)
- [cold weather hammock](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/cold-weather-hammock/)
- [hammock set up](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hammock-set-up/)
- [hammock instructions](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hammock-instructions/)
- [diy hammock](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-hammock/)
- [lightest hammock](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-hammock/)
- [ray mears](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ray-mears/)
- [survival advice](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/survival-advice/)
- [best hiking advice](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-hiking-advice/)
- [backpacking advice](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-advice/)
- [ultralight advice](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-advice/)
- [camping advice](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/camping-advice/)
- [mobile phone repairs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/mobile-phone-repairs/)
- [magnetise screwdriver](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/magnetise-screwdriver/)
- [magnetic screwdriver](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/magnetic-screwdriver/)
- [insect netting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/insect-netting/)
- [ultralightinsect netting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralightinsect-netting/)
- [ultralight head net](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-head-net/)
- [backpacking head net](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-head-net/)
- [backpacking insect protection](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-insect-protection/)
- [ultralight insect netting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-insect-netting/)
- [diy insect netting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-insect-netting/)
- [insect protection](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/insect-protection/)
- [insects and camping](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/insects-and-camping/)
- [how to avoid insects](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/how-to-avoid-insects/)
- [gippsland forgs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gippsland-forgs/)
- [victorian amphibia](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/victorian-amphibia/)
- [gippsland frogs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gippsland-frogs/)
- [bushbuddy stove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/bushbuddy-stove/)
- [wood burner stove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/wood-burner-stove/)
- [wood hiking stove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/wood-hiking-stove/)
- [ultralight hiking stove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hiking-stove/)
- [multi fue;l stove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/multi-fuel-stove/)
- [backpacking stove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-stove/)
- [fuelless stove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/fuelless-stove/)
- [fuel free stove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/fuel-free-stove/)
- [light weight stove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/light-weight-stove/)
- [hiking stove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-stove/)
- [wood fuel stove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/wood-fuel-stove/)
- [gasifier stove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gasifier-stove/)
- [suluk stove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/suluk-stove/)
- [egg ring stove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/egg-ring-stove/)
- [cladera cone](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/cladera-cone/)
- [modify hiking pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/modify-hiking-pad/)
- [shorten hiking pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/shorten-hiking-pad/)
- [shorten neoair](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/shorten-neoair/)
- [Modify Thermarest](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/modify-thermarest/)
- [re-size ultralight pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/re-size-ultralight-pad/)
- [Repair Noeair](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/repair-noeair/)
- [Repair neoair](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/repair-neoair/)
- [re-size hiking pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/re-size-hiking-pad/)
- [pimp hiking pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/pimp-hiking-pad/)
- [DIY ultralight hiking pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-ultralight-hiking-pad/)
- [hiking pad life kacket](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-pad-life-kacket/)
- [hiking pad life jacket](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-pad-life-jacket/)
- [Australian birds](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/australian-birds/)
- [Victorian birds](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/victorian-birds/)
- [grey thrush](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/grey-thrush/)
- [song thrush](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/song-thrush/)
- [7 gram tie down](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/7-gram-tie-down/)
- [7 gram pack straps](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/7-gram-pack-straps/)
- [ultralight pack tie downs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-pack-tie-downs/)
- [attaching straps to your pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/attaching-straps-to-your-pack/)
- [attaching packraft](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/attaching-packraft/)
- [carrying packraft](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/carrying-packraft/)
- [tying packraft](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/tying-packraft/)
- [attaching extra gear to your pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/attaching-extra-gear-to-your-pack/)
- [carrying extra gear with your pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/carrying-extra-gear-with-your-pack/)
- [zpacks ultalight pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/zpacks-ultalight-pack/)
- [zpacks pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/zpacks-pack/)
- [zpacks zero pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/zpacks-zero-pack/)
- [zpacks cuben fibre pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/zpacks-cuben-fibre-pack/)
- [zpacks Blast pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/zpacks-blast-pack/)
- [lineloks](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lineloks/)
- [line locks](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/line-locks/)
- [clam cleats](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/clam-cleats/)
- [Klymit pack raft](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/klymit-pack-raft/)
- [ultralight pack raft](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-pack-raft/)
- [klymit litewater dinghy](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/klymit-litewater-dinghy/)
- [klymit](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/klymit/)
- [klymit air beam pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/klymit-air-beam-pad/)
- [air beam pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/air-beam-pad/)
- [ultralight glasses case](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-glasses-case/)
- [lightest glasses case](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-glasses-case/)
- [how to carry spare glasses](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/how-to-carry-spare-glasses/)
- [protect glasses from breaking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/protect-glasses-from-breaking/)
- [carry glasses when hiking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/carry-glasses-when-hiking/)
- [hiking with glasses](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-with-glasses/)
- [ultralight hiking glasses](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hiking-glasses/)
- [backpacking glasses](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-glasses/)
- [backpacking glasses case](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-glasses-case/)
- [12 gram glasses case](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/12-gram-glasses-case/)
- [Stephensons Warmlite](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/stephensons-warmlite/)
- [insulated backpacking pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/insulated-backpacking-pad/)
- [insulated sleeping pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/insulated-sleeping-pad/)
- [down filled pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/down-filled-pad/)
- [wide sleeping pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/wide-sleeping-pad/)
- [wide backpacking pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/wide-backpacking-pad/)
- [down filled air mattress](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/down-filled-air-mattress/)
- [insulated air mattress](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/insulated-air-mattress/)
- [vapor barrier clothing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/vapor-barrier-clothing/)
- [warmlite](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/warmlite/)
- [Stephenson's](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/stephensons/)
- [va[or barrier sox](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/vaor-barrier-sox/)
- [vapor barrier socks](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/vapor-barrier-socks/)
- [how vapor barrier works](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/how-vapor-barrier-works/)
- [vapor barrier hiking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/vapor-barrier-hiking/)
- [vapor barrier backpacking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/vapor-barrier-backpacking/)
- [dry sleeping bag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/dry-sleeping-bag/)
- [keep sleeping bag dry](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/keep-sleeping-bag-dry/)
- [prevent sweat](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/prevent-sweat/)
- [preventing sweat while hiking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/preventing-sweat-while-hiking/)
- [prevent sweat while backpacking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/prevent-sweat-while-backpacking/)
- [kokopelli pack raft](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/kokopelli-pack-raft/)
- [hornet lite pack rafultralight pack raft](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hornet-lite-pack-rafultralight-pack-raft/)
- [alpacka pack raft](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/alpacka-pack-raft/)
- [hornet lite pack raft](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hornet-lite-pack-raft/)
- [packraft](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/packraft/)
- [eveerest base camp trek](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/eveerest-base-camp-trek/)
- [nepal trek](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/nepal-trek/)
- [trek](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/trek/)
- [trekking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/trekking/)
- [himalayan trekking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/himalayan-trekking/)
- [himalaya backpack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/himalaya-backpack/)
- [himalaya ultralight](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/himalaya-ultralight/)
- [himalaya hike](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/himalaya-hike/)
- [everest hike](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/everest-hike/)
- [everest backpack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/everest-backpack/)
- [judith wright](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/judith-wright/)
- [the sisters](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/the-sisters/)
- [montbell clothing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/montbell-clothing/)
- [ultralight down](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-down/)
- [ultralight thermal](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-thermal/)
- [montbell](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/montbell/)
- [montbell australia](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/montbell-australia/)
- [larry adler](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/larry-adler/)
- [super spiral down hugger](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/super-spiral-down-hugger/)
- [ultralight down jacket](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-down-jacket/)
- [ultralight jacket](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-jacket/)
- [ultralight vest](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-vest/)
- [down vest](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/down-vest/)
- [900 fill power down jacket](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/900-fill-power-down-jacket/)
- [montbell superior down](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/montbell-superior-down/)
- [suoerior down jacket superior down vest](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/suoerior-down-jacket-superior-down-vest/)
- [ultralight thongs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-thongs/)
- [ultraligth river shoes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultraligth-river-shoes/)
- [ultralight trail shoes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-trail-shoes/)
- [ultralight backpacking shoes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-backpacking-shoes/)
- [lightest hiking shoes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-hiking-shoes/)
- [hut booties](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hut-booties/)
- [camp shoes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/camp-shoes/)
- [lightest camp shoes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-camp-shoes/)
- [ultralight camp shoes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-camp-shoes/)
- [earthquake sandals](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/earthquake-sandals/)
- [bedrock sandals](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/bedrock-sandals/)
- [diy camp shoe lightest camp shoe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-camp-shoe-lightest-camp-shoe/)
- [lightest hut bootie](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-hut-bootie/)
- [lightest thongs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-thongs/)
- [lightest sandals](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-sandals/)
- [backpacking sandals](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-sandals/)
- [backpacking thongs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-thongs/)
- [hiking sandals](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-sandals/)
- [hiking thongs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-thongs/)
- [15 gram shoe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/15-gram-shoe/)
- [15 gram sandal](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/15-gram-sandal/)
- [15 gram thong](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/15-gram-thong/)
- [yinnar victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/yinnar-victoria/)
- [jeeralang junction victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/jeeralang-junction-victoria/)
- [latrobe valley victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/latrobe-valley-victoria/)
- [morwell river victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/morwell-river-victoria/)
- [hazelwood victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hazelwood-victoria/)
- [big agnes sleeping pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/big-agnes-sleeping-pad/)
- [big agnes q core](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/big-agnes-q-core/)
- [wide sleeping pad thickest sleeping pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/wide-sleeping-pad-thickest-sleeping-pad/)
- [most comfortable sleepoing pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/most-comfortable-sleepoing-pad/)
- [sleepoingg pad review](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/sleepoingg-pad-review/)
- [sleeping pad review](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/sleeping-pad-review/)
- [most comfortable sleeping pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/most-comfortable-sleeping-pad/)
- [widest sleeping pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/widest-sleeping-pad/)
- [thickest sleeping pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/thickest-sleeping-pad/)
- [wide speeing pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/wide-speeing-pad/)
- [sleeping pad width](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/sleeping-pad-width/)
- [sleeping pad thickness](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/sleeping-pad-thickness/)
- [hiking repair](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-repair/)
- [hiking repair tape backpacking repairs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-repair-tape-backpacking-repairs/)
- [backpacking repair tape](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-repair-tape/)
- [repair tent](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/repair-tent/)
- [repair sleeping bag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/repair-sleeping-bag/)
- [repair pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/repair-pack/)
- [best repair tape](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-repair-tape/)
- [lightest repair tape](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-repair-tape/)
- [tenacious tape](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/tenacious-tape/)
- [nitecore](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/nitecore/)
- [nitecore torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/nitecore-torch/)
- [nitecore tube](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/nitecore-tube/)
- [ultralighttorch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralighttorch/)
- [ultralight head torch lightest head torch rechargeable head torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-head-torch-lightest-head-torch-rechargeable-head-torch/)
- [ultralight head torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-head-torch/)
- [lightest head torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-head-torch/)
- [rechareanble head torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/rechareanble-head-torch/)
- [rechargeable head torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/rechargeable-head-torch/)
- [11 gram head torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/11-gram-head-torch/)
- [10 gram head torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/10-gram-head-torch/)
- [gram head torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gram-head-torch/)
- [diy head torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-head-torch/)
- [smallest head torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/smallest-head-torch/)
- [backp[acking head torch hiking head torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-head-torch-hiking-head-torch/)
- [backpacking head torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-head-torch/)
- [hiking head torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-head-torch/)
- [best head torch for hiking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-head-torch-for-hiking/)
- [best head torch for backpacking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-head-torch-for-backpacking/)
- [modify nitecore](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/modify-nitecore/)
- [diy hiking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-hiking/)
- [diy backpacking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-backpacking/)
- [rush burner](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/rush-burner/)
- [grass burner](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/grass-burner/)
- [fire lighter](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/fire-lighter/)
- [h8iking stove uses](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/h8iking-stove-uses/)
- [hiking stove uses](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-stove-uses/)
- [victoria frogs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/victoria-frogs/)
- [victoria amphibians](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/victoria-amphibians/)
- [australia frogs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/australia-frogs/)
- [australia amphibians](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/australia-amphibians/)
- [warm nose](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/warm-nose/)
- [warm air](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/warm-air/)
- [cold air hiking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/cold-air-hiking/)
- [cold air backpacking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/cold-air-backpacking/)
- [warm face mask](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/warm-face-mask/)
- [spiral eye needle](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/spiral-eye-needle/)
- [calyxeye needle](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/calyxeye-needle/)
- [easy needle](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/easy-needle/)
- [diy sewing repairs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-sewing-repairs/)
- [how to thread a needle](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/how-to-thread-a-needle/)
- [needle thread](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/needle-thread/)
- [hiking needle](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-needle/)
- [backpacking needle](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-needle/)
- [backpacking repair kit](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-repair-kit/)
- [hiking rep[air kit](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-repair-kit/)
- [hiking repairs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-repairs/)
- [backpacking repairs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-repairs/)
- [hiking water sources](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-water-sources/)
- [water purification](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/water-purification/)
- [water survival](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/water-survival/)
- [backpacking water](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-water/)
- [lightest paddle](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-paddle/)
- [backpacking paddle](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-paddle/)
- [packraft paddle](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/packraft-paddle/)
- [raft paddle](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/raft-paddle/)
- [hiking paddle](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-paddle/)
- [diy sleeping bag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-sleeping-bag/)
- [sleeping bag repair](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/sleeping-bag-repair/)
- [900 fill power down sleeping](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/900-fill-power-down-sleeping/)
- [modify sleeping bag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/modify-sleeping-bag/)
- [increase sleeping bag rating](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/increase-sleeping-bag-rating/)
- [add down to sleeping bag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/add-down-to-sleeping-bag/)
- [down sleeping](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/down-sleeping/)
- [down sleeping bag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/down-sleeping-bag/)
- [ultralight down sleeping bag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-down-sleeping-bag/)
- [lightest down sleeping bag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-down-sleeping-bag/)
- [montbell sleeping bag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/montbell-sleeping-bag/)
- [super spiral down](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/super-spiral-down/)
- [sagarmatha national park](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/sagarmatha-national-park/)
- [deer hunting victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/deer-hunting-victoria/)
- [sambar victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/sambar-victoria/)
- [lightest hiking shoe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-hiking-shoe/)
- [lightest camp shoe diy camp shoe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-camp-shoe-diy-camp-shoe/)
- [diy river shoe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-river-shoe/)
- [lightest camp shoe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-camp-shoe/)
- [warmest camp shoe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/warmest-camp-shoe/)
- [diy hiking sandals](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-hiking-sandals/)
- [diy footwear](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-footwear/)
- [backpacking footwear](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-footwear/)
- [waterproof gun bag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/waterproof-gun-bag/)
- [waterproof bag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/waterproof-bag/)
- [ultralight gun bag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-gun-bag/)
- [aloksak](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/aloksak/)
- [aloksak gun bag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/aloksak-gun-bag/)
- [waterproof camrera bag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/waterproof-camrera-bag/)
- [waterproof phone bag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/waterproof-phone-bag/)
- [waterproof snap lock bag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/waterproof-snap-lock-bag/)
- [waterproof zip lock bag](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/waterproof-zip-lock-bag/)
- [backpacking toilet](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-toilet/)
- [hiking toilet](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-toilet/)
- [toilet trowel](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/toilet-trowel/)
- [toilet hole](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/toilet-hole/)
- [cat hole](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/cat-hole/)
- [survival water](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/survival-water/)
- [hiking water purification](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-water-purification/)
- [backpacking water purification](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-water-purification/)
- [backpacking deslainator](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-deslainator/)
- [upper Yarra track](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/upper-yarra-track/)
- [Backpacking Gear Advice](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-gear-advice/)
- [Choose a pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/choose-a-pack/)
- [Make a pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/make-a-pack/)
- [Ultralight tent](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-tent/)
- [deer hunting clothing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/deer-hunting-clothing/)
- [camo wool clothing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/camo-wool-clothing/)
- [ultralight deerhunting clothing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-deerhunting-clothing/)
- [merino wool deer hunting clothing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/merino-wool-deer-hunting-clothing/)
- [icebreaker merino for deer hunting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/icebreaker-merino-for-deer-hunting/)
- [icebreaker merino clothing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/icebreaker-merino-clothing/)
- [best deer hunting hat](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-deer-hunting-hat/)
- [best deer hunting clothing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-deer-hunting-clothing/)
- [warmest deer hunting clothing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/warmest-deer-hunting-clothing/)
- [no smell deer hunting clothing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/no-smell-deer-hunting-clothing/)
- [the complete deer hunter](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/the-complete-deer-hunter/)
- [sambar deer hunting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/sambar-deer-hunting/)
- [hunting in Australia](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hunting-in-australia/)
- [hunting deer in australia](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hunting-deer-in-australia/)
- [hunting deer in victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hunting-deer-in-victoria/)
- [hunting deer in Gippsland](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hunting-deer-in-gippsland/)
- [deer hunting hat](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/deer-hunting-hat/)
- [deer hunting cap](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/deer-hunting-cap/)
- [camo deer hunting hat](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/camo-deer-hunting-hat/)
- [camo deer hunting cap](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/camo-deer-hunting-cap/)
- [wool deer hunting cap](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/wool-deer-hunting-cap/)
- [wool deer hunting hat](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/wool-deer-hunting-hat/)
- [ultralight tent peg](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-tent-peg/)
- [hi viz tent peg](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hi-viz-tent-peg/)
- [tent peg lantern](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/tent-peg-lantern/)
- [luminous tent peg](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/luminous-tent-peg/)
- [glow in the dark tent peg](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/glow-in-the-dark-tent-peg/)
- [ezy see tent peg](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ezy-see-tent-peg/)
- [Ultralight emergency torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-emergency-torch/)
- [21 gram head torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/21-gram-head-torch/)
- [smallest dynamo torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/smallest-dynamo-torch/)
- [batteryless torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/batteryless-torch/)
- [torch never goes flat](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/torch-never-goes-flat/)
- [mini Go Pro](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/mini-go-pro/)
- [video glasses](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/video-glasses/)
- [recording eyewear](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/recording-eyewear/)
- [orbi prime](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/orbi-prime/)
- [ultralight go pro](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-go-pro/)
- [ultralight video](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-video/)
- [Coghlans](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/coghlans/)
- [Coghlans torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/coghlans-torch/)
- [Coghlans Dynamo torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/coghlans-dynamo-torch/)
- [Coghland dynamo flashlight](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/coghland-dynamo-flashlight/)
- [Coghlans dynamo flashlight](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/coghlans-dynamo-flashlight/)
- [unknown animals](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/unknown-animals/)
- [strange creatures](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/strange-creatures/)
- [cryptozoology](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/cryptozoology/)
- [Australian cryptozoology](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/australian-cryptozoology/)
- [mystery animals of Australia](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/mystery-animals-of-australia/)
- [Klymit Inertia O Zone Ultralight](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/klymit-inertia-o-zone-ultralight/)
- [klymit sleeping pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/klymit-sleeping-pad/)
- [ultralight pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-pad/)
- [Gossamer gear pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gossamer-gear-pack/)
- [Gossamer gear backpack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gossamer-gear-backpack/)
- [Gossamer gear Maripposa](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gossamer-gear-maripposa/)
- [Gorilla Modification](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gorilla-modification/)
- [Mariposa Modification](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/mariposa-modification/)
- [Gorilla Hip belt](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gorilla-hip-belt/)
- [Mariposa hip belt](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/mariposa-hip-belt/)
- [DIY backpack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-backpack/)
- [DIY ultralight backpack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-ultralight-backpack/)
- [DIY ultralight pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-ultralight-pack/)
- [The Buff](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/the-buff/)
- [ultralight balaclava](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-balaclava/)
- [ultralight face warmer](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-face-warmer/)
- [ultralight hat](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hat/)
- [ultralight neck warmer](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-neck-warmer/)
- [frameless pack](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/frameless-pack/)
- [mountain laurel designs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/mountain-laurel-designs/)
- [mountain laurel designs exodus](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/mountain-laurel-designs-exodus/)
- [gossamer gear mariposa](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gossamer-gear-mariposa/)
- [diy ultralight head torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-ultralight-head-torch/)
- [lightest rechargeable torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-rechargeable-torch/)
- [lightest rechargeable head torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-rechargeable-head-torch/)
- [head torch <10 grams](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/head-torch-10-grams/)
- [nitecore tube torch](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/nitecore-tube-torch/)
- [nitecore tube modification](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/nitecore-tube-modification/)
- [zebra finches](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/zebra-finches/)
- [trapping zebra finches](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/trapping-zebra-finches/)
- [zebra finch song](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/zebra-finch-song/)
- [brian plummer](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/brian-plummer/)
- [survival fire lighting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/survival-fire-lighting/)
- [light fire in snow](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/light-fire-in-snow/)
- [how to light a fire in the snow](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/how-to-light-a-fire-in-the-snow/)
- [how to light a fire](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/how-to-light-a-fire/)
- [how to light a fire in the rain](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/how-to-light-a-fire-in-the-rain/)
- [fire starters](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/fire-starters/)
- [ultralight fire starters](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-fire-starters/)
- [diy fire starters](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-fire-starters/)
- [scanning 110 negatives](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/scanning-110-negatives/)
- [scanning 110 film](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/scanning-110-film/)
- [scanning 110 photos](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/scanning-110-photos/)
- [ultralight pot](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-pot/)
- [ultralight pot and frypan lid](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-pot-and-frypan-lid/)
- [ultralight hiking pot](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hiking-pot/)
- [ultralight 1350 pot](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-1350-pot/)
- [toaks 1350 pot](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/toaks-1350-pot/)
- [toaks ultralight pot](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/toaks-ultralight-pot/)
- [trail designs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/trail-designs/)
- [caldera cone](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/caldera-cone/)
- [hiking in the rain](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-in-the-rain/)
- [stay dry while hiking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/stay-dry-while-hiking/)
- [ultralight umbrella](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-umbrella/)
- [ultralight rain gear](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-rain-gear/)
- [Gossamer gear Liteflex umbrella](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gossamer-gear-liteflex-umbrella/)
- [chrome umbrell](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/chrome-umbrell/)
- [hiking umbrella](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-umbrella/)
- [backpacking umbrella](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-umbrella/)
- [ultralight backpacking umbrella](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-backpacking-umbrella/)
- [Australia hiking trails](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/australia-hiking-trails/)
- [best Australian backpacking trails](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-australian-backpacking-trails/)
- [best Australian hiking trails](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-australian-hiking-trails/)
- [old port walking trail](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/old-port-walking-trail/)
- [Gippsland walking tracks](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gippsland-walking-tracks/)
- [Gippsland trails](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gippsland-trails/)
- [best gippsland hiking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-gippsland-hiking/)
- [best Australian hiking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-australian-hiking/)
- [port albert](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/port-albert/)
- [port albert victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/port-albert-victoria/)
- [ultralight tripod](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-tripod/)
- [ultralight gun tripod](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-gun-tripod/)
- [ultralight camera tripod](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-camera-tripod/)
- [string tripod](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/string-tripod/)
- [4 gram tripod](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/4-gram-tripod/)
- [lightest tripod](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-tripod/)
- [world's lightest tripod](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/worlds-lightest-tripod/)
- [diy tripod](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-tripod/)
- [diy light weight tripod](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-light-weight-tripod/)
- [shoe laces](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/shoe-laces/)
- [unbreakable shoe laces](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/unbreakable-shoe-laces/)
- [dyneema shoe laces](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/dyneema-shoe-laces/)
- [aramid shoe laces](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/aramid-shoe-laces/)
- [ultralight shoe laces](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-shoe-laces/)
- [hiking shoe laces](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-shoe-laces/)
- [backpacking shoe laces](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-shoe-laces/)
- [survival shoe laces](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/survival-shoe-laces/)
- [light fire with shoe laces](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/light-fire-with-shoe-laces/)
- [hiking boots](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-boots/)
- [hiking shoes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-shoes/)
- [hiking shoe advice](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-shoe-advice/)
- [hiking boot advice](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-boot-advice/)
- [ultralight hiking shoes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hiking-shoes/)
- [kayaking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/kayaking/)
- [canoeing Gippsland Rivers](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/canoeing-gippsland-rivers/)
- [Canoeing Victorian Rivers](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/canoeing-victorian-rivers/)
- [canoeing Australian Rivers](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/canoeing-australian-rivers/)
- [ultralight charging](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-charging/)
- [ultralight battery](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-battery/)
- [ultralight power bank](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-power-bank/)
- [hiking electrical](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-electrical/)
- [mobile phone charging](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/mobile-phone-charging/)
- [hiking mobile phone](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-mobile-phone/)
- [hiking charging'](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-charging/)
- [hiking power](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-power/)
- [hiking solar charger](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-solar-charger/)
- [ultralight training](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-training/)
- [hiking training](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-training/)
- [backpacking training](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-training/)
- [hugh glass](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hugh-glass/)
- [the revenant](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/the-revenant/)
- [man in the wilderness](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/man-in-the-wilderness/)
- [wilderness survival](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/wilderness-survival/)
- [ultralight hiking essentials](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hiking-essentials/)
- [ultralight hiking survival](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hiking-survival/)
- [backpacking essentials](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-essentials/)
- [backpacking survival](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-survival/)
- [ray mears survival](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ray-mears-survival/)
- [ultralight backpacking essentials](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-backpacking-essentials/)
- [ultralight backpacking survival](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-backpacking-survival/)
- [wilderness fire lighting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/wilderness-fire-lighting/)
- [fire lighting essentials](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/fire-lighting-essentials/)
- [light a fire](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/light-a-fire/)
- [battery fire lighter](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/battery-fire-lighter/)
- [zipper repair](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/zipper-repair/)
- [emergency zipper repair](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/emergency-zipper-repair/)
- [emergency repair](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/emergency-repair/)
- [survival repairs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/survival-repairs/)
- [survival essentials](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/survival-essentials/)
- [Fixnzip](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/fixnzip/)
- [ultralight photography](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-photography/)
- [ultralight selfie stick](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-selfie-stick/)
- [diy selfie stick](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-selfie-stick/)
- [selfie stick](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/selfie-stick/)
- [lightest selfie stick](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-selfie-stick/)
- [rubber band selfie stick](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/rubber-band-selfie-stick/)
- [Dusky Track](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/dusky-track/)
- [Fiordland new Zealand](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/fiordland-new-zealand/)
- [Dusky Track Fiordland New Zealand](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/dusky-track-fiordland-new-zealand/)
- [NZ best hiking track](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/nz-best-hiking-track/)
- [Supper Cove](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/supper-cove/)
- [Dusky Sound](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/dusky-sound/)
- [Fiordland Moose](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/fiordland-moose/)
- [NZ moose](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/nz-moose/)
- [Lake Hauroko](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lake-hauroko/)
- [Lake Manapouri](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lake-manapouri/)
- [Te Anau](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/te-anau/)
- [Tuatapere](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/tuatapere/)
- [Backpacking Dusky Track](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-dusky-track/)
- [New Zealand Moose](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/new-zealand-moose/)
- [Loch Marie](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/loch-marie/)
- [Dusky track instructions](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/dusky-track-instructions/)
- [ultralight hiking gear](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hiking-gear/)
- [ultralight backpacking gear](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-backpacking-gear/)
- [deer hunting australia](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/deer-hunting-australia/)
- [deer hunting gippsland](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/deer-hunting-gippsland/)
- [hiking victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-victoria/)
- [hiking gippsland](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-gippsland/)
- [canoeing australia](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/canoeing-australia/)
- [canoeing victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/canoeing-victoria/)
- [canoeing gippsland](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/canoeing-gippsland/)
- [ultralight hiking breakfast](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hiking-breakfast/)
- [hiking breakfast](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-breakfast/)
- [backpacking breakfast](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-breakfast/)
- [hiking meals](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-meals/)
- [backpacking meals](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-meals/)
- [best porridge recipe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-porridge-recipe/)
- [best hiking porridge recipe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-hiking-porridge-recipe/)
- [porridge recipe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/porridge-recipe/)
- [ultralight hiking meals](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hiking-meals/)
- [ultralight hiking recipes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hiking-recipes/)
- [backpacking recipes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-recipes/)
- [ultralight backpacking recipes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-backpacking-recipes/)
- [ultralight backpacking meals](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-backpacking-meals/)
- [ultralight home renovation](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-home-renovation/)
- [ultralight hiker makeover](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hiker-makeover/)
- [ultralight survival](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-survival/)
- [mylar poncho](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/mylar-poncho/)
- [emergency survival](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/emergency-survival/)
- [emergency backpacking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/emergency-backpacking/)
- [emergency hiking](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/emergency-hiking/)
- [ultralight shelter](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-shelter/)
- [inflatable vest](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/inflatable-vest/)
- [inflatable clothing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/inflatable-clothing/)
- [emergency clothing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/emergency-clothing/)
- [survival clothing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/survival-clothing/)
- [survival shelter](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/survival-shelter/)
- [emergency shelter](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/emergency-shelter/)
- [aerovest](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/aerovest/)
- [xero vest](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/xero-vest/)
- [mylar clothing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/mylar-clothing/)
- [mylar vest](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/mylar-vest/)
- [survival gear](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/survival-gear/)
- [emergency advice](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/emergency-advice/)
- [emergency poncho](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/emergency-poncho/)
- [survival vest](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/survival-vest/)
- [survival poncho](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/survival-poncho/)
- [wild food](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/wild-food/)
- [wilderness food](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/wilderness-food/)
- [survival food](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/survival-food/)
- [edible oaks](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/edible-oaks/)
- [edible acorns](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/edible-acorns/)
- [emergency food sources](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/emergency-food-sources/)
- [ultralight rain](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-rain/)
- [rain skirt](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/rain-skirt/)
- [rain kilt](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/rain-kilt/)
- [backpacking rain](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-rain/)
- [ultralight backpacking rain](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-backpacking-rain/)
- [hiking rain](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-rain/)
- [zpacks rain kilt](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/zpacks-rain-kilt/)
- [hiking trails Victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-trails-victoria/)
- [hiking tracks Victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-tracks-victoria/)
- [hiking Australia](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-australia/)
- [hiking trails Australia](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-trails-australia/)
- [hiking tracks Australia](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-tracks-australia/)
- [ultralight hiking australia](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hiking-australia/)
- [hiking in nepal](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-in-nepal/)
- [Mirboo North Rail Trail](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/mirboo-north-rail-trail/)
- [Gippsland walks](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gippsland-walks/)
- [best walks victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-walks-victoria/)
- [backpacking victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/backpacking-victoria/)
- [canoe Gippsland](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/canoe-gippsland/)
- [pack raft Gippsland](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/pack-raft-gippsland/)
- [canoe Victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/canoe-victoria/)
- [canoe Australia](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/canoe-australia/)
- [best victorian canoe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-victorian-canoe/)
- [gippsland river](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gippsland-river/)
- [victoria river](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/victoria-river/)
- [pack raft victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/pack-raft-victoria/)
- [rivers gippsland](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/rivers-gippsland/)
- [rivers victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/rivers-victoria/)
- [rivers australia](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/rivers-australia/)
- [lightest PFD](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-pfd/)
- [ultralight life vest](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-life-vest/)
- [ultralight life jacket](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-life-jacket/)
- [best canoe river victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-canoe-river-victoria/)
- [best canoe river gippsland](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-canoe-river-gippsland/)
- [ultralight PFD](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-pfd/)
- [ultraligth pfd](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultraligth-pfd/)
- [diy life jacket](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-life-jacket/)
- [diy life vest](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-life-vest/)
- [diy pfd](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-pfd/)
- [lightest life vest](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-life-vest/)
- [lightest llife jacket](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-llife-jacket/)
- [diy pack raft](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-pack-raft/)
- [canoe hunting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/canoe-hunting/)
- [canoe fishing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/canoe-fishing/)
- [raft hunting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/raft-hunting/)
- [raft fishing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/raft-fishing/)
- [sambar deer](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/sambar-deer/)
- [gippsland rivers](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gippsland-rivers/)
- [Ultralight Pen](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-pen/)
- [Ultralight writing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-writing/)
- [lightest pen](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-pen/)
- [ultralight canadian](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-canadian/)
- [Australia deer hunting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/australia-deer-hunting/)
- [vpn](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/vpn/)
- [torrent block](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/torrent-block/)
- [pirate bay blocked](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/pirate-bay-blocked/)
- [file sharing advice](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/file-sharing-advice/)
- [internet security](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/internet-security/)
- [best vpn](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-vpn/)
- [virtual private network](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/virtual-private-network/)
- [klymit pad](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/klymit-pad/)
- [klymit pillow](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/klymit-pillow/)
- [best backpacking pillow](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-backpacking-pillow/)
- [hunt victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hunt-victoria/)
- [hunt australia](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hunt-australia/)
- [hunt gippsland](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hunt-gippsland/)
- [ultralight hunter](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hunter/)
- [fallow deer victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/fallow-deer-victoria/)
- [sheep shearing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/sheep-shearing/)
- [finn sheep](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/finn-sheep/)
- [Australian finnsheep](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/australian-finnsheep/)
- [victoria walking tracks](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/victoria-walking-tracks/)
- [best victorian walking track](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-victorian-walking-track/)
- [victoria hiking trails](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/victoria-hiking-trails/)
- [gippsland hiking tracks](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gippsland-hiking-tracks/)
- [gippsland walking trails](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gippsland-walking-trails/)
- [gippsland hiking trails](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gippsland-hiking-trails/)
- [victoria tourist attractions](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/victoria-tourist-attractions/)
- [victoria tallest waterfall](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/victoria-tallest-waterfall/)
- [victoria highest waterfall](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/victoria-highest-waterfall/)
- [hunting clothing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hunting-clothing/)
- [ultralight hunting clothing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hunting-clothing/)
- [icebreaker camo clothing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/icebreaker-camo-clothing/)
- [icebreaker hunter's cap/hat](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/icebreaker-hunters-caphat/)
- [wool hunting clothing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/wool-hunting-clothing/)
- [ultralight hiking nepal](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-hiking-nepal/)
- [Dingboche](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/dingboche/)
- [Chukkung](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/chukkung/)
- [Luboche](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/luboche/)
- [Gorek Shep](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gorek-shep/)
- [Dzongla](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/dzongla/)
- [Klymit ultralight pillow](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/klymit-ultralight-pillow/)
- [UltrAspire Cup](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultraspire-cup/)
- [fox hunting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/fox-hunting/)
- [a long trek home](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/a-long-trek-home/)
- [erin mckittrick](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/erin-mckittrick/)
- [hiking with cats](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-with-cats/)
- [camping with cats](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/camping-with-cats/)
- [stretching shoes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/stretching-shoes/)
- [how to stretch shoes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/how-to-stretch-shoes/)
- [trick shooting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/trick-shooting/)
- [world's greatest shot](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/worlds-greatest-shot/)
- [world's hardest shot](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/worlds-hardest-shot/)
- [saving a dam](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/saving-a-dam/)
- [constructing a spillway](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/constructing-a-spillway/)
- [how to prevent pipes from collapsing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/how-to-prevent-pipes-from-collapsing/)
- [drainage pipes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/drainage-pipes/)
- [battle of fromelles](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/battle-of-fromelles/)
- [missing ww1 soldiers](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/missing-ww1-soldiers/)
- [joseph leslie roy martin](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/joseph-leslie-roy-martin/)
- [uses snap lock bags](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/uses-snap-lock-bags/)
- [uses zip lock bags](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/uses-zip-lock-bags/)
- [hiking zip lock bags](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-zip-lock-bags/)
- [hiking snap lock bags](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-snap-lock-bags/)
- [jet powered board](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/jet-powered-board/)
- [kymera jet](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/kymera-jet/)
- [jet powered portable water craft](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/jet-powered-portable-water-craft/)
- [jet powered craft](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/jet-powered-craft/)
- [kymera board](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/kymera-board/)
- [jeeralang](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/jeeralang/)
- [jeeralang weather](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/jeeralang-weather/)
- [jeeralang snow](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/jeeralang-snow/)
- [strzelecki](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/strzelecki/)
- [strzelecki snow](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/strzelecki-snow/)
- [strzelecki weather](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/strzelecki-weather/)
- [strzelecki mountains](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/strzelecki-mountains/)
- [Yaktrax](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/yaktrax/)
- [boot traction aids](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/boot-traction-aids/)
- [boot chains](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/boot-chains/)
- [lightest boot chains](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/lightest-boot-chains/)
- [best boot chains](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-boot-chains/)
- [telescope hunting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/telescope-hunting/)
- [deer glassing](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/deer-glassing/)
- [deer camera](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/deer-camera/)
- [toothpaste dots](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/toothpaste-dots/)
- [dehydrated toothpaste](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/dehydrated-toothpaste/)
- [ultralight toothpaste](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-toothpaste/)
- [ultralight toothbrush](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ultralight-toothbrush/)
- [mobile phone porting fraud](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/mobile-phone-porting-fraud/)
- [hacking mobile phones](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hacking-mobile-phones/)
- [ancient cave art](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/ancient-cave-art/)
- [cave of forgotten dreams](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/cave-of-forgotten-dreams/)
- [upgrade gun safe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/upgrade-gun-safe/)
- [high security gun safe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/high-security-gun-safe/)
- [best gun safe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-gun-safe/)
- [modify gun safe](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/modify-gun-safe/)
- [the wood for the trees](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/the-wood-for-the-trees/)
- [richard fortey](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/richard-fortey/)
- [Google Earth Updated](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/google-earth-updated/)
- [South Coast Track New Zealand](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/south-coast-track-new-zealand/)
- [Westies Hut](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/westies-hut/)
- [NZ best hiking tracks](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/nz-best-hiking-tracks/)
- [NZ track instructions](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/nz-track-instructions/)
- [wintulich beer stick](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/wintulich-beer-stick/)
- [hiking food](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-food/)
- [hiking recipes](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/hiking-recipes/)
- [boot studs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/boot-studs/)
- [gripstuds](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gripstuds/)
- [supatracks](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/supatracks/)
- [diy boot studs](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-boot-studs/)
- [tactical pens](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/tactical-pens/)
- [self-defence pens](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/self-defence-pens/)
- [delorme inreach](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/delorme-inreach/)
- [satellite messenger](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/satellite-messenger/)
- [satellite phone alternative](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/satellite-phone-alternative/)
- [emergency phone](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/emergency-phone/)
- [emergency communication](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/emergency-communication/)
- [best plb](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-plb/)
- [best epirb](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/best-epirb/)
- [epirb communicator](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/epirb-communicator/)
- [plb communicator](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/plb-communicator/)
- [plb messenger](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/plb-messenger/)
- [epirb messenger](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/epirb-messenger/)
- [mt useful](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/mt-useful/)
- [Victoria snow](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/victoria-snow/)
- [diy motorcycle](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-motorcycle/)
- [great survival stories](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/great-survival-stories/)
- [gippsland pig hunting](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/gippsland-pig-hunting/)
- [unknown animals victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/unknown-animals-victoria/)
- [cryptozoology victoria](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/cryptozoology-victoria/)
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- [pedometer app](https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/pedometer-app/)