Girraween Camping Trip -

Ok now its been decided upon - We're going to Girraween National Park for a camping trip 4 days long. So now it's time to book a camp site and prep all the gear required. I'll keep you posted on how it's progressing -
10-11-10 Wednesday night,time to kick the brain into gear !
11-11-10 Thursday afternoon Off to the local camping store. Some of the items on the shopping list are:- Gazebo (easy setup for shade)- camp chair- extra gas canisters for cooker- some bushman insect repellant- some mozzie repellant coils- small camp table to put the cooker ontoThere still are a few more things to get like - dehydrated food for the day trip walks and some cooking gear for the day walks as well. I've got in mind some type of MSR 2 person cook gear. Will probably get it tmrw
12-11-10 Friday. That was a busy afternoon ! Went into Brisbane and looked for food between the major camping stores and compared their prices. Why are their prices so different ? And why doesn't any store stock the full range of any food ? Backpacker Pantry, Backcountry or Chefs choice !? Why is it so hard ! Anyway after that went straight to K2 where you know the guys and girls know all about the stuff there. And finally stopped in at the local camping store and bought an esky. It really was a busy day before work. We managed to get everything we needed. Learning from an earlier lesson at Girraween we have already fill up over 20 ltrs of water. The water at Girraween has tannin through it. The MSR water filter will take about half the colour out.

Scrub Road Bushcamp revisited

I had already packed the night before. But as soon as I woke up I thought that it needed some changes. So out went the Army hoochie and in went the MSR hubba hubba tent. I removed the Camelbak  3ltr water bladder and put in the MSR 6ltr waterbag. I kept all the other gear that I had already packed. I also added some hiking poles. And brought along my soft shell jacket..... just in case.

Scrub Road park entrance.

I parked at the Scrub Road National Park entrance preped my self and gear and I was away. At first it was a little different using walking poles since i've not really used them before. So while walking I was determined to get a rhythm down-pat to make my speed faster. By the time I had reached the creek crossing I could feel my arms had done some work !

Scrub Road crossing.

As I was coming up to the campsite I checked my watch.... damn I made good time. Now while it was time to dry out the back of the backpack from my sweat and my shirt as well it was totally covered in sweat !

Campground before me.

So I set about putting up the tent but first fire making was my priority ! I was  very hungry and needed food stat ! So I put my awesome firesteel to work ! And the result (lucky all the wood and grass had dried out enough after days of rain!)

camp fire.

Now with the fire going by itself i began collecting some wood and building myself a little cache so i didn't have to go looking for wood every half an hour. Next i turned my focus now to the tent. It is a MSR Hubba Hubba one of the few tents i actually fit into being that i'm 210cms !

fully prepared campsite.

And during this time of camp preparation it was wonderful to listen to the sounds of the birds and wind in the trees. I thought to myself wow! this is why I love getting out so much for its quiet, things are simple and nature has so many wonderful things to show us. It's just up to us to stop and look for a moment or two.

water boiling.

To save time I filled my mug with water and the dixie with water and put them both on the fire at the same time. And one thing to remember when cooking on a fire the underside of the pots always get coated with a sticky substance mainly from the wood being burnt, from gum trees. When it comes to packing away the cooking tins rub dirt all over the bottom to remove the sticky matter. That way it will be easier to store or pack into gear later. I always use dixies they're small and light, easy to cook almost anything in them and if you loose them break them or whatever they are cheap to replace. I would rather spend my money on buying a good quality tent, sleeping bag, or gas canister cookers for when cooking on a campfire isn't viable.

my usual selection for lunch.

My usual lunch consists of coffee usually sometimes a can of coke (you can make things from a can of coke if needed.. cookers, small hobo stoves plus many more uses and when your finished with it crushing it will always make more room in your pack. Next on the menu are usually noodles I generally prefer beef or oriental noodles and to add to that some "heat and eat" korean style meatballs. That way my carbs and protein are looked after for energy on the track. And a chocolate bar for that pick me up later on. And of course plenty of water. As a treat i've been taking some powerade powder as a supliment if the bushwalk is long uphill.

Korean meatballs

After the meal is all said and done i really like to kick back and just enjoy peacefulness. On this trip a National Parks Ranger stopped in and said "Hi" then followed by a fellow bushwalker stopping in for a break. And a while after that a few mountain bikers rolled past. But mostly it was relaxing. Inside the tent i had inflated my mattress and was just resting.

the view says it all.

 This is what makes me come back again and again.

mmm lunch !

After about 3 hours at this campsite i decided it was time to leave and i thought on the way back i would have a stop in at the creek for a little while to refresh.

Backpack all loaded up for the trtip home.

Instead of packing my mattress horizontally i tried this new way of packing vertically.

black cockatoo

What a treat on the walk back 6 black cockatoos flew through the forrest squaking away and having fun the late afternoon sun. And so it was the end of another bushwalk for me. I'm already planning the next trip away.

Simple mans cooking gear Part 1

I like experimenting trying to find other ways of doing the same thing but with commonly found items. This is also helpful in extreme situations maybe your cooker has failed or some other item and you need other options if you practice these things now then it will build up your mental database and help you make better decisions when unexpected things happen.

Complete fire kit sealed.

So with this in mind I'm looking at what I could use as a simple cooker container to boil water in. I took a look at my fire kit and saw the peanut tin that had everything in it and I thought "maybe I could use that?" 

Fire kit. Top right peanut tin.

 Below is the result and my testing.

Youtube video

The hexi stove was put to use that way I know that one tab is enough to boil water. And if the 'can' can withstand the heat for that duration it will pass. I was happy with what happened. Once the water has been boiled the tin is a good sized cup and coffee is an easy option. If need be break apart a pack of noodles into quaters and cook piece by piece. And if I need to go light-weight then this is always an option. Using your multi tool as a handle then you can move the tin of the fire source. Even take the top 5mm off the top and fold back and use that as a handle.

Always learning from what you've done this can prepare you for later and maybe help some packing choices on different expeditions.

Backpacks Part 1

Backpacks are one of the most important pieces of kit you have and therefore it's not an easy choice.You spend all your time with your backpack on or off in the bush. Currently in my stable i'm using 3 backpacks. Giving me a wide variety to choose from depending on where i'm going or what i'm doing. Let's start from the largest and work our way down.

The backpack is a Tasmanian Tiger - TT Pathfinder

TT Pathfinder Backpack

 

Fully-fledged combat rucksack for several days of use

Features: 85 litre total volume, packsack with snow guard; 
Detachable side pockets (7.5 l) - can be used individually or both as a day sack;

Side pockets joined together.

Neoprene helmet fastening; 
Detachable lid subdivided into 4 pockets; 
Separate bottom pocket; 
Universal belt system on all important points of attachment; 
V2 carrying cystem 

 That's the technical stuff out of the way..................

Personally about this backpack, it really can carry everything you want to. I'm not joking i've loaded this backpack up so that i've had to have help putting it on !

Now that's everything !

Approx pack weight 38kgs. The kitchen sink is there somewhere if you look hard enough.... While using this pack it can be extremely comfortable and to the new player extremely uncomfortable. The first step to a good feel is do up the waist belt a little tighter than you normall would (doing this gives you a base to adjust from) And the waist belt position is slightly higher than the hips for I find it transmits all the weight straight through to the legs.Shoulder straps next, try positioning the pack vertically to the ground. Now just adjust all the straps enough to get a comfortable feel.

One very important comment is on long trips adjust the straps throughout the day. For example loosen the shoulder straps right off for a few km it will save your shoulders later in the day. And on the other hand do up the shoulder straps and then loosen the wasit belt. As with all non external frame packs you will be totally wet by the end of your days bushwalk prepare with extra clothing. 

Packing the backpack is very simple indeed .... generally follow the balance and weight rules. Balance out the left and right sides of your pack especially packs with large side pockets. Then in the main compartment place larger lighter items at the bottom of the main pack area then followed by the heavier items and this position should be close to your back then follow off witrh lighter items on top.

Don't be afraid to experiment with how you pack everything in you might be surprised how much more you can fit in there just by changing the position or location of an item. This pack is very tough don't worry it will take those loads and the zippers haven't yet failed. 

This pack has been thrown, dropped (off some steep banks), dragged (too lazy to carry sometimes), hoisted by rope (way too much gear in it when going up some steep inclines) basically if you think you're tough this pack is tougher ! In an emergency if a strap breaks then undo the broken strap (keep it in your pack for repair later) then undo the bottom of the remaining strap and redo it on the opposite side (where the bottom of the broken belt was) lighten your pack now and you should be able to continue on until repairs can be made.

This pack doesn't come with a rain cover so in a way you can choose what type of cover you'd like to have. Currently I use a SEA TO SUMMIT pack cover or an AUSCAM pack cover both are highly recommended.

Sea-to-Summit pack cover.

There is no real sleeve for a water bladder but 3 internal pockets so depending on how you pack you could use a sleeve or the main internal pack.

Changability is the main name for this pack. You can have everything attached 'complete' pack, Remove the two side packs if your just going out for a little scout. Or use the main pack but remove the two side packs and top lid. There are plenty of options to suit conditions or you walking plans.

Also the pack has attachment points for helmet, snowshoes, axe, hiking poles.

Introduction

I have been bushwalking for over 25 years in S.E. Qld and along the way i've seen and tried many things. I'm not saying i'm perfect but I'd always like to know more about any subject or place. I also enjoy the road less travelled and if I can throw in a few things about self reliance, extended hiking or camping as well as a few of my ideas then we should have an interesting time.

Ok so put your gear down to the side and start reading ..............