- Wear Orienteering Pants
Orienteering pants are extremely light, very breathable, articulated at the knee and fit somewhere between tights and standard pants. They are designed to protect your legs from undergrowth while being free and airy enough to run in. In Tassie they work very well as a scrub resistant pant for those who find traditional walking pants too hot and constrictive. Because they are so incredibly light they’re also great as a camp pant. Durability wise they’re pretty good, but probably won’t get the same lifespan as other pants for serious off-track scrub-bashing, however given that they only cost $50-60 (compared to $150-$200 for decent walking pants) they’re well worth it.
- Wear A Fishnet Vest
Mesh baselayers are an unusual garment that has actually been around a very long time, and has recently seen some popularity with cyclists. They are excellent in very cold conditions, particularly for heavy sweaters who find it hard to keep their baselayers dry. The idea is the open “fishnet” mesh allows perspiration to pass straight through while reataining virtually no moisture. The gap it creates between your skin and the next layers traps warmth and keeps any dampness away from your body. The only downside (or upside depending on your taste) is that they look like something you might wear to a questionable establishment in Berlin.
- Don’t Carry Water.
If you read the accounts of Tasmanian bushwalkers from the early to mid 20th century, they would hardly ever be carrying water. While this strategy is obviously not feasible or sensible for many tracks, it can be worthwhile for routes with frequent creek crossings. The trick is to have easy access to a cup so you can regularly scoop up water as you go along. However there are several caveats to this practice: You must be confident that there will be creeks coming up, and you must be familiar enough with the conditions/catchments to know that there will be water in them. You also need to comfortable channeling your inner camel and chugging a lot of water in one go, so that you can stay on top of your hydration throughout the day.
- Walk Backwards.
This is a very niche technique that is only useful when dealing with the thickest scrub while off-track walking. Wiry Bauera (particularly when combined with cutting grass) can form dense, impenetrable seeming walls where the only solution is to smash through a path with brute force. Sometimes it is easiest if the leader turns around and travels backwards, using the weight of their pack to break through. Moving backwards also makes it easier to stomp your feet without getting tangled (and reduces the number of sticks in facial orifices!)
- Turn Your Poles Upside Down.
This is another extremely specific trip with limited application. Newer sections of boardwalk made with fiberglass reinforced grating are not particularly friendly to walking poles. Most pole users will just carry them for these sections, however if you turn your poles upside down you can continue using them as normal (just watch out that you don’t trip of the loops and try not to stab yourself with the pole tips).
- Eat out of Ziplocs
If you make your own meals, eating out a ziplocs rather than crockery can be a great way to save weight and reduce washing up. Simply pour your hot water (not properly boiling) in, wait a little bit, and enjoy! This does require ingredients that will cook instantly such as couscous, instant mash potatoes and noodles, although foods that require longer can be cold-soaked prior. If BPAs, microplastics and excessive waste are a concern, you can buy heavy-duty, reusable ziplocs that will do the same thing.
- Get Your Maps at Officeworks.
Bushwalking maps can be expensive, heavy, bulky, and often don’t fully cover the areas you need. The LISTMap (https://maps.thelist.tas.gov.au) is not only great for planning, but allows you to print out any section of a Tasmanian map, at any scale, for free! However, you do need high quality paper to get good definition. My recommendation is to get your maps printed at Officeworks (or any print shop) on a water-resistant paper such as Nevertear or Tyvek.
- Cut the Legs off Your Waterproof Pants.
Many people find waterproof overpants annoying to wear and excessively hot, particularly on less exposed walks. For certain conditions, waterproof shorts hit a sweet spot. While they are not for everyone (and you will obviously still get wet below the kneess, they are lighter, easier to put on, more breathable and don’t impede your stride. Unfortunately, established outdoor brands aren’t as enthusiastic about the idea of waterproof shorts as they should be. Norrona does Gore-Tex Pro mountain-biking shorts (these are pricey, and a little restrictive) and Scoparia Designs https://www.scopariadesigns.com/ has a waterproof shorts design in the pipeline, but that’s about it, so taking scissors to your pants is currently the only option. Buying a new $800 pair of shell pants just to mutilate them is probably a bit much for most, but chopping the legs of a tatty old pair can be a good way to extend their life. Buying and cutting a very cheap pair can be a good option, particularly because breathability is not as important when they become shorts. If you’ve got some sewing skills you can even add drawstrings around the hems, which is particularly useful for scrubby or scrambly terrain.
9. Buy Your Gloves at Bunnings
Gloves are a tricky bit of gear to get right for Tasmanian conditions. You can spend a lot of money on serious alpine gloves with a waterproof membrane and still find that your hands are soaked and cold. While there are a variety of options and strategies that work for different conditions, a cheap, effective glove is the insulated work gloves that you can pick up from hardwear shops for about $15. These are tough, with good dexterity and a rubberized palm that does a decent job of keeping water out while touching damp things. They have no membrane, so they will get wet eventually, but the insulation performs very well even when completely soaked.
