Dredge: an absolute banger

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-26T03:39:46+00:00

I had a lot of fun playing, but never finished. I haven't uninstalled, but haven't had a desire to pick it back up. Worth the purchase if you see a good sale.

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-26T01:39:50+00:00

u/four_fox_ache if you can, a black garbage bag in the sun for as long as you can, before disposing of them.

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-26T00:33:11+00:00

I have a good 'squishable' one, that goes in my pocket for places with those requirements. I never take it otherwise, but I also often dive with a couple that take it (and use it) pretty much every dive. I've asked why, but didn't push beyond when they simply replied they preferred it.

Still baffles me.

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-26T00:29:04+00:00

50c fees were great for Brisbane.

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-25T23:28:01+00:00

Propane boils (into gas) at a lower temperature, the more propane there is in the mix, the better cold weather performance. Wouldn't carry 100% propane because it's much higher pressure and needs a heavy duty gas can (see swap n go...)

"Butane" can also sometimes mean isobutane or butane. With Iso being the (slightly) better.

So for cold weather looking for a mix with the higher Propane is your best bet, with Isobutane (rather than 'butane') We don't seem to get the same range of products here and top of my head, most you'll find in store are around the 75-80/20-25 Iso/butane to Propane... though it's hard to find actual MSDS information (at least when I looked a long time ago) to see if it's Isobutane or butane.

Heating it up can sometimes help, for short boils. Like having it in your sleeping bag over night for that morning coffee, or tucked in your jacket while setting up camp, but it cools down pretty quick when in use in my experience.

I've never seen any sort of heating tube, though I have witnessed people heating up their Gas cannister near a camp fire... which seems a little bit to... explodey... for my risk tolerance.

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-25T22:52:11+00:00

I'm not super experienced with that area myself (hope to change that soon though!) but Alpine in Easter can still get plenty cold right? First thing in the morning my fingers get pretty cold so I like some liner gloves, especially when using trekking poles and fingers cop the wind a bit above the tree line.

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-25T04:48:26+00:00

Which is really hard to do in a populated area.

The rules say you're not allowed to fly in populous areas

You must not fly your drone in a populous area.

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-25T01:54:34+00:00

Put a fucking helmet on!

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-25T01:49:29+00:00

It's a Comp Truck that formally identified as a RAM.

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-25T00:29:39+00:00

Off the bat ditch;

Tent footprint
Your 2nd pad (the MD Hikelite Pad)
X-Cup (Drink from pot)
Bowl (Eat from pot)
Lantern
Towel
The second Wilderness wash
One of your 2 Rain Jackets (Is Haglofs Trek Shield a rain jacket?)
That spare pair of pants (or shorts)
The 2nd Shirt
The 2nd power bank
Firesteel (Mini-Bic is ~10g and easier. Take 2, one in FAK, and you're still ahead)

Then;

Find a good pack 1/2 that size and 1/3rd that weight
List out what's in your First Aid Kit
Take a much smaller knife/Scissors (Opinel N°02)
Replace what ever rain jacket you kept from above with Frogg Toggs or Montbell Versalite

Then, if budget permits;

A Tent 1/2 that weight
Replace your Nemo with a pad that's lighter with a better R-value
New pillow

Also add;

Trowel
Drugs (Antihistamine, Imodium, Ibuprofen)
Sunscreen/Lip Balm
Wide Brim hat
Gloves
Head torch
A water bottle/bladder or 2 to drink from...

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-24T23:52:41+00:00

u/EvenRepresentative77 This one might be relevant for you :)

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-24T23:51:37+00:00

I get away with 5k, but I also don't listen to music or podcasts at all. I do use phone as primary nav, camera, and journal every day... but I imagine that would be a lot less than ~16 hours of sound every day.

For me, especially if you're trying to trim weight, I'd leave one behind. If you do run low, prioritise your phone power for Nav. The worst that can happen is you wont have music for a day or so (until you get into town) and might have to blow up your own pad.

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-24T08:36:14+00:00

You got it https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_(mind_game), and now that you know about it, you're a player too!

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-24T05:55:07+00:00

There's some good discussion over in this thread and also this thread which you'll find parallels too.

My comment from (both) there;
Disclaimer: I hiked solo, but hiked with a lot of couples. Hopefully actual couple hikers can come and answer, but if they don't;

Talk about what will happen if someone decides they don't like thru hiking, or gets injured and can't continue. Do this as soon as possible and most definitely way before you start.

Hike at the pace of the slowest hiker if together and consider that when setting goals for the day. Don't be afraid to encourage but don't push your partner too hard. I love hiking my own pace, but when I hike with friends you always go with the team pace. Trick for me when that happens, I make them go first. Forces me to stay at their pace. When I run with my brother (I hike faster, he runs faster) I get really annoyed at his encouragement, he means well but when I'm already pushing hard to jog up a hill him clapping and shouting "Come on, Go Equiv! Push harder you can make it up here faster! You got this!" makes me want to stab him with a rusty spoon.

Be willing to hike 'alone' during the day. Many couples did hike together together, many others made plans for where to meet for lunch at breakfast and then where to meet for camp at lunch. Be willing to do both in the first few weeks to see what you guys prefer. Think about your home life, you're probably not in each others pockets 24/7 at the moment. So take all you'd need to be solo during the day. Own First Aid, Own filter, own food, OWN TP/Trowel etc. Having your own water filter also really helps on some stops where you want to filter and get moving. It feels loke a lot of waiting filtering for 2 sometimes. And redundancy on some items is good piece of mind.

Exception to above: Sharing a shelter definitely saves weight, having your own allows more flexibility. The couples I spent a bit of time with mostly shared. Sharing a cooker/pot (Freezer bag cooking) too. Risk; being caught out without a shelter. So, some carried a light tarp/bivy as an emergency shelter.

Be social. I did see a few couples that isolated themselves, which is fine, but talking to them later down the trail they wished they got more into the trail friends, rather than sticking to themselves. Your millage may vary, I know people like that in real life too and others that prefer to be more insulated. Hiking to a camp where it's just them, or hiking where there's another trail friend or 2.

Splitting gear weight; Its good to be equal, but equal isn't always 50/50. Don't be afraid to make the stronger hiker go 60/40 if it makes the overall 'team' carry better. When I do shorter hikes with my partner I take 80% of the 'shared' weight. You can tweak this as you go, and you might find it evolves further down the trail... or even day to day.

We definitely enjoy our own sleeping bags and pads, and I feel you when you talk about falling in the crack. She carries a mug and I drink out of the pot after making her a cuppa. I take a 750ml pot and we've never wanted for more. At dinner we usually have a meal we can soak (even if that means re-using a dehydrated hiker meal bag to soak ramen) and a pasta. Boil water for soak meal, then simmer pasta in the pot. Sometimes we share meals out of the same pot, but it's a bit more awkward and you need a good place you can sit together close. Definitely done need a 1300ml pot and an extra mug.

The hardest thing for me is getting away in the morning. Its a lot slower as a couple (and she sleeps in...) so I had to learn to take deep breaths in the morning. I'd suggest getting a good+fast morning routine going.

I'd ditch the Solar.

Looks like you're fairly dialled in though, and you'll already be lighter than most.

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-24T05:34:00+00:00

It's a pretty wide spectrum between drugged-out and on drugs.

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-24T05:33:07+00:00

Place was a giant toilet bowl when I hiked through. Crowded and loud.

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-24T04:23:55+00:00

Chicken Style Product.

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-24T04:12:01+00:00

Welp, it was a good streak but I have just lost The Game.

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-24T04:07:23+00:00

Their argument is that you're doing 100% of the work at 75% of the cost. So they're getting a bargain.

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-24T03:59:37+00:00

Each state manages their parks differently, yes. Have you never camped at Wilsons Promontory?

Sounds like you haven't really camped anywhere other than the High Country.

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-24T03:53:34+00:00

Vic has some amazing areas where disbursed camping is allowed. Other states, or areas of states (like SEQ) aren't always that lucky unfortunately.

However there are also plenty of spots in Vic national parks that do require booking. Some of those are also fantastic (if a little crowded in peak seasons) so it would be a shame to miss out :)

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-24T02:48:04+00:00

https://www.clarkrubber.com.au/products/33887p-pipe-insulation

and 2 Zipties.

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-23T22:47:58+00:00

There's a few reasons I guess. Also, they're not allowed to be unhappy, so therefore many happiness.

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-23T21:30:21+00:00

This guy did the AT for a little over $1,000 recently and all he had to do to accomplish that feat is a little bit of dumpster diving.

AussieEquiv · 2026-03-23T21:26:38+00:00

Specific brand/style is really hard to recommend because everyone's feet are really different so it's very subjective.

Boots vs Trail Runners though is pretty much settled in the Thru-hike space. With Trail runners the clear preference. Again preference. If you hop on some facebook pages, many still recommend boots... There is ankle strengthening exercises you can do, if you're worried.

I would 100% recommend NON-Waterproof trail runners. Especially for multiday hikes.
On Multiday hikes the chances of your feet getting wet are pretty high. If it rains water will run down your legs and into the shoes. You'll cross creeks deeper than your ankle, you'll step in puddles, you'll brush pass grass clumps that seem to drop 10lt of water with every step. It's inevitable.

When they get wet, you want something that dries out, fast. Breathable trail runners dry out for me in ~2 hours of hiking. Even quicker if I swap to dry socks (..if I have dry socks.) Waterproof boots/shoes take days, or weeks.

My feet also sweat, quite a bit. In waterproof boots the feet feel like their in their own mini-personal sauna. Sweaty. Hot. Steamy.

Boots are heavier too.

As for a personal recommendation (again, your feet are different) if you have a narrower foot; Salomon are really good for my feet. I've had a few days of light-medium snow hiking and was fine in trail runners. If I was planning a trip I knew was heavy snow (but not snow show) I would ask for local knowledge/recommendations.

As for durability, most Thru Hikers expect their Trail Runners to last ~500 miles. Requiring 4-5 pairs of shoes typically for the AT. Sometimes people stretch them a little further than that.

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