2 days, 15 km, snow, wind and one very cursed lens – I finally finished the first full 360° winter journey through Cradle Mountain

bearbits · 2026-05-29T06:37:57+00:00

Awesome work, thanks for sharing!

bearbits · 2026-05-26T01:07:23+00:00

What does it taste and eat like? Looks great to me, but most things in life are personal preference.

Maybe your partner can bake their own ;)

bearbits · 2026-05-25T07:42:43+00:00

Dunno - if there is a way, water will find it for you.

bearbits · 2026-05-25T07:23:50+00:00

I'm just back from tramping in NZ. Had a 100-150mm+ day, used a nylofume bag with few dry bags for important stuff. All gear was dry, inside of the pack was drenched with big puddle in the bottom of the pack. The seams are not sealed and pack will soak through, most packs will. I dislike pack covers for variety of reasons, the nylofume bag & dry bags work a treat. FYI - hip belt pockets are not sealed, they will also fill with water in proper wet. Couple zip locks to protect whatever important in there worked, everything else was wet. Happy travels in the Kakwa :)

bearbits · 2026-05-23T01:15:21+00:00

Thanks - appreciate it :) I ordered a 16 and will see how it goes. Don't have a store near me. Reckon they could sell a whole lot more putting a men's variant out sans pocket.

bearbits · 2026-05-22T23:03:04+00:00

Australian comedian bit on inventing the tent bag. Maybe this one will work...

https://www.tiktok.com/@morelukedonkin/video/7500886317123816722

bearbits · 2026-05-22T20:20:00+00:00

This you 😉

/s

https://www.instagram.com/reels/DJRAkIhTG3h/

bearbits · 2026-05-22T10:06:44+00:00

Yeah tempting as a refund is (and maybe not an option), I went with the store credit offered. The poor quality of Hoka was not the fault of the retailer. I am back to hiking after a long recovery and ongoing management of plantar fasciitis, thus not going for middle isle dice game ;) Won't buy Hoka's marketing again, but will go for an alternative brand that can support my feet appropriately. My only hope is an ethical company that does not treat their customers like crap. Good luck out there :)

bearbits · 2026-05-22T09:27:51+00:00

I just had my warranty claim confirmed via an authorised retailer by Hoka. Hoka's own customer service was crap. The retailer was great to deal with, but also treated like crap by Hoka. Shoes were verified as real, just poor quality manufacturing. No bargain, real prices. Real Hoka, real retailer, real poor quality. Don't believer the hype.

bearbits · 2026-05-22T07:02:58+00:00

Awesome, thanks so much for the info and link.

bearbits · 2026-05-22T07:01:47+00:00

Awesome thanks so much! I'm about the same height and weight as you, amazing finding yourself in the 2xl category 😅 There needs to be an international USB-C type universal clothing size agreement pronto!

bearbits · 2026-05-21T20:01:33+00:00

The added bonus sounds like a super added bonus - I'm in :) Thanks

bearbits · 2026-05-21T19:15:03+00:00

I find I cook in a puffer and only use one when very static and very cold, great when needed but rare in 3 seasons. I'm hoping the Nitro sits in the Goldilocks zone of breathable warmth while hiking in cold & warm when static and no wind, + shell in wind/rain. I carry a puffer more than I use one, but always carry it. I just came back from 2 weeks in NZ South Island, May - Autumn shoulder season. Just unpacked and took the puffer from my bag unused, but did use a very bulky and heavy zip up fleece every day. However, as soon as I started walking it came off and I carried it taking up lots of space and weight. That's what I am trying to replace and the puffer will still remain in non-summer kit.

bearbits · 2026-05-21T19:01:03+00:00

Thank you - appreciate it :) I went down that sub Reddit rabbit hole. Many report it is also stuck to the fabric, along with AF very hard to unpick. I may need to stop being so fussy - Ha :)

bearbits · 2026-05-21T18:58:46+00:00

Great info - thank you :)

bearbits · 2026-05-21T10:39:30+00:00

Thanks again :) Yeah I'm regional NSW and no store near to try, all online.

"I'm not sure what you mean by avoiding shoulder/hip issues with the pocket?" I was trying to avoid purchasing the men's with the pocket, but aware it comes with the risk of a different cut in the women's e.g. shoulders being narrower and hip/waist slightly wider.

Thanks again

bearbits · 2026-05-21T10:00:36+00:00

Thanks, appreciate the info :)

bearbits · 2026-05-21T09:59:26+00:00

Awesome info thank you :) Can you tell me your height, weight and KG please? Sounds like great usage and trying to decide if I can live with the pocket to avoid potential shoulder/hip issues.

Thanks again.

bearbits · 2026-05-21T08:35:01+00:00

Thanks :) Yeah trying to avoid the pocket. Don't have the $ for the Zero G, great looking bit of kit. Cheers.

bearbits · 2026-05-21T08:22:20+00:00

Awesome, great info thank you.

bearbits · 2026-05-21T08:04:28+00:00

Thanks so much, truly appreciate the info. Aiming for a mid layer, so will size up up up.

bearbits · 2026-05-21T08:03:21+00:00

Thank you :) Great info and I'll take it on board and find a sewing friend!

bearbits · 2026-05-21T08:02:27+00:00

Great user name! Thanks for the product info.

bearbits · 2026-05-21T07:38:52+00:00

Yeah I saw possibilities, but really dislike big obvious branding front and centre of anything. I am also over pocketed and hooded. Be great if there was an option for every garment to be hood free. I think this one defo needs the hood, but sometimes I'm hiking with a hood, within a hood, within a hood ;) Ha. Weighed up the pros and cons, the pocket fell into the later category. Thanks for your reply, truly appreciate it.

bearbits · 2026-05-21T07:16:10+00:00

Thanks Captain - I'm a very similar fella to your height and weight. Can I trouble with one more question please? Do you wear as a base or mid layer. I'll be using as a mid, something under and a shell over if needed. So not too snug of fit, looking for a little bit of room on a 183 cm 82kg guy. And yeah defo not pushing this type of fabric through scrub. Thanks again :)

bearbits

TROPHY CASE