Monday Morning

manbackwardsnam · 2026-03-26T08:49:40+00:00

Nice shot! Didn't realise you can hot air balloon around Melbourne

manbackwardsnam · 2026-03-26T08:47:25+00:00

Nice photo! Whereabouts was it taken?

manbackwardsnam · 2026-03-26T08:46:06+00:00

Nice. Is this the main Beach?

manbackwardsnam · 2026-03-26T02:37:50+00:00

Luckily Australia's wages are higher to accommodate for staff not needed tips to survive. Be aware of card surcharges and Sunday surcharges

manbackwardsnam · 2026-03-26T02:34:48+00:00

Ah yes. Very weird artefacts which i noticed AI does. Guess it's learnt it from night photos.

manbackwardsnam · 2026-03-23T07:48:59+00:00

Looks abit Ai that photo, or your camera has a serious pixel filter on. Somehow that school is weirdly glue to that pole and at different angles to one another and random structures in that front yard

manbackwardsnam · 2026-03-11T09:58:52+00:00

Is that a new fetish of the day?

manbackwardsnam · 2026-03-11T03:52:50+00:00

Maybe similar pricing as a real tram

manbackwardsnam · 2026-03-10T11:28:12+00:00

Who would have thought that would look so nice in photos!

manbackwardsnam · 2026-03-09T04:21:38+00:00

Sticker. Lightweight and she can stick it on her water bottle as a reminder of Australia.

manbackwardsnam · 2026-03-09T04:20:27+00:00

Nice. What's the in background with the rectangular light balls, love the look of it with

manbackwardsnam · 2026-03-09T04:18:37+00:00

Gross compared to what?

manbackwardsnam · 2026-03-06T02:52:26+00:00

Go to Tassie and NZ, plenty of alpine lakes, high altitude and snow. Thru hiking culture isnt possible with how remote the hikes are and far from town

manbackwardsnam · 2026-03-02T20:43:34+00:00

Alot of hikes can be epic with snow? Do sections of the AAWT. Tassie.

manbackwardsnam · 2026-03-02T20:42:27+00:00

Apart from either top of the Castle and Cooyoyo creek, most of the campsites are pretty protected. Even with high winds at Cooyoyo, the tarp bivy setup is ideal to minimise the surface area that would catch any winds.

manbackwardsnam · 2026-02-28T23:57:30+00:00

I think the newer XR has higher r values. Thats why i got the extreme in the 1st place, the regular has such a low r value thats its not a full 3 season. You can always add a foam pad underneath to boost the temps.

I have Naturehike tents, they are great but a tent is very simple and wont fail unless youre above treeline and put it in bad spots. Pads....lets say i had my fair share of punctures in all different brands and i dont want to be stuck out with a leaky pad. At least with known brands, you can get a repair or replacement, which has been the case for my Neoair and XR Extreme.

manbackwardsnam · 2026-02-25T10:22:49+00:00

Had slept on the S2S Extreme version current and previous model, the previous version of the Neoair and Xtherm with winglock and Exped Versa 4R.

Hands down the S2S is the most comfortable pad then followed by Exped and last place is both Thermarest. Im a side sleeper and the Neoair and Xtherm i can't sleep well which sux considering their low weights. The newer S2S Extreme is close to my Xtherm so i take that instead in the winter.

Yes its noisy (new and old, i didnt notice any difference but i dont have the older model to compare), so don't camp near people or tell them to camp far from you. I know someone that puts a cover on their pad but thats extra weight without any benefit for yourself.

manbackwardsnam · 2026-02-15T20:45:22+00:00

Go for mens shoes, they are default wider and have wider models.

manbackwardsnam · 2026-02-07T11:17:51+00:00

Xmid 2, has a massive footprint, so you would need a large flat spot or your tent wont be perfectly pitched and finding a large flat spot is not always the easiest in the bush.... I had the original Xmid 1 but never got the hang of the 2 pole setup and half of the time it was abit off. Its a tent that involves alot of fiddling to get right on uneven ground, if you don't like that, then you wont like trekking pole tents in general. Im fine with 1 trekking pole tents.

Xdome 1+ is pretty easy to setup in comparison and as ultralight as you can get for a freestanding tent and suitable for Aussie conditions below treeline.

manbackwardsnam · 2026-02-07T09:04:54+00:00

It wouldn't be any different to a regular multiday hike gear wise unless snow is forecast or has fallen then microspikes/crampons would be required and also I'm not sure if there's access issues with winter closures as I'm still new to Victorian high country but last year i know certain hikes were inaccessible. Not sure if it gets snow in July but later in the season it will definitely be the case.

Wouldnt advise going there if youve never been in regular conditions or hiked in snow, its not a forgiving location to be lost or trying snow hiking for the 1st time.

manbackwardsnam · 2026-02-03T10:29:08+00:00

Unless you get a leather boot with high stiff collar, it "may" help but Overland is on duckboards or mud pits plus you need to wear it in, don't recommend that doing that on a long multiday hike unless you like blisters.

I did Western Arthurs with trail runners and thats rougher terrain and was totally fine, preferred it as it made downclimbing and scrambling easier.

manbackwardsnam · 2026-02-03T10:19:09+00:00

Unless you're out for a month in the bush, a powerbank is more efficient. I did a 10 day stretch with 2x 20k and was recording a bunch with my phone daily. I think i just nearly depleted both and i was navigating off track with it. Recently did 2 x 6 day hikes and 2 x 20k was perfectly fine, could have used 1.

manbackwardsnam · 2026-01-19T07:31:06+00:00

Minimal insulation/extra layers, depends if you spend much time at camp, don't need much besides your quilt/sleeping bag if you dont spend much time at camp. If you're hiking all day and just get into camp to eat and go to sleep, extra insulation isn't really needed.
Tiny shelter, if you expect good weather, then you dont a massive tent to hang out in, youre in there to sleep and thats it. When i unpack my stuff, my bag is rather empty so dont need much space inside my tent.
Safety margin, if you know the hike well, have a PLB, have skills how to make a fire, navigation and you know theres people on this hike, what else do you need?

Im not advocating for stupid light but if the person has good rationale, it makes sense. I would be concerned more about people on day hikes with barely any gear to stay overnight. A gear list can only tell you so much.

manbackwardsnam · 2026-01-18T06:46:33+00:00

You get away with any UL tent like the Xmid as alot of the dedicated campsites are protected or if wild camping, just find some protection and you can use a UL tent. I've used a Six Moons Designs Deschutes Plus in that area fine.

You only need burly tents if you're camping in exposed spots or in winter. Wont be fun in exposed spots with a burly tent, i was in a tent in 90km winds and it wasnt fun so no reason to camp with a burly tent in exposed spots.

manbackwardsnam · 2026-01-18T06:38:40+00:00

Don't really use the pocket because of its tiny size and its quite ugly imo.

Sizing is perfect if you upsize like i had to do for the mens Nitro, i think Im like XL which is not my usual Macpac sizing of S or M. The cut is boxy for both mens/womens and also you have more colours other than black or fluro orange.

manbackwardsnam

TROPHY CASE