Here is the gear we took on the Bibbulmun as a couple. At the end of the post, we discuss what did and didn’t work so well, as well as changes we would make in the future. Our recommended gear list for solo hikers can be found at Bibbulmun Ultralight Solo Gear List.
Total weight in list: 8137g
Worn weight (Maddie): 962g
Worn weight (Tom): 896g
Individual base weight (half total base weight): 3139.5g
Sleeping
| Item | Product | Weight (g) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two person tent | Zpacks Duplex | 600 | 0.75oz/yd² for durability. Perfect size for us. |
| Twin quilt | Zpacks 0C Twin Quilt | 530 | Short/slim design. Only just warm enough (it was a cold season). 0C is a generous rating. |
| Sleeping mat | Exped Synmat HL DUO M | 830 | Super comfy and avoids heat loss between mats when using a twin quilt. Not very durable. Experienced a baffle failure during the trip (not the first either). |
| Sleeping mat inflation sack | 58 | ||
| Groundsheet | Polycro | 40 | For protecting sleeping mat when sleeping in shelters. Cut to size of sleeping mat. |
| Tent stakes | Easton Nano 15cm and Shepard’s Hook Ti stakes | 58 | 6 Easton Nano at 8g each. 2 Shepard's Hook at 5g each for guy lines. |
| Total | 2116 |
Kitchen
| Item | Product | Weight (g) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water bottles | 1L Balance bottle | 144 | Carry 2 each. Nice shape (Smart water equivalent in Australia). Swapped out lids for push pull tops. |
| Spoon | Toaks titanium long handle | 23 | One short (10g), one long (13g). |
| Scent proof food bag | OPSAC 20×12 | 68 | Food bag for reducing scent profile. One each. |
| Rehydration container | Gatorade container | 52 | One each. Didn’t like them, they leak. Peanut butter container works better for us. |
| Total | 287 |
First Aid
| Item | Product | Weight (g) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pocket knife | Swiss Army Knife Classic | 21 | Knife, scissors, tweezers. Better scissors than classic. |
| Snake bandage | 94 | ||
| Breathable tape | Fixomull Stretch | 4 | |
| Duct/electrical tape | 6 | For repairs and blisters. | |
| Repair tape | DCF tape and tenacious tape. | 5 | |
| Antihistamines | 4 | x10 for mosquito bites etc. | |
| Ibuprofen | 4 | x10 for pain relief and inflammation. | |
| Caffeine tablet | No-Doz | 3 | x6. |
| Anti-diarrhoea Tablets | Immodium | 2 | x6. |
| Hikers wool | Not much | For blisters. | |
| Safety pin | 2 | For blisters. | |
| Sewing needle and thread | 3 | 3 needles. For repairs and popping blisters. | |
| Toothbrush | 4 | Cut short. One each. | |
| Superglue | 4 | For large cuts and repairs. | |
| Alcohol pad | 4 | x6 for cuts and mat repair. | |
| Mat repair kit | Exped mat repair kit | 18 | Fabric and glue repair for big punctures/cuts. |
| Glue dots | 2 | x6 for small mat repairs. | |
| Cord | Zpacks 1.3mm | 3 | 1.3mm. |
| Matches | Redheads (short) | 10 | 1 pack. |
| Menstrual cup | 20 | ||
| Ear plugs | Not much | Sleeping. Two spare sets. | |
| Sleepmask | 6 | Improves sleep. | |
| Comb | 6 | ||
| Hair lackies | 4 | Spare for tying stuff. | |
| Tick Tox | 20 | For tick removal. | |
| Total | 249 |
Consumables
| Item | Product | Weight (g) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunscreen | 47 | In 30ml tub. Resupply in every town. | |
| Lip Balm | Carmex Squeeze Tube | 14 | SPF15 and stops lips/under nose cracking. |
| Water purification tablets | Aquatabs | 11 | 80 x 5 L tabs. |
| Anti-chafe | Gurney Goo | 20 | In 15g tube. |
| Hand sanitizer | 29 | In 30ml tub. Resupply in every town. | |
| Toothpaste | 10 | In travel tube. Resupply when needed. Would take toothpaste drops next time. | |
| Toilet paper | 13 | ||
| Total | 144 |
Electronics
| Item | Product | Weight (g) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powerbank | Nitecore NB10000 | 150 | King of the power banks currently. Two outputs is very useful. |
| Wall plug | HEYMIX 20W Dual Port | 45 | 20w, AU plug. |
| iPhone cable | Generic | 10 | 5g each. Carried two for redundancy (USB A and USB C). Short 10cm length. |
| Microusb cable | Generic | 14 | 7g each. Carried two for redundancy (USB A and USB C). For inReach Mini and NU25. |
| USB C cable | Generic | 10 | For fast charging powerbank. |
| Phone (Tom) | iPhone 12 Mini | 190 | Waterproof case. Good battery life, battery efficiency, screen size and camera. |
| Phone (Maddie) | iPhone 13 Pro | 279 | Waterproof case. Good battery life and efficiency, excellent camera with zoom and macro lens. |
| Headphones | AirPods Pro 2 | 55 | With case. For listening to music together. |
| Satellite device/safety beacon | Garmin inReach Mini 2 | 100 | For safety, texting, weather forecast. |
| Headtorch | Nitecore NU25 | 66 | One each. 360 Lm max. Homemade cord headband. |
| Total | 919 |
Clothes carried (Maddie)
| Item | Product | Weight (g) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wind jacket | Montbell Tachyon Jacket | 41 | Adds heaps of versatility and warmth. One of my favourite items. For sleeping if everything else is soaked. |
| Wind pants | Montbell UL Stretch Wind Pants | 70 | Adds heaps of versatility and warmth. Sleep in every night. |
| Rain jacket | GORE R7 Shakedry | 121 | Great jacket. Shakedry works really well and glad it has two zip pockets. Not super durable but held up well. It has one hole but from a barbed wire fence. |
| Rain pants | Montbell Versalite Pants | 104 | For warmth in wet weather. Not super durable but good enough. Water seeps through eventually. |
| Fleece | Macpac Nitro | 107 | Older 60g/m² version. Great active layer. |
| Down jacket | Borah Gear Ultralight Down Jacket | 146 | 62.5g of (2.3oz) down. |
| Buff | Outdoor Research Echo Ubertube | 20 | Very thin and breathable. Keep ears warm under hat walking and sleeping. |
| Fleece gloves | Decathlon fleece gloves | 20 | Only just warm enough (it was a cold season). Would take possum gloves next time. |
| Rain gloves | MLD eVent Rain Mitts | 41 | For warmth when wet. Not very durable and leaked (were second hand so unsure of prior use). Hard to seam seal properly. |
| Spare undies | ExOfficio Bikini Briefs | 23 | |
| Spare socks | Icebreaker Lifestyle | 39 | |
| Total | 732 |
Clothes carried (Tom)
| Item | Product | Weight (g) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wind jacket | Montbell Tachyon Jacket | 46 | Adds heaps of versatility and warmth. One of my favourite items. For sleeping if everything else is soaked. |
| Wind pants | Montbell UL Stretch Wind Pants | 70 | Adds heaps of versatility and warmth. Sleep in every night. |
| Rain jacket | Kathmandu Zeolite Shakedry | 190 | Durable shakedry jacket but the pocket is annoying (it is inside and inaccessible). |
| Rain pants | Zpacks Vertice Rain Pants | 100 | Old DCF model. For warmth in wet weather but DCF doesn’t pack very small. Have found them more durable than Montbell Versalite. |
| Fleece | Macpac Nitro | 140 | Older 60g/m² version. Great active layer. |
| Down jacket | Montbell Plasma 1000 | 126 | 45g (1.6oz) of down. More of a down shirt than a jacket. Adds a bit of warmth but not heaps. |
| Tights | Nike Pro | 75 | Prevents chaffing. |
| Buff | Outdoor Research Echo Ubertube | 20 | Very thin and breathable. Keep ears warm under hat walking and sleeping. |
| Fleece gloves | Decathlon fleece gloves | 20 | Only just warm enough (it was a cold season). Would take possum gloves next time. |
| Rain gloves | Borah Gear eVent mitts | 34 | For warmth when wet. Not fully waterproof as seam sealing isn’t perfect. More durable than MLD eVent Rain Mitts and work ok. |
| Spare undies | ExOfficio Briefs | 30 | |
| Spare socks | Icebreaker Lifestyle | 39 | |
| Total | 890 |
Miscellaneous
| Item | Product | Weight (g) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hiking pack | Superior Wilderness Design 38L DCF pack with mesh hip belt | 840 | 420g each. More than enough space for longest food carry. Super nice. |
| Water bottle holder | Justin’sUL | 54 | 2 x 1L bottle holders for shoulder straps on each pack. Mesh not super durable but otherwise fantastic product. |
| Dry bag | Zpacks DCF Large Food Bag (14L), Sea to Summit silnylon (8L) | 37 | Zpacks 14L for quilt and sleep clothes. Sea to Summit 8L for day clothes. |
| Zip lock bags | 1 | For compartmentalising and keeping things dry. | |
| Debit cards | 10 | ||
| Total | 942 |
Clothes worn (Maddie)
| Item | Product | Weight (g) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long sleeve shirt | Outdoor Research Echo Quarter Zip | 104 | Good collar. Zip for ventilation. Super breathable. Thumb holes. |
| Running shorts | 2XU 5 inch Men’s running shorts | 100 | Good length for sun protection. I like the men’s shorts because they have a zip pocket. |
| Sports bra | Nike sports bra | 111 | |
| Underwear | ExOfficio Bikini Briefs | 31 | |
| Hat | Outdoor Research Sun Runner | 80 | Stylish. Also use cape as towel for drying things. |
| Trekking poles | Helinox FL120 | 145 | 120cm. A bit too short for setting up the Duplex. Alloy so won’t snap but have bent one once. |
| Sunglasses | Julbo Shield M | 27 | Cat 2-4 photochromic sunglasses. Love them. |
| Socks | Icebreaker Lifestyle | 44 | Thin merino socks. |
| Shoes | Nike Pegasus Trail 5 | 255 | Bring them back! |
| Gaiters | Dirty Girl Gaiters | 40 | Great for keeping dirt and stones out of your shoes. Increases lifetime of socks. |
| Watch | Casio W-202 | 25 | Simple and good back light. Alarm isn’t loud enough though and no vibration. |
| Total | 962 |
Clothes worn (Tom)
| Item | Product | Weight (g) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long sleeve shirt | Outdoor Research Echo Quarter Zip | 107 | Good collar. Zip for ventilation. Super breathable. Thumb holes. |
| Running shorts | Nike Second Sunrise | 127 | Favorite shorts. Three zipped pockets. |
| Underwear | ExOfficio Briefs | 31 | |
| Hat | Outdoor Research Sun Runner | 80 | Stylish. Also use cape as towel for drying things. |
| Trekking poles | Naturehike ST10 Ultralight Telescopic Poles | 155 | 130cm. Carbon. Telescopic. Flip lock. Super light. Carbon is strong, but I have broken the straps. |
| Sunglasses | Julbo Trek | 32 | Cat 2-4 photochromic sunglasses. Nice but would be better if they went darker. Had to replace lens that fell out. |
| Socks | Icebreaker Lifestyle | 44 | Thin merino socks. |
| Shoes | Nike Pegasus Trail 5 | 255 | Bring them back! |
| Gaiters | Dirty Girl Gaiters | 40 | Great for keeping dirt and stones out of your shoes. Increases lifetime of socks. |
| Watch | Casio W-202 | 25 | Simple and good back light. Alarm isn’t loud enough though and no vibration. |
| Total | 896 |
Gear analysis
Overall we were happy with our gear choices for the Bibbulmun, but would make some changes should we walk the track in the future.
What worked well
Real winners for this trip were our Goretex Shakedry rain jackets. We really do think they live up to the hype and keep you noticeably dryer and cooler for much longer than the slew of rain jackets we have used previously. For us, one of the biggest problems with Shakedry jackets is the cost. We were fortunate find some good deals online, as we were unwilling to spend $300-500 on a rain jacket. Additionally it can be hard to find a Shakedry jacket with pockets, something that we find very useful. Most companies producing ~100-120g jackets do not include pockets. Maddie was lucky to grab a Gore R7 ladies jacket which has two zip pockets (oddly the male has only a single chest pocket). Tom picked up a Zeolite, which was his first bit of Kathmandu gear purchased in a long time! The Zeolite is much heavier (190g after some cutting vs 121g) and has an odd pocket inside the jacket at the bottom which is quite difficult to operate. The Zeolite is made of the tougher ‘hiking approved’ Shakedry and definitely feels sturdier. However, if given the choice, Tom would have taken a Gore R7 as Maddie’s R7 has proven durable enough for on trail hiking.
We were glad we permethrin soaked our clothes as we feel we got fewer ticks and experienced significantly lower bug pressure than others around us. We weren’t sure what to take as an ultralight method to safely remove ticks and ended up taking Tick Tox spray (20g). It takes up a decent amount of room and doesn’t feel ultralight but we wanted a method of being able to remove ticks without the risk of them injecting nasties into you. If you have a better suggestion let us know!
This was also the first long hike where we completely ditched hiking pants and went for the wind pants + rain pants combo (total 150g). We slept in the wind pants and used them for warmth and bug protection in the day. If it was raining, we would opt to wear our rain pants, leaving our wind pants in our packs so they would stay dry for sleeping in later than night. We were frankly very surprised at how well this system worked and solved the problem for us of carrying heavy hiking pants (200g+), only to use them for sleeping at night and bug protection. Unless we are doing a walk with lots of scrub and off track, we don’t plan on carrying hiking pants any time soon.
What didn't work well
Since our spring was colder than average we would have been more comfortable with a warmer quilt. Our Zpacks twin quilt is rated as 0C/30F but in our opinion is more like 5C/40F. We also would have preferred 90g/m2 Polartech Alpha fleeces compared to our 60g/m2 ones for staying warmer in cold driving rain. Furthermore, Tom decided that the Montbell Plasma 1000 down jacket was not very useful. At 130g it does provide more warmth than a comparable fleece. However, for only 30-50g more you get a whole lot more down jacket and will be super toasty rather than just warm enough.
We found that our eVent rain mitts didn’t work very well, something we already knew from 3 months in South America but seemed to have forgotten. The problem is that our models (MLD and Borah Gear) require seam sealing at home. This task sounds simple enough but from experience we just don’t think seam sealing mitts works very well. In our opinion, they need to be seam taped. We would be keen to try the Zpacks rain mitts to see if that makes a difference. A few months after finishing the Bibbulmun, Tom used disposable plastic food handling gloves on the AAWT FKT and they worked much better.
On top of having issues with our rain mitts, we continued our trend of having issues with inflatable mats. Our Exped Synmat HL Duo LW had two baffles blow out. This is the second time we have had an Exped baffle blow and the fourth in total including our NeoAir mats. After roughly 4 months of use, we have concluded that the fabrics used on the Exped HL Duo LW are not durable enough for our liking, as we have had to patch these mats several times and the fabric feels very fragile. This is disappointing for us because the two person Exped mat is incredibly comfy and we sleep better on it than any other mat combo. It eliminates the draft issue between two single person mats which is important when using a twin quilt. However, it’s heavier than two single person NeoAir Xlite mats, less warm, less durable, bulkier, and is more annoying to inflate with the pump sack vs blowing up by mouth. We would be very keen to try out a two person NeoAir Xlite! From these experiences, we think we will give foam mats more of a go in 3 season conditions.
Going stoveless for the first time
On this hike we also decided to try no cook. This meant instead of taking a pot and stove we took containers to rehydrate cold food. For us, this was not so much about saving weight (it only saves about 100g per person), but more about simplicity. On our last long trip, 3 months in South America, we grew tired of cooking meals at the end of each day, and the associated cleaning and managing/acquiring fuel. One of the things we love about hiking is simplicity and no stove means one less thing to do. Maddie was the driving force behind trying no cook. Tom was open to the idea, but was pretty sure ‘no cook would be no good’.
Our first week of going stoveless was pretty miserable as we figured out what did and didn’t work. However, once we figured out some tasty meals we both were extremely surprised how much we enjoyed going stoveless. We definitely plan on going stoveless in 3 season conditions for the foreseeable future. The only exception would be on trips to less developed countries where good stoveless food options aren’t always as readily available. For example, on the Greater Patagonia Trail we pretty much lived on pasta as it was one of the only foods we could purchase in remote villages.
We also wouldn’t go stoveless on short and more social hikes. Stopping, cooking and sharing a meal is one of the best parts of hiking with other people and we wouldn’t want to give that up. No cook is appealing to us on long hikes where simplicity is a much stronger driving factor and we find our standards are a lot lower! We are in the process of doing a more detailed no cook post.
If there is some part of our gear choices you are unsure about, or wonder why we chose X instead of Y, drop us an email! The Bibbulmun is a great track to test out ultralight gear as the risks are relatively low. Towns are frequent, temperatures are mild, you expect to see people every day, and the track quality is very high.
5 Responses
Thankyou this is so comprehensive.
Might have missed it but what time of the year did you hike.
I would be hiking alone my main worry is getting water but you mention towns frequent. What guide book would you recommend??
Did you find there was always room in a shelter??
Thanks for sharing you story
Thanks for the questions. Water can certainly be tricky. Your best bet is to consult the Chapman guide book and the AAWT Facebook page for recent water updates. I have walked the trail in November and also January. January can be problematic depending on the year.
As for the huts, I’ve never come across one that was full.
Thanks very good information.
Hi Great post on the Bib track!
Do you have any of you no cook recipes posted anywhere?
Thanks! Not yet but we’re getting there!