There is about a thousand dollars’ worth of bushwalking gear in my mother-in-law’s bin right now, if not more. Every time you take on Mother Nature, she puts you and your gear to the test. Having narrowly survived an aborted mid-winter leg of the Hans Heysen Track, here is my review of items that worked, items that didn’t, and why.
I preface this review with (a) nobody sponsored me, and (b) most of it is old so compare other reviews before you take my word for it, because …
WHAT WORKED:
Platypus GravityWorks Water Filter System.
An absolute beast, it processes colossal amounts of water quickly, is bombproof, foolproof, lightweight and packs away in its own pouch. We met a bloke at Eagle Waterhole who was boiling all his drinking water. He watched me filter three litres in three minutes, and when I offered to top him up I think he wanted to have my babies.
GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Dualist.
I have had this cookset for many, many years. I have bashed the living shit out of it and it’s still going strong. Perfect for 1-2 people, extremely versatile, the components nest beautifully with room to spare for my MSR Titan kettle, a baby butane cylinder and ferro rod. It’s my one-stop-shop for those quick trailside breaks.
MSR Pocket Rocket
The original and the best, throw that fucking Jetboil in the trash, boys. This is it. Cheap and cheerful, super efficient, doesn’t clag up with carbon, and packs away to nothing. A noisy little MOFO, but delivers instant results. I don’t use big pots and pans so the tiny footprint is perfect for my 1-2 person needs.
WHAT DIDN’T WORK:
Hoka Kaha 3 GTX hiking boots
These boots may be the darling of fairweather hikers in 2025, but for me they were not fit for purpose. I broke them in over six months / 200km before the Wild South Coast Way and still had the toecap peel off, Goretex leaks in both boots, and tread that became racing-slicks in the mud.
Sea to Summit ‘Escapist’ shelter
I am genuinely bereaved by this, but my trusty shelter is no more. It was never really anything more than a one-season emergency bivouac, but I always hoped it could be a light and tiny tent? No. Condensation was major in the cramped, airless and unforgiving setup. Highly unstable in the mildest breeze, the ‘Escapist’ is a cute backyard cubby for kids but not a serious outdoors option for adults above 5’6″
The advice of other bushwalkers
This isn’t a thing, but I’d throw it away if I could. Experienced bushwalkers perceive the space-time continuum according to their personal VO2 max, and love to offer unsolicited trailnotes. “From here? Twenty minutes!” actually means “Another hour in hell, fatty!” These days I just mutter “English nicht sprechen” each time I’m passed by some fit humble-brag in his fifties. Just smile and wave.
THE REST
There were more items in the bin, but most of my stuff survived to serve another day. Sea-to-Summit gear (in particular) seems to win every time.
But this shit is expensive and I only want to buy anything once, so I won’t be rushing out to replace anything soon.
Plus, every time I go out into the wilderness I come home reminded that the experience is more important than the equipment. As an experienced bushwalker myself, my unsolicited advice is this:
“Spend money on memories not material, and though your pack may seem empty, your life will feel full“