Welcome!

I recently updated a bunch of my hiking gear and it struck me while undergoing this process that there wasn't much information in Australia regarding hiking gear available in Australia.  There seems to be plenty of information regarding products available in the USA, but not so much out here.  Maybe I am wrong in coming to this conclusion, but I certainly found it difficult to find information regarding a number of things I was interested in.  I have no idea why there would be a lack on information and/or interest in Australia, hiking is popular out here and there are many wonderful trails to experience.

Hopefully this blog will serve to fill some of this void, it is certainly my hope that it will do so and that readers will be able to make more informed decisions regarding their purchases.  With purchases made particularly easy via the Internet I think that it is especially important to be able to find good information about products on line in case you are thinking about not going into the shop to check the item out in person (even then you are pretty limited sometimes in what you can find out about the product).

My main aim in my recent gear update was to lower my carry weight.  Although I was inspired to do so by reading about the experiences and recommendations of experienced hikers such as Andrew Skurka (andrewskurka.com) I am not such an avid or experienced hiker as to dare attempt some of the things these ultralight hikers attempt nor would I like to forgo some of the creature comforts they forgo! I also found it difficult to convert American gear recommendations into an Australian setting as some of the companies recommended do not ship to Australia, or the shipping makes their prices uncompetitive.  I suppose I also wanted to try and support Australian retailers/manufacturers!

I was assisted in my buying spree by the kind donation of a Kathmandu staff and family voucher that was given to me by a fellow hiker I met on Tasmania's Overland Track in 2012.  Therefore Kathmandu is likely, at least early on, to be over represented in my reviews.  This is not to say that I would not have bought Kathmandu products without the voucher, it just led me to concentrate on their products, and while Kathmandu may not concentrate on lightweight/ultra light weight hiking gear, it does stock a few products that fall within this category that are, in my opinion, competitive when compared to similar products available out there.  Two such products are the Kathmandu Lansan Light Tent and the Pathfinder e-Proof sleeping bag, which I will review in future weeks.

I am also hoping to provide some short videos demonstrating the products under review so that readers/viewers can get a better feel for the product in question.

Happy reading, and feel free to leave a comment/feedback.

These Boots