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More questions,
date of treck, 5th of june 6 days.
I'm Thinking:
Top: Good quality gortex jacket with hood and a decent trekking snazzy shirt.
Pack: Deuter 65 + 10 aircontact "mainly due to personal comfort" http://www.trailspace.com/gear/deuter/aircontact-65+10/
Bottom: long skins with running shorts, tossing up long pants that zip off to shorts so i have the option
Poles: Black diamond i'm told are nice, i rather like the clipping system they use.
Head Lamp: Regardless i will get a decent quality/brand one round the $100-$150 mark
shoes: thinking salomon xa pro 3d ultra 2 "not sure if they are 2 light, this is being discussed in another post"
Opinions / suggestions
+criticism would also be appreciated.
Thankyou.Gday Josh, it's been 4 years since I did the trek, and not a day goes by that i don't think about it. I'm Planning to go back next year. Technology has changed since then but here's my 2 cents worth –
With your shoes, you only have 2 months to go so i would go with what you've got. i would go with ankle support and wear some sock garters, which does keep some mud out. Make sure you break them in, wear them everywhere, vasoline your toes and feet to combat the blisters, before putting your socks on.
You are going to be wet 80% of the time.Clothes,boots/socks won't dry most of the time overnight. You'll wake up dry but be putting wet clothes on, wet boots, but they will be wet in a half hour anyways with sweat. Try to keep your feet dry, dry them at night, pay extra attention to your FEET.
I took a rain jacket but mate, i left it in the bag. You will be wet. walking in a jacket will feel like a sauna.
DO line your pack with garbage bags, DO make sure it has a pack cover, or buy a cheap $15 one to go over your pack.
I had a $20 head lamp, it worked fine. extra battery.
I wore a shirt with a collar and long sleeves but that was a preference, i sunburn easy, and while most of the walk is under canopy, when you are out in the sun, it will scold you. Make sure the material feels ok on your skin after sweating in it for a few hours. Long pants to keep your legs warm after cooling down at night, the zip off pants may be the go.
I did see a couple of people that were overweight on the track, and i'm sure they made it. Take it at your own pace, don't think it's a race and burn yourself out. Mentally it will test you. Don't underestimate the Track. It is tough. The fitter you are, the more you will enjoy it, after all, the Kokoda Track is a spectacle worth savouring.
Hope this helps a bit, as i say, thats what i did, it may not work for you.
DaveRe salomon shoes: this brand is excellent and has been proven by our staff however for trekkers bear in mind that they have shoes where the sides are not lined, ie see through holes. Whilst this is ok with PNG guys as there feet are tough compared to ours and they can walk in anything, barefeet and thongs.
Today, I purchased a pair of shoes for my son and had Russell with me who has walked the track close on 300 times. As my son likes light not heavy shoes I showed Russel a pair of Salomon shoes and his reply was no, it will not work for Shane as his feet will get wet and will give him problems. So we ended up with a pair of Merrill's gortex as turned out his size of 9 is popular and there wasnt really that much to choose from that could do the job, the lightweight at the same time and wear well on the track.
Shane did over 15 treks last year and his previous boots only just made it and were left behind with his personal porter in Kokoda.
You also have to think of ankle support. If you are used to being on your feet all day at work then you might get away with the lower cut shoes which I purchased for my son but it like myself, I definitely needed the higher cut ones for ankle support.
Just my 2 cents josh.
I agree with everything johnny said. It sounds like you've settled on your shoes and pack, so no comment there. That's really the area to spend money on…
With your other stuff I'd be going cheap. A light spray jacket is fine (as you won't use it anyway due to being soaked through from sweat – handy at night if you need to go out of the tent and keep dry). My own preference was quick dry shorts with a skins short type undie to keep chafe at bay and a t-shirt. If you take long pants bear in mind they will be wet all of the time so light material is the way to go.
On your poles, unless you're used to walking with a particular type I had a branch which served me admirably. My father brought along a pole which he was happy with, but note due to the uncommon steepness and variances of the slopes the fixed position of the hand on the pole presented some challenges.
I also had a cheapo head lamp thingy and that was fine.
I must agree with what the others say. Your choice of pack is the same as mine and I found it very comfortable. I dont think you'll need a really expensive headlamp, youll only need it for eating and getting up at night or early morning, not for walking in the dark and a heavy waterproof jacket is just more weight to carry and not worth the effort.
I hope you have a great walk.
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