Clothing

[Kotsbon]

I am going to do the Kokoda Trail in September.

Will it be very wet then? what will the weather be like?

Also should I wear shorts (during day) or light cotton pants?

I sunburn fairly easily will this be a big problem?

Do groups usually take their own meals or do the organising compainies supply this?

Many thanks this will easy my worries,

James

[aussie]

Hi James, nice to hear from you. The weather in September should be still dry. It starts to get wet around November. It will still be quite hot then but a lot of the time you are in the rain forest and quite cool especially the higher you climb.

At night you will need long sleeve sweater and during the day, cotton shorts will be ok. Some people trek in bike pants or bike pants under ordinary shorts. The most experienced trekkers we note only bring them with them one lot of clothes for day use and wash and change into another set for night use.

Re Sunburn: I do not think so until you are closer to Ower's Corner where you are more exposed. I suggest you bring with you some sunscreen for this particular part of the trail. At the present moment the road from Ower's Corner to approxim 7 miles towards Sogeri is not driveable so trekkers have to walk further to meet up with the transport vehicles picking them up.

Re Meals: With regards to ourselves, we supply everything. We do request our trekkers to bring with them energy food such as sweets, condensed milk in a tube or the like….muesli bars/breakfast on the go type snacks etc Out on the trail you are using up heaps of energy so whatever give you a quick boost will help get you home. Three meals per day are provided by our trekking company.

There is also fresh fruit available in villages that can be purchased such as:
bananas/pawpaw/passionfruit (absolutely beautiful)/oranges etc. We also purchase village vegetables to go with the evening meal which varies depending on what is available.

Hope this helps.

[lynchy]

All you need is one pair of boardshorts (they dry quicker, and you will sweat heaps and there are rivers to swim in). I wore bike shorts under them to prevent chafing.
I had 2 t-shirts to walk in, and a long sleeve t-shirt and tracky pants for nights.
You only need one pair of boots if you've worn them in (i reckon an extra pair of runners is a waste of space and adding unnecessary weight) and a pair of thongs for nights.
If you're wearing bike shorts you don't even need jocks, so you can just take a pair of boxers to sleep in. And carry a few pairs of socks. I found ankle socks were comfortable and took up less space in my pack. I don't really think thick socks are necessary although it's a personal thing and the type of boot you're wearing will make a difference as to what you wear.

[Bushranger]

I was thinkin on wearing long pants, not shorts then blousing them on my boots to protect from mossies and bugs etc. so would that be a good thing to do? I'll be wearing GP boots.

[aussie]

Personally I found my legs did not like gaitors and I ended up with rashes on both of them. Bev my friend who is a nursing sister who walked with me, suggested I do away with them completely and wear long pants. This I did and had no further problems.

I did not run into any mozzies out there but the occasional leech and my personal porter quickly noticed and brushed it aside with his bush knife.

Whatever you choose just make sure like previously stated, that they dry quickly as you do not need extra weight in your pack.

Re boots: whatever you wear make sure wear them in well. If your feet are strong and you can walk without boots then dont bring an extra pair. However two trekkers last year got stuck when their boots gave up on two separate treks and the guy was lucky coz he then walked in his runners…but the girl ended up walking barefoot or with thongs for the last two days.

I have also seen a few pairs of feet from shoes that either did not fit well….some caused large blisters and others had problems with toes on the downhills (dont forget to cut your toenails), one guys feet were swollen so bad he couldnt get any shoes on and so forth.

I still maintain you can skimp on some things but when it comes to your feet how else are you going to get home. With PNG people they prefer to walk without shoes but for me…oouch! I can remember as a kid on a dairy farm not wearing shoes around but now…I cant walk 10 feet on bitumen without a pair of shoes on.

To think of walking in that terrain without shoes is much the same.

[LOO]

I am walking the track in June – Do I need sandles to cross the creeks – to save getting my boot wet. Loo

[muppie]

QUOTE(aussie @ 29 Jan 2005, 06:34 PM)

I did not run into any mozzies out there but the occasional leech and my personal porter quickly noticed and brushed it aside with his bush knife.

but aussie, remember that mossies don't like you anywhere

[Alison Anis]

QUOTE

LOO Posted on 15 Mar 2005, 10:12 AM
I am walking the track in June – Do I need sandles to cross the creeks – to save getting my boot wet. Loo 

Hi Loo,

You will definitely need sandles – Yes, if you don't want to get your boot wet and prefer not to walk barefoot across the river. You will need to walk around in it once you settle down at the camping site. I had my walking shoes but carried along a pair of very light sandles which prove useful when walking short distances to have my bath.

[Author]

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