Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
your pack is waterproof, use a heavy-duty plastic liner to ensure everything stays dry. The
best liner (the one you'll see most New Zealanders using) is a large bright-yellow plastic
sack with outdoor tips on it, produced by the NZ Mountain Safety Council and sold at De-
partment of Conservation (DOC) offices, outdoor gear shops and visitor information
centres.
Sleeping Bag & Mat
Down bags are warm, lightweight and compact but useless if they get wet. Synthetic bags
are cheaper and better wet, but generally bulkier. Mummy-shaped designs prove best for
weight and warmth but can be claustrophobic. The rating (-5°C, for instance) is the coldest
temperature at which a person should feel comfortable in the bag. For extra warmth, pur-
chase a liner. Most huts have mattresses and are warm enough that a medium-weight bag of
synthetic fibres is more than sufficient.
Self-inflating sleeping mats provide comfort and insulate from the cold. Foam mats are
cheap but less comfortable. If you're planning to stay in huts you most likely won't need a
sleeping mat. However, if you're tramping a popular track during high season, the hut might
be full when you arrive, in which case a sleeping mat will make a night on the floor much
more pleasant.
Stove & Fuel
Before your trip, check whether the huts you intend to stay at have gas cookers. Even if they
do, carrying your own stove means you won't have to fight for space on the hob, and you
can prepare hot food or a cup of tea on the track, providing warm relief on wet and cold
days
When buying a stove, choose one that is lightweight and easy to operate. Butane stoves
are the easiest to operate. Multifuel stoves are versatile but need pumping, priming and lots
of cleaning. In general, liquid fuels are efficient and cheap; look for high-performance,
cleaner-burning fuel. Gas is more expensive, cleaner and a reasonable performer. When us-
ing canisters be sure to pack yours out. Fuel can be found at outdoor gear shops, hardware
stores (white gas) and some supermarkets.
Airlines prohibit flammable materials and may well reject empty liquid-fuel bottles or
even the stoves themselves.
