A Bibbulmun Track Packing List
Last June, Deb and I had the chance to get away for two days and one night to do some overnight hiking on the Bibbulmun track. We loved it. We loved seeing the stars properly and taking in the spectacular bush; with no man-made structures in sight. We liked getting so hungry that our food tasted intensely flavoursome. It was pleasant to sit in the dark by the campfire with heat on your front and brass monkey weather chilling your back. And it was a relief to be out of mobile range for our phones - with enforced contemplation and time to let the mind wander.
Arvo nap with the fly off the tent
We parked at Sullivan Rock (~30 min south east of Armadale, just off Albany Hwy) then walked to the Mt Cooke hut campsite (~7K walking that afternoon) where we stayed the night. The next day we went south then up and down Mt Cooke and north back to the car. The second day would have been around 20Ks of walking.
This year, we were very keen to get away again and also to build up our multi-day trekking skills. So, a few weekends back, we did this walk:
Dwellingup to Swamp Oak Hut (14K - Saturday afternoon)
Walk south 4K and then back to Swampy Oak Hut (Sunday)
Walk back to Dwellingup (14K - Monday morning)
Swampy Oak Campsite, ~14K walk south of Dwellingup
Bibb Track hiking is a fantastic thing to do. It is the kind of adventure/challenge that a typical person can strive for. It’s a great goal to shoot towards to help you to get or stay fit & strong. You know that you’re going to have to be prepared for something like this, which can generate a little bit of healthy apprehension to motivate your training.
One of the tricky things about overnight or multi-day hiking is logistics. It takes practice to know what to bring and how to make it all work. It’s also necessary to make a stupid mistake or two. My contribution to our stupid mistake bank on this trip was to mis-read the map. I thought we only had to cover 7Ks to get from Dwellingup to the hut on Saturday afternoon. Wrong! It was 14Ks. I read the distance from Dwellingup to Nanga Rd - which was only half way. It was another 7Ks from Nanga Rd to the hut. We realised my error shortly after we arrived at the hut at 6.20pm as it was just about fully dark!
Anyway, back to the topic. Logistics. I thought I’d share with you, the reader, what we packed. I hope the list can help you to see what equipment is necessary, and it can move you towards getting out there for a multi-day hike :)
Loft bunk in the hut with our gear spread out akimbo
THE LIST
Food & Drink:
Vitawheats - 2 packs
Sliced cheddar cheese ~10 thickish slices for 2x lunches
Granola (stored in snapback bags)
Powdered milk (for ~4 cups)
2 x standard chocolate blocks
One pack of cashews (~200 grams)
4 x dried meals (2 x carbonara, 2 x spicy rice). Better, lighter option would have been backcountry cuisine (or similar)
~750 ml wine
Instant coffee
2 x 1.25L plastic bottles spring water (full) plus 2 x full drink bottles (different sizes but ~750ml).
If we were going for longer, maybe some Metamucil ….
Warmth, Shelter, Implements, Tools etc:
1 x stove/burner attachment
2 x gas cannisters (size = 230g) - one full backup, one partly full
2 x cutlery sets (sea 2 summit combined knife, fork, spoon)
2 x insulated cups/mugs
Little spade (for #2s)
Head torches
First aid kit (bandages, pain killers, neurofen, band aids, etc). Most likely accidents/incidents = slips & trips causing sprains & strains plus cuts, ticks, dehydration
One billy
Sea to summit small nested cooking bowls - with plastic grabber bits (handy)
Two inflatable hiking mattresses
Two man hiking tent - Denali brand: “Vortex III” (we rate it pretty highly)
One sleeping bag rated to +10 degrees (lower limit) / +13 degrees (comfortable limit) - Black Wolf brand, “Longitude 150” model
One sleeping bag rated to -1 degrees (lower limit) / +4 degrees (comfortable limit) - Black Wolf brand, “Hiker” model. This is warmer and lighter, and more expensive, than the one above.
Miscellaneous:
Aquatabs for water purification (MUST HAVE)
Bibbulmun Track Map (make sure you read the map properly for best results…)
Insect repellant
Body Glide anti-chafing cream (very very handy)
“The Abolition of Man” by C.S. Lewis (also handy)
Very small container of dishwashing liquid & small sponge
Toilet roll
Plastic bag (for rubbish - you need to take all your rubbish out from the track)
Clothing: Tim
1 pair shorts (quick dry fabric)
2 x running shirts (moisture wicking, one short-sleeve & one long sleeve)
1 x thermal skivvy top (for night time)
1 x flannel shirt (for night time)
1 x down Uniqlo jacket (for night time)
3 pairs jocks (inc 2 x Runderwear - less likely to chafe & dries quickly)
1 x pair warm running tights (for night time)
3 pairs socks (one thick, two thin)
One “buff” (headband like thingy)
Goretex rain jacket (lightweight - pretty cheap from Kathmandu)
Clothing: Deb
1 pair shorts (quick dry fabric)
Merino thermals x 1 (pants & top)
Short sleeve thin merino T-shirt
Long sleeve thin polyester top
Polarfleece jumper x 1 (thin)
Goretex rain jacket (lightweight - pretty cheap from Kathmandu)
One “buff” (headband like thingy)
1 x sports bra
3 pairs undies
2 pairs thick socks
2 pairs thin socks for walking
Packs:
Tim: one 65L mountain designs hiking pack (bought from Gumtree for ~$50). It does the job but I’m hoping to upgrade to a nice Osprey pack soon
Deb: one 50L hiking pack (obscure but good quality brand, bought from Gumtree, insufficient space to carry everything needed but, hey, that’s what Tim is for!)
Boots & Shoes:
Deb: old pair of Asics runners! Not ideal but also not too bad. The stretch of track we were on contained no sections that required serious traction on your shoes, although as always you need to take care on loose gravel. The only issue with runners on the section we did is the possibility of ankle sprain and potentially getting waterlogged feet.
Tim: High-top good quality “Scarpa” brand boots. Massively over engineered for Bibb Track (where lighter would be better) but it’s all I have and I got these boots in anticipation of doing the Stirling Ridge Walk - which has some tricky sections requiring high traction boots.
Safety:
Next time: Personal locator beacon (PLB). This may be overkill….but I think we should err on the safe side.
Other stuff worth considering (according to my friend Mel - a seasoned hiker and Oxfam 100K finisher)
a moisturising chapstick with sunblock
hat with solid brim that can cope with WA wind
small, lightweight towel - comes in handy for many things
herbal tea bags for an after dinner hot beverage
(Note: the downside of this suggestion is the increased likelihood of needing to do a midnight loo run...)
Further tips from Mel!:
Tips:
pack your spare (clean) clothes inside a pillow case; this makes a reasonable pillow. Ed: I concur, but only somewhat. I’ll be buying a good quality camp pillow as I can’t get comfortable using my stuff sack (and contents) as a pillow.
Note: The same can not be said for dirty clothes, unless you've lost your sense of smell.
I often add a pair of thongs for use around camp; not essential, but I like to give my feet a breather, and it's especially nice if your shoes get wet on the walk
instead of taking containers of powdered milk and sugar for cereal and hot drinks, add powdered milk when you're pre-portioning the cereal ziplock bags, and use ready-to-go coffee sachets (my fave is Nestle's hazelnut latte)
if your access to water is very limited, you might want to consider including a small packet of wet wipes for basic hygiene before bed
alternate lunch option: pre-spread wrap with peanut butter, add a banana
alternate cheap & easy dinner combos:
salmon & corn with noodles in miso soup
tuna (or chicken) & peas with rice
flavoured baked beans & mashed potato
Our stuffs
Our faces
A pretty lady in front of a pretty fire, and … some bloke
Always follow your dreams. Because if you can’t delude yourself, you can’t be entrusted with the task of deluding others….