Adam, Leigh and the Trees 
TA Gear Lists
Let’s talk gear!
Both of our packs underwent considerable re-engineering over the lead up to the TA.
Majorly determined by what was available in the Australian market, we were accustomed to using traditional canvas packs and robust gear built to withstand season after season in the Australian bush. While this approach served us well and resulted in our existing gear lasting us for many years, it also resulted in us having very heavy packs.
For our readers who are not yet up on the hiking lingo, base pack weight refers to the total weight of a hikers gear kit. It excludes consumables such as food water and fuel because these vary by trip length and conditions. Undertaking the TA as a Thru-hike forces you to scrutinise every gram going into your pack. This typically sees hikers cutting the handle off their toothbrush, foregoing any sort of deodorant or soap and relying on one set of clothing. It might seem maniacal however when you are walking an average of 25km each day for 6 months, the added weight only adds to the already substantial pressure you are subjecting your body to.
For those fully fledged gear nerds and gram counters, below are are our TA gear lists. Our packs were put together with consideration to what we already owned, what we knew worked for us, a whole bunch of research and what could offer us the best weight savings. Both lists were tweaked slightly as we walked the trail but for the most part, we were happy with our gear choices and ended the trail with the gear we started with.
Please feel free to send us any questions on TA gear choices.
Adam, Leigh and the Trees 
A good list of things to have but I did not see anything there to be used for personal defense. Why? No sling for throwing stones at small game for the stewpot; no Wham-o Wrist Rocket for the same; no bow & arrows or atlatl for bigger game or for protection against Bears and they are hard to kill once they decide you are on the menu.
LikeLike