Bibbulmun Track Gear Guide (2024 Survey)

At 1000km long, the Bibbulmun Track is one of Australia’s greatest long-distance hiking trails. The Bibbulmun Track Hiker Survey is designed to provide hikers with a comprehensive and up-to-date planning resource to help them prepare for any trip ranging from day hikes to end-to-end thru hikes.

At its core, the survey is community driven as it is only made possible by hikers sharing their knowledge and experience. In 2024 we had 74 responses. If you want to participate in the 2025 survey, you can be notified when the survey is opened by filling out the form below.

STOVE

Rank	Rating	Brand	Model	Price	Weight	Fuel	Comment
1	9	360 Degrees	Furno	$39.00	99g	Gas Canister	Worked perfectly, cheap and had a good storage case. Only negative is it's slightly heavy compared to more expensive versions.
2	9.4	Soto	Windmaster	$99.00	87g	Gas Canister	Lightweight, easy compact storage
3	9.5	Jetboil	Flash	$225.95	400g	Gas Canister	Quick, easy to use, light.
4	8.8	MSR	Pocket Rocket	-	-	-	Quite noisy.
5	9.3	Jetboil	Zip	-	-	-	Really good, quick and used a lot less fuel than expected
6	7.3	Trangia	Storm Cooker 27-2	-	-	-	Worked fine.
7	8.7	Jetboil	MiniMo	-	-	-	-

PCT SHELTER BREAKDOWN

Popularity	Rating	Shelter	Price	Weight	Floor	Freestanding	Capacity
1	8.55	Zpacks Duplex	$669	1.16 lb \| 525 g	28 ft² / 2.6 m²	No	2
2	8.70	Durston Gear X-Mid 1	$240	1.75 lb \| 795 g	20 ft² / 1.85 m²	No	1
3	8.59	Durston Gear X-Mid 2	$280	2.21 lb \| 1.005 kg	33.2 ft² / 3.1 m²	No	2
4	8.84	Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2	$450	2.19 lb \| 993 g	28 ft² / 2.6 m²	Semi	2
5	8.46	NEMO Equipment Hornet OSMO 2	$430	2.09 lb \| 948 g	27.5 ft² / 2.6 m²	Semi	2
6	7.61	Gossamer Gear The One	$255	1.11 lb \| 503 g	15.8 ft² / 1.5 m²	No	1
7	8.80	Zpacks Plex Solo	$599	0.87 lb \| 395 g	20.6 ft² / 1.91 m²	No	1
8	8.83	Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2	$450	2.12 lb \| 963 g	20 ft² / 1.85 m²	Yes	2

Overview:

This article presents a detailed breakdown of the survey results, which focus primarily on the gear used by hikers during their hikes.

While we’ve covered the most common gear used by hikers, if there are any areas not addressed in this survey, please feel free to let us know so we can improve the survey for next year.

As with any survey, it’s important to keep in mind the following limitations when interpreting the results:

The reliability of the survey results depends on the accuracy of the data collected.
The responses are influenced by the demographics of the participants, which may not represent all hikers, as shown below.

For this section on hiking gear, we’ve included ratings and comments from participants about their experiences with different products. In addition, we’ve provided supplementary details such as weight, material, price, and other relevant specifications for your reference.

Gear

Base Weight

The average hiker base weight (pack weight minus food and water)

0 kg

What Baseweight Do Hikers Have?

Tents

carried a freestanding tent.

0 %

carried a double-walled tent.

0 %

525g

Type: 2 person, single-walled

Mont Moondance 1p

1485g

$789.95 AUD

Type: 1 person, double-walled, freestanding

Mountain Designs Redline 1p

1660g

$249.99 AUD

Type: 1 person, double-walled

“Warm and cosy.”

“It suits me well and I picked it up second hand… at some point want to go smaller and lighter with tent as I prefer tent to shelters for privacy and feeling safe and snuggled.”

“Old need waterproof.”

Rank	Rating	Gear	Price	Weight	Type	Comment
1	8.5	Mont Moondance 1p	$646.32	1485g	1 person, double-walled, freestanding
2	9.3	Zpacks Duplex	$699.00 USD	507g	2 person, single-walled
3	6.7	Mountain Designs Redline 1p	$249.99	1660g	1 person, double-walled	Warm and cosy.
4	10	Durston X-Mid 1	$239.00 USD	795g	1 person, double-walled	Very easy to use, fits the Bibbulmun tent sites well. Enough space inside and heaps of vestibule space to store gear and cooking.
5	9.7	Nemo Dagger 2p	$677.23	1860g	2 person, double-walled, freestanding	Great tent.
6	9	Nemo Dragonfly 2p	$717.27	1410g	2 person, double-walled, semi freestanding	Wouldn't trust it in a gail.
7	9.3	Nemo Hornet 2p	$899.92	948 g	2 person, double-walled, semi freestanding	Easy to unpack and to pack in the morning, big space inside.
8	9.3	Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL1	$589.95	1020g	1 person, double-walled, freestanding	Single big agnes was light but a bit small especially in rain when everything had to be kept inside it.

Sleeping Bags

of hikers carried a sleeping bag.

0 %

carried a quilt.

0 %

Female hikers carried a sleeping bag/quilt with an average temperature rating of -4.5°C (23.9F).

Male hikers carried a sleeping bag/quilt with an average temperature rating of -2.8°C (27F).

How Many Hikers Were Cold At Night?

Note that being cold at night may also depend on factors such as the R value of your sleeping mat, sleeping in a tent vs a shelter, and how much you ate for dinner!

1190g

Fill weight: 700g

Fill power: 650 cuin

“Love it, but is quite heavy at 1.3kg”

“LOVE my sleeping bag, I’ll sacrifice the weight to know the bag will always be warm enough.”

S2S Ascent II (-10°C)

1100g

$598.50 AUD

Fill weight:615g

Fill power: 750 cuin

“I sleep cold so wanted to make sure I was warm enough… taste of weight for warmth.”

S2S Spark III (-8°C)

655g

$509.40 AUD

Fill weight: 430g

Fill power: 850 cuin

Rank	Rating	Gear	Price	Weight	Fill Weight	Fill Power	Comment
1	9.3	Sea to Summit Trek III (-12°C)	$490.90	1190g	700g	650 cuin	LOVE my sleeping bag, I’ll sacrifice the weight to know the bag will always be warm enough.
2	9	Sea to Summit Ascent II (-10°C)	$654.54	1100g	615g	750 cuin	I sleep cold so wanted to make sure I was warm enough... taste of weight for warmth.
3	7	Sea to Summit Flame II (2°C)	$639.50	505g	310g	850 cuin	S2S Flame (and Spark) series don’t have full length zip which I would have preferred.
4	8.7	Sea to Summit Spark III (-8°C)	$654.51	655g	430g	850 cuin
5	7	Enlightened Equipment Revelation -6°C	$599.95	543.75g	420g	850 cuin

Sleeping Mats

of hikers carried inflatable mats.

0 %

350g

R-value: 4.5

“Noisy (though advertised as being 6 time quieter than previous model) and slippery (would slide off when I turned over).”

“Too noisy and cold.”

“Not very comfortable and I didn’t sleep well. Upgraded to a big agnes rapide sl”

S2S Women’s Ether Light XT Insulated Air

495g

$349.99 AUD

R-value: 3.5

“Love this mat although it is very noisy & friends have mentioned how loud it is.”

“Developed slow leak.”

Nemo Tensor Ultralight Insulated

395g

$299.95 AUD

R-value: 2.8

“Nemo was excellent. Very comfy, not too noisy.”

Rank	Rating	Brand	Price	Weight	R-value	Comment
1	6	Thermarest NeoAir XLite	$362.73	350g	4.5	Noisy (though advertised as being 6 time quieter than previous model) and slippery (would slide off when I turned over).
2	8.3	Nemo Tensor Ultralight Insulated	$299.95	395g	2.8	Nemo was excellent. Very comfy, not too noisy.
3	8.5	Sea to Summit Ether Light XT Insulated Air	$309.95	495g	3.5	Love this mat although it is very noisy & friends have mentioned how loud it is.
4	6.8	Thermarest NeoAir XTherm	$439.09	440g	7.3	Noisy to sleep on, but soooo warm!
5	7.8	Nemo Tensor Ultralight	$274.31	477g	2.8	My mat was great though I had to half deflate it for it to be comfortable. Three of us had the same mat and I’m the only one who didn’t have a leak.
6	9	Sea to Summit Ultralight Insulated Air	$179.90	480g	3.5	Very comfortable but quite noisy for the first 10 nights. After that I either got used to it or it quietened down.
7	6.7	Thermarest NeoAir XLite Womens	$439.95	370g	4.5	Too noisy and a pain to blow up.

Backpacks

The average backpack capacity.

0 L

2090g

“May look at lighter for my next E2E.”

“Slightly too heavy but we also took it traveling. I also found it hugs me slightly too much and so left bruises. Otherwise it was great.”

Osprey Eja 58L

1140g

$409.95 AUD

“Older version on Osprey Eja bit heavier than the new version.”

“Loved my backpack. It fit everything and was so comfortable!”

Osprey Atmos 65L

2090g

$569.95 AUD

“Heavy.“

Responsive Backpack Table

Rank	Rating	Brand	Price	Weight	Comment
1	7.6	Osprey Eja 58L	$419.31	1140g	Loved my backpack. It fit everything and was so comfortable!
2	8.4	Osprey Atmos 65L	$493.15	2090g	Heavy.
3	9.3	Osprey Aura 65L	$441.77	2090g	Slightly too heavy but we also took it traveling. I also found it hugs me slightly too much and so left bruises. Otherwise it was great.
4	8.7	Osprey Ariel 65L	$423.96	2220g	Loved it except that it weighs 2.1kg
5	6.7	Osprey Eja 48L	$319.01	1251g	Need to be able to remove the brain. Needs better strap pockets.
6	7.5	Osprey Exos 48L	$305.87	1294g	Could be lighter but it’s the pack I have and I make it work. The trampoline mesh on back is nice. No need to go and spend $500 on a better one, does the job.
7	8	Osprey Exos 58L	$429.95	1288g
8	7.5	Aarn Featherlite Freedom PRO	$409.08	1138g	Best pack I've ever owned, and I've owned maybe 15.

Stoves

of hikers carried a stove.

0 %

Of those, 96.0% used gas canisters for fuel.

The average pot capacity for a solo hiker was 1.0L.

400g

Fuel: Gas canisters

“Quick, easy to use, light.”

“Bit heavy, chews fuel, no real simmering ability.”

Soto Windmaster

87g

$99.00 AUD

Fuel: Gas Canister

“The igniter failed, used my backup lighter.”

“Lightweight easy compact storage.”

360 Degrees Furno

99g

$39.00 AUD

Fuel: Gas canisters

“Great stove, but going to look for something lighter.”

“Worked perfectly, cheap and had a good storeage case. Only negative is its slightly heavy compared to more expensive versions.”

Responsive Stove Table

Rank	Rating	Brand	Price	Weight	Fuel	Comment
1	9	360 Degrees Furno	$27.26	99g	Gas Canister	Worked perfectly, cheap and had a good storage case. Only negative is it's slightly heavy compared to more expensive versions.
2	9.4	Soto Windmaster	$85.45	87g	Gas Canister	Lightweight, easy, compact storage.
3	9.5	Jetboil Flash	$249.95	400g	Gas Canister	Quick, easy to use, light.
4	8.8	MSR Pocket Rocket	$157.18	83g	Gas Canister	Quite noisy.
5	9.3	Jetboil Zip	$189.95	340g	Gas Canister	Really good, quick and used a lot less fuel than expected.
6	7.3	Trangia Storm Cooker 27-2	$134.90	825g	Methylated Spirits	Worked fine.
7	8.7	Jetboil MiniMo	$319.95	415g	Gas Canister

Trekking Poles

of hikers used trekking poles.

0 %

500g

Material: Aluminium

“Not the lightest I could get.”

Mountain Designs Tread Cork

540g

$99.99 AUD

Material: Aluminium

“Also used the Mountain Design poles for the PCT and worked great- and also lower cost than the other brands.”

“Great bit of kit!”

Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ

386g

$369.99 AUD

Material: Carbon

“Love my poles.“

Responsive Trekking Pole Table

Rank	Rating	Brand	Price	Weight	Material	Comment
1	9.7	Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ	$257.64	386g	Carbon	Love my poles.
2	9	Mountain Designs Tread Cork	$69.99	540g	Aluminium	Also used the Mountain Design poles for the PCT and worked great – and also lower cost than the other brands.
3	8.5	Mountain Designs Tread Pro	$79.99	500g	Aluminium	Not the lightest I could get.
4	10	Black Diamond Trail Cork	$176.76	486g	Aluminium
5	8.5	Leki Black Series Carbon	$449.95	456g	Carbon	Great but they did fall apart about half way through and I had to tape them together.
6	8.5	Black Diamond Trail Ergo Cork	$111.96	512g	Aluminium
7	9.3	Black Diamond Trail Explorer	$157.00	490g	Aluminium
8	9.5	Leki Khumbu Lite AS	$189.90	568g	Aluminium
9	9.5	Helinox Passport FL120	$229.99	311.85g	Aluminium
10	9.3	Naturehike Ultralight Carbon Fiber	$64.59	200g	Carbon

Shoes

The average E2E hiker used 1.5 pairs of shoes for the whole trail.

of hikers wore trail running shoes.

0 %

wore lightweight hiking boots.

0 %

wore heavy duty hiking boots.

0 %

300g

Style: Trail running shoe

Waterproof: No

“No blisters. Sore feet and arches.”

“Did have to sew up areas that split as my feet are wide.”

Salomon X Ultra GTX Mid Hiking Boot

425g

$258.99 AUD

Style: Lightweight hiking boots

Waterproof: Yes

“I’ve always worn salamon but the blisters were next level, the ASICS were a relief and made the rest of the walk much more enjoyable.”

Hoka Speedgoat

278g

$155.00 AUD

Style: Trail running shoe

Waterproof: Yes

Optimized Hiking Shoe Table

Rank	Rating	Brand	Price	Weight	Style	Waterproof	Comment
1	7.8	Altra Lone Peaks	$220.86	1210g	Trail running shoes	No	No blisters. Sore feet and arches.
2	8.5	Salomon X Ultra GTX Mid Hiking Boot	$369.99	425g	Hiking boots	Yes	I’ve always worn Salomon, but the blisters were next level. The ASICS were a relief and made the rest of the walk much more enjoyable.
3	9.3	Hoka Speedgoat	$289.99	278g	Trail running shoe	Yes
4	8	Salomon X Ultra GTX Hiking Shoe	$319.99	380g	Lightweight hiking shoe	Yes	Very good until I had to wade through deep water.
5	9	Merrel MOAB 3 Gore-Tex	$279.95	920g	Midweight hiking shoe	Yes	Need to tape arches as these ached while walking, tried a different insole but feet swell when hot & small toes were cramped with different insole.
6	9	Altra Olympus Trail Runner	$199.95	289g	Trail running shoe	No	I could not love my Altra Olympus more! I found them after years of hiking with extremely painful feet and trying other shoes (doctors, specialists, and podiatrists said it was arthritis, not my shoes). Now I have no pain, even after two 30km days, which I would never have dared to do before.
7	8	Hoka Challenger	$249.95	252.31g	Trail running shoe	No	Very happy with these boots for old dodgy basketball ankles!

Socks

The average E2E hiker carried 3 pairs of socks at any given time.

32g

$24.95 AUD

Injinji Outdoor Midweight Crew Wool

65g

$34.95 AUD

Injinji Trail Midweight Crew

55g

$34.95 AUD

Optimized Sock Table

Rank	Rating	Brand	Price	Comment
1	9.8	Injinji Trail Midweight Crew	$25.45	No blisters.
2	9.3	Injinji Liner Crew	$19.28	Liners plus merino is perfect.
3	7.6	Injinji Outdoor Midweight Crew Wool	$63.26	Happy with my double layer sock system.
4	8.3	Injinji Trail Midweight Mini-Crew	$25.45
5	9.3	Smartwool Hike Classic Crew	$33.95	Great.
6	9.5	Mountain Designs Hiking Merino	$27.99
7	8.5	Smartwool Hike Light Crew	$46.95
8	9.7	Mountain Designs Hiking COOLMAX	$20.99
9	8	Icebreaker Merino Hike+ Crew	$44.99

Rain Jackets

330g

$249.95 AUD

“AWESOME RAIN JACKET!”

“It wasn’t the world’s best rain coat, mainly from being too hot and sweaty. But I wasn’t going to fork out hundreds of dollars for a rain jacket, I’m glad I had what I did.”

Kathmandu Trailhead

265g

$119.99 AUD

“Not quite as waterproof as I was led to believe.”

Marmot PreCip

305g

$219.95 AUD

“Still got wet using, like it leached through each time.”

“Didn’t wear it by the end unless blowing a gale and needed warmth.”

Optimized Jacket Table

Rank	Rating	Brand	Price	Weight	Comment
1	7.1	Kathmandu Trailhead	$119.00	265g	Not quite as waterproof as I was led to believe.
2	9	Patagonia Torrentshell	$249.95	330g	AWESOME RAIN JACKET!
3	7	Marmot PreCip Eco	$219.95	305g	Still got wet using, like it leached through each time.

Insulation Layers

240g

Type: Down jacket

Fill weight: 73g/2.6oz

Fill power: 650 cuin

Enlightened Equipment Torrid

238g

$399.95 AUD

Type: Synthetic jacket

Fill type: 2oz/yd² Climashield APEX

Optimized Jacket and Fill Table

Rank	Rating	Brand	Price	Weight	Fill Weight	Fill Power	Comment
1	8	Macpac Uberlight	$219.99	240g	73g	650 cuin
2	9	Macpac Icefall	$279.00	300g	95g	800 cuin	Warm and lighter, material was a bit fragile so had to make sure it didn't snag on zippers.
3	8.5	Mont Zero Ultralight	$327.23	210g	75g	800 cuin
4	6	Macpac Uber	$219.99	270g	73g	650 cuin
5	10	Patagonia Down Sweater Hoodie	$479.95	343g	99g	800 cuin
6	9	Rab Zero G	$716.00	310g	160g	800 cuin

140g

Macpac Tui

200g

$129.99 AUD

Optimized Lightweight Gear Table

Rank	Rating	Brand	Price	Weight
1	9	Macpac Nitro	$179.99	140g
2	9.5	Macpac Tui	$129.99	200g
3	7	Mountain Designs Navis	$59.99	330g
4	8	Mountain Designs Bruck	$59.99	400g

Electronics

of hikers carried a power bank.

0 %

The average power bank capacity was 12960 mAh.For an iPhone 14, that’s around 3.7 full charges.

210g

$59.99 AUD

“A bit heavy.”

“It’s lasted me a week and think the weight is worth it.”

Nitecore NB10000

150g

$89.90 AUD

“I actually carried two Nitecore 10000. I had a new phone and wasn’t sure how much battery power I would need. I enjoyed the extra batteries and was able to help a few fellow hikers charge their batteries.”

“Light easy to use.”

Anker PowerCore III Sense 20000

348g

$141.30 AUD

100g

$679 AUD

“Pretty good, they updated the maps half way through and that was awful.”

Garmin inReach Mini

100g

$529.00 AUD

“I love that I can tell my partner that I’ve arrived safely in camp.”

Ocean Signal RescueMe PLB1

116g

$379.00 AUD

“Small. Light.”

Additional Gear

Top 5 Additional Items

Camp shoes

Towel

Sit Pad

Massage ball

Kindle

Top 5 Items Hikers Picked Up

Blister care

Massage ball

Trekking poles

Camp shoes

Extra clothes

Top 5 Items Hikers Discarded