Personal Effects
 
This section is pretty much whatever you choose to take but I do have a couple of ideas to save weight.

• Wallet – Don't take the whole thing. I just take a couple of cards (drivers licence, credit card, medicare card) and cash with a hair tie around it
• Trekking Poles – I’m not into them yet but I do think about getting into them from time to time. Especially as some tents use them as supports and I love that idea. The main reason I still resist poles are that many of my hikes involve scrambling or thick scrub so I'd probably just end up carrying them. I often use fallen sticks as makeshift poles. Poles can also be expensive, they add weight and can sometimes damage the environment.
• Camera - Smart phones are starting to take brilliant photos, however lack the zoom function of actual cameras. If I’m really trying to shed weight I just take my phone (multiple of purposes). I like to carry a micro mega zoom camera so I can zoom in on animals and Identify them.
• Wildlife motion sensor trail camera – I sometimes take these to see what animals are around when I sleep
• Kite – noting quite as much fun as flying a kite on the top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere

Bathroom Kit

• knife for digging toilet holes
• head torch - I like to keep this simple, and small. I also use one with batteries that match my other items
• Toilet paper (I take ten packs of tissues)
• Toiletries (in a plastic zip lock bag):
  • toothpaste  - travel size
  • tooth brush (bamboo)
  • ear plugs
  • sunscreen and bug repellant –decant to a small lightweight container
  • Deodorant – travel size
  • hand wipes (moist towelettes)
  • dental floss
  • deep heat (on long hikes)

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