what to bring from the states for backpacking

[doc]

my wife and i are avid hiker/backpacker types. we are trying to sort out what of our gear to bring to nz. i assume that there is the usual array of gear to be purchased down there. is most of the backpacking done with tents, or do people hike from hut (inn) to hut?
thanks,
doc

[Jolie]

Be aware that any gear which you bring with you must be absolutely pristine. In other words, either brand-new, or laundered with antibacterial soap and pretty much spotless.

The ecology here has been so devastated by introduced pests over the last 200 years that MAF (Ministry of Agriculture and Fishing) has had to become utterly militant about screening what comes into the country. If you can afford to sell it there and buy it new here, that's your best bet (and will save you on transport costs). You can obtain any necessary gear and supplies here. But if you can't afford it (and buying replacements for personal possessions here can be hugely expensive), then make sure that you've got your gear cleaned absolutely spotless, including receipts from professional cleaners as to what treatment was done if you've gone that route. MAF may or may not choose to let your gear into the country, so if you bring it, do your best to make sure that they will find it clean and not an ecological threat.

From what I understand, the hiking infrastructure (huts, water supply, etc) and other support systems here are quite good. But once every month or so someone dies from going out unprepared. Cell phone reception in the hiking areas can be nonexistent. So you will want to make sure that you've done your research, are properly equipped with GPS, emergency beacon, cold weather clothes and supplies to last you if you get stranded for several days, accurate maps, and that you know the location of nearby support and emergency facilities.

It's an amazing country here, with much to see and explore -- as long as you respect it and make sure that you're properly prepared for the experience.

[JandM]

You might find some helpful first-hand info here. http://www.backpack-newzealand.com/

[Duncan74]

We didn't find it too bad when flting in, jsut declare everything and they have a look / fumigate as required. Just count tent pegs afterwards, they lost one of my fancy titanium pegs which thankfully I noticed before we set out into the wilderness.

DOC huts are plentiful on the main walks, and if you're young probably the best bet. But as two old fogies in our mid 30s we were much happier in the tent and leaving the many youths to swap stories and talk about things we knew nothign about in words we wouldn't have understood.

Make sure you take water purification with you. Either from home or bought in NZ. Get the DEET in NZ, the local stuff works very well.

Maps were surprisingly hard to acquire. I'd definately consider bringing books with the walks you intend to do with you.

[TJH]

When we moved to NZ, our backpacking gear was the main thing we brought with us from the states and sold everything else.

We tramp a lot in NZ and have found that most of the stuff we brought was well suited to the conditions here.

The hut system is simply awesome. Coming from the states, there is no good comparision to the extensive network of well maintained and quality huts in NZ. It is possible to tramp from hut to hut without the use of a tent and we have often done this. We sometimes carry a tent as well, especially when tramping to a hut that is known to be very popular as there can sometimes be a number of people at these huts on the weekends. A tent can provide a nice quiet place to sleep as often there are people snoring or people sometimes coming in late. We have sometimes pitched a tent nearby the hut just to sleep in and then still had all the facilities the hut offered. While you can easily tramp without a tent, we like the options if gives up so we recommend it as an item to bring.

The tramping gear down here is VERY expensive compared to the US but the selection is nearly the same. I am not sure why this is and why kiwis put up with the high prices. You can literally mail order from the states and even with the shipping included the price is often 25-50% less after the exchange rate. We bought nearly all of our gear in the US as we knew about the prices prior to moving. For example, I saw a pair of Lowa boots in a local store for $700 NZD!!! I found the same pair from numerous online US retailers for around $450 NZD and that includes shipping to NZ. So if you can buy it in the US, do so and bring it with you - you will save lots of money in the end.

Here are some items we found especially useful in NZ that you may or may not use in the US.

Gaitors - a must have for tramping in NZ not only for wet conditions but some of the plants (at least in our area) have little stickers or thorns on them.

Pack Rain covers - you will get rained on here tramping so if you like your gear dry this is a good addition.

Waterproof bags - same reason as above.

Shoes for river crossings - Most kiwis tramp right through the streams and rivers with their boots on and then live with soaked boots the rest of the tramp. We bring old running shoes with us for river crossings (Tevas or something similar would work great). This is not the "kiwi" way of doing things but if you like dry feet and dry boots in the morning it is a good idea. Plus completely saturating your boots cannot be good for them - especially given the prices of replacing them here.

Sun protection items - A sunhat (anything with a wide brim) is a must-have for summer tramping when the sun is hot and bright. NZ has good sunscreen made for the conditions here, so no need to bring that. I also wear a lightweight synthetic long-sleave shirt in the summer to keep my arms covered as well. I have a familiy history of skin-cancer so I do not take any chances.

Maps - someone mentioned that maps were very hard to find. We did not find this to be the case. Every DOC office has a HUGE selection of maps and they are very good maps from my experience. Also, NZ officially moved to a new map projection last Sept. so any maps you may aquire in the US are probably not accurate.

Rain gear - a good raincoat and rain pants is a must for any season, unless you like being wet and cold.

Cold weather gear - same as rain gear. It can go from nice sunny day to blizzard in hours (literally) especially in early spring. This is often a safety issue so bring this gear an nearly every tramp, even if you do not think you will need it.

Boots - definitely buy before you come here for the reasons stated above. Customs will want to look at them when you enter the country so make sure they are spotless. We knew this ahead of time, so we had them in our carry-on bags so we would not have to dig through our luggage at the airport. We tend to use a bit heavier backpacking boot than most people do in the US and they are very good for NZ conditions in our opinion. Most of the trails we have been on have been rough and wet so the additional support a heavy backpacking boot gives over the lightweight boots you see a lot of in stores is a good idea in our book to prevent injury. The trail runner type shoes you see worn a lot in the US would have been worthless on a number of tramps we have been on so far here. We saw a lot of people on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing that made this mistake.

Other than that just bring the usual gear that you would use on any tramp.

If you have any specific questions, just reply here or PM me. Tramping is our favorite activity so we like to help out others as much as we can.

[Duncan74]

(Maps may jsut be because of what we're used to with the UK Ordnance survey products. I just struggtled to find an equivalent that was as clear, but perhaps that's just an adjsutment issue).

Great post TJH, some very very good advice in there, especially the tent even if you want to use the DOC huts.

Oh, and I had no problem finding gas canisters that fit the coleman style lanterns / burners. Same thread system.

[dilanium]

As TJH said Defo bring your stuff with you- it's way more expensive here.

To compare prices Check out http://bivouac.co.nz and http://www.kathmandu.co.nz.

(I personally think the things at Bivouac are of better quality).

And for some pictures of tramping see here: http://www.enz.org/forum/showthread....light=ruahines

and here:

http://gallery.me.com/rawsoncj (my husband is uploading the pics as I type this, so they may not be there if you click right after this is posted).