McHale Packs and Shoulder Hydration

I have been using this method for carrying 750ml bike bottles for years. Never had one come off yet. I use 3mm shockcord and sometimes a toggle, in the manner of Macpac’s adventure racing packs.

That is: using one piece of cord create 2 loops in the webbing loops on the shoulder harness so that the bottle is securely.

It is easy to see how much water you are using with a clear bottle. Also it is much easier to the first physical filter of water with wide mouthed bottles if that is an issue.

Hope this is useful

A McHale will suit you well. My “big” McHale is an alpine pack (his Alaska style climbing pack) which I use for winter backcountry ice climbing to hump a basecamp load for a couple of days, then spend a week; up to about 65 lb. It has a guide harness with bayonet stays and works as it’s supposed to, and comfortably.

Tell us about your expedition!

Thanks heaps for the tips and pic Dan. I never thought of actually using two pieces of shock cord. I guess I could use one to size at the bottom and have an adjustable one with toggle on the top.

Ryan-I haven’t really told many people about my planned trip yet. Firstly, I am 21 years old, from Adelaide, South Australia. The xpd is hopefully to “tick” the Heysen Trail-the longest walking-only trail in Australia. It is quoted (unreliably I think by many sources) as being anywhere between 1000-1500km, although I suspect it will work out to about 1100-1200km once I have map measured it correctly. I then want to try and walk the rest of the Flinders Ranges-about another 200km.

I have been thinking about doing this for several years, but haven’t really thought it was possible until the last few months or so. I am actually quite inspired by your Arctic 1000 trip; showing me that yes, such unsupported trips, without relying on using sleds/carts or living if the land to some degree, over such long distances are certainly achievable. Injuries suck and happen-hope u r healin well.

I figure that 50km a day is quite achieveable (as u have shown). I have walked almost 100km in a couple of 24 hour rogaines with less fit partners without too much hassle. I am now fitter than I have ever been.

UL gear and techniques, plus changing of many philosophies will be the clincher to successfully completing this trip I believe. I should meet the physical requirements. I still have about 12 months to train.

So far I have planned for a 4.63kg (10.2pound for you guys) base pack weight. I need to build in durability that I don’t think will come from many SUL pieces of gear. That also includes a second pair of my favourite Saucony runners, an EPIRB (most of this stuff is quite remote) and the lightest GPS on the market for the final day (which will only have the use of 1:250,000 maps). It also factors in an UL McHale.

Is there anything else you would like to know? I will know doubt be asking you guys alot of questions that few aussies can answer over the next year or so!

I am still not certain that I can achieve this feat, but I figure I have to give it a go coz it is there! If I am not keeping up the required pace I will get someone to drop me more food so that I can keep going.

This is a big post

sorry dan i misread what you were saying. Yes, one piece of cord would be even better. I’ll sort this out at work on saturday so that I can try it on the weekend with some powerade bottles. Cheers again mate, I cant wait to give it a go. And on this rogaine coming up.

Adam, you may find a narrower necked bottles more difficult to ‘physical’ water with before you treat it with your favourite potion. Eg. When you come across a pool of water that galahs, wallabies etc have been using for the past 3mths and there hasn’t been any rain for that long I will guarantee you will want to first pour it thru your pack towel which has been folded a few times to get some of the suspended particle matter etc out before you add pills or whatever. Those particular areas you will be carrying a fair bit of water at times – at least 8 to 10 litres – and some of the water sources will be unreliable to say the least.

If you are looking at carrying a 4 to 5kg base + 10kg of water (high density weight) + say 15kg food then the Aarn range of packs would be worth looking at. Not as sexy as McHale but a whole lot cheaper (and in Kiwi dollars). But importantly with their front pack ideas it is perfect for high density weight like water to be carried much more effeciently. There is a review here somewhere on one of their early models. The newer ones are lighter again.

On another note. I was very interested in the stove Ryan took in Alaska – and only 4oz. Obviously heavily modified from the original 12oz on the bushbuddy website but in areas where there are total open fire bans i.e. national parks – you may be able to get away with something like that.

What time of year where you planning on?

Adam,
You wrote,”…i am still not certain that I can achieve this feat.”

That’s the best reason to do it! If you knew that you could do it, what would be the point? To paraphrase Goethe, once you commit to an endeavor the universe will move to provide you with all that you need to succeed. And it sounds like you have committed. Good on you, mate!

Here in the land of Jerry Springer Rogaine is a pharmaceutical treatment for hair loss. Either you’re performing a follical rejuvenation proceedure while you’re hiking or “rogaine” has a different meaning down under.

Rogaining (you have it in america too) is a sport much like orienteering, but longer. The traditional rogaine length is 24 hours. You get a map with checkpoints already marked. The aim is to get as many checkpoints as you can in the time allocated.

Do you mean Dan that it would be better to use a wide necked bottle? This is pretty much what I do now; the 600ml powerade bottles in aus have a fairly wide cap which makes it easier to get water out of shallow pools.

I will take a lightweight bandana so I can use it to filter water if i have to. The heysen trail water shouldnt need treatment. In the northern flinders there is 3 waterholes that I will definitely filter, and probably treat water. One I haven’t been to before and the others are usually two inches thick with scum, aswell as having at least a couple of dead feral goats floating in them. I have drunk this water before with little filtering and no treatment to no ill effect. I will carry about 50 PUR microforte tabs in case I am worried at waterholes.
We don’t have that Aqua Mira stuff in South Australia (or Aus I dont think). And I dont want to use bleach. These tabs weigh bugger all anyway. should be less than 1 oz