Newbie seekig gear help for a trip to AU and NZ

> as south as NZ/Tassie and as north as QLD.
At the S end, you can have -10 C and gale force winds with snow.
At the N end you can have 40 C.
Could be tricky finding a single lot of gear for that.

Cheers

One thing to consider for New Zealand, having spent three months backpacking/hiking on both the north and south islands getting back about a month ago, the hut system is huge, and a great resource. I wouldn't recommend spending a lot of money on a tent as most won't do much tent camping. I found myself using my tent maybe half the nights I was out, but especially as you are arriving in the fall, the huts will be your friend.

Additionally having really good rain gear is key, as in the middle of summer I was snowed on in Arthur's pass, then greeted to sun and 50 degree temperatures at the top of the peak. You are never more than 100 miles from the ocean, so weather changes fast, and dramatically, but the scenery and hiking is incredible.

I'm approaching my flight date fast and I've yet to get any final decisions on the shelter and winter sleeping bag. I'm unfamiliar with winter weather backpacking and could really use your help in here :]

I'll go for 2 sleeping systems (I've got a place I can store unused gear at).

For an all season use tent I consider getting the TT Notch or the MSR Hubba NX – which one would you recommend on? I'm leaning more towards the TT Notch, I got trekking poles that will be in use, so this could save some weight, on the other hand, the MSR Hubba NX seems much easier to set up haha.

For winter; I consider getting the MH Phantom 0 bag paired with thermarest prolite plus pad, will this be an overkill? My winter clothing system includes:
head: smartwool balaclava and smartwool beanie, (bandanna for extra neck warmth).
top: smartwool midweight long sleeve shirt, patagonia r2 fleece, montbell ul down parka and marmot oracle.
bottom: smartwool midweight long pants, north face paramount/prana zion stretch pants, marmot conness pants (MH gaiters for extra warmth) – should I be getting any insulation layer in here?
feet: smartwool socks liner, smartwool midweight hiking socks
hands: smartwool liner gloves, MH power stretch.

For the summer I consider getting 40 degree quilt, paired with the thermarest pro lite plus.
As for clothing I consider: synthetic t-shirt and shorts – should I go for light, long sleeve shirt and pants for sun protection?, keep the r2 fleece/montbell parka – which one should I keep?, rain gear mentioned above, MH gaiters, the bandanna, smartwool beanie, OR sun hat and smartwool lightweight socks.

Any thoughts, suggestions, tips and help is appreciated!!

Thanks!

I did a similar trip about 10 or 11 years ago. Spent Feb-May along the east coast of Australia ranging as far south as Sydney to as far north as Arlie Beach and June- Oct in NZ, mostly on the South Island but also touring the entire North Island. I slept in my tent every night but one or two in Australia and had quite a few nights in NZ in my tent as well interspersed with nights in the DOC huts and/or sleeping in my car. We did quite a few backpacking trips in both countries during our travels.

I didn't have the gear (or resources to buy the gear) that I have today, so I made due mostly with what I already owned. I used a 3/4 season convertible tent (good bug protection and rain protection was a must), a 20 deg F synthetic mummy bag that I could open up and drape over me as a blanket for the warm nights in NSW/QLD and a standard thermarest pad. I had a nice water filter and a cheap cannister stove and cook pot. A nice rain jacket is helpful but any prolonged hikes in NZ left us soaked anyways, it was easier to just focus on staying wet but warm and having some warm dry clothes for camp.

I scooped up some extra warm clothes in Christchurch at the second hand stores. Lots of fleece sweaters, down jackets, military surplus thermals, etc. available for cheap. Also was able to grab any other gear I needed at second hand stores or buy off departing travelers for cheap. Gear shops in NZ were pricey.

We had all sorts of adventures. Easily the best trip of my life. The gear wasn't important; we made do with whatever we could afford/find.