A hard-wearing shelter you can thrash in the Aussie scrub and pitch throughout reputable campgrounds across Europe for $50! For anywhere that you can find a tree/stick/paddle/rock to tie onto (i.e. everywhere) a simple fly has been my preferred way to go.
To be honest the Oz trail hiker fly isn’t actually that stylish … and no one in Europe expects you to put up a simple green sheet next to their big Camper, but in elegance and simplicity the Hiker Fly is very hard to fault. I have mistreated it in the bush on countless occasions and it is none the worse (except for some super sticky resin dripped on one corner).
Above and below are some photos from my 3000 km through eastern Europe, where this fly was my home for 5 weeks.
Also green is great as camouflage when hiding in the mountains of Montenegro!
Given my love of tarp shelters and having to pack lighter for a up coming climbing trip in the Mountains in NZ I have forked out more than 4 times the money for a fly that weighs a quater as much — a Zpacks tarp. However for the regular weekend trip in the Australian bush the Hiker Fly will still be my first choice.
The crunch:
- Cost 5/5
- Size, weight 3/5
- Hard-wearing 4/5