Overland Track packing list
What to pack for six days of Tasmanian alpine weather: the gear Parks checks at the door, the stove the huts don't have, and a tent even if you never pitch it.
Updated 4 Nov 2026
The trip you're packing for
The short answer: an Overland Track packing list is a full self-sufficient alpine kit. You carry a 3 to 4 season tent, a sleeping bag rated to -10°C, a sleeping mat, a fuel stove, full waterproofs top and bottom, warm layers and six days of food, because the huts give you a roof and a bunk and very little else. Parks Tasmania checks the core of that list before you start.
The Overland Track is 65 km one way from Ronny Creek near Cradle Mountain to Narcissus at the head of Lake St Clair, walked north to south in the booking season. Most walkers take six days, staying near Waterfall Valley, Windermere, Pelion, Kia Ora, Bert Nichols and Narcissus huts. Once you leave Ronny Creek, the next road is at the end of the track, so everything you need for the week goes on your back.
Almost half the track sits above 1000 metres on exposed plateaus, and Parks is blunt about it: severe cold, wet and windy weather can happen at any time of year, even summer, and deaths have occurred when walkers weren't prepared. Their own pack list carries a photo of snow on the tent platforms, taken in late spring. Pack for that, whatever month you're booked for.
What you must carry on the Overland Track
Parks publishes two lists, and says you need to read both. The first is the Walker Safety Checklist: the absolute minimum clothing and equipment to protect you from cold, wet and windy weather. During the booking season you fill it in, sign it and hand it to staff at the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre when you check in for your walker briefing. It's sent with your booking information, and you can also download it from the Overland Track plan your trip page.
You sign to say you're wearing or carrying, at a minimum:
- A quality tent with a 3 to 4 season rating and an inner and outer layer (or an effective form of emergency shelter). Even if you plan to sleep in the huts, you must still carry one. The huts can't be booked and may be full, and injury or bad weather can stop you reaching them.
- A warm sleeping bag rated to at least -10°C, kept dry in a waterproof bag
- A sleeping mat
- A good waterproof jacket with a storm front and hood, seam sealed and breathable (Gore-Tex or similar)
- Good waterproof overtrousers, also seam sealed and breathable
- A warm fleece or woollen jumper (not cotton) and thermal base layers
- A warm hat or beanie, and gloves
- Long pants in quick-dry fabric (not denim), or shorts plus thermal long pants
- Sturdy footwear, such as lace-up hiking boots with strong soles
- Camp clothes kept dry in a waterproof bag, for the evenings
The checklist also asks you to confirm you've watched Parks' hypothermia safety video and their essential safety tips for bushwalking in Tasmania. Watch both before you leave home.
The second list, the Walker Pack List, covers everything else, and the rest of this guide follows it.
What to wear for Tasmanian alpine weather
Parks lists extra items for alpine walks like the Overland, Frenchmans Cap and the Walls of Jerusalem, on top of the checklist above. Put together, your walking and camp wardrobe looks like this:
- Waterproof shell and overtrousers: the real thing, not "water resistant". You'll wear them more than you think.
- Thermal base layers: a long-sleeve top and long pants.
- A fleece or woollen jumper, plus a neck warmer.
- Quick-dry walking clothes: a long-sleeve shirt, shorts or trousers. Parks says avoid denim and cotton, which stay wet and cold.
- Beanie and gloves, plus a sun hat and sunglasses. On the plateau you can need all four in one day.
- Broken-in hiking boots and good socks. Parks lists gaiters too, and the buttongrass plains and muddy sections earn them.
- Dry camp clothes in a waterproof bag, and lightweight camp shoes if you want them. Parks lists those as optional.
What else to bring
Tent, sleeping bag and mat. Covered above, and non-negotiable. The huts have bunks without mattresses, so your mat comes inside with you too. Pack the tent where you can reach it: on a busy night you'll be pitching it on a platform or overflow ground beside the hut.
Stove and fuel. Each hut has communal areas for cooking, but no cooking equipment, no hot water and no showers. Bring a fuel stove and fuel, a lighter and matches, and your own cooking and eating utensils. Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park is a Fuel Stove Only area all year, which means no campfires. Gas stoves are allowed, and so are liquid fuel stoves using shellite or methylated spirits, except on days of Total Fire Ban, when liquid fuel is banned. If you're walking in fire season, a gas stove keeps you cooking either way.
Food for six days. There are no shops on the track. Parks asks for food that's lightweight and energy-dense, with excess packaging removed before you leave. Some walkers stay a seventh day for summit side trips or the lakeshore walk to Cynthia Bay, and walk times can stretch in blizzards and snow, so it's sensible to pack a little spare. Add high-energy snacks you can eat on the move.
Protect it from possums. Brush-tail possums at the campsites have learned to open zips or rip straight through tents and packs to get at food. Parks' advice: store food and food scraps in sealed bags, preferably double bagged, keep them inside your pack and your pack inside your tent, never leave food in pockets, and cook and eat away from your tent site. Currawongs at the Cradle Mountain summit junction can undo zips too, so secure your pack if you leave it there.
Water. Each main hut has rainwater tanks, but Parks says that water needs to be boiled or treated before drinking. Carry bottles or a bladder holding 2 to 3 litres, plus a filter or purification tablets. Parks' rule of thumb is a litre per person for every three hours of walking, and the longest standard day, Windermere to Pelion, is 16.8 km and 5 to 7 hours.
Toilets. The main huts have composting toilets. Between huts, follow Parks' Leave No Trace guidance: bury faecal waste and toilet paper 15 to 20 cm deep, at least 100 m from water, camps and tracks. Pack a toilet trowel and toilet paper, along with basic toiletries and antibacterial gel. Carry out sanitary pads, tampons and condoms.
Rubbish. Pack it in, pack it out: all rubbish and leftover food leaves with you. A couple of sturdy bags sorts it.
Navigation. Parks recommends buying the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair 1:100,000 map and notes from TASMAP before you go, and says a printed map is a necessity because phones can't be relied on out there. A compass is on their optional list. It's more useful than it sounds on the side trips.
A PLB. A personal locator beacon is on Parks' multi-day pack list, and many Overland walkers carry one. You can hire one from Service Tasmania shops in Hobart, Launceston, Burnie and Devonport (weekdays only), or from the Cradle Mountain, Lake St Clair and Mount Field visitor centres, where numbers are limited and can't be reserved. If you're walking alone, read our guide to hiking the Overland Track solo.
The rest of the essentials: a first aid kit suited to remote walking, an emergency space blanket, a head torch with spare batteries, sunscreen and a mobile phone (expect no signal in places). Optional extras Parks lists include trekking poles, insect repellent, a whistle, a travel towel, a pocket knife and personal ID.
What to leave out, and how heavy your pack should be
Parks' guide: your gear should fit in a 75 litre pack and weigh about 18 kg, including at least 2 litres of water, for days of up to seven hours. Use a waterproof pack with a pack liner. That's a heavy load over six days, so the lighter you go, the more you'll enjoy it.
Things to leave at home:
- Cotton and denim. Parks names both. They soak up water and don't dry.
- Anything for a campfire. There are no fires on the track.
- Pots and pans "just in case the hut has them". It doesn't.
- Excess packaging. Strip it at home, then bag your food.
- Dirty gear. The track is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area and is free of many pests, weeds and diseases. Parks asks you to check, clean, disinfect or dry all clothing and equipment before you pack.
One more thing that isn't gear: book the privately run Lake St Clair ferry from Narcissus before you start, and confirm it on the radio in Narcissus Hut when you arrive. The Overland Track booking guide covers that, check-in times and the rest of the logistics.
If you're packing for winter (1 June to 23 September), the tent rule is the same but the margin for error is not. Parks says winter walking is for very experienced bushwalkers only, with snow, blizzards, short days, minimal maintenance and no guarantee of heating in the huts.
If you have the list but not the booking
A packed bag doesn't help much without a departure date, and up to 34 independent walkers can start each day in the booking season. When your dates show as full, that's not the end of it. There's no waitlist, and cancelled places reappear on the booking site the moment someone gives them back.
Spotbagger watches the Overland Track booking page often and alerts you when a departure opens on your dates. You then book it yourself on the Parks Tasmania site. Set up a watch on the Overland Track, and read Overland Track booked out? for why spots come back.
Common questions
What is compulsory to carry on the Overland Track?
Parks Tasmania's Walker Safety Checklist sets the minimum: a 3 to 4 season tent, a sleeping bag rated to -10°C, a sleeping mat, a waterproof jacket and overtrousers, a fleece or wool jumper with thermals, a warm hat and gloves, long pants or shorts with thermal leggings, sturdy boots and dry camp clothes. You sign it and hand it in at check-in.
Do you need a tent on the Overland Track if you stay in the huts?
Yes. The huts can't be booked and may be full, and injury or bad weather can stop you reaching one, so Parks requires every walker to carry a tent.
Do the Overland Track huts have cooking equipment?
No. The huts have bunks without mattresses, composting toilets, rainwater tanks and communal cooking areas, but no cooking equipment, hot water or showers. Bring a fuel stove, fuel and utensils.
How heavy should your Overland Track pack be?
Parks suggests your gear fit in a 75 litre pack weighing about 18 kg, including at least 2 litres of water.
Can you drink the water on the Overland Track?
The huts have rainwater tanks, but Parks says the water must be boiled or treated before drinking. Carry a filter or purification tablets.
Itineraries in this guide
Can't get a booking?
We'll watch for you.
Spotbagger checks the booking page often. The moment a spot opens, we'll tell you.
