Tasmanian rangers and police are urging bushwalkers to take winter conditions seriously, warning the popular puffer jacket offers little protection once the weather turns.
Cradle Mountain ranger Brendan Moodie said he sees underprepared walkers every day, often wearing little more than jeans and a puffer – the so-called “Tassie tuxedo”.
“People seem to think they’re waterproof,” Moodie said.
“As soon as puffer jackets get wet, all the down in them just collapses and they’re basically useless.”
He said wet jeans and cotton clothing were especially dangerous because they pull heat away from the body.
A puffer is only safe under a good rain shell, he said, which doesn’t have to be expensive.
Moodie said walkers often underestimate how quickly Tasmania’s weather can change and overestimate their own ability.
The feels-like temperature at Cradle Mountain dropped to minus 10 mid-morning this week, with wind chill of minus 20 forecast in the coming days.
He urged walkers to carry proper wet weather gear, a paper map and a personal locator beacon and to swap runners for solid waterproof boots.
Some people rescued in alpine areas, he said, had even gone into the snow barefoot.
Tasmania Police Senior Constable Callum Herbert said an unprepared walk could become life-threatening within minutes.
Search and Rescue responded to 375 call-outs statewide in 2025-26, with about 100 involving people who were not prepared for the conditions.
Most happened in alpine areas such as Cradle Mountain, Mount Anne and Mount Wellington.
Herbert said a lack of research and overconfidence were common factors, along with mainland visitors caught off guard by how early it gets dark in Tasmania.
He said rescues can take far longer when helicopters are unable to fly through cloud or severe weather, forcing crews to drive and continue on foot.
He also warned people not to copy social media influencers tackling ambitious walks.
“Treat anything you see on social media that is not from a reputable organisation with caution,” he said.
