A few less common recommendations
Since I have some time I've decided to chuck up some mentions of gear I've used that I couldn't find decent writeups about for NZ use.
nothing in depth, but I know I prefer to have a readup about what I'm buying before I open the wallet so hopefully these will be of use to someone.
feel free to drop in some words about bits of less common gear you've had below.
Macpac bush cocoon https://www.macpac.co.nz/macpac-bush...ag/119685.html
expensive, but I like it. super quick to put up, low profile so it just ignores the wind, big enough to get a bit of kit in. I've slept in it from about -6 to around 20c and it's been fine. it is single wall with the condensation issues that can come with that.
biggest thing I'd change is putting a vent at the foot end.
if you chuck your sleeping bag in it they both fit into a standard bag compression sack. has an insect mesh behind the door which is awesome on the west coast.
swazi windriver https://swazi.co.nz/products/windriv...43456123895993
I'm a big wool fan, so for something synthetic to impress me it has to be pretty damn good. this is.
breathes damn near as good as wool in my experience, which is great because I sweat like a bastard, completely windproof, good pockets and hood, blood washed right out.
I got caught in a thunderstorm earlier in the year with just this for rain protection, and despite Swazi saying it was not a rain jacket not a drop came through the seams. about an hour of walking down a track, something like 16mm of rain and it was fine. admittedly the fleece outer layer got sodden so it weighed about twice as much as when I left, but eh.
grimfrost wool pants https://grimfrost.com/collections/vi...trousers-brown
I wanted some wool pants but didn't want to spend $250+ on micklagaard or firstlite so I decided to take a punt on these.
bloody good, nice and quiet, warm. weird cut around the bum, but it lets them move nicely hill climbing. no pockets or fly either but that's no big deal to me.
more of a strongwool than a soft merino, so if the feel of that on your skin doesn't appeal stay far away. going to buy another couple of pairs for next winter.
if I think of anything else I'll chuck it in later, but in the meantime what's your oddball items you'd recommend?
