The "Gear I love" thread - An open list for good gear

New big three has been a game changer:
SouthernLite 65 litre pack
Kiwiultralight quilt + their fitted sheet
Durston xmid pro 2 tent.

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Originally Posted by Poko

New big three has been a game changer:
SouthernLite 65 litre pack
Kiwiultralight quilt + their fitted sheet
Durston xmid pro 2 tent.

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I have Durston also, and keen on the Kiwi UL quilt, how do you like the quilt? Any issues?

None at all. First quilt and don’t regret it. I noticed I often had my bag open anyway. I would highly recommend them.
One good thing it comes with little bands to keep it aligned with the sleeping mat. I flagged away my sleeping bag liner and bought their sheet, which was a good move. Comfy.
I bought their warmest quilt (their blue one) so it could cover more temperatures.
It is really warm for me, Was in the Durston around April temp just below the bush line was about 0 degrees or lower, at night I was quite warm with no clothing layers so it would suit -5 as it’s rating says. It got a little wet on the foot banging the tent, and dries nicely by the next night, really good on that front.
Be good to have another one of their cooler ones for summer. Made in nz too and they were super quick to process the order and post it.

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Originally Posted by canross

Starting this thread as a central point for "Gear I love" so we can find out about new gear that we might have wondered about, or never knew we needed until now!

Really this can be anything, but I'd say it's something you genuinely love and would buy again if you had the opportunity. Entirely up to you, but maybe the name of what it is, a picture if handy, and why you like it (use, quality, price, features, etc etc). This is NOT meant as a sales thread, just stuff that you use regularly or wouldn't want to go without.


I'll start with some hunting and work items I really like:


Bahco stainless tradesman knife
It's stainless, it holds a remarkably good edge, it's made in Sweden, and it's dirt cheap (currently on sale for $11 from George Henry). I like it for boning out, skinning, and fishing - the edge holds well for stainless, the rubber handle doesn't slip, and being bright orange stops you from losing it. The plastic sheath holds onto a belt well, but seems to have a weak point where the sheath and belt hanger join... I don't really wear it on my belt much so doesn't matter to me.
It appears to be made in Sweden, possibly under license or in conjunction with Mora.

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Meindl Airstream work boots.
Got them for chainsaw boots, but find they're comfortable and easy to wear so wear them tramping as well. Certainly pricey, but given it's also PPE it's not as bad. Mine have been badly abused being exposed to chemicals, fire, ash, lack of cleaning etc etc for three years of constant use etc and are only now starting to show wear (melted the middle sole from heat from standing in coals and left ash on the leather for weeks, which tends to crack any leather over time). Also failed to properly clean and re-proof the boots over the "toe flex zone" for 2 years... which Meindl says to do, so it's my fault. Other guys wearing same boots are getting 2-3 years of 5-7 day weeks wearing them timber surveying, so all in all decent. Will be buying another pair of these when the current ones eventually fail.


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Tactix Bluetooth earmuffs
Bought these on a whim and love them... good noise reduction, and the bluetooth/radio/microphone setup with lots of ear room and padding means I spend a good portion of some days wearing them. Bluetooth allows you to sync with your phone so you don't miss calls, and can listen to music from your phone, or tune into the radio if that's your preference. Speaker quality is decent surprisingly. Can answer calls with the headset on and hear the caller well, and if you aren't in a terribly noisy environment they'll hear you well as well. You also have the option of a mic-to-earmuff button if someone wants to talk to you but it's too loud to take the earmuffs off. This feature is ok, but since they're cheap they don't have noise cancelling, so it's not the same as a $500 noise-cancelling setup... you get what you pay for :P Battery is running strong at 3 years of use (Li-Ion so don't overcharge and don't run it down to 0% and it'll last ages) and charges from a standard micro-usb. Will cost about $70 and beats the hell out of bigger brand earmuffs for value and function. Seem reasonably tough as I've dropped them etc and nothing major has been damaged. Come with an audio jack if you don't do bluetooth, and a micro-usb charging cable.

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I'd add a Tikka T3 on here - because they're simply designed and well built, but everyone on here already knows the T3 and either love or hate them, so not much point :P

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I agree on the bahco. I've bought a lot of knives, most more expensive than the Bahco but the Bahco is my favorite

I'm going to add Injinji socks to the list. Look bloody weird, feel a bit weird at first, but you quickly get used to them. Walked near on 30km the other day and no blisters which was a first for me. Everything else hurts though!

https://southernpodiatry.co.nz/wp-co...03/outdoor.jpg

This has been brilliant so far. Keeps the dog toasty warm at camp and during the night he doesn't try and get in my bag or sit there shivering which means I get a good night's sleep. On sale cost me $60-$70.

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Cheers bobba I didn't know that existed. My old lab will be happy

Love that dog coat! We bring a kids sleeping bag for our viszla that she dives into at the first opportunity and takes real coaxing to depart. Would be great to have something that lets her trot about a little more.

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Originally Posted by TimC

Cheers bobba I didn't know that existed. My old lab will be happy

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Just to help with sizing if going to get one. I got a large first but it's to small for male viz and swapped it for extra large which is just right.

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Originally Posted by MB

I'm going to add Injinji socks to the list. Look bloody weird, feel a bit weird at first, but you quickly get used to them. Walked near on 30km the other day and no blisters which was a first for me. Everything else hurts though!

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I wear the Creepers merino wool toe socks both in running shoes and in tramping boots. Wonderful things. In boots I usually wear toe socks under a pair of normal socks for padding. Works for me and I haven't had any hot spots or blisters since.

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Originally Posted by RV1

I wear the Creepers merino wool toe socks both in running shoes and in tramping boots. Wonderful things. In boots I usually wear toe socks under a pair of normal socks for padding. Works for me and I haven't had any hot spots or blisters since.

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I've just ordered a pair to try out. I have started to get blisters when I never used to, hope these help

I love my creepers socks, I've been training for a trail run and these have been a game changer. I always had toe blisters before getting Creepers.

Put a pair of creepers in crocs around the camp fire and it would really bring out the creep

throwing out a recommendation for the macpac possum child carrier.

holds the little one in very securely and is just plain one of the most comfortable packs I've worn

Some more good gear:

Kifaru gun bearer - basically just a quick release strap that velcros to your pack arm strap and pocket to hold the butt of your rifle that velcros to your waist strap.
This was given to me by a friend, and at first I was unsure what to do with it. I've always used a rifle sling for my guns and this one was odd to me - the rifle sits vertically tight to your pack strap. Once I tried it, I was amazed how much I liked it - the gun can't swing or fall off your shoulder and bash into things, it sits low so it doesn't snag on bushes, pop your lens caps, try to pop your bolt open, etc etc etc. It's also quick to get the rifle into action - without practicing it's the same speed as getting it off your shoulder with a sling. The only downside I've found is that it makes your reliant on wearing your backpack, so you either need to bring a lightweight sling or keep your pack on. A light nylon sling with quick releases fixes this issue, or you just keep your pack with you, which is best practice anyways. If I'm not careful when bush bashing the barrel can bump your glasses, but that takes some effort to do.

The second one courtesy of the same friend, is a jetboil stove. For ages I've been telling myself that my stove is fine, it's lightweight, and that jetboil is another fancy thing I just don't need. I can say now, I was wrong. The jetboil setup weighs the same as my micro setup, but uses 1/3 to 1/2 the fuel my micro stove does, and boils water faster in all circumstances, including strong wind. This was abundantly clear when we were both cooking on the tops and he had boiled his water and started eating while I was still trying to get my water to boil by tucking the stove into a protected hollow and laying down and curving myself around it to create a windbreak. Back at home under perfect conditions it boiled water in about half the time with almost half the fuel. Taking the jetboil out hunting, I have to remind myself to watch the stove because the water boils so fast and I'm used to going and doing something else while waiting for it to boil. The fact that it just works regardless of the conditions, it works fast, and it saves weight on fuel has really sold me on this.