Gear talk

garments wont remain waterproof with DWR alone columbia havee waterproof clothing that is a toughened polyeurethane with no other face fabric attached, , it doesnt need dwr, water runs off well., the heavier the face fabric ...

clothing can be a big factor. Have you replaced your shorts. Mine chaff a little under the waist belt but its because they use a tied string to hold them up which is right under ...

No issue. When I take it along it means the party is large enough that we have economies of scale. I've used it to cook for 10 people. I store a small burner, a lighter, ...

if you can get to nelson there will be a better choice of shops there or even better christchurch

My impression of DOC mattresses (or anything that gets its R through a large bulk of material like they do) is that at the start they are a large drain on your body as the ...

other way around batteries in hot environment lose charge faster cold temps just temporarily reduce the speed the battery can discharge making it look like its lost its charge https://www.thoughtco.com/why-batteries-discharge-quickly-cold-wea...

Hi all Thanks for the input. Thought I would give an update. You guys are right on the money. It came down to fit. I not a fan of buying shoes over the net purely due ...

@Gaiters Hi, Can't provide any useful comment on tops use as I haven't had it up there yet. Have had it in some windy situations, one in particular on a beach front. Calm when I pitched, ...

yes american weather can be worse than NZ, certainly colder, easily as windy at times, it has the windiest place in the world but three is also a lot of stable weather there as well, ...

Thanks @madpom. I just had a read of that - some good info. Cheers

Yes - I use a Mi Boxer battery charger for charging at home. They seem a good quality brand. Probably the best bit of electronics kit I've bought recently. A multi-type charger for Lithium Ion ...

Update on my tiny GoLite sleeping bag: I got the bottom seam at the foot converted into a drawstring by Twin Needle. Very robust and excellent job. I used it this w/e at 380m a.s.l. ...

@aardvark's Mont Mountain Guide - he describes it above.

if you buy the pack here then you've probably never tried it on since those brands dont sell here, so thats a risk that you dont like the way it fits you or sits on ...

Finally tried out my MSR NX lightweight 1-man tent above the snowline last month. Been putting off deliberately using it on the tops as there's a _lot_ of mesh in the inner and it looked ...

An inner layer doesn't stop the clammieness, it just gives the moisture somewhere to go that hopefully doesn't feel as clammy during the night and that you can take off in the morning.

That rivets range has some interesting stuff. As said by someone else the pants dont need to be as waterproof as the coat and I did use the pants shown for quite a while but ...

I don't know about ULA but I have a Gossamer Gear pack (marisopia 60) and love it. I used to have a first gen Aarn which was awesome but I eventually got sick of the ...

I recommend Twin Needle too. They do such a professional job. I got them to convert the bottom seam of my sleeping bag into a drawstring as I suffer very badly from hot feet and ...

I have a Garmin Oregon 600/650 I'm not using anymore if you're still looking. It has the NZ Topo and the, what I consider better from Mr Purple (free). Let me know if you're interested and ...

Ignore my comments I just found single blend pilling on some leggings

At the end of the day if we are doing what we enjoy in the manner that is safe and enjoyable to us then we are all doing it right. Even if we are doing ...

That's very kind of you FrankB, but the Atmos would be too big, they have 10.5-11.5inch back measurements. I also have an Aarn pack, they are great.

I guess it depends if you're camping or staying in huts, and how lightweight your gear is. Staying in huts 50ltrs should ample for the Heaphy. I used a Osprey Atmos 50ltr when did a few ...

I have a lot of experience with some of the more lightweight designs out there, and I can tell you that each tent will offer pro's and con's that will excel in one environment and ...