Recent content by Angry Pirate

Goretex Pro is significantly more breathable than traditional Goretex (30% more is quoted by Mountain Equipment). I couldn't tell you about Aegis but you might find a mvtr (moisture vapour transmission rate) quoted if you Google around a bit. From experience, companies that use their own...

^ This! I've used an Exos 48 this year and I've been massively impressed with it. Comfort is brilliant, it swallows kit and the external pockets are well thought out and handy. I wouldn't go bigger than 48 litres though if you're going lightweight as you'll only fill it. I took mine on the...

I tend to be in the mountains rather than in the woods for most adventures so my first aid kit contains lots of bright or light-producing items: a survival blanket and bag and a cyalume light (in case head torches have died, but also to give twelve hours light to a casualty if I have to go and...

Thanks for that. Looks like it'd be a fun thing to try with the boys. Curry night tonight, yum!

I dunno, I started using a 1 litre nalgene as a hot water bottle for winter camping and it made a huge difference. I'd boil the water just before bed, pour it into the nalgene and put the bottle in my down bag about five minutes before I dived in. The bottle kept me toasty all night (I'd...

One of the main reasons armies have stuck with cotton as long as they have despite its poor performance when wet (memories of wearing a sodden 85 pattern smock on exercise still haunt me) is that it is hard-wearing and doesn't melt onto the skin in the event of fire or explosion. It was a...

Absolutely true! My most useless buys have been two forays into softshells after folk raved about them. I just can't get on with a non-windproof jacket that weighs more than my waterproof. I was properly taken in by the marketing hype. None have been better than a cheap pertex windproof.

I'm a huge fan of grimlocks but only really for attaching things to a plate carrier, so not really typical bushcraft use. I used four on the back to attach a camelback and one on the left shoulder to attach a rifle sling. Their advantage is that they release under a load of 50 or so kilos so...

58 ammo pouches are about a fiver on ebay at the mo. What type of bottle do you intend on putting in it? Working from memory (it's been a very long time since I used '58 webbing) I'm not sure the issue bottle would fit in the ammo pouches. A sigg bottle would though.

No worries fella! Glad I could be of some help :)

There are a few examples but they tend to be thinner tops so they can be used as base layers too. http://www.mountain-equipment.co.uk/eclipse-hooded-zip-t http://www.outdoorresearch.com/en/mens-radiant-hybrid-hoody.html I've got the radiant hoody and I pretty much live in it but it's not what...

That is nice! I have pmed him but like I say, I'm on a bit of a budget and don't want to insult him asking for top notch at bottom dollar.

Thanks for the replies! I'd looked at the Zermatt but they're rare as hens teeth in the UK. I did find one on Amazon but the retailer is in the states and I could do with one quicker than they're estimating. I'll pm Topknot for a quote I reckon. I've seen some of his stuff on here before and...

I was lucky enough to receive a very nicely engraved Huntsman Swiss army knife yesterday and I fancy making it my edc knife so am in the market for a simple leather belt pouch for it. I have seen the Whitby one online which looks like it'll do the job ok and the victorinox ones too but I'm not...

I've noticed no-one has mentioned gloves yet. For me, my top two are: Nitryl gloves CPR face shield. As said before, knowledge is key and I can improvise most stuff but if I encounter someone else, especially in urban or rta situations, then self protection is top of my list.