Non expensive kit

[rik_uk3]

Chris asked me to talk about non expensive kit and perhaps show a photo or two, so here is a picture from Tuesday, me the my (almost) one year old grandson

My kit
Thinsulate hat £1.99
Padded shirt £5.99
Second layer an 80/20 wool poly mix top, bit like a norgie £3.99
Base layer 'Long John' Top, £2.99 (with bottoms)
Trousers M65 poly cotton £12.50
Gloves (in pocket), Thinsulate type £2.99
Boots, US Army leather/Gortex/gambrille lined £35
Socks British Army wool Arctic issue 50p

My little weather station said it was -5c but I was toasty warm without a jacket, total cost

£65 head to toe, or £30 if you ignore the boots

 

[traderran]

Good starter kit there.

 

[rik_uk3]

Good starter kit there.

Thats the idea, give new people some idea's on starter kit, they can spend more at a later time if needed. Don't see the point is spending £80/$120 on a shirt you only use two nights a year. I've got some wool Pendleton shirts I got from the states, only about ten dollars each plus postage so around twenty dollars all in, they are very good.

 

[helixpteron]

Chris asked me to talk about non expensive kit and perhaps show a photo or two, so here is a picture from Tuesday, me the my (almost) one year old grandson

My kit
Thinsulate hat £1.99
Padded shirt £5.99
Second layer an 80/20 wool poly mix top, bit like a norgie £3.99
Base layer 'Long John' Top, £2.99 (with bottoms)
Trousers M65 poly cotton £12.50
Gloves (in pocket), Thinsulate type £2.99
Boots, US Army leather/Gortex/gambrille lined £35
Socks British Army wool Arctic issue 50p

My little weather station said it was -5c but I was toasty warm without a jacket, total cost

£65 head to toe, or £30 if you ignore the boots

+ Bonny little lad = Priceless! (o:

 

[John Fenna]

I have some "Blue Castle" Poly cotton Combats that cost £8.
Made as workwear they are tough and strong (though at that price I would expect some to have quality control issues) but the puller on the fly broke. This was simply replaced with cord...
The size on the label was not too accurate (I had to but a size larger than normal) but the fit was great.
These trousers saw me though jungle expeds and are still in regular use.
You do not need to spend a fortune on kit but do check out the quality of less expensive kit as it is not always the best made in the world (hence the price I guess) and quality can vary from garment to garment.

 

[bigbear]

At the risk of stating the obvious, charity shops and army surplus are both good sources of wool sweaters, fleeces, etc. Any chain store thermal underwear will keep you warm, and some of it is cheap.
When I started hill walking I was told "yer dads old string vest is a good base layer"..........
and it was years before I could afford a fibre pile (pre fleece days) so I just wore more sweaters. It works, and does not cost much.

Bigbear

 

[John Fenna]

Charity shops rock!
I just bought myself a double size Merino wool blanket for £2.00 (it was priced at £1.49 but I felt that was too cheap...)
OK it was Dayglo orange, but £6 worth of Dylon has toned it down to a rich golden brown
I think it may end up as a woolen shirt or two....
AMerino wool shirt for £6 and a few hours work/fun with a sewing machine - bargain!

 

[durulz]

The size on the label was not too accurate (I had to but a size larger than normal) but the fit was great.

Yeah, I tell myself that as well.

 

[John Fenna]

Yeah, I tell myself that as well.

 

[Wayland]

I have some "Swannie type" heavy shirts and a poncho made from charity shop blankets.

You certainly don't have to spend a fortune on kit to get out there.

By the way, they were made with a hand cranked sewing machine that cost me about a fiver.

 

[dwardo]

You cant beat ex MOD cotton trousers, i get some of my of my kit FOC from my brother who is in the service but have bought them my self for around £5.
I have a friend who has gotten me allsorts of posh gear from a snowboardy type place and its either too heavy and restrictive or stays wet for ever. My thermals were from matalan and cost £9 for top and bottoms, socks are MOD, hat and gloves like yours are thinsulate ones from my local news agents ?? £4 all in. Snugpack softie was also issue which was a little more at £25 second hand but worth it.

 

[Melonfish]

yeah very nice stuff, but where did you get it all from?! hehe
pete

 

[bothyman]

At last a thread I can relate to.

All my stuff is cheap usually bought in sales or off ebay.
I am surprised how much some of the army stuff has gone up to.

 

[rik_uk3]

I look everywhere, eBay, Lidl, surplus stores, charity shops etc. The padded shirt was from Aldi a couple of weeks ago

 

[calibanzwei]

Good kit at good prices; whatever and however I can get it. Member sales on here is great! (cheers to Ash and Giles so far)

 

[Fin]

What a great idea for a thread! I'll weigh in with a couple of things:

British Army can openers. 99p will get you two. Stick one on your key ring. Simple, nothing to go wrong and effective - I've had mine over 20 years now.

Military surplus lightweight trousers (the pale green ones with one map pocket on the thigh). Cheap as chips from surplus stores and they are great 3 season trousers in that whilst they'll get wet - they dry in no time.

Warthog's Crusader Cup lid. I think I paid a fiver for it and it doubles the efficiency of the cup when boiling water.

Trench Lighter as per the following link.

http://www.image2000plus.com/store0...=1&link=product&tax=1&source=froogle&c=202139

This is a recent find. Less than £6 gets you a solid brass lighter which is just as effective as a Zippo and the fuel compartment is O ring sealed. It uses less fuel than a standard Zippo and lasts twice as long between fills.

 

[rik_uk3]

Sealed with an 'O' ring to stop evaporation

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.3734

 

[durulz]

You can get those aluminium Sigg-like drink bottles in Poundland (for...er...a pound each). Each one holds about a pint/500ml.

 

[sapling]

At the risk of sounding controversial, I find it interesting that for some, cheap kit is associated with ‘starter’ kit. Anyone else notice that?

 

[dwardo]

At the risk of sounding controversial, I find it interesting that for some, cheap kit is associated with ‘starter’ kit. Anyone else notice that?

I guess after 10 years of playin in the woods im still startin then, im happy with that

I love those trench lighters, are they clean to use i.e. dont leak fuel etc ?
Are they also easy to use? by this i mean not too fiddly for every day use?

Sorry for hijacking thread