Does anyone out there have a piece of kit that they have bought/aquired/been given, at first was dubious about, but that has in fact been really good. The one that springs to mind for me is my buff, and my pocket rocket (I only wanted a budget stove, but got given it instead, I'm not complaining now!). Or even something you've bought very cheaply, and has turned out to be excellent, like a budget tent in the millets sale, or something similar. Time for the trade secrets to be let out!
Suprising buys
- Thread starter Jon Mawer
- Start date
Strangely mine is my Trangia. I was always hooked on my trusty Primus stove till my wife bought me a Trangia for my birthday. I put it through all sorts of tests. Compared boiling rates, weight, fuel use, even a wind test. In the end I had to admit that the Trangia won. I've used it ever since and never regretted it. However, I do now have a pocket rocket!Jon Mawer said:
Hmm... well, I suppose the 'blow torch' type lighter I bought for about £4 I think.
I have used it to repair a radio and my ignitor boxes on the bike by using it to melt and refix solder connections, and i have used it to heat a knife blade for hot knifing. In fact I have just cut a hole in my MX5 bumper to fit a twin exit exhaust by this hot knifing tecnique. I have even lit fires with it!!! As i always carry it in my rucksack it has proved the ideal tool so many times for so many different things, and all for about £4. An excellent buy if ever there was.
I'll also add my Frost Mora and Mears type folding saw. Such amazing bits of kit as recommended by you guys, and now bought and handed out by myself to friends as they are such good tools!
I have used it to repair a radio and my ignitor boxes on the bike by using it to melt and refix solder connections, and i have used it to heat a knife blade for hot knifing. In fact I have just cut a hole in my MX5 bumper to fit a twin exit exhaust by this hot knifing tecnique. I have even lit fires with it!!! As i always carry it in my rucksack it has proved the ideal tool so many times for so many different things, and all for about £4. An excellent buy if ever there was.
I'll also add my Frost Mora and Mears type folding saw. Such amazing bits of kit as recommended by you guys, and now bought and handed out by myself to friends as they are such good tools!
My first wire saw.
It just looked like cheap wire with thin wire wound round it and soldered,
but it cuts through wood like a knife through butter.Though I've had to change the key-ring handles twice, they tend to split open through too much preasure.
It just looked like cheap wire with thin wire wound round it and soldered,
but it cuts through wood like a knife through butter.Though I've had to change the key-ring handles twice, they tend to split open through too much preasure.
my gerber multitool i never really liked them, (but then i'd only bought cheap cpoies before), i was given a gerber multi tool as a present it is now my tool of choice i've carved several utensils, split wood, struck fires, fixed stuff at home etc!
none of that fixed blade rubbish!
none of that fixed blade rubbish!
Trangia Gas convertor.
I only bought them for my Explorer Scouts because the local DofE have a potty rule about no meths, but now I think that they are great.
I can borrow one whenever I need it but if I were to leave I would probably buy my own
On yes my Eurohike tent which I bought for £50 to last the summer of 1999, my el;dest son is using it again this weekend even though its been used for over 100 nights and starting to fade. I know its more than 100 nights because I record all the scouts camps for teh nights away badge, and its been used by one member of the family or another for all of them
I only bought them for my Explorer Scouts because the local DofE have a potty rule about no meths, but now I think that they are great.
I can borrow one whenever I need it but if I were to leave I would probably buy my own
On yes my Eurohike tent which I bought for £50 to last the summer of 1999, my el;dest son is using it again this weekend even though its been used for over 100 nights and starting to fade. I know its more than 100 nights because I record all the scouts camps for teh nights away badge, and its been used by one member of the family or another for all of them
The Frosts Clipper for me (high carbon blade). Bought it from the Woodlore website as I couldn't afford or aquire the RM/AW knife and the Clipper, at the time was the only other knife on there, and the only other knife I knew of back then that would strike a fire steel.
Of course now I know there are many others to use in conjunction with a fire steel, but other than my F1 I have not bought another fixed blade. At first I didnt like the look, then that changed and I'm OK with it now. But after using it for a few weeks I fell in love with the darn thing.
As mentioned I now have an F1 and use this as my first knife, but the trusty Clipper is always there, ready and waiting to be used.
A great knife and as I only paid roughly £10 I find it a real bargain. One of the best "bushcrafty" buys, if not the best I have made to date....Regards...Stu
Of course now I know there are many others to use in conjunction with a fire steel, but other than my F1 I have not bought another fixed blade. At first I didnt like the look, then that changed and I'm OK with it now. But after using it for a few weeks I fell in love with the darn thing.
As mentioned I now have an F1 and use this as my first knife, but the trusty Clipper is always there, ready and waiting to be used.
A great knife and as I only paid roughly £10 I find it a real bargain. One of the best "bushcrafty" buys, if not the best I have made to date....Regards...Stu
buff here as well.
Now got 3 - 1 normal, 1 polar and one that smell of geear box oil for when I'm "fixing" the Landy.
Now got 3 - 1 normal, 1 polar and one that smell of geear box oil for when I'm "fixing" the Landy.
A mora knife. I was on a flee market and found a knife in a plastic sheet which had mora written on it. I bought it for 50 eurocent but wasn't sure if it was a toy knife or a real mora (I had never seen a mora only heard about it). Then I tried to sharpen it with a strange swiss sharpening tool, which I got from my mother as present, but the edge got really terrible and I thought the metal was very soft and not worth much. Until I finally sharpened it using a sharpening stone, which I'm used to, and it got a good edge and so I've been carrying it around ever since as it has proven to be a really good knife
It's my only non folding knife.
It's my only non folding knife.
I like the Buff too, although mine is a green one sold as a 'headover' at rather fewer shekels. Great kit. I mostly use it as a scarf but works as a hat and an oven glove for hot pot handles.
The Swedish military Trangia was discussed to death a couple of years back, but when all is said and done, it is an ideal stove for UK bushcraft. An open fire is great, but as we all know, is not always legal/feasible/ethical in the UK. In these circumstances you have an utterly reliable stove that runs on cheap meths. But when the opportunity for an open fire arises, you have a billy with a hook to hang over the fire, and a frypan with rings to insert an improvised wooden handle. I liked it so much, I bought a couple more, in case I wear it out. If such a thing is possible. It weighs around a kilo, so for fast and light mountain trips there are better alternatives, but for bushcraft it is unbeatable. £7 to £15.
Victorinox Farmer. Several people told me it was good. They were right.
K and M waterproof matchcase/compass. Passes the Ronseal test- it does exactly what it says on the tin.
The Swedish military Trangia was discussed to death a couple of years back, but when all is said and done, it is an ideal stove for UK bushcraft. An open fire is great, but as we all know, is not always legal/feasible/ethical in the UK. In these circumstances you have an utterly reliable stove that runs on cheap meths. But when the opportunity for an open fire arises, you have a billy with a hook to hang over the fire, and a frypan with rings to insert an improvised wooden handle. I liked it so much, I bought a couple more, in case I wear it out. If such a thing is possible. It weighs around a kilo, so for fast and light mountain trips there are better alternatives, but for bushcraft it is unbeatable. £7 to £15.
Victorinox Farmer. Several people told me it was good. They were right.
K and M waterproof matchcase/compass. Passes the Ronseal test- it does exactly what it says on the tin.
A dog chain i found. It's about 20 inches long with a metal o rong at each end. I think they are called chocker chains.
Get 3 green sticks about 4 foot long and bundle them. Put the chain through one of the rings as you would over a dogs head so you have your loop. Put loop over stick bundle and fan out sticks. The chain will drop between the sticks and you have a tripod for hanging a billy. Adjust height by pulling in or fanning out sticks hence the long lenght to start with. You may need to carve or buy an S hook.
Get 3 green sticks about 4 foot long and bundle them. Put the chain through one of the rings as you would over a dogs head so you have your loop. Put loop over stick bundle and fan out sticks. The chain will drop between the sticks and you have a tripod for hanging a billy. Adjust height by pulling in or fanning out sticks hence the long lenght to start with. You may need to carve or buy an S hook.
The 99p bomb proof plastic trowel from Asda, weighs next to nothing and has dug many a fire pit and toilet. It was bought on a whim while grabbing some food for a weekend away and is now a premanent piece of kit.
The other is the therarest orange cushion/seat, about £20, bought while a mate was getting a new sleeping bag, I was getting bored so wandered off around the shop, seen this little orange thermarest about the size of my first and thought, I need one of them!
Great for insulating your bum/back from the ground, fanning the fire (carefully) using it to kneel on etc Great bit of kit.
The other is the therarest orange cushion/seat, about £20, bought while a mate was getting a new sleeping bag, I was getting bored so wandered off around the shop, seen this little orange thermarest about the size of my first and thought, I need one of them!
Great for insulating your bum/back from the ground, fanning the fire (carefully) using it to kneel on etc Great bit of kit.
hmm I'd say my folding saw. it was about 8 euros, thats about 5 pounds. and it's really good. its over 1,5 years old now. regularly used and still going strong
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