Your favorite piece of kit

[Tony]

What's you favourite bit of kit or clothing? Let's have a picture and a short description of it, how long you've had it and why you rate it...
I'm aiming to put some up on the front end of the site so that we can share some good kit with others.

 

[Clouston98]

Love this idea for a thread! I'll put some stuff up when I've got some time to get pictures .

 

[copper_head]

I think for me its my Crusader mug, for sentimental reasons as much as anything else. I have lighter and 'better' options but this was one of my first bits of 'bushcraft' kit I ever got. In fact I think I saved up my paper round money to buy it. So had it about 15 years now and have upgraded it with a Launditch steel lid and a Monkey Boy burner to go in the cooker unit.

Mine started out black and is slowly turning silver as the coating comes off, but I love it anyway.

 

[Tony]

Yeah, good call on the Crusader, I love mine and that's a perfect first entry on the kit list, description, time scale and why you love it...

thanks for posting it up

 

[DurhamBushcrafter]

British Army Arctic sleeping bag.......Im on my 4th! awesome bit of kit for not a lot of money!

 

[Nice65]

Trangia stoves. Been using them for years, but picked up a non-stick with gas conversion and meths burner from Amazon about a year ago at £50. It's a brilliant and winning combo, and I remain smug at the price

Jetboil, had one for years, just for water heating. You can even hold it in your hand while the water boils.

Knife Research Rasul as a do anything unbreakable knife. Excellent in hand, and inspires great confidence you have a good tool with you. Probably a bit OTT for most uses, but that's a morale booster. Had it for a few years, long enough to be totally confident it'll do what I need.

Spyderco Paramilitary 2 for slicy folding goodness. Owned for a couple of years, had some Cuscadi custom scales fitted. Just a nice, useful knife to have with you, covers a lot of bases.

Bison Bushcraft Guide shirt. Maybe not very wind proof, but a lovely garment that once again is a good morale booster. Literally been on me for about 6 months.

Feuerhand paraffin lamp.

Vapalux M320.

Alpkit headtorch.

Nice thread, I'm sure I'll be back. With some pics, Photobucket is being a pest tonight.

 

[John Fenna]

My favourite kit.... hmm...
Unfortunately for the purpose of this thread most of my favourites are not of much help as they are either home made or so old that they are no longer in production!
My Crusader Mug has to be up there though - they are so good I have several (some live out in the field at my permanent sites others are in particular kit groupings packed and ready to go) and find them practical, very robust and of the perfect size for my morning coffee (AKA "Heart-Starter) or for cooking small meals.
My repro M43 cap must appear on the list - the best winter cap I have found and now I own two!View attachment 34774
My Tilly hat - the canvas one (see my review on this site) - unbeatable for most of the year - and the lifetime guarantee is real ... I have had several wear out over the years and Tilly keep replacing them for no more than the postage costs.View attachment 34775
My Merino Wool Buffs also feature - I always have one or more on me year round! - View attachment 34776

 

[Goatboy]

Very hard to name favourite bits of kit. I have passing love affairs with some things and then there is stuff I use, put away then find good use for later. Though I suppose it should be the stuff that I go back to decade after decade.

On the knife front I collected blades and weapons for many years. But I suppose of all the knives I carry the one most often is an Opinel #8 from the 1992 winter Olympics. I didn't rate Opinels when I first saw them, thought they were very flimsy looking things. Then I got a little Carbon #6 and was swayed. The one in the picture my favourite was a gift from my late father (though I gave him a penny for it as you never "give" a knife) so it has sentimental value too. I find Opinels to be very good for food prep, 'round camp and in everyday life as I always have a blade on me. I try to give them all outings but the #8 seems to find it's way into my pocket most of the time.

On my other piece of kit I suppose at the moment it's my Tilley hemp TH5 hat. Yes I've got four "indestructible" hats but this one is my favourite. I tend to wear hats as I have an almost pathological dislike of hoods. I recently found it again after packing it away in a cupboard by mistake and have fallen for it all over again. Incredibly comfortable, looks good (I think, though SWMBO doesn't really like them) and it has aged to a point where it looks even better than new. The brass furniture has taken on a patina, the fabric has softened and faded slightly and it recently got the upgrade of a rather nifty BCUK patch which makes it look rather smart. The patch works too, I was recently in a café and the chap at the next table logged into the BCUK website as he saw the address on the patch and wanted to have a look. He said he was going to join and we ended up chatting about bushcraft while having a brew.

 

[sandbender]

Favourite kit?

Tricky to tie it down to one item really, however having had a think about it I plumped for a bit of kit I seldom think about but would definitely miss.

Woolpower clothing, I love the stuff, I'm amazed at how warm they can keep me and how hard wearing and long lasting they are.

Of all the Woolpower garments I own, the 600 gm top is the one I'd pick as the favourite.

It features a very tough full length front zip, a collar that can be turned into a neck warmer and a set of cuffs that fold out to become fingerless mittens.

Add to that an almost magical ability to make the wearer instantly warmer the moment it is donned.

 

[MikeLA]

Has to be my Buffalo sp6. One my 3rd first bought a cobalt blue either late eighties/ or 1991. It was constantly worn every winter hillwalk and I used to do every weekend and weeks when i could afford to.

Wish I had a photo without my ugly mug on it so i will spare you that. Its one of those coats you feel so secure in, in any weather.

 

[Tony]

Don't worry about your mug mate, lets have a pic

 

[Goatboy]

Go on Mike, you can always redact your face, we didn't know, are you special forces or a political despot?

or

 

[Wayne]

Not really bushcraft but it gets me to where I want to be and carries my kit as needed.