Post Up Your NEW Gear ...

[Mountainman38]

A few new things:

Hill People Gear "Tarahumara" pack, Bison Gear Haversack, Condor Pack Golok:

Initial impressions:
(SNIP)
Pack Golok - Unlike the two items above, which I'm seriously impressed with, the Pack Golok gets a mixed first impression. Positives include the hefty, well-made sheath and good weight-forward balance. I like the medium size, and I think it will be capable of some serious work for its length/weight. The biggest negative is that this knife was ridiculously dull out of the box. Probably the worst I've ever seen, and I'm not saying that lightly. Other things I'm not that psyched about include the slippery handle (addressed with a little sandpaper and linseed oil), and the "pitted" finish on 2/3s of the blade. Prior to seeing this knife in the flesh, this detail was my biggest cause for reservation about purchasing it. I thought this might be something I could minimize with some industrial steel wool, or maybe a Dremel, but now I don't think it's going to be that easy. <rant>Coatings and/or fake finishes like this are, imo, absolutely cheesy, detract from the function of the knife and are totally unnecessary. There is no reason for a knife blade to have anything other than the cleanest, smoothest surface finish possible, except for marketing to people who care more about how a knife "looks" than how it performs. </rant off>

I'll do follow ups on all of these items as they see more use. This was just an "initial impressions" report.

I hear you about the dull Golok. I bought a machete from Home Depot or Lowe's a few years ago, and it's edge had actually been ground flat. I spent an hour or more with a steel file getting the blade sharp, which is really annoying. What is this -- some sort of safety feature? Keep knives dull so no one will get hurt? Sorta defeats the purpose, it would seem...

As for coatings, I see no use for them either. I love my Ontario Knives RAT7 D2, AFTER I stripped the ugly grey coating off the blade. After the first swipe through a cardboard box, the coating had ugly smears on it, that wouldn't come out. The coating also made it cut much more poorly. I think there must be a large segment of the buying market that thinks coatings are good for stealth assassinations or something, and never actually use their knives.

 

[Jackfish]

My newest acquisition and hiking leg rig. Waiting for the temp to go above -20 so I can go wander the trails for a while and have a fire in my pit. Feel some batoning coming on. I know it's gimmicky, but thick and sharp as heck. Carves nice andi love the sheath pocket. The junk shown there doesn't begin to fill it.

 

[go2ndAmend]

I picked up my Christmas present to me today (after the mandatory 10 day waiting period). NIB Ruger M77 in .357 Mag. It is stainless steel with a black synthetic stock. I think it will become my favorite ranch rifle.

 

[Jackfish]

Not my newest toy as its seen a lot of use this summer already. Just proves its worth. Best present my wife ever found me. Should have had one years ago. I've burned twigs, shavings, pine cones, pine cones soaked in alcohol for no smoke, newspaper ..... List goes on. Just big enough for a big mug of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal. Golden gear that is.

 

[Hammer67]

Kelly Kettles are awesome.

 

[fmajor007]

Not my newest toy as its seen a lot of use this summer already. Just proves its worth. Best present my wife ever found me. Should have had one years ago. I've burned twigs, shavings, pine cones, pine cones soaked in alcohol for no smoke, newspaper ..... List goes on. Just big enough for a big mug of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal. Golden gear that is.

I love mine!!! I was hoping to have some extra $ around this year as i'd like to pick up a SS version. The aluminum is nice and light, but i really like the idea of a steel fire-bowl.

 

[Mountainman38]

I picked up my Christmas present to me today (after the mandatory 10 day waiting period). NIB Ruger M77 in .357 Mag. It is stainless steel with a black synthetic stock. I think it will become my favorite ranch rifle.

Sounds lovely. Can you post some pictures?

 

[JV3]

 

[HikingMano]

Just got my Thrunite Ti (Cree XP-E R4)! Sweet! It seems much better than my iTP A3 EOS Upgrade (Cree XP-G R5).

Easy UI - tighten for low (3 advertised lumens, about 30 hours by one test), tighten all the way for high (60 advertised lumens, 65 min). The switch mechanism depends on a springy tab though, so we'll have to see how long it holds up with continued use and switching.
Awesome knurling
Best, most sturdy, keychain anchor I've ever seen. I bought this to replace my Quark Neutral Mini 123, whose keychain ring finally broke. It's sturdier than the keychain attachment on my iTPs as well. I don't foresee the keychain attachment on this Thrunite ever breaking....

As I said, it seems better than my iTPs, even though it's using an older emitter. The beam on high is discernibly brighter than the XP-G R5 iTP on high (advertised 96 lumens).

I still need to try the Olight I3, and the new Maratac AAA, but so far, I'm loving this Thrunite Ti. I don't have the firefly version of this light, but I hear it's pretty sweet, especially with a 175 hour advertised run time on low... Folks have reported some issues with the Thrunite Ti's (search CPF if you want to know more), but for the price (under $11 shipped), I don't think I'll be complaining much. It'll do the job as keychain light for now :thumbup: I might even have to check out the Thurnite T10 later... it seems to fix many of the issues that bother folks about the Ti. But it is a AA light and a little more expensive...

I also want to check out the Fenix LD01 in the sturdy stainless, but that's shelling out more than I want to right now for a keychain light. And I'm not a huge fan of the Med-Low-Hi UI.

 

[JV3]

patagonia down sweater:

stocked up on fenix ld10 before they disappear completely:

 

[Mountainman38]

...I also want to check out the Fenix LD01 in the sturdy stainless, but that's shelling out more than I want to right now for a keychain light. And I'm not a huge fan of the Med-Low-Hi UI.

I absolutely love my LD01 in aluminum. It's a decent light with alkalines (very nice low mode for night adjusted eyes), but with rechargeable 10440's it's pretty much the perfect carry light for me. I would prefer a LOW-MEDIUM-HIGH interface for use with alkaline batteries and night adjusted eyes, but for the majority of what I use my light for the powerful beam of mostly flood light it comes on with is excellent. It won't work for spotlighting deer at 100 yards, but it sure lights up the house/backyard/campsite with a wall of light. I like 10440's, since I don't have to keep buying new batteries for it.

I much prefer black for my lights, but the stainless would probably be a tougher light (although quite a bit heavier from what I read, which might make it not so good for carrying all the time). My light gets carried in my back pocket, along with an extra battery in case I get stuck out somewhere, and I can barely tell it's there even sitting down.

For me, the $40 for the light plus another $25 for a charger and batteries was absolutely worth it.

 

[mtwarden]

you'll like that Patagonia sweater, amazing warmth for the weight and the volume and wife approved!

 

[HikingMano]

I absolutely love my LD01 in aluminum. It's a decent light with alkalines (very nice low mode for night adjusted eyes), but with rechargeable 10440's it's pretty much the perfect carry light for me. I would prefer a LOW-MEDIUM-HIGH interface for use with alkaline batteries and night adjusted eyes, but for the majority of what I use my light for the powerful beam of mostly flood light it comes on with is excellent. It won't work for spotlighting deer at 100 yards, but it sure lights up the house/backyard/campsite with a wall of light. I like 10440's, since I don't have to keep buying new batteries for it.

I much prefer black for my lights, but the stainless would probably be a tougher light (although quite a bit heavier from what I read, which might make it not so good for carrying all the time). My light gets carried in my back pocket, along with an extra battery in case I get stuck out somewhere, and I can barely tell it's there even sitting down.

For me, the $40 for the light plus another $25 for a charger and batteries was absolutely worth it.

Yeah, I've had my eye on the LD01 as a replacement for my keychain Quark for a while now, but the Quark keychain attachment had to break when I'm dropping money on Xmas gifts. So I just wanted something inexpensive for the time being. The low low is one of the big reasons I want the LD01 (and the firefly Thrunite Ti or the T10) btw, so useful. :thumbup: As for the stainless, yeah, I hear it's just so much tougher (my keychain light sees a little more abuse than my other lights) but with a weight compromise. I figure I can always sell it off pretty easily if it doesn't work out. I don't carry anything in my back pockets anymore, all front carry, so I prefer having it attached (and easily detachable) on my keychain. Do you carry your AAA lights on a lanyard in your pocket? I'd probably forget it's there at some point and send it through the wash.

One of these days I'll switch over to rechargeables with primaries only as emergency use, I just haven't gotten around to it. Do 10440s hold their charge for a while? I haven't looked into rechargeable batteries in a long time.

JV3, I really think you should consider picking up some flashlights. They're just too handy to not have a few.

 

[DeadFall27]

Simple Shot "Scout:"

I have been considering putting on of these in a pack, but I could never aim on to save my life; heck I still can't. Ever try to accurately shoot pebbles out of it?

 

[JV3]

you'll like that Patagonia sweater, amazing warmth for the weight and the volume and wife approved!

that's good to know, thanks! i tried to hold off for the longest time but my wool jacket is one of the last heavy items i have now so i broke down (i'm saving 2 lbs with this jacket)...next is a light sleeping bag hopefully so everything i have is now lightweight.

One of these days I'll switch over to rechargeables with primaries only as emergency use, I just haven't gotten around to it. Do 10440s hold their charge for a while? I haven't looked into rechargeable batteries in a long time.

JV3, I really think you should consider picking up some flashlights. They're just too handy to not have a few.

candles rule!

i'm in the same boat as you when it comes to rechargeables. i've recently started surfing candlepowerforums heavily and the sanyo eneloops (for aa & aaa) is by far the most recommended brand. the specs are impressive...regarding your question, sanyo states after 3-yrs of storage it'll still hold 75% of it's charge. i passed on the sanyo charger though and opted for the "sony cycle energy" charger since it charges each battery individually instead of sanyo's pairs only.

just a head's up: if you're buying from amazon in bulk, compare the prices on two 4-packs vs. one 8-pack (and multiples of it)...they're sneaky with the dynamic pricing and sometimes buying two 4-packs is way cheaper than the bulk package!

 

[Hammer67]

I have been considering putting on of these in a pack, but I could never aim on to save my life; heck I still can't. Ever try to accurately shoot pebbles out of it?

Yup. It's quite accurate with a little practice. If you're going to go with this one, I'd recommend using it with a pinch grip as opposed to a hammer grip. There are some good tips here:

http://www.simple-shot.com/pages/tutorials-shooting

 

[HikingMano]

[...]i'm in the same boat as you when it comes to rechargeables. i've recently started surfing candlepowerforums heavily and the sanyo eneloops (for aa & aaa) is by far the most recommended brand. the specs are impressive...regarding your question, sanyo states after 3-yrs of storage it'll still hold 75% of it's charge. i passed on the sanyo charger though and opted for the "sony cycle energy" charger since it charges each battery individually instead of sanyo's pairs only.[...]

Yeah, CPF is a great resource :thumbup: I know Ni-MH Sanyo eneloops have a solid rep, I was curious about the Li-Ion 10440s mentioned. I haven't browsed CPF heavily in a while, and I haven't consciously expanded my knowledge of rechargeables. I wonder if this thrunite can run the higher voltage... I'll look into it later. ETA: It looks like the Thrunite Ti can run unprotected 10440s, though it sounds like one should err on the side of caution if running it on high for prolonged periods with the heat generated. It seems to really bump up the lumens...

Thanks for the amazon tips. I usually buy from battery junction or similar, but good to know if I ever use some gift cards or something from amazon. :thumbup:

 

[midnite-penguin]

Yup. It's quite accurate with a little practice. If you're going to go with this one, I'd recommend using it with a pinch grip as opposed to a hammer grip. There are some good tips here:

http://www.simple-shot.com/pages/tutorials-shooting

Whats the FPS on one of these compared to something like a "wrist rocket" with an upgraded band? I want something for small game - not shooting cans in the back yard.

 

[Hammer67]

Whats the FPS on one of these compared to something like a "wrist rocket" with an upgraded band? I want something for small game - not shooting cans in the back yard.

Well heck, I've never chrono'd it, but I'd say it's every bit as powerful as a wrist rocket, regardless of the band. With a 5/16" steel shot and decent accuracy, I'm pretty confident that you could drop just about any small game you'd need to.

 

[lightleak]

Whats the FPS on one of these compared to something like a "wrist rocket" with an upgraded band? I want something for small game - not shooting cans in the back yard.

You will get faster results if you use flatbands. (Theraband gold, silver, black). So for hunting I would recommend those over tubing any time. The Flippinout slingshot is great as it will allow you to use it with flatbands as well.