The Adventurer's Gear Thread

[Mike1939]

Great photos Mike! :eusa_clap

 

[Kodiak]

Awesome kit Mike! Where did you find that awesome RL jacket?

And... that is one great hat. Looks a lot like the Akubra campaigner you sold me which, by the way, is still working extremely well.

Great stuff!

 

[Dudleydoright]

What rain ???



Hi Missie !
Well i have to admit that i tend to camp more in europe than the UK and out of the car more than backpacking. As ex-Para Regt I have always used a pocho as a tarp. that includes all over Western & Northern Canada (with a bug net - goodarn mosquitoes ) I always thought that it was wiser, what with bears an' all. Although i have a one man nylon i used for a weeks solo traverse of the French Maritime alps for my 40th birthday. And I must admit that i prefer cotton tents to canvas. As they shed water rather than soak it up. Must admit that when i use any tent with glass fibre or aluminIUM poles, i get a bit nervous during storms .
BSE does get wet. Certainly the last two weeks BUT not as wet as elsewhere in the UK.
When were you last in Ipswich ? Were you at Woodbridge or Bentwater ?

Cheers,
Dave

 

[Spitfire]

How about one of these, as used by the original population in nothern Norway, Sweden and Finland:

 

[cookie]

RL Jacket

Awesome kit Mike! Where did you find that awesome RL jacket?

And... that is one great hat. Looks a lot like the Akubra campaigner you sold me which, by the way, is still working extremely well.

Great stuff!

Now that you have flushed yourself out completely a la BellyTank we want photos of that jacket and we want 'em NOW!!!!:eusa_clap

 

[Jovan]

THAT's a fire hazard waiting to happen. Haha.

 

[Spitfire]

Not at all Jovan. It's actually possible to have a semilarge fire going in one of these tents. They are open in top - like the Teepee.

 

[Smithy]

Spitfire's right, no trouble or danger whatsoever. I spent the night in a "lavvu" a few years back and we had a roaring fire going in it (trust me you needed it for a night out inside Arctic Norway!). They are great tents.

 

[Mark G]

Mike K Great kit! Now we must see the jacket. Mojave, if you still haven't found a buckle for your jacket you might be able to find one at www.tandyleatherfactory.com. They have all manner of buckles in solid brass and nickel plate.

 

[BellyTank]

Now that you have flushed yourself out completely a la BellyTank we want photos of that jacket and we want 'em NOW!!!!:eusa_clap

Oh.... No...

Not completely-
That was only the half of it.
I've just moved house and unearthed some.


B
T

 

[Jovan]

... yeah. I was sorta joking. Ha. Ha.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

BSE does get wet. Certainly the last two weeks BUT not as wet as elsewhere in the UK.
When were you last in Ipswich ? Were you at Woodbridge or Bentwater ?

Cheers,
Dave

I lived in Ipswich proper, for about a year...2002-2003, while I finished up my MSc.

Before that i lived in Bristol, which -is- the rainy side.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Mike K,

Absolutely brilliant! :eusa_clap

A classic Densy Finch Hatton look. Well done.

 

[Teacher]

Hurry Hurry we have to get everything done so we can relax!

For me, yes! Putting up the tent is not relaxing or fun for me. Now, hiking, exploring, and photographing...THOSE are fun and relaxing. So the less time I spend setting up camp, the more time I have to do the things I enjoy. For me, that is what enjoying a vacation is all about.

 

[Mike K.]

Alright, here's a few more items...

Brass compass and leather case. You can purchase both from www.brasscompass.com but the compass is rather pricey. I got the case from here, but the actual compass from eBay (they're all the same quality).

My field bag is an L. L. Bean canvas shoulder bag. I modified the bag to remove the faux buckle on front, actually making it easier to access the inner compartments. I also removed the leather wrap that was on the roller-style buckle (on strap). This is a great field bag, maybe a tad small, but it holds all I need. There is one main compartment, but also lots of smaller ones inside and along the back.

This is my vintage Boy Scout canteen with original case and shoulder strap that are in excellent condition. It's a 2-quart, all metal canteen and has the older style metal cap rather than the plastic ones that came about in the 1950s.

Another piece of scout gear (an old Eagle Scout knows a good thing). This is my mess kit containing all the essentials for cooking up a meal over open fire or camp stove. I had to look around to find one with the metal cup rather than the plastic one...got the original case too. This was recently cleaned to remove soot, grease, etc. so it looks shiny new.

Okay, here's a handy item. This was given to me along with some other old military items many years ago. The mirror is metal, the case cotton khaki. There are slots for a razor, comb, etc. along with a felt sheath to protect the mirror from scratches. It dates at least to WWII.

Leather leggings.

And finally, here's my pith helmet. Nothing real special here. It was purchased on eBay rather cheaply and will most likely be replaced by a Wolseley style pith helmet in the near future.


Safari jacket coming right up!!

 

[Mike K.]

...and the Safari Jacket

Where did you find that awesome RL jacket?

we want photos of that jacket and we want 'em NOW!!!!

This is the safari jacket made by Ralph Lauren. Originally, this jacket supposedly retailed for nearly $300 - about the cost of a Lost Worlds Willis & Geiger reproduction. I have only seen three of these RL safari jackets listed recently on eBay, and I currently own two of them. In the first photo of me (with hat), I wear the khaki version. This one was sold without a waist belt, but fortunately I had an old L. L. Bean safari jacket with a matching belt that I swapped. I actually prefer this basic "slider" type buckle over the one seen on the other RL jacket. This jacket fits me perfectly, with just enough room to lightly layer underneath. In the second photo (no hat), I wear the dark khaki version. This jacket is almost an olive color in certain light. This one came with the original RL belt that has eyelets and a pronged buckled. Although both jackets are a size medium, the dark khaki one has shorter sleeves that don't fit me too well. On me the sleeves are short; I pulled in my arm to make the photo appear as though the sleeves fit. If anyone is interested, I'm considering auctioning off the dark khaki jacket on eBay sometime in the near future since the fit isn't as good on me.

Here we have a close-up view of the belts on each jacket.

Collar view

Back view, with close up of pleat & stitching.


Thanks for all the compliments. I hope you like the new photos. In what spare time I have, I'm working on a piece for the Jackets forum about the safari jacket and its history.
Stay tuned!

 

[Story]

I... I feel a song coming on...

(All together now)
At last we are to meet him,
The famous Captain Spaulding.
From climates hot and scalding,
The Captain has arrived.

Most heartily we'll greet him,
With plain and fancy cheering.
Until he's hard of hearing.
The Captain has arrived.
At last - The Captain has arrived.

 

[Alan Eardley]

Careful!

Perhaps a "surplus" brass buckle from an RAF uniform belt would work nicely? They pop up on everyone's favourite auction site every now and then. Nice jacket though...very smart looking.

Cheers,

---Scott

RAF Brass Belt buckles have two prongs - one won't fit a belt with a single row of holes.

The RAF tropical uniform jacket is not unlike that one, BTW. They are frequently available in Grade 1 surplus condition for less that $20.

Alan

 

[Julius Xavier]

I'll just go ahead and do this now...

When and if you put the dark Khaki safari jacket up for auction... I call first dibs!


-JX

 

[Mike K.]

You might want to have a word with Kodiak.