Best piece of kit bought where you least expect it?

[Midge_Fodder]

I recently bought a very nice canvas jacket in Tesco, I wasn't looking for one but I got it for £10 in the sale and appears to be proofed as the water beaded on it. It got me thinking we all come across kit in the weirdest places, what has been the best find outside if the usual places?

[-Tim-]

My Ronnie Sunshine Dutch oven, found/for sale at the Caravan and Camper show......

Cheers
Tim

[NorthernYeti]

i found camelbak in T.K Maxx for £5 a few years ago...still have it now

[FishyFolk]

All my firesteels are bought at the local supermarket. Likewise my Eagle kettle, frying pan with foldable handle, and other bits and pieces...even a couple of my Mora knives :-)
Hmmm...I guess this is not un-expected. As i've come to expect things like this there :-)

Maybe the Optimus 111 stove I picked up for was it 8£ at the local salvation army charity shop? I found a pair of army mittens there today :-)

[Olly]

I found a 75l Lowe Alpine frontier rucksack at the tip, I asked the chap in the shop how much it was...he wanted £3 for it! I couldn't get the money out of my pocket fast enough. Checked them out online later - they seem to retail at about £120!

[happybonzo]

Trangia from T.K.Max

[ian c]

A civilian Gortex bivi bag New from boot fare only £3, mind you I still use my issue bivi bag as its a lot stronger.

[Whistle]

I got an old slightly dented Trangia 25 cookset complete with kettle from the local bootfair ...

to be fair it was only the outer windshield that was dented but I was able to knock her down to six quid !!!

Result !!!

Especially as when I got it home I was able to ease the worst of the dents out and only left a slight crease ...

It has become my favourite cook system if I have the pack room !!!

Cheers Whistle

[OakAshandThorn]

Definitely my Redington Classic Trout 7.5 ft fly rod - bought it for $80 at the local Dick's Sporting Goods, and it was the only one there. I can't believe someone didn't grab it before I did, especially since it retails at $150...lucky me :D.

[KieranBroadfield]

cheap as chips firesteels on eBay - got two for a quid!

Just as good as the megga expensive ones in the camping stores, the only down side is the striker on the cheap ones is often rubbish, so just use the back of a knife, or any other square edge :P

[Midge_Fodder]

That's not bad to be honest for firesteels, only question are they the lots of wee sparks kind or the big molten chunks. If it's the later one they are best used with a striker made from a TCT bit.

[KieranBroadfield]

That's not bad to be honest for firesteels, only question are they the lots of wee sparks kind or the big molten chunks. If it's the later one they are best used with a striker made from a TCT bit.

never thought about using a TCT bit as a striker, seems like it'd work well though.

Unfortunately, due to only just being here, I don't even have a drill yet :P just the basics for my bike haha

an air compressor is next on the list

[Midge_Fodder]

The best thing to get is a TCT tile drill cut the shaft down and put a wooden handle on it.

[Blood]

I bought an army issue ammo bandolier, the old nylon ones with pop studs on for 10p at a boot fair when I was a kid. I still have it today and it's had my wash kit and sewing kit in for over 15 years. Will never part with it!

Pure scots lambs wool olive jumper, £1 at a booty. Must be five years at least, will never part with it

[Midge_Fodder]

Nicely done

[Blood]

Off to Chirk booty tomorrow looking for possible props for the business and as always, wilderness supplies as I like to rebrand them to swmbo :-)

[Midge_Fodder]

I'm at the one at Penrith, hoping to drag up a find, Mrs I'd going so I can guilt trip her with the..... I never get to treat myself

[Blood]

Hahaha that's my line lol!! Though she has seen my new highlander meths burner delivered today.... Not impressed with it btw

[Midge_Fodder]

She wasn't or you weren't lol. I just received my new pouch thing for my sheath. She couldn't care less as my opinel now has a pouch so it's not just sitting around, that drives her nuts

[Blood]

I'm not. Feels utterly cheap

[Midge_Fodder]

Best meths Burner to get is the White box IMO. It's worth the money and does it's job. I never looked back since I went wood gas though.

[midas]

Hahaha that's my line lol!! Though she has seen my new highlander meths burner delivered today.... Not impressed with it btw

To be honest I'm not impressed with my Highland Meths Burner.!My home made ones seem to work much more officiantly!
But its self contained ,sealable,n has a simmer ring.

[Blood]

Last time out I didn't have any way of cooking other than real fire. The humidity made made it so hard to get anything going. Lesson learnt

[Midge_Fodder]

If you got your fire going you done well in those conditions. Give yourself a pat on the back for your persistence as it paid off

[Blood]

It didn't lol I had to cook on the communal fire!!

[Midge_Fodder]

Lol if at first ......... I like to have a back up too, last fire I lit went for a while but died a death. Just too wet but then months of storms didn't help.

[Blood]

We had to take our own fire wood. Our 'seasoned' stuff was crap and green as hell!! Even lads with honey stoves struggled coz of the moisture.

[FishyFolk]

To tell you the truth, I've taken to bringing a coyuple of bags of fire wood when I go car camping...life is just to short to faff about with wet birch wood. Even the dead standing is wetter than a spunge in a bath tub...

[Midge_Fodder]

Tbh I find birch is the wettest wood imaginable, I'm lucky I can get a lot of dead conifers, but even then they need a pretty hot fire to get going. One place I go to I can only get to on foot. It's still 3 miles from the car even if I take it. When I go there I have to use what's around and hope for the best.

[FishyFolk]

The trouble with birch is that it's bark is water proof, not pourous like in other trees. So when they die they retain all the moisture inside, and do not dry. Birch is actually a great fire wood, but you need to split the logs to allow it to dry for a year or so, before they are good to put on a fire.

Most of the forest here is birch, with the odd willow and pine thrown in. The pine is so sparse that I leave whatever dry wood I can find around them for emergencies.
There is a lot of spruce, but those are plantations, so not really fair game, but a new law from 2010 allow us to treat plantations as any other forest. I.e the custom is that we can take dead wood for
cooking fires etc...but spruce is quite a n active fire...so i don't like it much...

[Blood]

Result of the day at the booty. Double edge mora crook knife £2. Mini cast iron frying pan £3. Sweet

[Midge_Fodder]

I need to go to these car boot sales. I only got a sack of tattie and a pair of candlesticks for the mrs.

[Blood]

Hahaha, also picked up some props to sell on and one sale has covered my total spend for the day already. I'll be going again for sure!!!

[Midge_Fodder]

Aye I seem to have way better luck at the farm sales. Last time I was there I got a job lot of tools.

[Blood]

Here is this weekends beauties for a few quid
11895

[Midge_Fodder]

Very nice. That cast pan will do a cracking bannock. It's always better made on well seasoned cast. I have a girdle for bannocks and pancakes, that cost nothing as my Mum gave me her old one.

[SAS_14]

Its not my best piece of kit, but still useful. If you happen to go on an Emirates flight, pick up as many foldup toothbrushes as you can. They come in the 'overnight pouch' with the cheap socks and eye mask. This is a courtesy gift, so I snapped them all up from my family who had no use. If you're going on an Emirates flight, keep an eye out for some.

Cover/handle (left)
Brush (middle)
Toothpaste (right)

[Midge_Fodder]

Ahhhh never even occurred to me that.

[FishyFolk]

Just before x-mas i found a complete trangia set in the local Salvation Army charity shop... 4£ :-)
Need to replace the non stick frying pan as the non sticky stuff is coming off. Else all was a bit banged up but fine. Looks
like it is surplus from the army, as it had the strap from an army bergan to hold it together :-)