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Alabaster
location:
Mansfield
Gender: Male
insanity reigns
 |  |  |  | UE Gear Decision
< on 2/22/2005 12:37 AM >
|  | | | Okay, seeing as my tax return came in, and what's not being put elsewhere (read investments, bills, and the bank) is going into UE gear. Here's my thoughts on some things that I'm considering and might be useful to others.
Flashlight - I'm looking for a good solid headlamp, long life, and preferably without the batteries on my head. The Petzl Myobelt 5 piques my interest, and I found a site purporting to sell it for I believe it was USD ~$60, but I have questions about it being legit. (The Barre Army Navy Store) Any other suggestions/reviews/comments on that store?
Shoes - Comfy shoes, dear people, are something I'm starting to lack. I'm looking at climbing shoes and thinking about how often I end up climbing around, but wondering if that's the right way to go. I would've settled on the 5.10 Hueco (EVA sole) but it's no longer available in my size. The Evolv Bandit looks rather nice and not a bad price for a topnotch climbing show. Are climbing shoes an altogether bad idea? I also own a pair of CAT steel toed sneakers.
Pants - I am ordering a pair of blurr M2s. Easy choice, I've already had great support from Blurr and highly recommend them. Hooray for stretchy durable denim.
Gloves - Seal Skinz are my favorite gloves of all time. Easy choice. Waterproof, durable, warm, grippy.
Bag - Dear, I have no idea where to start with this. I own a camera bag, but I don't like lugging that around, I own a courier bag, but I'm not sure that's a great idea for UE, and I've never found a backpack I'm enamoured with. Suggestions here.
Petzl Myobelt 5 - http://www.petzl.c...oduits?Produit=247
The Barre Army Navy Store - http://www.vtarmyn...tzl-myo-5-belt.htm
EVOLV Bandit - http://www.evolves...com/evo-bandit.htm
blurr - http://www.blurrstuff.com
Seal Skinz - http://www.sealskinz.com/
[last edit 2/22/2005 1:11 AM by Alabaster - edited 3 times]
life is for living; death is for dying. |
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tick
location:
Abingdon, VA
Gender: Male
| | |  | Re: UE Gear Decision
<Reply # 1 on 2/22/2005 1:15 AM >
|  | | | Have you seen the PT Yukon Extreme headlamp?
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Bizurke
 
location:
Los Angeles, CA
Gender: Male
| | | Re: UE Gear Decision
<Reply # 2 on 2/23/2005 1:32 AM >
| | | |
That looks pretty sweet I think I might have to pick one of those up next paycheck. All I have for now is a cheap $9 Brinkman 3LED/3AAA from walmart. It most deffinatly gets the job done but I really want something better, and that Yukon looks like it may be the winner.
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Viper
location:
Vancouver, BC Canada
Gender: Male
Trespassing On!
| | | Re: UE Gear Decision
<Reply # 3 on 3/10/2005 4:51 AM >
|  | | | The problem with climbing shoes is that they can be a bit uncomfortable if walking, for example, on gravel. Personally I prefer hiking boots. They are bulky, but they have tons of support, give good traction and have durable soles if you walk on glass or something sharp.
Small shoulder bags are a good idea if you just want to carry a few things like a camera, tripod, snack, etc. For example: http://www.mec.ca/...mUID=1110429282535
Earth, the world's most dangerous planet!
"The will to do, the soul to dare." -Sir Walter Scott |
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Erehwesle
location:
Philadelphia, PA
Gender: Male
How can you hide from what never goes away? - Heraclites
| | Re: UE Gear Decision
<Reply # 4 on 3/13/2005 12:55 AM >
| | | | If you are looking for a good bag, I'm in love with this:
http://www.tadgear...mite_versipack.htm
Its a great size for most gear, and very flexible in how you can carry it. You can sling it over your shoulder for use on the street, and strap it to your leg when things get 'technical'. Either way it is easy to get to your stuff, and your stuff is held very securely, with pockets for a flashlight and cellphone easy to get to.
I love mine.
Screaming to god for death by drowning
One salt smell of the sea once more? |
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Duke
Noble Donor
location:
Awww-shitby, Ontario
Gender: Male
Move it or lose it
| | Re: UE Gear Decision
<Reply # 5 on 3/13/2005 9:54 AM >
| | | | I know it may feel kinda dorky walkin around in tactical gear, but I'd recommend a load-bearing M-16 vest or something similar instead of a backpack. You have plenty of room for a headlamp, backup light, all sorts of spare batteries, a utility knife/multi-tool, camera, gloves, snacks, radio and even hand sanitizer. I keep all of this and more in my vest and if I wear a coat over it you'd never even know it's there. Also, I have a british gasmask rucksack that I can simply clip on the back and suddenly my storage is increased BIGTIME.
One advantage to this type of setup over a back pack is that you can fit in tight spaces better. I'd hate to push my bag in front of me or pull it behind me in any length of small tunnel. And I can think of a lot of ladders that I would be a real bitch to climb with a backpack. One of my favourite local spots for instance has a ladder with a huge duct coming right down behind your back as you climb it. no WAY in hell could I do that with a backpack.
So check a local surplus store and see what they have to choose from. I got the cheapest one I could and it's probably the best configuration for UE. enough pockets to hold everything without being huge.
Contrary to popular belief, death isn't just for dead people. I know I was surprised too! It can happen to anybody! Horses, fiddler crabs, even a potato can die! - Tick
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wooble
location:
Surrey, UK
Gender: Male
| | | Re: UE Gear Decision
<Reply # 6 on 3/13/2005 8:30 PM >
| | | | From what I've heard climbing shoes aren't the best as UE shoes due to how soft the rubber on the soles is - it apparently wears out very fast if you do any walking in them.
For pants I wear a set of thick cargo pants that cost £5 at a bargain clothing store, because whatever you wear it gets ripped, cut and ingrained with muck, so I go for something light, quiet and with plenty of pockets. Whenever they get trashed, I can chuck 'em and get a new pair.
with backpacks in general I keep breakable stuff such as camera and flashlight attached to me, and other stuff which is tough enough goes in a thick plastic-lined backpack, which is thrown down ladders, over walls, pushed through tunnels, and generally abused, so it's never a nuisance to me.
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DjMalign
  
location:
Fort Collins, CO
Gender: Male
Sexy, sexy, sexy
| | | Re: UE Gear Decision
<Reply # 7 on 3/14/2005 4:42 AM >
| | | | I got this: http://www.bdel.co...tware/zenix_iq.php
Worked great when I was in the silo at roswell
I hate all of you |
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'Dukes
Noble Donor
Gender: Male
At least someone llikes me
| | | Re: UE Gear Decision
<Reply # 8 on 3/15/2005 1:20 AM >
| | | | Don't know about the rest of the junk ; but shoes, you can't beat Hi-Tecs Magnum line. Light, protective, best pair of shoes you'll own. I got Bizzbear a set of the 8 inch cuffs for xmas in '04 and she wears them every day. Some models have the side zip option, so lace once, unzip the rest of the time ( the ladies models don't always apply).
Great shoes. Here , bizz and I are both sporting them:
Except she's more interested in the water that bubbles out of the ashpalt roof when you step on it.
http://www.uer.ca/...al.asp?picid=47066
[last edit 3/15/2005 1:22 AM by 'Dukes - edited 1 times]
I got your tour winner right here pussies, at least he'd crash out trying. |
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MacGyver
location:
St Paul, Minnesota
Gender: Male
"Someone go find me a paperclip, a D-cell battery, and a cheese grater"
| | Re: UE Gear Decision
<Reply # 9 on 3/16/2005 7:25 AM >
| | | | Posted by Alabaster
Shoes - Comfy shoes, dear people, are something I'm starting to lack. I'm looking at climbing shoes and thinking about how often I end up climbing around, but wondering if that's the right way to go. I would've settled on the 5.10 Hueco (EVA sole) but it's no longer available in my size. The Evolv Bandit looks rather nice and not a bad price for a topnotch climbing show. Are climbing shoes an altogether bad idea? I also own a pair of CAT steel toed sneakers. |
Judging from the looks of things, you've probably never worn a pair of climbing shoes. Rock shoes (like the FiveTen Huecos you describe) are absolutely not comfortable. Rock shoes are far closer to those ballet slippers you use to dance on your toes than they are to hiking boots or tennish shoes. Rock shoes have a very tight, thin, and stiff rubber exterior that is designed to act as a second skin to the wearer and enable them to interface with rock features that boots and sneakers can't grab. They mash your toes, give you blisters, and make your feet smell really bad. There is literally no arch support or cushioning to the sole (which consists of one shin layer of leather and one thin layer of rubber) so they are very uncomfortable to walk in, much less run or navigate uneven surfaces and steps in. If you aren't climbing rock, you're going to be miserable in rock climbing shoes. Even if you are climbing rock, they will probably be quite taxing.
That all said (what a mouthful...), you might like some approach shoes. Approach shoes are a bit of a hybrid between boots, sneakers, and rock shoes. The soles are supportive and cushy enough to be good for hiking, yet they are agile and trim enough to allow some control on sketchy edges and angles, like a rock shoe would.
If you still aren't sure, pay a visit to your friendly neighborhood climbing ship and test drive a pair of rock shoes to see exactly what I mean.
Like a fiend with his dope / a drunkard his wine / a man will have lust for the lure of the mine
"If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent." |
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junkyard
location:
LaCrosse, WI
Gender: Male
Strategic Beer Command where the metal hits the meat.
| | | Re: UE Gear Decision
<Reply # 10 on 3/16/2005 7:55 AM >
| | | | Can't beat a pair of wrestling shoes. Asics split seconds were always my favorites. But they don't do shit for uneven floors or nails
I drink gasoline for breakfeast and beer for dinner!
Any problem can be licked with a case of beer and a few sticks of dynamite.
Strategic Beer Command ruling the desert since 1995 http://www.strategic-beer-command.com |
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underdark
Gender: Male
| | Re: UE Gear Decision
<Reply # 11 on 3/16/2005 6:44 PM >
| | | | You want cool, sturdy bags? http://www.maxpedition.com/
Love their stuff, got all the crap outta my pockets
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sephatista
location:
Colorado
| | | Re: UE Gear Decision
<Reply # 12 on 3/17/2005 11:09 PM >
| | | | ALICE packs are great gearbags.
maglight.
nightvision googles rule everything.
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greywolf45
location:
U.S.A.
Gender: Male
Resident UER pain in the ass
| |  | | Re: UE Gear Decision
<Reply # 13 on 3/18/2005 5:57 PM >
| | | | Posted by Alabaster
Bag - Dear, I have no idea where to start with this. I own a camera bag, but I don't like lugging that around, I own a courier bag, but I'm not sure that's a great idea for UE, and I've never found a backpack I'm enamoured with. Suggestions here.
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Alabaster, i had noticed that you were unsure as to the choice of a "Bag", or pack to carry your UER gear in. I used a military surplus ruck sack. Some are canvas, some are heavy-duty nylon, but they do work quite nicely. Go to a few military surplus stores to see what they stock, or you can go to this website and browse their on-line catalog. Good luck and happy UER'ing.
greywolf45
http://www.colemans.com
Search the web for other surplus sites. You never know what you may find.
[Please trim quoted material - Servo]
[last edit 3/18/2005 8:30 PM by Servo - edited 1 times]
"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends"
Martin Luther King Jr. |
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Grey_Fox
location:
London, ON, Canada
Gender: Male
I love me...
| | Re: UE Gear Decision
<Reply # 14 on 3/22/2005 3:56 AM >
| | | | Well i usually explore with: (at night)
Black comando sweater: thin and light and extremely warm
Black Load Bearing combat vest\harness: i have a loadbearing vest which i can attach a rope to and rapell down a building (if i have to) and it has enough pockets for cameras, multitools, grappeling hook ring, and rapelling brake thing
Boots: combat boots with soft rubber bottoms (quiet and comfterble)
Black combat pants: scratch resistant, thick.
Full finger black contact gloves: rubber dimples woven into cotton good grip for shimmying across a rooftop where need be
pick up these and youll be a ghost in shadows
and flashlights (mag 2 c cell and a minimag)
"good old bunny and hand soup... just like mom used to make" |
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Archangel*6
location:
Behind you...there in the shadows.
Gender: Male
Falco Rusticolus
| | Re: UE Gear Decision
<Reply # 15 on 3/22/2005 4:10 PM >
| | | | As a rule, I strive to *not* look like something out of an army-navy store window.
If all that black kit works for you, great. If the cops here (USA) caught you trespassing in that get up, you would not only be mocked and laughed at, but you would be in for a big hassle - explaining yourself as you drive down to the station for questioning.
Comfy, temperature appropriate clothing, in neutral colors - ones that help you blend in with your surroundings - that do not scream "Look at me! I am delta/seal/splinter cell wannabe!" work best.
Blending into your surroundings is more a matter of shape, silhouette, and shine. As long as your colors don't clash with the background, and you watch your movements/noise discipline, you should be gtg.
Shoes - as long as they support your ankles, and you can run/climb/walk quietly in them, they work. Good socks are key too, and some type of waterproof oversock is generally a good idea as well.
As far as gear, I have to agree 100% that the Maxpedition bags are great. They are small enough to not get in the way, hold everything that I need, and are very tough. I have an OD one, which doesn't look all that military. An OD or coyote Camelbak works well too.
I carry:
*Digital camera in a protective case, with extra memory. If I'm taking my SLR, I use a seperate bag for that.
*Cell phone
*Small flashlight w/extra batteries (I like a Surefire, but Streamlight is good too)
*Small pocket knife, like a Leatherman Wave, or a Swiss Army type. Please leave your Benchmade folders at home, as well as your commando kit. Keep it in a sturdy case on your belt, so all the world can see it if you are worried about legality.
*First aid kit - specifically, 4-5 band aids, some 4X4 pads, tape, Neosporin, Benadryl, Advil, alcohol swabs, an ace bandage, one roll of gauze, one field dressing, and a pair of latex gloves (new in the package). It all fits in a ziplock freezer bag.
*Couple of Snickers bars, and a bottle of water.
*Small journal and a pencil/pen - in a small Ziplock freezer bag.
I also put my wallet in a ziplock bag and store it in my front pocket, with about $20 in cash, and a few quarters.
If the trek involves being out in the woods, or a really remote place, I'll use the Camelback, and include a GI poncho, 100 feet of 550 cord, some lifeboat matches, a little extra food, and a Nalgene bottle with water as well...just like you were going on a hike =)
The key is to take kit that makes your life safer, more comfortable, and gives you greater freedom - not to wear kit because it makes you look "cool".
Remember, you are going to go explore to explore, take some photos, and make some memories. Not live out your commando/ninja fantasies.
"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dreamed before."
- Edgar Allan Poe |
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ofberenonehand
location:
Minn-e-snow-ta
"Where now is Boromir the Fair? He tarries and I grieve."
| | Re: UE Gear Decision
<Reply # 16 on 3/22/2005 5:00 PM >
| | | | Posted by Archangel*6
*Small pocket knife, like a Leatherman Wave, or a Swiss Army type. Please leave your Benchmade folders at home, as well as your commando kit. Keep it in a sturdy case on your belt, so all the world can see it if you are worried about legality.
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Why leave the bench made? Mine goes with me everywhere. It's 100% legal, tougher than my swiss tool and more low profile to boot. Really i can't imagine leaving home without it!
"That's What Government Is For; To Get In A Man's Way" -Mal |
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Archangel*6
location:
Behind you...there in the shadows.
Gender: Male
Falco Rusticolus
| | Re: UE Gear Decision
<Reply # 17 on 3/22/2005 8:00 PM >
| | | | ofberenonehand,
You are right, I misspoke there, and did not fully explain my thoughts. I'll try to do it now without digging a hole for myself. Most of this is common sense, so please be patient while I lay this out.
Benchmade folders (or Emersons, or Strider Buck, insert other quality folder here) are excellent knives. I love mine, and I agree 100% with everything that ofberenonehand said in his post. He is dead on...not because I say he is, but because he is indeed correct. They are a great tool to have with you.
My comments were aimed at those young explorers who may have a folder, and look at it as another piece of their commando gear...like they are going to get in to a knife fight with someone while they are on a exploration. They seem to be looking at UER as some sort of Rainbow Six expedition, as opposed to exploring an abandoned building and taking pictures.
It all comes down to maturity in the end - how you view your tools & how you use them. I just did not phrase it as well as I should have.
"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dreamed before."
- Edgar Allan Poe |
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ofberenonehand
location:
Minn-e-snow-ta
"Where now is Boromir the Fair? He tarries and I grieve."
| | Re: UE Gear Decision
<Reply # 18 on 3/22/2005 8:04 PM >
| | | | Ahhhh, ok.
For me the practical issues of looking conspicuous and having extra pointless bulk far outweigh any fanciful desire to feel like some elite commando abandoned building raider. I suppose for some it may not play out the same. I've got no problem with people dressing up and living out some sort of fantasy as long as they recognize it for what it is.
"That's What Government Is For; To Get In A Man's Way" -Mal |
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Archangel*6
location:
Behind you...there in the shadows.
Gender: Male
Falco Rusticolus
| | Re: UE Gear Decision
<Reply # 19 on 3/22/2005 8:10 PM >
| | | | My concern...and I realize that it is only my opinion (and opinions are like @$$holes, everyone has one) is that as UE gains more and more recognition by the media and by law enforcement, that those who do explore have a responsibility to present themselves in the best light possible. Dressing up and playing Airsoft (another example of people living out a fantasy) is one thing, but getting into abandoned spaces and possibly confronting law enforcement dressed up as gi joe is another.
I'm not saying you are wrong, indeed folks have that right. This is just my personal wish =)
I'm getting this off topic, so back to talking about gear =)
And yes, I agree - why carry all the extra weight and draw attention to yourself when it does not help you?
Just my 2 cents.
[last edit 3/22/2005 8:12 PM by Archangel*6 - edited 1 times]
"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dreamed before."
- Edgar Allan Poe |
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