2011 Gear Wish List.

I have been thinking that 2011 may be the year to bite the bullet and get all the gear that I have been promising myself. I do like new gear so I suspect that I will always be eying of some new piece of kit however, I think these are the big ticket items that if I had the money I would purchase right now. Its an expensive list but I will see what happens during the year.

1)Mirage 580 Kayak - Kevlar optioned, expedition ready with electric bilge pump and charger, compass, backrest and seat pad, carry toggles and transport to Brisbane -around $3600 -Purchased 28/10/11 $3557.50

2)PFD, spray shirt, cockpit cover, hand bilge pump, paddle with drip rings, paddle leash - around $800 - Purchased $658.00 28/10/11
 

3)Stumpjumper FSR Elite with Brain suspension 2011 model - around $4300 - Purchased Specialized 2013 Camber 29er 19/12/12

4)GPS mount and holder for touring bike - around $200 - Purchased 8/2/11 from Johnny Appleseed - Ram mount and holder $55.00.

5)Light weight hiking tent Tarptent Scarpa 2 - around $350 - Purchased 14/01/11 -I ended up with an impulse buy because the tent was reduced in price. It is a Big Agnes Seedhouse 2 Superlight. With footprint and shipping from USA it cost $371.42USD, $383.91AUS from Moontrail.com. I wasn't completely sold on the Scarpa 2 and the Big Agnes keeps cropping up in reviews as a decent tent and the price was alright so time will tell if it is a good purchase. It should save around 1kg in packweight which is considerable..


6)Bicycle touring tent - Hillberg Kaitum GT - around $900.00 - I have had a bit of a re-think on this tent. $900.00 is alot of money for a tent that will only get used on cycling tours so at this stage I am going to trial probably my North Face Road Runner 2 on my cycle trip to the Outer Hebrides in May 2011 and see how it handles the conditions. If it doesn't meet the standard then I will reconsider the Hillberg

7)Trangia stove - around $140.00 - Purchased 4/1/11 online from Main Peak I ended up getting the Trangia 27-1 Hard Anodized version $187.00

8)Light weight hiking/trail running shoes - La Sportiva Fireblades - around $160 - Purchased 2/1/11, the Fireblades are obsolete and have been completely redesigned and renamed the Lynx -$161.10 at K2 Basecamp

9)Garmin Australia/New Zealand TOPO V3 - $229 - Purchased 8/2/11 from Johnny Appleseed $199

10)Lights for touring bike front/rear - fairly basic - around ?? $300.00 - Purchased May 2011 - fairly basic, cheap set from Epic Cycles

11)Gaiters for this coming Australian autumn/winter hiking - around $80.00? - Purchased Sea to Summit Quagmires early 2012

12)Mountain bike touring shoes SPD compatible, not sure which model around $200 - I am going to give this item a miss for the time being. I'm not sure clip-less are for me yet

13)New bike helmet - around $116.00? - Purchased Giro Athlon December 2012

14)Explore the options for riding/sport sunglasses with compatible optical lenses -around $450

15) GPS/Heart rate monitor for training - around $400 - Purchased Garmin Forerunner 405csx 15/06/11 on eBay for $298

16) GoPro HD camera - around $400 (undecided about the benefits/usage of this yet - For the moment I have pretty much decided I do not want this item

17) MSR MiniWorks Ex Micro Water Filter - around $200 - no trips I have planned requite this at the moment so I do not have a need to purchase it

18) Two extra camera batteries for Panasonic LX-5 - Purchased 06/02/11 online from Digital Camera Warehouse $205.00 including delivery for two

19) Light weight water canteens/bottles - Purchased 27/01/11. I ended up with a 1 litre soft sided collapsible Platypus squeeze bottle $22.99 from Paddy Pallin and two Nalgene 1 litre soft sided collapsible wide mouth canteens from K2 Base Camp $23.95 each

20) Ortlieb large rack bag as my medium size one isn't large enough for my tent/sleeping bag and pad etc. Purchased from The Touring Store 22/02/11 -$80.00USD plus delivery - not sure of the Australian dollar conversion yet.

21) Cycling specific rain jacket - maybe the Ground Effect Stormtrooper $249NZ - Purchased 17/04/11 from Ground Effects

22) Exped chair converter for down mattress - I am heading more towards  light weight hiking so that would rule this item out however, I would consider purchasing this if I have planned a lengthy cycle touring trip

There are a few other odds and ends that I will need on specific trips but this list includes all the high cost items. Other gear in particular my current tendency towards lighter weight clothing in particular wet weather gear will have to wait as I am determined to wear out the gear I already own before replacing it.

Now that I have formalised the list I realise that I will not be purchasing all these items next year as my budget just doesn't allow for it. The kayak and gear I consider a certainty, the bike and tents can wait and the other gear I will pick up as I need. I originally hoped I could buy the kayak this summer but at this point I think a winter purchase ready for next summer is the best option for my finances. This will hopefully give me time to save and allow me to pick up the less expensive items that will complete my cycle touring/hiking kits barring the purchase of the two extra tents to my current Northface Road Runner 23.