Your 2012 Gear Wish-List

[Illusion]

I was originally going to combine this thread idea with the bargain alternatives thread - with the idea that you could post up a wish-list for other people to suggest cheaper alternatives, bringing the price down. In fact we could price up a wish-list then the alternative one - and see the saving! However.. I feel they belong in their own separate threads - as I know a few people look for a bargain as it is!

Simply put - this thread does what it says it does - you post up a wish list.

Here's mine, in a semi-list of urgency..

• Weight-Lifting Gloves (£7) - I used these exact ones as climbing gloves, but after my incident in June I think I left them on site whilst getting searched after I took them out of my pocket. Doh! Mesh back sacrifices some strength at the ability to wear them for slightly longer periods of time.
• Gore-tex Waterproofs (£15) - I probably wont use these too much, so I'm not going to buy anything expensive. Only as a "Worst Case Scenario: The rain is noiser than walking around in a giant crisp packet" kind of situation...
• Tactical boots (£45 inc Delivery) My old Magnum boots are now about 5 year old, at least. Needless to say, they offer very little water protection now! I have stuck with Magnums and opted for the "Panther" model.
• Gaiters (£8). Just for a bit of added protection from the water as well as to stop laces or combats getting caught on climbs.
• Waterproof Camera Protector (£8 w/ P&P) - Around £5 for a little coat for your dSLR!
• Shemagh (£3) - I lost mine a long time ago, and I must say - it was one of my favourite items of kit. It was like having a blanket, towel, scarf, bandage, sling and mask all at the same time. A very useful bit of kit, and a bargain at £3.
• Photographic Adaptor Lens (£45) Cheap, Small and Light - won't be too fussed if I lose them, won't be too disappointed for the price and perfect for my rucksack. Being smaller than a dedicated lens they make sense, and this isn't for art work - it's for quick and dirty recce snaps; for art work I can actually get another lens. (Including: Screen Protectors, Macro Lens Adaptor, Wide Angle Lens, Lens Hood / Lens Cap / UV Filter, Spare Battery)
• Lockpicking Kit (£20) - Cheap, but mainly as I want to get a load of cheap padlocks and see just how hard they are to crack.
  
  Later on in the Year:
• Petzl Vertex Caving Helmet (£60~) - A summer purchase when I can safely get acclimatized with my ropework again - apart from a few crash courses over the summer - I still need confidence.

At the moment, that's all I can think of - but I will probably update this at some point. It's fairly obvious that I'm under-prepared for the wet weather - but in reality I'm able to still go out and do things, I'd just prefer some added kit for those nights when it turns into longer than expected!

However, I think I've spent enough time collecting various bits of kit (as well as buying a shedload of supplies recently for a trip to the Paris Catacombs and parts of Germany) that I'm finally content with most of my gear. So some of these items are luxury and some are replacements. Hence why it's only a relatively small (and cheap at £131) shopping list!

[Absent]

Most of my Ops don't really require much. I'm pretty content with a basic setup. I guess if I could get some new gear, I'd probably get the following:

1.) New boots. - I have big rubber boots, but they're terrible for running. I'd get some boots that are easier to run in.

2.) New gloves. - The ones I have now are kind of like construction gloves. They do the job, but they aren't that tight and aren't that great for climbing.

3.) New shoes. - I've had the same pair of running shoes for a while, it's probably time for a new pair.

4.) A motherfucking cloaking device for my car lol. (Or a moped or something.) So I can travel to different areas easier. Finding parking is a pain.

5.) I might invest in a basic med kit, although my homeade one works well enough for your basic cuts and scrapes.

6.) A small handheld battery powered drill would be nice.

7.) A new flashlight. - The one I have isn't that great.

[Illusion]

Bought all the kit minus the waterproofs, as over the weekend there was a slight moment of urgency regarding some of them!

Alas, also turns out the lockpicking set I wanted was out of order and I never checked my email and saw that... So I've been waiting for a package that would never come! I have however, ordered another set (not as big.. ) and some padlocks to experiment with! They should hopefully arrive this week.

[Nukes]

The gear I have now suites me just fine, but it could, nonetheless, be improved.
1.) Some decent boots. I find myself going on ops in either converse or rainboots.
2.) A better infrared flashlight. Bought one not too long ago for $20 bucks and it's basically a piece of shit.
3.) A night vision camera. I have a Canon Rebel, but I run into problems trying to take pictures at night due to the flash.
4.) Some nice cargo pants. I never knew how hard it was to find women's cargo pants (or men's that actually fit me) until I started looking.
5.) A better pocket knife. I've been looking at some but haven't dished out the money to get a decent one.
That's what i use on a regular basis. I always carry around a pack with some rope, a few random tools, and a first aid kit, but I've never had to use any of that stuff.

EDIT:
"2.) A better infrared flashlight. Bought one not too long ago for $20 bucks and it's basically a piece of shit." - I mean red flashlight, IR flashlights are really only visible with NVGs.

[Teutoni]

Well I will just jump in I guess.

1. More/better pants. Preferably cargo but would also like to include some BDUs.
2. Lockpicks- I keep fantasizing but I finally need to do it.
3. Water-proof boots and water-proofing for my jacket.
4. Some more flexible gloves.
5. Possibly a re-breather. Maybe. I guess a gas mask would be better but meh.

I can't think of anything else though I probably will later.
None of this is necessary but it wouldn't hurt to expand on what I already own.

[fx1k]

For me, all I'm looking for is a better low-power flashlight and a decent pair of boots. Thankfully, I already have most of the gear necessary for the kind of operations I'm into at the moment.

On second thought, I'm always looking for the perfect backpack for use on those operations that don't require much gear. Something streamline and lightweight that allows me to secure the materials in the bag even if it isn't filled. One of these days I am bound to come across it.