In reply to MW6DHN:
If you don’t have a fortune to spend on gear, Decathlon is well worth a look.
73
Richard
G3CWI
In reply to G3CWI:
Over the years I have watched the outdoor enthusiasts turn into a bunch of gear freaks! My first outdoor clothing purchase was a canvas smock, courtesy of Black’s, it wasn’t waterproof but it kept the wind out and resisted rope abrasion, and it was cheap, which was important to me then! I think over the next twenty years the only further purchases I made were a cagoule from Peter Storm and a pair of moleskin breeches - and boots from the Army and Navy stores! We weren’t necessarily cheapskates, it was just the way things were. Now, of course, people tend to spend as much on their clothing as they do on their gear: if it makes them happy then fair enough, but it really isn’t necessary - as long as you avoid cotton we found that anything will do!
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to G3CWI:
If it needs aligning, feel free to send it to me.
Richard,
Many thank for your very kind offer which I have only just found while scrolling through the comments on clothing again. I think I was so amused by the post below yours (Thesiger’s comment) that I just skipped yours.
Thanks to some more help from Colin, G8JSM, and the purchase of a signal generator that actually works properly I have tuned it up quite nicely and am about to finish it off ready for field use.
I will write up my difficulties as they might be useful for any M3/6 who decides on a filter as a project for their 2E0 test.
Thanks again, 73.
Rod
In reply to M0JLA:
Brilliant, well done Rod, I think that eventually your write up will encourage a lot more people to build one of these filters.
It’s easy isn’t it!!
I would be interested to know how much you think your filter cost and how much time it took once you had realised exactly what you had to do?
73 and well done
Colin
In reply to G8ADD:
I have some sympathy with your view Brian. Not all modern clothing is good and not all old gear is bad. Neither is there a very strong relationship between price and performance I have had gear at both ends of the price spectrum that has been poor - equally I have had some really excellent cheap gear. The manufacturers do a great job in persuading us to believe that we need the special attributes of their gear - but that’s what advertising is all about.
Personally I regularly take to the hills in an old bin liner stuffed with sheep’s wool that I have recovered from barbed wire fences. I find the lanolin smell quite appealing (if a little strong when damp). The lanolin is also very kind to the skin. This winter I am upgrading to a rubble sack as these are more hardwearing.
73
Richard
G3CWI
In reply to G3CWI:
This winter I am upgrading to a rubble sack as these are more hardwearing.
I need to upgrade to a new keyboard now as this one is full of coffee! 
Andy
MM0FMF
You’d better be jesting Richard, or that planned joint activation is off!
My Berghaus jacket is better than my old Peter Storm jacket. But not by as much as the ratio of their pricetags. Same applies to my Meindl boots compared to my old mountain boots from Yeomens.
I walked the Pennine Way in my old Peter Storm jacket and Yeomens boots. And it was the Pennine Way that finally killed both of them off! I still have them for sentimental reasons.
Tom M1EYP
In reply to G3CWI:
The advantage of the sack of sheeps wool is that if forced to bivouac under a boulder or in a cave, it makes a decent if smelly fuel for a nice warming camp fire…
Years ago my brain caught up with what my eyes told me, and I became aware that the majority of farmers, shepherds, gamekeepers and poachers wore waxed jackets with hoods. I spotted one in a sale and bought it on impulse. It works a treat! Warm, comfortable, wind and waterproof, quite abrasion resistant but a little heavier than the more modern gear. I suspect that its useful lifetime will be measured in decades…and its poachers pocket takes an FT817 comfortably and might even take an 857, I haven’t tried that yet! It is worthwhile paying attention to what those who spend their working lives in the open air wear, and note that they rather avoid the pretty coloured hi-tech stuff!
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to G8ADD:
These look nice.
A search for farming coats showed quite a few interesting jackets at good prices. Farmers are more canny than the average walker it seems.
73
Richard
G3CWI
In reply to G8ADD:
I had a wax jacket as a child, it was waterproof for the first 30 minutes or so and then the lining would become sodden and quite heavy. I suspect it might have needed re-waxing or something. I do remember the pockets were massive.
In reply to MW6SPX:
They need re-waxing every few years to keep them waterproof, but its more effective than using a polyurethane spray on a cagoule! I only use mine in winter: at other seasons its too warm!
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to G8ADD:
Do they have special wax that’s only waterproof one way?
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to MM0FMF:
Perhaps not.
The waterproofing efficiency is measured in candle power!
73
Brian G8ADD
PS In my “back to basics” fervour I also got an oiled wool sweater, great for snow and ice climbing.
In reply to G8ADD:
PS In my “back to basics” fervour I also got an oiled wool
sweater, great for snow and ice climbing.
So you’re back to the hemp rope and nailed boots as well then? 
73
John GM8OTI/P
In reply to GM8OTI:
So you’re back to the hemp rope and nailed boots as well then?
73
John GM8OTI/P
Going back to the Stone Age, one of my mates had a hemp rope, it was murder on the hands and hell to coil up! I preferred kernmantle…but I will also admit to drilling the thread out of nuts for protection before buying the early Moacs! I always wanted to try balance climbing with nailed boots but had to make do with ExWD commando boots with vibram montana soles.
All a long time ago.
73
Brian G8ADD
PS We’re Wrekin havoc with this topic!
In reply to G8ADD:
I’ve never started such a long thread 
I need base layers then…not thermals from BHS.
Any ideas what and where I should be looking.
Then once got that sorted, I’ll have a look at some more sexy kit.
In reply to G1STQ:
I swear by Paramo gear - expensive but very effective & durable.
Less expensive, not waterproof, but still very effective are the offerings from Buffalo, (special 6 smock etc). Basically pertex & pile combination that keep you warm even when wet. Theres probably loads of cheaper copies that may well be worth looking at. Every time I summit (even in winter) my base layer (Tee shirt) will be wet through, therfore first priority is to change it for a dry one - quite a sight in the rain / snow! My one recommendation when buying mountain clothing - dont go for the cheapest as you inevitably start to change or replace it & it may have been worth spending a little mnore in the first place.
ps - regarding base layers, check out Aldi, they have some really good quality stuff every so often, I`m sure their “cousins” do as well - ie Lidl & the likes.
I did all the North Welsh summits with a surplus German army parka. It has a button in fleecy lining and I also have the matching waterproof over coat which seems to be made of some kind of rubberised fabric which will stay waterproof for ever.
Maybe not too fashionable, but very effective in even the worst weather. Incredibly warm for when you’re sitting still on the summit in freezing temperatures. In my younger days I’ve even slept out in it.
The catch? OK, it isn’t very light.
Very cheap from your favourite army surplus dealer. While you’re there, see if they have any German army paratrooper’s boots - but make sure you get the arctic insoles with them. Great boots at a fraction of the price of branded climbing boots. They have really high ankle support and don’t fill with water so easily if you sink in to boggy ground. They should also have surplus mittens and gloves, thick cotton shirts, fleeces, backpacks, belts, trousers, thick socks, water bottles and all manner of useful mountain gear. Like the farmers and gamekeepers, the armed forces usually have the best gear for the job, even if it isn’t colourful and trendy!
Ian.
In reply to GW8OGI:
Hi Ian
Just been looking at the army surplus stuff. There is lots of interesting kit - the only downside is that it might make you look like a sad SAS fantasist 
73
Richard
G3CWI
In reply to G3CWI:
Looking like a sad SAS fantasist might be better than wearing some of the modern gear that makes you look like you are strutting your stuff on an avant-garde catwalk! Come to think of it, army gear is designed to make you look low visibility so perhaps you won’t be noticed…just right for some of the “private” summits? 
73
Brian G8ADD