GEAR REVIEWS
Tried and trail rated. Good or bad, we put our stuff to the test before we take it to the studio.

Mepablu TWIN-TEC EXCLUSIVE review

As an audio engineer I’m obsessive when it comes to protecting my ears from hearing loss. I’ll never forget the first time I shot a 7×64 rifle without hearing protection. When fired, most hunting rifles will produce around 156 dBa to 175 dBa. By comparison, a jet engine taking off produces ‘only’ around 140 dBa.  Just think about how many shots you fire during a regular training session… The human ear will suffer damage from a single high intensity noise greater than 140 dBa. Most hearing loss is irreversible, so never ever shoot without hearing protection!

We have been testing the Mepablu TWIN-TEC EXCLUSIVE hearing protection especially designed for hunters.

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Aqua2go pro review

Running water is the ultimate luxury on any adventure trip. We have tried many different systems. First we tried US army 20 liter jerrycans: simple, very strong en reliable but far from practical. Expensive integrated water containers have the disadvantage of freezing in the winter rendering them absolutely useless. We tried water bags with & without built-in manual pumps, they seemed to be the perfect solution. But,… Read more

Waeco CFX 35 review vs Engel MT35F

BATTLE OF THE FRIDGES

Waeco CFX 35 vs Engel MT35F. Long term review

A portable cooler in your expedition vehicle makes life much more comfortable. Most important reason to get yourself a cooler must be cold beer off course. Read more

Härkila Pro Hunter GTX long term review

Hunting season has finished so it’s time to review the gear we have used. We’ve been invited on driven and stalking hunts for Roebuck and did all nighters hunting for Wild Boar in Germany. Weather conditions here when hunting were mostly miserable, very cold and rainy. It’s essential to wear quality clothing or you won’t enjoy the hunt at all. Being cold or having wet feet will definitely ruin your experience.  Read more

Fjällräven Duffel No 6 review

Fjällräven’s Duffel No 6 is part of the numbers collection which is the premium line. Well-thought-out functionality and the use of heavy duty eco-fabrics that should last you a lifetime. So, I hauled this 50 liter bag everywhere in the last year and gave it some dirt time. It travelled with me through deserts and jungles, hunting trips and work related city trips.

Fjallraven (1 of 3)

The shoulder straps can be stowed away. Read more

Cooper Discoverer AT3 review. The ultimate all terrain tire for the real world?

One of the most asked questions about preparing a 4×4 vehicle for a trip is: “What tires do you recommend?” On any 4×4 forum a search about tires should keep you entertained for a few hours. So, when we took delivery of the new Explore More crew truck, a 2015 Toyota Hilux, we asked ourselves the exact same question. And hours were spent researching the internet for the holy grail tire.  I used to run BF Goodrich AT’s and Muds on most of my previous trucks. But the BFG AT seemes very old technology today  and the Cooper Discoverer AT3 was getting raving reviews from some very reputable sources.

Cooper Discoverer AT3 on rocks lr

The Cooper Discoverer AT3 tires left everybody speechless on our trip trough Croatia, they look good too!

The Toyota is our daily driver and is used to eat highway miles to haul photographic equipment around one day, carry dive gear for four people to the beach the next and leave for an overland adventure the day after that. So we were looking for a tire that stands out on the black stuff, but also performs on gravel, rocks, mud, sand and snow. It should also be comfortable, quiet , puncture proof and last forever. Does such a tire exist? Are we expecting too much? We will see, because the above is exactly what Coopertires promise about the Discoverer AT3.

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Go prepared! Vehicle recovery gear.

If you venture of the beaten track with your 4×4 it is likely that you will get stuck at some point. The weather can turn perfectly groomed tracks into mud pits. Fallen trees or other obstackles can force you to find a detour and your vehicle can be stranded. With a few basic skills and the right tools that should be no reason for concern. Here is a summary of what we carry on our overland trips, why we take it and what we use it for. The interesting thing is that our vehicle recovery kit remains essentially unchanged no matter where we go. We use this kit in the desert, the snow, the rocks and in the mud.

recovery gear (1 of 4)

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Off-grid power! Xtorm extreme powerbank & SolarBooster 12 watt panel.

Although we try to escape citylife when we head for the forests, we mostly carry electronics. For safety reasons -your mobile phone-, or entertainment.  We’ll use a GPS to point us in the right direction when we get lost. Everybody who has used a GPS knows the batteries drain quickly. Most smartphones need charging everyday. A portable powerbank is a good solution. The problem with most portable powerbanks is that they’re designed for life in the city….That’s why we like the Xtorm extreme, a powerfull waterproof powerbank that charged our GPS, IPad, iPhone, USB camplight, Kindle & GPS. A powerbank and a solar panel will keep all your electronic devices charged.

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Bushcraft kit load out!

This is my basic equipment when I go walkabout, depending on the destination and purpose I will omit or add a few things. There’s no food or clothing here, we’ll talk about that in another article.

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Land Rover Defender 90 long term test.

11 months ago we took delivery of a brand new Defender 90. After 31.000km it has seen more terrain than most Defenders do in their lifetime. The little Defender spent more than 20.000km off tarmac. We zig zagged through Iceland for 3 months, explored the mountains in Croatia and went greenlaning all over Europe.

Here is our conclusion:

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