El Toad Man

+1 Dan, good post! Against most mammals, fluoro orange will look like another shade of green. If it's got a camo pattern though it, it will be like wearing green camo. Colour blind is an often misused term, usually referring to having less colour receptors (cones) than the average human. It does not usually mean "inability to see colour", but is more like "less defined colour". Birds however, have excellent colour vision. Cockatoos seem to be attracted to flouro orange. Screeching cockies are great for scaring away game!

I wouldn't bother with Gen 1 stuff. I had one and it was a fairly useless gadget really. I've used the gen3 stuff (only available to military & police) and it's brilliant. The cool looking night images you see on the news and in movies are gen3. Don't expect that quality from gen1. I've never used gen2 so I can't comment. My experience regarding night vision gear is "If I can afford it, it's not good enough".

That's what I have used for years, still do depending on terrain. Good for cold weather, walking through wet grass, small puddles etc, but.... A problem with 100% waterproof non-breathable boots is you end up just as wet from sweat as you would from the outside environment. Or worse, if you step in a deep creek they fill with water and dont drain. Nowdays I just accept that my feet will get wet and wear something like the taipans. They have drain holes, and more vented areas so they dry faster. Look into the newer generation socks too.

Manufacturers use candle power because it results in a big number and sounds impressive. 2 million candle power sounds bigger than 50W. It's just a marketing gimmick, they should realise Australia is a METRIC country, and should use WATTS!!! Just like British Thermal Units (BTU) that some heater/air con manufacturers like using for the same reason......

Damn swearing filter. Thats "pr!ckly" foliage !!!!

If you can find a worn out pair of older style motocross boots like Rossis, cut the upper part off and they make good gaiters. Thick leather with shin guard - excellent protection from snakes and ####ly foliage.

I bought a pair of Rossi Eagles in 1994. Good hiking/motorcycling boot. High laceup, thick leather. I wear mine all day whenever I ride to work (average about 3 days a week, for 12 years). They're about half worn out But a bit hot sometimes.

If you're after high laceup steelcaps, have a look at Steel Blue. More comfy than the Blundstones. I haven't worn mine out in 2 years (but I'm very easy on boots)

Absolutely. Few mammals see well in the red/orange band. Humans being an exception. Most mammals will see red/orange as just another shade of green. Meaning our blaze orange camo hides us from them but not other people. At night it's even more limited. nocturnal animals usually see in just greyscale at night, so as long as you've got a camo pattern of some sort, cover your white bits (hands/face), that's all you need to be camouflaged. If you're worried about UV brightening from washing powder, consider this. An easy test is to stand near a UV light. Just like at a nightclub, see how certain items of clothing will glow under a UV light. That will be how some animals like deer will see you. Generally not a problem with hunting clothing, unless you like to wear white.....

I can tell you what not to wear, and that's all black. Stands out like dogs b##ls in aussie bushland and scares game real easy. Auscam works well in wetter, greener areas. Stands out a little in the drier, semi arid regions, where something more brown/grey would be better. I do think that pale skinned fellas like me need to cover our hands and faces - it really stands out, especially in low light and deep dark forest. I do like getting all cammed up, but in reality, providing you're not wearing something really outstanding, like all white, yellow or all black, I haven't seen any real advantage. Scent (wind direction), noise, and movement seem to be far more significant than choice of camo pattern. When hunting I usually wear normal clothes in dull colours, as this means you don't stand out too much in the bush, but also you don't stand out in urban environments too. Nothing like walking into a servo in full cams to make you look out of place ! (unless you're army).

I have a harris bipod (short version). Brilliant, you can still attach the sling, it's neat, doesnt get in the way when not used, it has independently adjusted leg lengths so you can rest on uneven ground (although it can take 30 seconds to level it properly). It's a tiny bit noisy if you rush (no louder than working the action on your rifle), but is silent if you're careful. Occasionally I want a taller bipod, when shooting in long grass or to get enough height to clear fallen logs etc. But overall, a very valuable item that you can keep and transfer from rifle to rifle.

I have my own leatherman, but in the army I was issued with a Victorinox (all black), which I found to be a better tool. The knives and other fold out tools are on the outside, so you don't have to open the pliers section to get to your blades. Very useful when you are frequently reaching for it to open boxes etc. Much faster and simpler access to the blades, I find the leatherman to be slow and clumsy now. If I didn't already have a leatherman, I would buy a victorinox.

The KLR250 is a basic road/trail bike (kickstart only). They were first released in 1984 and have remained unchanged since then (other than colours). I had a 1986 model and it was a good reliable, all purpose bike, never gave any trouble. If you want to go fast, or do big jumps, there are better bikes around for that. The KLR is not an enduro bike, but if used within its limits will give years of reliable service. Comfortable, by today's enduro standards it has a wide seat and soft suspension. A little bit heavier than most 250 4 strokes, and not especially powerful. It has a smooth, vibration free engine which is good on road for continuous high revs, unlike many of the opposition's bikes. The KLR250 is a very good road bike, a competent off road bike, but not a race bike. Similar bikes to consider: Honda XL250, Yamaha XT250. More offroad oriented bikes :Honda XR250, Kawasaki KLX250 (better in most respects to the KLR250) DRZ250, TTR250, TT350

I wouldn't pay lots of money for one, but they are good, they help prevent me from taking unrealisitic shots. One area I used to hunt had a deep valley, which was difficult to judge range over. I used to think the rabbits on the far side were about 250m. I could never hit them, until I found out it was actually 350m ! Sure it's an advantage, but if you know the range, and you know your bullet trajectory, you can place your shot where you want resulting in more humane, one shot kills. That has to be a good thing.