About Me
G’day,
Welcome to my humble little corner of the interwebs. Thank you for taking the time to poke your head in.
Well, a little bit about myself to put things in context.
I’ve been an avid bushwalker since I was a teenager in the boyscouts. Moved onto the Air Training Corps (Airforce cadets) for a couple of years when I realised a desire to serve in the ADF (Australian Defence Force).
I graduated with a degree in Applied Science at the University of Queensland, and have worked as an industrial scientist in a couple of industries.
It was during uni that I enlisted in the Australian Army Reserve as a rifleman, going on to serve in a Lighthorse Regt as a Brigade reconnaissance scout.
Fortuitous circumstances has me currently working in the resource industry, where I now have the disposable income to further encourage my outdoor hobbies. Unfortunately, such is the way of real life, I have a distinct paucity of time now!
I still get out in the wilds to escape the stresses and frustrations of modern life whenever I can. Let me tell you, that life gets much more enjoyable when civilisation is three days walk away.
My biggest trek for recreational purposes was completing the Overland Track in Western Tasmania. I’ve done the trip three times with different groups of friends.
As an avid, voracious reader, a lot of my spare time is taken up by researching my next equipment purchase, hiking trip, or checking on trends and innovations in the industry.
Eventually, the realisation was made that if I wanted to read more reviews of outdoor kit and equipment, then I would just have to contribute something myself, instead of only taking from the efforts of others. Most of these reviews were written and submitted on a few different discussion forums.
At the same time, a lot of my mates who were still serving in the ADF and heading into harm’s way were asking me about what equipment was worth the effort of purchasing.
From this, I commenced writing equipment reviews on some items that I had opportunity to acquire and use myself. These have been submitted on a few discussion forums around the traps.
Somehow during this time, I’ve drawn the attention of some designers, manufacturers and suppliers as they start to enquire about my very limited experience and insight into end-user applications. Hence, I offer my services in design consultancy and end-user trials.
Eventually, I realised that so much material had been written, that I may as well jump on this new-fangled bandwagon of blogging and get my voice out there in the wilderness to be heard. Funnily enough, I’m not an early adopter, nor am I coolest kid on my street, when it comes to all this new-fangled techno-wizardry called the internet.
I hope that you enjoy my website. Feel free to wander around at your leisure, comment and contribute to the knowledge base. I’m always up for a chinwag.
Mick
As part of the team, we now have contributing reviewers. I’m pleased to introduce Benny. he has significant experience as a full time infantry soldier and is now enjoying life in the emergency services. Here he is in his own words:
Firstly I’m chuffed to have the privilege to contribute to this already great resource.
Much the same as Mick I have always loved getting out bush, a healthy interest sparked from living in the far north of the Sunshine State & many family camping trips as far back as I remember. This interest no doubt contributed to my decision to join the Army, not that camping & the Army have ANYTHING in common. While it was far from a lifelong career I crammed a lot in & took away some great experiences.
Since leaving the Army, I’ve continued my desire to throw a pack on my back and head off into the woods. Like most I certainly don’t spend as much time out there as I’d like but I cherish every moment I do, “regardless of season, weather or terrain….”
Given the pack on your back can make or break a trip I have an avid interest in these and other outdoor gear suitable for Australian conditions, not something easy to come by. Frustrated that most high end kit was either extremely hard if not impossible to come by over here I figured I might as well throw in my two bob regarding some of the kit I’ve spent a small fortune on and give Aussies some first hand information before they drop their house deposit on kit, whether it’s for work or play.
Again thanks to Mick for the opportunity to share my views and I hope I can continue to offer valuable insight to help others in their quest for the right kit for the task at hand.
Ben
by 22F with 23 comments.
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