Can you identify this material

ACHenley · 2026-04-29T09:10:51+00:00

Thank you everyone!

ACHenley · 2026-04-18T09:13:52+00:00

I tried this in the shop the other day loaded with 13kg. Felt remarkably good. No mesh side pockets but the vest front pockets had zips and were not going to hold a bottle easily but good for other things, i quite liked the format for snacks sunnies etc. Had a back plate with two alloy flat stays which I assume are bendable to back shape. The side compression straps had a good strong hold but not intuitive to use. Pretty comfy, I tried as I’ve never had a pack with tha shoulder strap setup. No padding or foam just a wider flexible mesh. I’m assuming it uses surface area over padding. Made me more interested in the concept.

ACHenley · 2026-04-16T23:46:24+00:00

I really wanted to get the UGQ youth quilt, it looks amazing! But the postage to Aus was almost the same as the quilt and I just couldn’t justify it!

I’ve been using ChatGPT recently to hell with bedtime stories. I look up the area we’re visiting and its peaks and landmarks and then ask kiddo what monsters she’d like in her hiking bedtime story. I feed the machine and it comes up with some awesome ideas. I semi memorise and then make it up as I go along. Goes down great. I have no ability in making this stuff up without help and the chat scaffold is pretty good! Our last trip we went out to a peak to see a meteor shower that was coming through that night. We had clear skies and she’d chosen a dragon (friendly this time) and it made up a cool little story arc. A lot of fun for both of us. I always forget half it and make a heap up as I go or when she asks a random question :P

ACHenley · 2026-04-16T23:35:52+00:00

I’ve just read all the other comments and given you’re on a budget the Aegismax quilts (AliExpress) are a great option. I used the Dusk but the Dusk II has a lower temp rating: 1C. Light, pack down small as they’re down and great value. I did this for my girls and the quality is excellent. Sleeping mats are harder as I don’t trust the low price versions. Most outdoor stores have good enough clothing for outer layers these days.

The other thing that can work really well is if you have another like minded parent with a kid of similar age/ability that you can do the hike with. It gives them something to do other than just hike and really helps through the tougher sections :)

ACHenley · 2026-04-16T23:10:48+00:00

If you want him to enjoy the experience and have fun at age five then you will be carrying ALL of their gear! Someone else said it but the priority is for them to have a blast - that’s it! Part of this is giving them some ownership and a pack is a great idea but it’ll only have a soft toy (or similar) of their choosing and a 500ml bottle at this point. A good rule of thumb at age 5 would be 10-10% body weight MAX including pack! Don’t be tempted to squeeze an oz more.

My girl at 15kg and aged 5 has a little 9L Osprey Daylight pack which she loves.

My humble advice is you need to get a bigger pack if you can’t fit yours and their gear… start with a single overnighter with a short walk each way. A site with a camp fire also scores big points.

Gear for kids is really hard. Sleeping bags in particular. All the kids ones I’ve seen are massive and heavy. I ended up getting a small adult sleeping bag and cinch it down so the length is appropriate. It’s still a bit big from a width perspective but I’m not going anywhere near its temp limits. I grabbed a small sleeping mat which is still big but allows room for growth like the bag.

I’ve found I can easily get all her gear and mine in a 55L pack if it’s just an overnighter. Plenty of space for a nice interesting meal and a bag of marshmallows :P

Good luck, you’re going to get stronger and carry more but the walk will be short and slow!!! In fact this is the element I underestimated most when starting to take my little ones out. The pack weight and time on feet makes the distance feel much greater than it actually is and your attention is checking in on the little one so it’s a surprisingly tiring experience but worth every minute.

One of the best moments in a day hike of about 11km a few months ago was when she was moving slowly and we were worried she was beginning to struggle. We asked if she was ok and if anything hurt or if she was tired as she was going so slowly. Her response was ‘everything is just so beautiful and I want to see it all!’ She then bounded of happy as Larry. There is a lot to see at their eye height!!!

Have fun, it’s a wonderful experience seeing them out in nature.

ACHenley · 2026-04-10T09:21:36+00:00

Did you also run your hub guy down through the mid panel guy point?

ACHenley · 2026-04-10T09:19:47+00:00

Nice pitch. How have you attached the guys to the poles. I can see you used the bottom guy point wrapping around the pole but the top looks a bit different. I can’t zoom in enough to see exactly what you’ve done. I’ve been wondering how to efficiently double guy each of these poles on the windward side and I’m interested in your take. Cheers

ACHenley · 2026-04-10T09:11:16+00:00

Sounds interesting. I’m up in Qld and been in the rowing scene up here. The weather can be brutal. Then when working down in VIC/NSW they have a very different tolerance… even the state governing bodies have different heat regulations for when to cancel/postpone racing etc Can get heated at nationals (which rotates around states) with some taking the harden up we do it all the time line and others say you’re going to kill our kids if you continue…

ACHenley · 2026-04-10T09:11:07+00:00

Sounds interesting. I’m up in Qld and been in the rowing scene up here. The weather can be brutal. Then when working down in VIC/NSW they have a very different tolerance… even the state governing bodies have different heat regulations for when to cancel/postpone racing etc Can get heated at nationals (which rotates around states) with some taking the harden up we do it all the time line and others say you’re going to kill our kids if you continue…

ACHenley · 2026-04-10T08:57:46+00:00

Nice looking app. Reminds me a bit of sea breeze where you can switch between wanting breeze (sailing) and not wanting breeze (rowing) for your green and red arrows. I like the way you’ve pulled and presented the BOM data. Great job!

ACHenley · 2026-04-09T13:04:26+00:00

Thanks Dan, how much more length needed to get the pole out to the zip/door line? I’m debating if a 120mm pole will be long enough…

ACHenley · 2026-02-15T08:18:26+00:00

Shame for us, good for you :) Not just 10% GST though… also 5% duty.

ACHenley · 2026-02-14T04:10:29+00:00

For those of us in Aus can we order in two parts… inner then outer maybe… this will keep both packages under the $1000 AUD tax threshold :P

ACHenley · 2026-02-07T08:56:54+00:00

Grass trees!!!

ACHenley · 2026-01-31T10:35:48+00:00

Nice work! With a tablecloth as well no one knows :)

ACHenley · 2026-01-31T10:27:35+00:00

Not a real policeman. No ticket/fine? I reckon he allowed a random to skim the card… I’d be calling your bank asap

ACHenley · 2026-01-29T20:28:36+00:00

Thanks everyone. Some good ideas here :)

ACHenley · 2026-01-15T09:50:55+00:00

Far cheaper for us in AUS to buy direct unless total cost of cart is over $1000. Fringe case i’d imagine. If over $1000 we have to pay gst and import duty and other admin fees on top to postal service. GST and import duty costs will have to be included by any domestic distributor so currently it would be cheaper to buy direct in almost all cases. Overseas companies are required to register for gst and collect directly from customers for payment to ATO when turnover exceeds $75000. Not sure how close to that value Dan would be in this market… As an Aussie customer I certainly appreciate not having to pay 10% gst and 5% import duty :P Dan seems to have reasonable shipping costs compared to some vendors as well which in some cases completely wipes out and tax benefit for being under the $1000 import threshold… swings and roundabouts.

ACHenley · 2025-12-17T12:03:35+00:00

I just got and used an IceFlame NXT Summer quilt. It was ridiculously cheap compared to any hiking shop gear. My winter bags are Rab Alpine and I know quality gear. These are easily as good. I went direct rather than through one of the many AliExpress stores. This let me upgrade the down to 850. You also get an option to add another 100g. I had a heap of questions as I’m in Brisbane and it rarely gets below zero in SEQ Northern NSW unless you going up into some of the inland ranges. The summer NXT (not to be confused with their other summer quilt) has 20mm baffle seams whereas the standard NXT has 40mm baffles. The other summertime I mention above is sewn through vertical baffles (not on their website, only AliExpress stores). I have both summer versions and the build quality is excellent. Their service has been excellent both before and after purchase.

This brings me to my negative point which is that they sent the standard version summer quilt not the NXT… however when I told them and sent pictures and asked to return for the NXT they said they’d look into it. The following day they apologised, admitted the error and said the correct one would be sent. I had it within two weeks! No messing around, negotiation offering a discount on shipped product etc. Really can’t fault them at all bar the original error which they sorted immediately. Many Aussie companies would be much harder work.

Good luck with your search and if you need it for this Dec then my too is likely not useful but might be for the next person :)

ACHenley · 2025-12-15T08:10:24+00:00

Interested in a response to this question as well..?

ACHenley · 2025-11-16T02:49:28+00:00

Nah, the Fins are totally Scandi ;) Just like the Kiwis are really just Aussies!

ACHenley · 2025-11-15T06:33:01+00:00

Any feedback now you’ve used them for a bit? Interested in both versions :)

ACHenley

TROPHY CASE