Layering to stay warm

The best advice I've seen on the subject to date:

Via Rogue Angels :

- merino wool socks, heavyweight: whatever you do, leave all cotton at home.
- mid-weight or heavyweight long underwear bottoms, preferably wool or polypropylene
- fleece pants to wear over your long underwear
- a tank top that is not cotton-a mid or heavyweight base layer, ideally polypropylene, but light polar-tec works
- a wool sweater or heavy fleece
- a soft shell jacket, windstopper (not necessary but sweet if you have one)
- rain jacket-gloves, 2 pair: ideally one pair fingerless wool or fleece and one pair with fingers wool or fleece
- a neck gaitor is nice on really cold days-a warm wool or fleece hat
- a baseball hat-(i have tons)
- sunglasses, preferably polarized WITH croakies

Thanks K8!

Stuff to be reviewed

Olympus μ850SW
Oakley Waterjacket sunglasses
Oakley Juliet sunglasses & Spare lenses for Juliet sunglasses
Oakley Hydrophobic lense treatment
Oakley soft vault & Oakley X-Metal vault
Camelbak Classic 2.0L
North Face TKA 100 fleece
Buff headscarves
Simms sungloves
H3O Storm sunglasses
Patagonia Deep Wading Jacket

Simms G3 Vest Added: 22/10

Adidas Hightec windproof jacket
Scott goretex skiing overtrousers
Added 14/11

North Face Genesis 200 jacket
Powermonkey eXplorer
Gear4 Blueye
Oakley combat trousers
Scottevest hidden combats

Added 8/1/2009!

Scottevest Ultimate combats Scottevest Signature series Oakley razrwire

Northface Nuptse vest

northface pamir gloves

northface WS Point hat

More on the rods

As previously noted the cork foregrips got quite thin when reamed to fit the blanks. I was also concerned that the turning hood holds the reel at an angle to the foot. Its not a particularly secure grip, and I just know over time the pressure being put on a relatively small area means that the finish on the reel foot is going to be damaged. So ...

I ordered standard gunsmoke reel hoods which fit fine. They screw on the same, but the hood section does not revolve but moves along the axis of the rod. They are lined inside with a firm but strong plastic. So the grip is more secure and there is no chance of damage to the reel foot.

Ok its not as fancy as the cork covered foregrip, but I grip a spinning rod at the base of the reel anyway, so the foregrip is largely obsolete.

Instead I now have a simple epoxy ramp from the blank to the reel seat (I used Diamondite instead of epoxy - I LIKE!), colouring the top coat with black powder paint.

Now its looks like the blank have a massive sudden swelled butt (like a bamboo fly rod gone modern and mad!

With my fingers round the reel I can touch the blank just in front of the reel seat - ideal for delicate bites on SP's and bait