UKH

....during lockdown?

So far I have a new tent (MSR Elixir) a new watch ( Garmin vivoactive), 2 vintage (knackered 531) roadframes and about to splash some cash on a Goretex Pro jacket. 

I'm really sorry if it appears a flippant post for those having hardship with current circumstances....it really isn't my intent...

...it was triggered as a thought in work earlier today by a colleague who has drunkenly.been buying old watches off ebay!

G grip X talons

And errr... That's it.

So far, I like them on the soft stuff but they seem a bit more pants than the usual sole unit on wet rock. 

I did buy a 4x4 aswell but that's because the last one got written off when someone rear ended me. 

Edit: oh, and some bargain Haglofs shorts.

New tent (marmot tungsten)

new watch (garnish instinct)

possibly a specialized diverge E5, base model.

and a ultimate direction hard rocker vest. 

Nike Wildhorse trail shoes and a Non-Stop waistbelt for canicrossing. Rolled ankle on their first outing, getting a grade 2 sprain.  Needed a month of recovery. Now it's too hot to run dog.

MSR carbon reflex, only just got to use it, most stupid fly closing system in existence, apparently zips are just too heavy.

Oh, and a load of alien cams which I don't really need. 

Ooh the Bike would be lovely 

Biggest buy has been a pair of Ghost 12 running shoes 

Met colleague's dog the other day which is similar - I estimate about 40 kilos of muscle surrounded by a huge fluffy white coat. I ignored it which I believe is the correct protocol, and after a couple of minutes it sat in front of me and howled like a wolf.

I made a big fuss, and apparently that was what what was required. Phew.

On the purchase front, owing to uncontrolled addition of covid kilos ( I have decided to buy a new wing, which ARRIVES THIS WEEK, and which I am quite looking forward to trying out.

I also need to re-pot a 60 kilo ficus on my own, but I think I have the necessary gear, unfortunately, as I had to rig a Tyrolean traverse last year to get it out of my second floor flat.

Two more 3D printers.

4-port HDMI KVM switch
DP to HDMI cable
DVI to HDMI cable
PCIe to 4-port USB3 card
500GB 2.5" SATA HDD
Samsung camera USB cable
2x Bourns PEC11L rotary encoder

7.5mm x 40m dry treated rope

Oh, and a pair of winter trousers. But they went back because they were stupidly small (even for Decathlon's usual sizing). And, despite only costing £20, they were just too orange to contemplate going for the larger size up...

Yes, I've been working at home. And improving my computing. And fixing a colleague's Pure Marshall radio. And dreaming of getting out...

Yes it does.

But in answer 

100 ltr of UHT milk

4 cases of baked beans

100 pkt of pasta

4 cases of rice pudding

4 cases of tinned mixed veg

100 x 500g of long grain rice

All donated to my local food bank.

Toilet rolls. Hundreds of toilet rolls!

Cor! Doesn't that seem like years back...

A set of HB offsets

A bandanna

A tent

A DVD - Plunkett and Macleane!

Yeah I’ve put a deposit down to get it brought to the shop. My wife is going to kill me but tbh were spending thousands on a nanny so it’s just another thousand.. 

Grand Theft Auto.

My character lives in Grapeseed and there's a nice green mountain almost like Scotland behind their house.   It cheered me up during lockdown.

Have you climbed at all?

its harsh people are struggling but they always are and always will be. From what you’re saying we should do no sports and buy no equipment Until everyone’s ok. Great sentiment but I think we should enjoy our lives and look after our mental health.

ive 3 kids 4 and under, a wife who is an MD and teach. The amount of stress in my life is pretty high, if I didn’t get out and enjoy my time exercising and playing with my kids I’d be in serious trouble. In lockdown my daughter and I spent most afternoons camping outside cooking on a camp stove.

On top of that, we need to spend. That's how the economy works. If we all spend nothing jobs go

I must confess I became worryingly enthused about the delivery of a mixed set of rawl plugs and matching screws.

Snap

We bought an outdoor poster that I've put on the back wall of the garden - bluebells in flower

I'm about to buy either a speed awareness course (unlikely) or a fine & points (more likely) 😢

Some trainers but they were replacements for well worn out pair.

Bits for climbing, eg. carabiners and slings. Not used since weather turned unreliable on lockdown easing.

Some books from Vertebrate Publishing.

Mainly paying down mortgage. Could be cleared next year. That would be my best gift to myself.

I bought a new camping mat from sea to summit, which I'm very pleased with, and some wireless earbuds for my daily walks.

But the biggest purchase was a robot vacuum cleaner. Life's too short to spend it hoovering.

Chemical toilet for the camper....so far unused, just like the van has been for a while

Inflatable SUP, bought for me....ditto still unused

Crate of Jail Ale, to support Dartmoor Brewery....very used!

- garden shed

- Exped Synmat 7 LW

- Trekology pillow

- Gregory 48L pack 

- Mauser .308 rifle 

Still I wasn't able to buy something expensive.. I had some hardships past months.. just daily needs..But I have wish list to order online including replacement for my broken hair dryer

1950s Fender Custom Shop Telecaster reissue, which was cost neutral on what I’ve saved from not commuting in to work. Still some left to buy a second hand Fender Deluxe Reverb amp. 

A handmade pocket knife - just a blade and corkscrew with rather lovely wooden side plates.  Unjustifiably expensive really, but not in the context of Dura-ace bits for the bike

I am under strict orders not to buy either of those unless I've raided my Dad's and Father-in-Law's garages first!

On one hand, I've been trying to be restrained and haven't bought very much at all in 4 months - pair of new shoes and winter walking boots, both to replace knackered pairs, and a few odds and ends of gear.

On the other hand, we've recently moved house and my wife seems to be attempting to single-handedly save the economy with new furniture, wardrobes and curtains!

Demijohns, yeast and yeast nutrient, pectolase and a siphoning tube. 

Piston engine?

http://www.montypython.net/scripts/piston.php

I have mainly bought running shoes, I treated myself to some Saucony Endorphin Pro, which are super expensive carbon plate racing shoes, I needed some new everyday mileage shoes so got a pair of Saucony Ride ISO2, I also needed some new light trail shoes so got a pair of LaSportiva Lycan.

Been toying with buying a new tent, but not hit the order button yet.

The other thing that have been doing is buying a little deferred pleasure and hopefully helping the hospitality industry as well. Each month I have bought vouchers for independent restaurants, for use when I am a little happier going to restaurants. 

Used Cannondale SuperSix Evo. 

Oh dear god.......what a machine..............

Nothing too unreasonable.

2 new tents :a 2-man Terra Nova Pioneer and a much longed for tent I could stand up in (Alpkits new 4-man Axiom).

Couple of new lenses, a 17mm and a 75-300 I'd been lusting after for ages.

Bits and bobs of bike clothing and tools.

Umpteen beer boxes from local breweries and a couple of bottles of whisky.

I managed to resist second bike or a new car which I'm quite proud of.

A kayak, which led to some major kitchen and garden refurbishment, in that peculiar way that the Blue Straggler mind works. 

Replaced my obnoxious gas-guzzling car with a more practical economical model, bit of a strange time to do so given that my car use has diminished a lot but there is rhyme and reason to this. 

I have five new windows and a door on order. 

That's it for the major stuff. Otherwise lots of domestic nick-nacks to improve the quality of life during the massively increased quantity of hours spend at home. Combi/convection oven, cheap plug-and-play induction hob (and new pans to match), lots of picture frames to smarten and cheer the place up, another hi-fi amp and speakers and turntable. Little shelving units. A blender. Replacement shower and kitchen taps.  Houseplants. I have become very domesticated for the first time ever. 

In an optimistic moment I bought a Jingo Wobbly guide to Eastern France. Using that this year (or, indeed, ever) becomes less likely by the day. 

Just to subvert your thread, I've got rid of many more things than I've bought. One thing I'm still trying to give away is the rolling boot cover from my written off Octavia estate. Anyone need one?

Lockdown doubled the amount of kitchen time I had, at least, and the money saved on the odd meal out added up, so...

A "granite effect" ceramic frying pan; can't believe I've not discovered them before.  It's got a thick metal base and cleans as easily as teflon without worrying about scratching it.  It also does a near-magic job of browning onions for curries, something that I am sure involves all sorts of weird surface physical chemistry at the onion/pan interface.

A set of Dalstorng steak knives with black titanium nitride coating and Garolite G10 handles.  Similar price to other good steak knives but made out of the same “science grade” stuff I’m going to make the next iteration of my hobby projects out of...

A canon 100 - 400mm zoom lens

new skateboard wheels

a height adjustable towing hitch for my landrover

a fixed observatory pier (plus some decking and dibs on my neighbours shed when he replaces it)

Also a watch (Suunto 5)

Oh and a house, to say I was gutted by Mr Sunaks subsequent stamp duty break is an understatement

A NeilPryde carbon hydro-foil (deep tuttle base) for my windsurfer to extend our "fun" wind-range on the bottom end.

Our Bavarian lakes tend to see a lot more days of 8-12 kts than days with 15 kts or more so having the option to get some form of surfing in on more days of the summer seems like a good idea to me. Plus, buying a foil for a windsurfer is the cheapest way to fly if you compare it to buying something like a Moth or Waszp, plus a trailer and space in a dinghy park.

Ironically, we've had only no-wind-days and crazy-wind-days so far, this year, and so I haven't tried the foil out, yet. I've been out about half a dozen times on local waters, though, and that's pretty record-breaking -- normally, we have to drive to lake Garda for such good sessions.

In fact, I think I've been over-powered on my smallest sail (5,8 square metres) more than I've been under-powered on my biggest (7,7). Being blown down by a 30 kt gust on 5,8 in a little in-land German lake is a crazy experience. (I've almost conquered my small-board, 5,8 combination at about 28 kts but only on Starboard tack. For some reason, I keep launching, spinning out at landing and subsequently crashing on Port -- it's either that my right leg (which is aft, on Port tack) is particularly weak or just a funny angle for the prevailing wind and chop conditions. Needs more time on the water, I say!)

a load of new inner tubes - I got two unrepairable burst tubes from one ride - the potholes round here!

said goodbye to my Astra, BER/BLR unfortunately

A lot of stuff from Screwfix & Toolstation for jobs around the house & garden.

I now really need Screwfix to stop doing just "click & collect" as my stock has run out of the little pencils I usually grab a load of when I'm in there

Ready mix mortar, none ready mix mortar, a walling trowel, some stainless steel clothes pegs, a rear MTB tire, a mixing tub for mortar, and a couple of CD's, and half a dozen different kinds of walking socks from ebay.

Exciting stuff.

So did I. I've been enjoying it enormously.

I also bought a light tent, some more Lee filters and an Arca Swiss ballhead.

I also added a lot of classic mountaineering books to my already sizeable library. I've even been reading them.
 

I went to get a car thinking they'd be desperate for sales but here its crazy, in fact they want to buy your cars off you as everyone is buying cars so they don't use transport. So couldn't get a good deal so left it. With 3 kids and a dog we're on the steady inevitable path to a soccer mom minivan...

3man force ten tent which remains waiting for a first use,

Leatt dbx shoes to try clippers on my bouncy bike.

Also sold my Jeffsy cf pro race to build a new bike . Orbea rallon m team frame, Fox factory shock and fork, xo1 eagle groupset, colab carbon cranks and bar,  roval carbon wheels and burgtec all over the place. Managed to build a 6.5k bike for way less than half that. It's almost definitely the bike I've always been looking for. 

Also bought a rab paradox, and it's a fantastic bit of kit too.

Also bought a load of fence and shed paint in anticipation of a furlough period that never came.

Vinyl, a lot of vinyl! Well if I’m going to be stuck at home more I need more tunes - a mix of secondhand stuff and some new releases from a label I’ve got a membership deal with.

keeping small businesses and artists going was my justification! ; ) 

Bought a new car and the biggest spend of my life. Apart from houses.

Weird one was a black death doctors mask. Looks like a big crow face. I also bought a large black hooded cloak. Waiting for it to arrive so I can scare the sh#t out my son.

Squier Contemporary Jazz Bass and a Roland TB-03.

Wine. Lots of it.

And beer.

And more wine.

Reminds me...this was pre-lockdown and I certainly don’t claim to have seen it coming, but I bought a Roland FP-30 digital piano in late January, which has been a handy diversion 

How could I forget - there is a small matter of a garden and new soffits/fascia and gutters.  The garden has a building and sculptural things, lots of plants and grass that will not stop growing.  It is a nice place to be.

Go to your nearest Ikea and grab them there...

Yes, it's a funny one. We have brand new VW, as they literally phoned us up and said they would practically give it to us in exchange for our low-mileage used one. Seems the 2nd hand market has gone nuts, as you say. Costing us about £17 a month extra, but we're saving the cost of the MOT, a major service and new tyres on the old one and, strangely, the insurance is cheaper!

I'm not that desperate yet 😉

some cheap leather gardening gloves to use for scrambling during the pandemic.  Astonished at how tactile sensitive and grippy they are and they absorb sweat.  Pretty well as good as bare hands.  Put into a washable cotton bag in sac after use.  Quarantine for 3 days after use.

Less diesel.

Mostly nappies, cake, paint and plaster.

jk

Nice diversion! I bought a Kawaii MP-11SE digital piano just before the crisis erupted in Europe and can also claim that it has been fantastic during lock-down and while working from home.

The best thing is that, instead of browsing the news or the web or obsessing over work problems or software programming conundrums before going to bed, I can wind down at the piano of an evening. Yes, it's digital inside the box but put some paper sheet music on top of it and it's practically an "analogue, offline" experience.

The problem is that I also bought a house in Allgäu (or, at least, I bought some time off a notary, paid some taxes and a deposit and my bank bought a house in Allgäu) and that means we're in the middle of a move, this month. Stupidly, I packed the Kawaii MP-11SE *first*, thinking to get it out of the dust that packing everything else will kick up. So now I've got a very large and heavy box to look at and can't play the damn thing for a while.

But hey! Moving to Allgäu has been a dream for years, as has living in my own house with my own rules. I've already started exploring the hills in the immediate vicinity of where we'll be and can't wait to get up some of the bigger ones that are only a short drive away. I also can't wait for the snow to come so I can make up for last season's terrible dearth of touring.

I haven't bought it yet but it is inevitable.

A new kitchen bin is looming since ours has passed the threshold of mankiness beyond which a conversation on said topic can easily be deflected.

For the price of those really nice looking La Sportiva trail shoes that were reviewed on here recently, we could get this fancy thing from John Lewis.

My prediction: Shoes 0, Bin 1

I bought an expensive bin once, got home, realised I'd gone totally mad, I mean it's a bin ffs! Took it back got a refund, got somthing for a tenth of the price, bought more cams, and sanity returned.

An Alpkit bouldering pad.