TBT Gear: Coghlan’s outdoor gear

Even the most diligent person ends up with “stuff” that somehow accumulates.  Older tools, gear, clothing, etc. you semi-forget you have in storage.

In my own case, it is a plastic tote with old stuff sacks, bottles for containing liquid or food, tarps, tent stakes and even an old PUR branded filter I bought way back when. (I really should get rid of it at some point…)

I tend to recycle these items for other purposes. The nylon stuff sacks make it easy to pack for traveling as one example.  Or that old orange potty trowel we all bought at some point goes into the camping/road trip kit.

And as I am looking at the doo-dads, there is one brand that somehow seems to crop up over again over again:  Coghlan’s.

I don’t think anyone actively advocates for the brand, but it does seem to turn up a lot.

You’ll find the gear tucked away at many small general stores at the edge of outdoor areas, in your local independent hardware store and for sure in  big box stores.

The mosquito netting they sell is something I bought quite some-time ago but still works very well with any tarp I may use. Ditto with their head net.

The Coghlan ulltra light tent stakes are something I use as a multi-purpose stake, mainly for camping,  that is not much money and effective.

And so on.

The main purchase of these items are usually “OOPS” items when myself or others forget something, lost an item or perhaps acquire an items we did not realize we really needed. For me, the head net fell into that category!  As mentioned, you can almost always find Coghlan doo-dads at a local general store, camp store or similar.

Need a stuff sack? Cheap rain gear? Cordage? Headlamp? Cord locks?  Repair kit?   Coghlan’s tends to have these odd-ball items and just when you need them.

I don’t claim this gear is the best by any means. You are better off buying a a Silva or Bruton compass for example. And their knives aren’t the best I suspect.

But I am amazed at how often Coglhan’s doo-dads seems to sneak into so many different outdoor kits for all different activities.

And sometimes the odd dod-dad is just what you need and it works well enough.

I really can’t ask for more.