GEAR: HELIKON LONG TERM

HELIKON-TEX WINDRUNNER WINDSHIRT AND FIRESPARK “STEEL”

THERE HAVE BEEN SOME GREAT NEW ADDITIONS TO THE HELIKON-TEX LINE IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, AND IT’S GREAT TO SEE THOSE REALLY GETTING THE ATTENTION THEY DESERVE! BILL HAS BEEN LONG-TERM TESTING A COUPLE OF ITEMS FROM THEIR “OUTBACK” AND “BUSHCRAFT” COLLECTIONS AND BRINGS YOU HIS FINDINGS.

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Ireally like the fact that Helikon-Tex categorise their clothing and equipment as it makes life far easier when you’re looking for a particular item. As a keen outdoorsman as well as an airsofter I’m therefore every bit as interested in what they have in the “Outback” and “Bushcraft” categories in addition to the “Range” and “Patrol” lines as good outdoor equipment can act as the backbone for any situation as Jon’s ongoing series of “TOD” articles have clearly illustrated.

The “Outback Line” is their technical clothing and accessories line concept; everything from baselayers through all intermediate levels of insulation for both dynamic and static activities to outer layers including windshirts, softshells, hardshells and Climashield parkas is included in this category. Accessories developed for the Outback Line focus on travel, gear packing and outdoor expeditions, which makes them perfect when you’re gearing up for a multi-day game or MilSim event.

It’s that time of year where I live when the north wind is starting to pick up, and although I’m not yet ready to transition into a fully-fledged hardshell I do want something that can be worn over a microfleece to add an additional layer against wind chill, and ideally I look for garments that are lightweight and have a minimal pack size.

The Windrunner Windshirt has been my “go to” for this, and is an ideal carry item because of its minimum weight and size when folded. At just 190g (size XL) its ultra-light, tightly-woven Nylon fabric protects you from the wind, and if the DWR coating is regularly maintained, also from light rain; the Windrunner is an ideal garment for any kind of outdoor training! Mesh ventilation slats in armpits allow increased air circulation for when you’re really working hard, and on a cooler day, worn on top of a fleece, it keeps your all-important core warmth from escaping and protects against wind chilling. A large front channel pocket easily accommodates a cap,

gloves or a buff, and two small flat pockets inside the larger pocket help to organize small items like smartphone or ID (or a cheeky extra mag!).

Additional features are sparse and minimalistic in that there is a lightweight hood, elasticated cuffs and a drawstring hem, and that’s it. On a garment like this though you don’t need a massive amount of features as that just increases bulk and weight. My first Windrunner (the tan version) has been with me since 2017 and I have to admit that I absolutely love it and have worn it a LOT! It’s a superb piece of kit that gives you just that little extra protection when things start to get cooler, and therefore I would thoroughly commend it to you; in fact I’ll tell you right now that I’ve added additional Winfrunners in different camos and colours to work with different loadouts (Green, Grey, and RenCott) so this really does come with my complete recommendation!

SPARKIN’!

When you’re bivvied out for a weekender, body heat of course is all important when it comes to your well-being and being able to light your cooker to make some hot grub is absolutely essential, so another little bit of kit from Helikon-Tex that I added to my MilSim kit is their “FIRESPARK” firesteel; designed and tested by specialists in bushcraft and survival techniques, the FIRESPARK firesteel is a modern rendering of classic piece of equipment. Instead of the traditional carbon steel though the FIRESPARK makes use of a long Ferrocerium rod; while ferrocerium “steels” function in a similar way to natural flint and steel in fire starting, ferrocerium takes on the role that steel played in traditional methods; when small shavings of it are removed quickly enough the heat generated by friction is enough to ignite those shavings, converting the metal to the oxide, i.e., the sparks are actually tiny pieces of burning metal.

This long spark rod with durable handle make starting a fire with FIRESPARK and knife a breeze; combined with my favourite bushcraft knife created for me by Josh Curry of the Athena Knife Co. in the USA, the FIRESPARK is absolutely awesome, sending fan of sparks away with every stroke, so if your lighter runs out, or your matches get wet this can be a real lifesaver! And there’s even a hollow aluminium handle may be used to house water purification tablets, tinder or even rolled banknotes if you want to hide them away!

As I said, I really the Helikon-Tex categories as it makes it really easy to find that unique piece of kit that you may have been searching for; there are other items that I have on long-term test, so rest assured I’ll update things regularly!

For more information please visit www.helikontex.com for country stockists, and in the UK check out www.military1st.co.uk for the very latest brand updates. AA