MacPac was a great pick up for us as we have a certain budget for packs. MacPac fits perfectly into our budget as they have offered us a great Pro-Deal for us to use their packs with our students. This was a huge win for TNE since as far as we're concerned, there aren't better packs around. They will also support us for our staff uniforms and "business casual attire." (http://www.macpac.com.au/)
Power Pots are something our gear nerd Marcus had showed me. We feel that this relationship could spark really neat initiatives around Australia. A Power Pot is a "new way to make electricity. It converts heat directly into power good for charging any USB device." We will use the Power Pot to recharge batteries, our iPad, GPS, and any other electronics we have in the field. The same company who produces Power Pots is also producing a great solar panel kit that we may be interested in using while we are in the field. (http://www.powerpractical.com)
Thanks heaps to these guys for helping us get the gear that is needed to make our programs a great success!
As an industry, various adventure therapy programs have taken different views on gear. I've worked with programs where the vision was to keep the gear as minimal as necessary and help teach advanced survival skills and those where the best gear was used (ie. Alaska-- where the best gear is needed). At True North Expeditions, we want to show people that the bush is not to be survived or endured but rather lived with. We think that good gear can really help the young person grow comfortable in the field and then start focusing on some of the personal work that may need to be done. Our students deserve great gear and is not broken and showing signs of heavy wear and tear, we want them to be proud and find great use in the items they use.
A big thanks to MacPac and Power Practical for helping us kick off this new initiative.
As always, see you out there!
Will
will@truenorthexpeditions.com.au
0477 161 768