What gear to buy in New Zealand?

A SwannDri merino wool bush shirt is a NZ classic (but not ultralight). Although sadly it’s now made in China using New Zealand wool. However they are not common in the states.

If you want to be totally legit, you have to get the blue checked version.

A NZ resident would probably also accept an “O for Awesome” t-shirt as acceptable:

O for Awesome

You'll find things to be much more expensive in New Zealand. When I hiked the Milford Track last March my friend, who was teaching there, arranged to have be bring over a rain jacket and pants – cost twice as much there. I did pick up a good souvenir though – a tee shirt that said "Save the Earth – It's our only source of beer."

NZ is good for possum down merino mix stuff and merino only stuff. Some of it is made in NZ http://www.glowingsky.co.nz.

http://www.earthseasky.co.nz/ and http://www.cactusclimbing.co.nz/ are both still made in New Zealand. Cactus shorts and trousers are fantastic for every day wear.

Swanndri is a great suggestion! Depending on your taste, but maybe:

1. A Svord ‘Peasant’ knife. link

2. An Aarn pack. link

3. A Thermette (it’s like a Kelly Kettle). farily random link (couldn’t find a better one on short notice, sorry!)

4. Stripey polypropylene long underwear (to be worn under shorts and with gaiters).

5. Merino from Chocolate Fish. Unlike Icebreaker, they actually manufacture their things in New Zealand.

6. Macpac. They make a bunch of things (tents, packs, sleeping bags, clothes, etc.) which may be heavy by US UL standards but are just the ticket if you ever find yourself crawling through gorse.

+1 for Macpac. They sell an extra-long event jacket that almost reaches you knees. Heavy, but it can stop their torrential rains.

Note: Gear is expensive there. Imported gear is REALLY expensive. (Hiked 4 hikes in Feb/Mar 2011)

I lived there for 4 years (I'm from the US). I spent a year of that in Central Otago.

Everything outdoor related is about 2x the cost, give or take. There are a few brands available over there that we don't have in the US. However, only buy them if you want a name you can't get here, the quality isn't different or unique.

An example of one of these brands is Fairydown, which might be owned by Macpac now? Buy it just because the name is funny, but be prepared to pay a lot :)

One exception I will recommend is their brand of dehydrated food, Backcountry Cuisine. The ingredients seem better to me than Mountain House or Backpackers Pantry. I don't eat wheat and they had a lot more options for my diet than those 2 big US brands do. Backcountry Cuisine also has many lamb entries, which aren't popular stateside.

http://www.backcountrycuisine.co.nz/bcc/