#thunderbirdhillsthursday

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Thunder Bird Hills Thursday: Fudougoya Valley

In the midsummer of Japan it is hot but Kei and his brother go in search of the beautiful river and mountains in Mount Ōmine (Prefecture Nara). Swimming rivers and climbing waterfalls make for an enjoyable summer in their book.

Their tools and clothes needed to be dependable in the wet conditions they faced. Below they've commented on the items that performed particularly well.

GEAR – KEI

TRIPLE AUGHT DESIGN Recon AC Pant – Grey – Fast-drying!

TRIPLE AUGHT DESIGN FAST Pack Litespeed – Black

TACTICAL ASSAULT GEAR Warrior Hat – Ranger Green

TAD Pathfinder Skull Kanteen

Mechanix Wear Original Glove – Coyote

Wiley X AIRRAGE

aLOKSAK – Completely waterproof! Great for cell phones, valuables and other various items.

GEAR – RYO

TRIPLE AUGHT DESIGN Force 10 AC Cargo Pant – Desolation – Fast-drying!

TRIPLE AUGHT DESIGN FAST Pack EDC – Coyote Khaki

Garmont T4 GTX – Sand

Mechanix Wear Original Glove – Coyote

VARGO Titanium Travel Mug

JETBOIL PCS FLASH – MultiCam

SealLine Baja Dry Bag 20L – Green – A little heavy, but super tough!

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Thunder Bird Hills: Mt. Shakaga

Kei and his brother scale Mt. Shakaga in Mt. Oomine again, this time with Japan in the middle of its rainy season.

The aim of the Thunder Bird Hills brothers this time? The summit of the Buddha that they were unable to get to last time. Unfortunately being met with rain (again!) didn't dampen the joy of reaching the summit as it was very beautiful and cool! It was also satisfying to be able to see the Sea of Clouds.

GEAR – KEI

TAD Stealth Hoodie LT – UE Grey

TAD Skull Cave T-Shirt – Heather Chimera

TAD Force 10 RS Cargo Pant – ME Green

TAD FAST Pack EDC – Coyote Khaki

TAD Pathfinder Skull Kanteen

TAD Field Cap – ME Brown

MERRELL Chameleon 4 MID

Mechanix Wear Original Glove – Coyote

Wiley X AIRRAGE

VARGO Titanium Travel Mug

Kei is also sporting some of his new gear from Ru-Titley-Knives. Above: a Kydex D ring. Below: the Kydex D ring and an original Cyflect Marker – MK4. Accept no imitations with these markers, only the originals from Ru will last due to the extensive testing gone into their design.

GEAR – RYO

TAD Force 10 AC Cargo Pant – Gunmetal

TAD Mean T-Skull T-Shirt

KIFARU Mountain Rambler – Coyote Brown

KIFARU XTL (Top Lid)

KIFARU Belt Pouch Large – Coyote Brown

KIFARU Side Pocket Small – Coyote Brown

KIFARU Water Bottle Pocket – Coyote Brown

Mechanix Wear Original Glove – Coyote

TRIPLE SEVEN GEAR Nylon EDC Gear Pouch – Highlander

VARGO Titanium Travel Mug

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Thunder Bird Hills Thursday: Mt. Oomine

The Japan Golden Week holidays meant that the Thunder Bird Hills brothers could head out once again, this time to Mt. Oomine.

They took their tents to Mt. Oomine in order to see the Buddha object at the peak, but heavy rain and mist meant they gave up on reaching the summit. But the forests were fantastic in the mists, the deer and squirrels around them highlighted the true beauty of the mountain.

GEAR – KEI

Granite Tactical Gear Chief Patrol Pack – Coyote

MSM Small Patch Panel – Coyote

TYR TACTICAL General Purpose Pouch – Coyote Brown

TYR TACTICAL NVG vertical protective pouch – Coyote Brown

ITS TACTICAL Skeletonized Bottle Holder – MultiCam

TRIPLE AUGHT DESIGN Pathfinder Skull Kanteen

LOWA TAHOE PRO GTX

THERM-A-REST Z Lite Regular – Coyote Brown

Vargo Titanium Mug

Wiley X AIRRAGE

Granite Tactical Gear Tactical Zippsack – Coyote

USMC SealLine Compression Dry Bag

MSR Hubba HP

GEAR – RYO

KIFARU Highcamp 4800 – Coyote Brown

KIFARU Bikini Platform Frame and Suspension 24 inch

KIFARU Organizer Pocket 500D – Coyote Brown

KIFARU Belt Pouch Large – Coyote Brown

KIFARU Water Bottle Pocket – Highlander

Vargo Titanium Mug

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Thunder Bird Hills Thursday: Yakumogahara Wetlands

The Yakumogahara Wetlands, Mt.Hira, are taken on by the Thunder Bird Hills brothers.

Little snow remains on the mountains in Spring. Their latest adventure begun with a steep road to the climbing destination. The weather wasn’t great, but the wind blowing at the summit felt like it was ushering in Spring-time weather. Like amphibians they cheerfully enjoyed swimming in the Yakumogahara Wetlands.

GEAR – RYO

TRIPLE AUGHT DESIGN Stealth LT – UE Grey

TRIPLE AUGHT DESIGN Shag Master Hoodie – Combat

TRIPLE AUGHT DESIGN Force 10RS Cargo Pant – ME Brown

High Ground Gear 3 Day Pack – MultiCam

KIFARU Organizer Pocket (500D) – MultiCam

TYR TACTICAL General Purpose Pouch (x2) – MultiCam

TYR TACTICAL General Purpose Pouch (x2) – MultiCam

ATS TACTICAL Small Utility Pouch Horizontal – MultiCam

Mechanix Wear Original Glove – Coyote

Vargo Titanium Mug

GEAR – KEI

TRIPLE AUGHT DESIGN Shag Master Hoodie – Deadfall

TRIPLE AUGHT DESIGN Force 10 RS Cargo Pant – ME Brown

TRIPLE AUGHT DESIGN Fast Pack EDC – Coyote Khaki

TRIPLE AUGHT DESIGN OP1 – Coyote Khaki

HSGI Pogey Pouch – MultiCam

ATS TACTICAL Medical Pouch (small) – MultiCam

ITS TACTICAL Skeletonized Bottle Holder – MultiCam

LOWA TAHOE PRO GTX

Mechanix Wear Original Glove – Coyote

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Gear Impressions by Ryo

Ryo shows off his new Kifaru 500D Camouflage Pullouts after the release of this long-sought after item!

KIFARU 500d Pullouts XLarge – Highlander. Ryo's recommendation for a Stealth or Shag Master Hoodie as it fits perfectly.

KIFARU 500d Pullouts XLarge – MultiCam

KIFARU Duffels Extra Small – Highlander. Ryo's recommendation for a Jetboil.

KIFARU Nalgene Bottle

TRIPLE SEVEN GEAR Nylon EDC Gear Pouch – Highlander

TRIPLE AUGHT DESIGN Pathfinder Skull Kanteen

Wiley X AIRRAGE

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Thunder Bird Hills Thursday

Kei has been a great advocate of the Triple 7 Gear kits we’re featuring this week. He also takes a great photo…

Here are a couple of action shots. Above is a MultiCam Micro Kit with a Prometheus Design Werx patch and a Klean Kanteen TAD edition. Below is the contents of the kit.

Above is their MSR Dragonfly in action with a MultiCam Mini Kit and a MOTUS patch.

Here is a visual break down of his latest kits:

Above are a selection of Micro Kits, various Prometheus Design Werx patches and his Zero Tolerance 0566CF Hinderer Folder. Below you can see his SureFire E1L Outdoorsman Flashlight, Leatherman Rebar Multi-Tool and Exotac fireROD.

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Thunder Bird Hills: Mt. Hira

Kei and Ryo brave the 56º slopes of Mt. Hira, Shiga Prefecture, Japan with their 20kg packs.

During their ascent, their progress became slower than expected as the deep snow of around 2 metres made the route difficult to navigate. The steep slope of around 56º continued, and they were forced to withdraw as they were losing too much time.

GEAR – KEI

TRIPLE AUGHT DESIGN Shag Master Hoodie

TRIPLE AUGHT DESIGN Stealth – (Currently being revamped, check out their LT version here)

Arc’teryx LEAF Beta LT Pant

Granite Tactical Gear Chief Patrol Pack

The MSR stove was a great morale boost for the low temperature environment they were enduring.

GEAR – RYO

TRIPLE AUGHT DESIGN Shag Master Hoodie

TRIPLE AUGHT DESIGN Stealth LT

Arc’teryx LEAF Alpha Pant

KIFARU Highcamp 4800

MSR Dragonfly

The rigidity of Kifaru Highcamp’s bikini frame is a very strong yet lightweight design. Ryo was able to bear heavy loads comfortably. It also has scalability, as various KIFARU accessories can be mounted. Ryo chose a 500D organizer pocket, large belt pouch, Water bottle pocket. They highly recommend picking up this great pack for the transportation of snow gear.

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