Not all of it bought this year, but all of it used.

HJC i30 helmet
Will I get back the ten years of wearing the ‘premium brand’ X-Lite X402GT? Probably not. Will this Open Face/Full Visor HJC, at a quarter of the price (£111), last that long? Who knows, but I like the design and looks, the operation of the visors and strap, the top venting and quietness (with ear plugs) and not least, the ease with which the lining can be removed, washed and refitted without feeling the need to punch something in the face.
On day I fell off and noticed I’d scratched the side of the visor. It didn’t affect vision but looks a bit grubby so I bought a tinted jobby for a hefty £42. My best buy this year.

Garmin Montana 680T
Do people still need a staggering £570 worth of handheld Garmin now a spare, big smartphone with a nav app can do the same job (and just about everything else?)? Probably not.
In 2010 Montanas changed the game by enabling the loading of superior third-party digital maps with whom Garmin eventually collaborated. I was unsure about touch screen but it’s been largely fine (use screen protector film) and most of all, once set it up for my needs, the interface is great for what I do: recording tracks and points, or loading a Google-traced tracklog to follow and verify using the BaseCamp App. All the other hunting, fishing, tide and sunset bollocks I ignore, just so I can have the capacity to store detailed background maps and save tracklogs. You can route ir too, like a car satnav, but I rarely use that. It’s best to hardwire a Montana to the bike on a RAM mount, or just use it on battery which lasts two days on screen saver mode.

TCX Midi Boots
I’ve worn these for nearly six years and about 30,000km and can easily see another five years or more in them. They slip on, clip up and off I go.
I like the natural hide colour and don’t see the need for bulky, full-height MX boots; it’s the ankles and feet that need protecting. The odd wade in a stream (left) sees no leakage but they don’t feel too sweaty for membrane boots

Olympus TG5 Tough
‘The Top Gear Hilux’ of all-weather cameras. Unkillable and takes good pics too. My aged Samsung phone camera was rubbish but this year I had to buy an iPhone (7) to work an app. I’ve heard how amazing cameras are on modern smartphones so one day last week I tried to get to grips with shooting on the 7. It’s only got one lens and the quality is about as good as the TG5, but to whip out or use easily on the move one-handed, the TG wins every time. I’d need to get a two-lens iPhone X or higher to get a much better camera, but it’ll still be an arse-ache for banging out a quickie.

Carhartt canvas jacket
I like to think I came across Carhartt in the American West just before they became a fashion brand. As seen in many movies, I wore their classic Detroit shortie in Libya in ’98.
Now, when it’s cold enough, I love an excuse to wear my quilted, chunky ‘duck canvas’ Carhartt Montana (or some such), a horse riding coat made for prairie blizzards which I got for just $110 in the US one time.
Cotton is so much nicer to wear than any membrane Cordura jacket, even if nylon is waterproof and might crash better. The eight pockets are near perfect for my needs, including a drop-in RHS chest pocket for quick camera access. If it rains heavily I’ll wear my 1980s Rukka or stay at home.
My 2016 Carhartt is now sun-bleached but still going strong. Carhartt don’t make this one any more; the nearest looks like the blanket-lined Chore Coat or quilted Super Dux.

Motion Pro Trail + Leatherman Skeletool
With these two tools (about £70 each) plus a wheel wrench, I’ve got all I ever use on the trail. With a couple of extra socket sizes and allen keys, the MoPro pouch covers most small jobs, while the Skeletool knife does lunch and its pliers pull out nails from tyres.

Rechargeable USB pump
A mate showed me his and I got one. From 20 quid on ebay under all sorts of listings, it’ll do a tyre from flat to 25 in 5 minutes, or top up from 17 to 25psi in about a minute (as I had to do daily in Morocco on my ill-sealed rear tubeless tyre).Yes it’s another cheap and cheerful Chinese gadget but it vibrates a whole lot less than my ancient Best Rest 12-volt pump and being cable-free, is much handier to use. I’m yet to flatten it but it’ll recharge from half done? in an hour or two off the wall. While it works, it works.