New 4x4 Gear: ARB flashlight, Redarc charger, The Squatters book

It goes without saying that it isn’t how much you have, but what you have that matters – you don’t need to pack the kitchen sink for every 4x4 trip.

Most of the time, all you need for your getaway is well-packaged, multi-use gear like this.

ARB Pureview 800 flashlight

4

Let there be light! ARB’s new Pureview 800 punches out a massive 800 lumens and throws it up to 300m.

The flashlight has four modes (high, low, medium and strobe) and is IP5 dust-, mud- and water-resistant, all in a tough casing. There is a hidden micro-USB charge port and a charge indicator, along with a lanyard and magnetic belt pouch. The Pureview weighs 400g (515g with pouch) and measures 150mm long, 40mm wide and 35mm deep.

The flashlight runs on a 2600amp/h Li-ion battery, with a seven-hour run-time on Low (four hours on medium; 1.5 hours on high) and takes up to four hours to be fully recharged. With its compact size and that much lighting grunt, it’s a must-have.

Website: www.arb.com.au

Redarc Smartcharge 240V AC charger

4

The new SmartCharge from Redarc is an AC to DC battery charger designed to charge most 12V auto starter and auxiliary batteries (including lithium). The SmartCharge is available in four variants – 4, 6, 8 and 10A – for the charging of vehicle, bike and boat batteries, as well as power sources used in caravans and camper trailers.

The SmartCharge recognises the battery type it is connected to and tweaks its own charging process to suit that battery’s charge status, ambient temp and size. The SmartCharge range is shock- and spark-proof, and it is reverse-polarity protected.

There’s only one on/off switch, making it super easy to use, and there’s an integrated cable storage solution so you don’t have cables messily piled up when not in use. The SmartCharge range is IP65-rated for use in damp and outdoor environments, and it comes with a five-year warranty.

Website: www.redarc.com.au

The Squatters

4

Barry Stone gives us a cracking read about the early settlers who decided to establish the first livestock properties in Australia. These pioneers turned inland to realise their dreams of creating a life for themselves and, in the process, created Australia’s powerful pastoral industry that put ‘the lucky country’ on the international trading map.

The author has used diaries, old newspapers and personal journals to create this book, revealing the stories – the sad, the tragic and the triumphant – behind those old windmills, tumbled-down stonewall fences and sand-filled old homesteads we see as we tour through this country. A great read about a sometimes forgotten part of Australia’s colonial history.

RRP: $30
Website: www.allenandunwin.com