New 4x4 Gear: Dometic solar blanket, Black Wolf tent, Carbon offroad soft shackles

New technology and materials have given 4x4 enthusiasts a whole slew of new 4x4 gear such as Dometic's portable solar blanket, Black Wolf's lightweight Tuff Tent and Carbon Offroad soft shackles, that promises to make life on the tracks easier.

Dometic PSB150 portable solar blanket

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This new remote power solution from Dometic is built tough and light, coming in at around one-third the weight of a glass solar panel of an equivalent size. The PSB150 uses C60 SunPower monocrystalline cells and has an EFTE anti-reflective and scratch-resistant coating, ensuring it is up to the task of bush travel power-ups.

The PSB150 has six different battery charge types – AGM, GEL, Wet, Lithium Iron Phosphate, Calcium and LTO – and features an inbuilt LCD screen that displays charging current, voltage, charge capacity, fault codes and the type of battery being charged. Also included is a five-metre cable, Anderson connector, alligator clips and a handy carry bag.

The unit has protection systems that cover reverse polarity, over-voltage and over-heating. It is rated to IP65 for dust resistance and water splashes.

Website: www.dometic.com

Black Wolf Tuff Tent 10

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This new uber-tent from Black Wolf (BW) is ideal for the large camping family, with three rooms and enough space for up to 10 people (it measures six metres in length). As per the rest of the BW Tuff Tent range, this model is built tough and light (for its capacity) at 23kg.

The heavy-duty 150-denier polyester fly combines with the 300D polyester floor, beefy 19mm steel poles and numerous guy ropes to make this bush accommodation option able to cop plenty of wild weather and keep everyone inside dry and sheltered. On top of that, the floor is tape seam-sealed (as is the fly).

For warmer conditions the tent has plenty of ventilation, with the gusseted windows (all include no-see-um mesh) so they can be kept open even during heavy rain. The three rooms are separated via curtain dividers (these can be rolled back for a more open space).

Website: www.blackwolf.com.au

Carbon Offroad Monkey Fist soft shackles

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The Carbon Offroad Monkey Fist 12mm Dyneema soft shackle is rated at a 14-tonne minimum breaking strain and, with a super heavy-duty braided tight sheath over the Dyneema core, is built to take some abuse. The oversized Monkey Fist knot ensures zero chance of the shackle coming apart during a recovery. Plus, the removal of a solid metal item ups the safety aspect of the process itself.

Disassembly of the shackle after load is applied is just as easy if not easier than a steel shackle. The soft shackle is considerably lighter than its metal equivalent, doesn’t sacrifice any performance, is highly corrosion-resistant and is more ‘flexible’ in use. It’s a no-brainer to go the soft option.