The shields are thermocouples to generate solar power, in those days before photovoltaic cells -- well, they'd just been patented a few months before and nobody had heard of them yet or even knew why they worked.
The poles are, I think, just trekking poles with gaffs on them to help with steep inclines.
Nick's hat was coloured to look like a cigarette butt, but the resemblance is uncanny.