Whatever someone else has, he’s strapped a version of it to himself.
Darbay is something of a grotesque manifestation of the technology scattered throughout the Minker-Verse.
Other characters have particular tools or methods for surviving and traversing this hostile environment. Darbay seemingly looked at all of them and decided he needed everything.
Helmet. Flight apparatus. Weapons. Gear. Whatever someone else has, he’s probably found some version of it and strapped it to himself.
There’s an intentional absurdity to him. He’s not exactly an idiot, but there’s definitely a bit of failing upward happening. He’s equal parts threatening, ridiculous and strangely resourceful — an appropriator stumbling through a world whose technology he doesn’t entirely understand.