[Rwagner]

My family has recently picked up the Munchkin deluxe game, and we are loving it, but as predicted it has also led to some arguments over rules. I have two questions, one over-arching and one about a specific instance in a game.

I know that a player may carry (unequipped) any number of small items and one large (ignoring cards that change this).
However, are players able to then carry what the rules refer to as "one shot items?" I see how potions could be carried, but cards such as 'doppelgänger' or 'loaded die' don't seem to be actual items, more just actions that can be played in my mind. (similar to a level up or curse card, things that must remain in your hand)
In several games we have ended up with one player that remains in control of majority of cards, think 15+ cards on the table unequipped, in order to avoid giving cards from their hand away in charity. Is this something they are allowed to do?

And my second question. This refers to a specific instance in a game. Player 1 drew his first door card, which was not a monster. He then looked at his cards, and knew he had a level 12 monster. Originally, he was at level 13. Before 'looking for trouble', he unequipped a headgear worth 2 levels, bringing him down to 11 total, and thus he couldn't beat the monster. At this point he played the monster in his hand, and then played a card that allowed him to take an item from another player provided that it was the difference between winning and loosing a fight (sorry, don't remember the actual card name). After taking the item from Player 2 and winning the fight, he reequipped the headgear, and kept the item from Player 2.
We all knew that you can't change the state of your gear before a fight, but this maneuver seemed not right to the rest of us. Is he breaking any official rules or just being extremely strategic when he does this?

Thanks in advance for the help!