non-namebrand gear

“My favorite all time trail running shoes were HI-Tek shoes. Man, I wish Id bought a dozen of em!!”

“i have a ton of l.l. bean stuff. now i say they aren't name brand in a backpacking type conversation. i had one person say to me that they couldn't get past the stigma of yuppyism enough to use any of it. the stuff works. i have: tent, boots, fleece vest, hiking pants and long johns. no heavier than name brand, works just as good as the big names at less cost.”

“Anybody remember Wilderness Experience? (went bankrupt in late 1980's). I still have one of their original internal frame packs. Still use it occasionally.

Also have a Feathered Friends bag I bought in 1980 (I think that's right). They were fairly new and sold them cheaper than North Face, Marmot. etc. Still use it to this day.

Also have a great Gortex top & bottom set with the brand name "Sierra Country." Sealed seams and everything on it. It rocks!”

“I love the LL Bean stuff as well as REI. If it fails, send it back...no questions asked.”

“Was checking out Mary Janes foods and they do look yummy but dang! A bit steep on the prices. The nutritional values seem to be about half of what the Enertia Trail Foods run.”

“Only off brand stuff I have that's got a name on the tag is my ULA P2 pack and my Isis rain gear. Couldn't be happier with either item.

I do have several mystery brand shirts, etc. If it's coolmax or polyester it'll do in most cases.”

“Top Dawg...I used to sell Wilderness Experience gear...I still have two external frame packs and some gore-tex rain gear that's 20+ years old and still kicking.

Anyone remember Camp-7 ?”

“I have a 30 degree bag and I have a fleece bag and thought about combining the two for winter camping...BUT the fleece is heavy...I was wondering about a polyester liner for my bag??/or maybe a liner made out of a lighter fleece??...any ideas or suggestions?”

“ohh..or silk maybe???//wooo hoooo”

“Can you sew at all? You can buy some nice polyester silk pretty cheap and a bag is easy to sew. Maybe cost ya about $12. You can also find some real light fleece at fabric stores that works well. In the end though you'd better off buy a whole new bag because I don't think a liner is going to make enough difference. If you bag's rating is 30 degrees you can count on it being good to 40 or so. The liner will only add 5-10 degrees.”

“I bought a $5 cookset at Big Lots about 7 or 8 years ago. Stainless, light weight. I only use the 1qt pot, but it cooks evenly, is relatively easy to clean and has been more functional than the MSR cookset I have.

I think the mfg. was Texas Sports.”

“i posted about Mary Jane's Farm months ago, you bastards!
;-)”

“I believe VauDe is from Germany.”

“Marmot (aka Sarboy) has a good point - even the best name brand gear won't save your @$$ if you don't know how to use it. I think my best gear is my knowledge and experience. I got severe frostbite 48 years ago, when I was seven years of age and things have only been getting better since. It amazes me how much easier everything has become with the gear that is now easily available.”

“I'm going to date myself here, but anyone remember Frostline Kits? They were around for awhile in the 70's. I believe you could either buy their clothes/bags/tents in the completed form, or as sew-it-yourself kits. My mom made me a down vest once. What I remember most is having to sear the edges on every piece of nylon over a candle before assembly. Very tedious!”

“Nigal,

I've not compared nutritional values between MaryJanes and Enertia. Quite honestly, Otter and I never get beyond the ingredients in Enertia. We tend to buy all organic when possible. MaryJanes is 100% organic, while Enertia isn't. That and Enertia uses some preservatives that she can't have, and I shouldn't.

Alpine, I remember Frostline kits. In high school, I did a bike tour with a guy that had panniers made from one of those kits. nice design, and his mom made them so well, that we could use them to carry water in!”

“I got an Eddie Bauer brarnd internal frame backpack and water bladder at Target; both have been satisfactory.”

“isnt feathered friends pretty much a name-brand above all? them and western mountainering (sp) have always been the absoloute top-noch best as far as sleeping bags go from what ive always been told. not that i wouldnt mind having one :)

and i figured this thread would bring a few gear snobs out of the woodwork

-nate”

“We have been purchasing Lipton food in a pouch and tuna in a pouch instead of buying the backpacker's kitchen expensive stuff sold by most outfitters.”

“"Anyone remember Camp-7 ?"
Wind Walker
11:36:06 PM
10/06/03

As a matter of fact, I have an old Camp 7 sleeping bag, rated to 0 degrees, that I bought about 20 years ago. I think it was one of the first quallofil bags. It has served me quite well, though it is fairly heavy by today's standards and I don't use it often any more. It got pretty nasty and I tossed it in the washing machine a couple of years ago and it looks like new. Seem to recall I paid about $120.00 for it back in the early '80s.”

“i have the antigravity gear Mama's Kitchen cookset. awesome & very light, but i did make it a new windscreen based on Stove Stomper's design. the original windscreen is totally inadequate, IMHO.

i also have an Eddie Bauer 3300 cubic inch internal frame pack from Target. cost me $50 and works very well, although the hipbelt rides up a bit in front. i slashed a bunch of extra junk off of it and it weighs around 3.5 pounds now.

i have a fair bit of home-made stuff, too. here's my 10x10 silnylon tarp

my silnylon, 4-person tipi tent

as well as my trail diapering kit, and my fleece sleeping bag doubler (so my husband and i only have to carry one sleeping bag). my next project is a silnylon poncho/tarp.

and i have a Wilderness Experience down sleeping bag. it's fairly old and heavier than a comparable modern bag (3 pounds for a 20-degree bag), but it is WARM and quite nice.”

“I have BP Mags issues #3-40something and I love seeing the old ads from all these little gear companies that had some great ideas. Some wild like an external frame pack that had a bag in front and back with the frame that started in the back and went over the shoulders to the front; and some that were just very practical like bivies that had a small tarp at the head of the bag that went up and over the head with two small poles that held it up.

Gore Tex was just coming out then and it was the big craze back then as well as freeze dried foods.”