your gear of choice

“I'm interested to hear what you guys carry for your weekendmigh to week long trips. Like pack, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, tent and any other essentials ... might be cool to compare”

“I don't really backpack, I just come here for birdfood recipes and stuff like that....”

“Yea ... I got a good catfood recipe from here once.”

“Most of the people here are complete gear snobs and unless you have a $600 down sleeping bag that weighs under a pound but is good to 20 below, they won't even talk to you about gear. Mine was $34.99 at Campmore like 15 years ago so they all treat me like some kind of knuckle dragging, neandrathol troglodyte ....”

“That is so not true.

Much of the gear I use on every trip is free, like the cool whip container I always eat out of or the water bottles I use. It's not about money, it's about what works and is light.
Experience will determine what you like, but the very first thing that should occur to you is, how useful or necessary is this piece of gear and how much does it weigh?
You can learn a lot reading gear list people post, with experience, you can get a good laugh out of some of them.”

“Well obviously you can't teach a horse to see the forest in the mouth.....”

“Maybe the reason you're treated like a "knuckle dragging, neandrathol troglodyte ...." has nothing to do with your sleeping bag choice.. lol.”

“I concur...”

“It's pretty much alway the same for me, whether a weekend close to home or something way more exciting:

REI Mars pack
REI helium bag
Eureka Spitfire 1
Big Agnes insulated air core
Jetboil
MSR hyperflow filter
Hot Chilis long johns
TNF Mountain light shell
Columbia fleece
light synthetic gloves
balaclava
add jeans & t-shirt, a bag of food and water and I can go almost anywhere.”

“Is the rei brand stuff good? I always wonder about store brands”

“dOOd, put some thumb loops on your shoulder straps to keep them knuckles off the horse trail.”

“I started off with Walmart type gear. Over time I did a lot of research and slowly upgraded as my funds allowed. What ever works for you is all that is important. Right now I use: Granite Gear Latitude Vapor pack. Montbel 15 deg down bag, MSR Hubba tent, and I use a Pepsi-can alcohol stove.”

“REI makes great stuff! Also their service is excellent.”

“Thats interesting ... I always thought you wanted to stay away from store brand ... like eating shoprite cereal ... just kinda a step below real coco puffs.”

“If that's a rule, REI would be the exception. It's a co-op.. maybe that's the difference.”

“I've gone through many iterations of the gear that I take out now.

Basically, I have winter gear, including sled and four season tent, etc.

Then there is the spring/summer gear which means lighter tent, gear, etc since I won't be hauling in a sled.

Of course gear if a very personal perspective purchase. Some people get by very nicely with gear they've found at Walmart and then there are some who insist on a five hundred dollar sleeping bag. i would have been divorced twenty years ago if I was one of those people.

Long story short answer is my clothing gear of choice is Mountain Hardwear, tent is Sierra Designs, Marmot, and Mountain Hardwear, stove and kitchen Snow Peak. Sleeping bag is a used Western Mountaineering and I also have a used Big Agnes Insulated Core pad.”

“This is a fairly standard solo three season pack list for me with almost no changes since 2003 (though I have some variants - for example, I have a Big Agnes Fly Creek UL tent). I will drop some of the warmer clothing in the summer, especially if I won't be above tree line.

Mountainsmith Ghost 38 ounces
Sleeping Bag Western Mountaineering Caribou 21 oz.
Sleeping Bag liner - synthetic (4 oz?)
NeoAir matress (this is the newest addition)
Hennessy Hammock A-Sym (w/original tarp) 31 oz
4 stakes:
First Aid/emergency/medical hygeine kit (incl. bug spray, iodine tabs, sunscreen lotion, whistle, compass, toothbrush, toothpaste, bandages…)
Pants: Shorts + w/zip on legs, Bergalene type pants
Shirts: One short, two long Capilene type
Rain Jacket: Marmot Precip
Liner gloves
liner baklava
Fleece vest
Bandana (synthetic)
Back Diamond Moonlight headlamp
Trail maps
Matches
Knife
Pur Hiker
2 pair coolmax underwear (one worn + extra)
2 pair socks (smartwool trail runners – one on, one back-up)
New Balance Trail Runners
Leki Titanium Ultralight trekking poles:
70 oz platypus (+one back up soda bottle with duct-tape wrapped around it)
No Stove! .
Zip log bag w/tp
Multiple bags of different size (trashbag, grocery bag, zip locks)
50’ non stretch rope
last edited: 12/04/11 7:09:56 PM”

“Big Agnes seed house sl1
wm miti lite
Thermarest pro light 3
Go light jam2
Msr pocket rocket w/Titan kettle
Various platty bottles”

“I'm not a big fan of my gear but it works and I use mostly the same stuff on any trip.

I'm a huge fan of the value of the Spitfire because you get such an easy, light tent for the price.

The Jetboil makes life easy and I'm carrying less fuel and utensils than you.

My first Mars pack I chose over Ospreys & Gregorys. The current is a later model that was $99 online - not as comfortable.

The Helium bag is chilly for its 20 degree rating, but very small & light.”

“If you wanna call me a cheapass knuckle dragger, I don't know anyone who would argue.”

“Strat, that's not the reason we treat you like a knuckle dragging, neandrathol troglodyte”

“Here's my big four:

WINTER GEAR (9 lbs. 5 oz)

Osprey Ariel 65 (4 lbs - heavy but oh so comfy)
Marmot Helium 15 degree down bag (2.2 lbs)
Big Agnes Insulated Air Core (24 oz)
Lightheart Solo (27 oz)

SUMMER GEAR (6 lbs. 8oz.)

Go Lite Jam 2 (1 lb. 11 oz)
Western Mountaineering Megalite 32 degree down bag ( 1 lb. 8oz.)
Big Agnes Insulated Air Core (24 oz.)
Lightheart Solo (27 oz.)”

“Blue Jeans”

“Lmao --- bet those jeans are life savers ... if you make cheap gear work why go expensive? I'd rather be a knuckle draggin Neanderthal”

“Cheap gear can work, but in my case I wanted lighter weight that is also durable. When I started backpacking I was carrying 45 to 60 lbs. Now I average about 30-35.”

“That makes sense ... is that a winter gear weight?”

“Ped, you always carry 50' of rope?”

“I'm assuming food bag hanging rope.”

“Ahhh, didn't think of that. I thought he was goin Bear Grilles on us.
Of corse, there always Mojo bark.... It makes excellent cordage, and it's full of vitamin C...”

“Strat- It's not always 50', but I almost always carry enough to hang a bear bag with some left over.

I carry a stove if I am going with other people who I'm going to share food with.”

“What exactly is a bear bag? I know I should probably already know this”

“Should you encounter a bear, that's a bag that can contain him until the authorities arrive. You use the rope to tie it shut. Be careful with that part..”

“Don't forget the bear spray. It is excretion from female bears in heat. You will need it to lure the bear into the bag.”

“You guys crack me up.”

“Yea and I bet its filled with all kinds of bear goodies like fresh steak too right”

“Sig Sauer P229 in .40 S&W
IPad
IPhone
"Can Barely WalkMan"
Dog (Cut the leash to save weight)
Extra plastic to feed the fire
Steamed veggies and beanie weenies
(No tent I double up with friends)”

“Gotcha Peddy.

Howdy Hillbilly! How's things? Nice to see you. Sure wish you'd drag me out on a hike this spring....”

“A bear bag is a bag you put your food and most anything else that would attract bears.

It can be useful in case of a bear attack - if you hit your hikin' buddy over the head with it and take off as fast as possible, chances are by the time the bear has eaten what's in the bag, and your buddy, you'll be long gone. Less enlightened hikers simply try to hang the bags out of reach of bears and other hungry critters. I sometimes use an Ursack which is heavier than most bags, but has the added benefit of being tough for bears to get into.”

“at makeThs sense ... is that a winter gear weight?”

When I started my AT thru-hike my pack was 39 lbs, that was with winter gear, water and about 5 days of food. When I went to my summer gear, I was as low as 26 lbs.”

“26? Geesh that's like 2 cotton balls and a toothbrush...Wow

Ok, who else?

Come on....”