Durable Gear

[Shawn]

Changing the tone from another thread:

GTG mentioned not having the gear that we started with. That got me to think about gear that I started with (circa 1997) and thought it might be interesting to know others' experience so:

What did you start hiking with (OME)

Therma Rest Lite 3/4 length
A "Peak" cook pot that my kids gave me
A GAZ stove
The lexan spoon from REI that I bought after forgetting one for my first Wind River trip.
Blue fleece jacket from Lands End
Polypro long underwear


Maybe not starter gear but "What is the most durable gear you use."
Still use the same kind of Outdoor Research gaitors although I've worn a couple pair out.
The Leki poles are not OME but they are getting some years and miles on them and just seem to keep on ticking.

I'm on my second pack and second sleeping bag.
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The bear went over the mountain to see what he could see.

[BoyNhisDog]

Where did you get this idea from? LOL

Before and After;

Circa 1965, Korean war rucksack, two wollen blankets, military canteen with nesting cooking pot, blue jeans, sweatshirt, cap and Converse Allstars.



A few weeks ago in the heart of the 2008 Sonoran Winter;


Osprey pack (good all around pack that I have used for about two years), MSR drom bag for water, MSR ti kettle, all used for years now, Rail Rider weather pants, Mountain Hardware shirt, Tilley hat and New Balance shoes (thanks to Tim’s influence on the shoes. I still can't walk as far as him though).

As for the poles, I finally had it with Leki this winter while up on a deep long snow hike. The things loose height over the miles and in very cold they can flat out collapse on you. As you see I have some Black Diamond carbon fiber Alpine sticks now, much better lock system and hand strap system. Good light poles!



You can see girlfriend walking point and breaking trail on the low cliff to stage right.
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Seize from every moment its unique novelty and do not prepare your joys
- Andre Gide

[Matt Hoffman]

May I post here? I promise I won't be mean.

My first backpacking trip was on Thanksgiving Day, 2002. I hiked from Peralta Trailhead to the Roger's Canyon cliff dwellings; solo. At the time, I didn't even own a sleeping pad. I had an old REI sleeping bag I purchased at one of their Garage Sales, temperature rating unknown. I remember bringing my MSR Pocket Rocket stove, a MSR titanium cookpot (a really small one that I still use) and a Lexan spoon to eat my Mountain House spaghetti with. I'm sure I brought some miscellaneous food and clothing as well as plenty of water. I jammed it all into a Lowe Alpine pack that I had bought for rock climbing trips. It was the biggest pack I had, about 1800 cubic inches I think. I had to strap the sleeping bag to the outside of the pack cause it didn't fit inside. Oh yeah, I didn't own a tent either. Of course it rained, so I slept in the cave beside the ruins. I awoke the next morning to a ringtail chewing a hole in my pack. It was still dark out and it scared the crap out of me. I left promptly and started my hike out in the dark. Oh...those were the days!
I still have the pack, and it still goes climbing with me.
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"Your day-glo ballet days are over." Ancient chinese proverb.
http://web.mac.com/climbingsponge/Matt_Hoffman_Images/Welcome.html

[Hikngrl]

Awww Matt... of course you can post! We will even forgive your grumpiness of the other day....we all have a bad moment now and then.
Now let's every one come together and have a big group hug!
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~~~Diane~~~

I want to shine!

[MikeInFHAZ]

I started with a $350 Arc'teryx Bora 65. Weight was around 6lbs.
I now use either a Golite Jam (winter) or a $60* Zpacks Blast (summer). The Blast is 3 ounces @1600 cubes. All my stuff fits in there at the same weight as my original pack. you gotta love it
*got the original prototype model so the cost was less. also, 1oz/yard Cuben is much more durable than the same weight sil-nylon. It seems very durable for what it is, and repels catclaw.
now, if I can find a way to fly fish while lying in a hammock, I'll be good to go.

I used a t-rest guide series, then switched to a prolite 3 after Brian @ Cascade heard many suggestions (including mine) to make a mummy shaped pad. It has many holes.

the cookpot was a GSI anodized aluminum set big enough for 4- I only used the solo size and then even that was a little much-switched to a Heineken pot/can and never looked back. its basically free, and comes with beer

my first tent I think was a Eureka Rainier (sold to dreamsarework) and now I use a hammock or a tarp.

my bag was a 15° down REI brand. dont recall the name. Now I use a quilt made by JrB, or a WM ultralight.

clothes are whatever I can find that dont match.
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http://www.arizonahikers.com/board/albums/albwb18/BRIDGE.sized.jpg
bridge hammock, quilts and tarp (all DIY)

what i do

[fairweather8588]

Started with a external Kelty Trekker 4300, some slumberjack bag (rating and weight, lord only knows), Thermarest Ultralite full length, Kelty Zen tent, MSR Whisperlite, MSR Blacklite pot, Black Diamond Moonlight headlamp, Montrail Torre GTX boots (still use on extremely rare occaisons, like next weekends Humphreys climb), Thermarest Pillow (still use), a camelbak (still use sometimes) and a couple of nalgenes. Assorted other small things that I can think of off the top of my head.

I think my "Big 3" weight was around 11 lbs, total pack weight now is anywhere from 5 to 10, depending on how Im feeling. I remember starting out making around 10 mile roundtrip backpacks, and since I've joined the Gear Weight Watchers I've been able to knock out 36 in one day. I've seen the light, and it is good!
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But let the mind beware, that though the flesh be bugged, the circumstances of existence are pretty glorious


Kerouac

[Nighthiker]

Illionois, boy scout pack. Retired, it hangs on the wall. Moved to Arizona in 67 and bought a USMC WW II pack. Retired it also hangs on the wall.

Vietnam era combat harness, still in use. Vietnam era Alice Pack, still in use.
Current USMC issue backpack, patrol daypack and hydration pack, still in use. Current issue USMC 2 person tent and one person combat tent.

1987 M416A 1/4 ton trailer (USAF issue) to haul camping gear and a 05 Jeep (the original quad) Wrangler Willy edition to tow it with.

All items very durable and in earth tone colors.

[azbackpackr]

Started with a 1969 Camp Trails pack (it never was very comfortable for me, but I have a friend who still uses one. That bright orange fabric sure does fade out after 35 years or so), same year Sierra Designs sleeping bag (I still have it somewhere) official Sierra Club Cup (still own it), Svea stove (still own one, don't use it, though), Pivetta boots (unlined Italian leather blister-makers), Sportif shorts and pants, ragg wool socks with the red stripes along the tops, also used to hike in Redwing boots, the tall kind with the moccasin toes and waffle-stomper tread. I started dayhiking seriously with the Sierra Club when I was about 12, so Mom bought me those Redwing boots.

I find that a lot of long-time backpackers have and still use old stuff. I posted a photo of myself on that other thread, wearing the A16 pack I still use from 1976. I think the pan I use is pretty old, it's aluminum, very light, but I can't remember if I used it in the 70's. There was a period of time when I didn't go backpacking at all, when I lived in Hawaii. I just lived outside for about 8 years during that time, but only went backpacking once.

Don't get me started on old stuff. Anyway, hubby says Monk is on.....

[Hikngrl]

My first back packing pot! And I was terribly proud of it! Not sure if I ever carried it again after this hike, and this hike was only like a 1/4 of a mile into Horton Creek! It's my car camping pot now!
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~~~Diane~~~

I want to shine!

[PageRob]

Its so shiny!
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Anywhere is within walking distance if you spend the time.

[oliverr99]

I feel like after reading everybodies past and present gear, we should hear/read something like.....

hiking to see the perfect views....priceless!
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Anne
"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened" -- Dr. Seuss

[azbackpackr]

Diane, there is a pot just like that one around here in the house somewhere that my son found up at Josephine Saddle, near the Boy Scouts' memorial.

Found objects have not been mentioned here. That would be worth a new thread. What is the best piece of gear you have ever found and kept?

I know someone out there has my pal Cameron's expensive Leki hiking poles! He left them hanging on a tree, but when he went back to get them, they were gone. Maybe he should join that other club, the one for people who always lose things!

As for the perfect hiking views--it is snowing wet, yucky snow up here in town, but if I drive up to Pole Knoll or Green's Peak after getting some work done around the house I'm sure I will enjoy skiing a new layer of snow on top of the old. But how many photos do you really want to see of snow and pine trees? I've already posted lots of them. Not much variety there. It's the DOING of it that counts, in my book. Come on up! XC skis are cheap to rent. I even have a spare pair to loan for a 5'11" person with size men's 11 shoes.

[AFScout80]

So I did a year of training in the Air Force with the SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape) fellas. They have this Indoctrination Course (glorified tryouts)that's 5 nights long in the wilderness--just south of Austin, TX. I did it in February and the washout rate during Oct-Jan was an alarming 80%. Before I even got to the schoolhouse I started hearing war stories and started freaking out--guys catching hypothermia, passing out from exhaustion, getting lost, couldn't start fires, getting beat up, etc. I was worried because I didn't know anything about building natural shelters, gathering food, starting fires, how to purify water without a fire, how to navigate, etc. I really had a mental battle--thinking what the hell did I get myself into.

Then I got to the schoolhouse and was privy to the gear they took into the wilderness on this trip: magnesium strip, waterproof matches, compass, GPS, topo map, 2 canteens, MSR waterbag, iodine tabs, medical kit, multi-purpose knife, buck knife, axe, parachute for shelter, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, parachute chord, 2 tarps, winter jacket, 3 MRE's, pens, waterproof notebook, extra clothes, poncho blanket, mess kit, hygiene kit, signal mirror, infrared strobe light, flares, and a whistle.

A total of 70 lbs of gear we hauled on our backs and before the woods trip--they teach you how to effectively use it all. I was astounded---how could a person not survive comfortably with all that gear? It was a hard 5 days, but an easy, fun hard.
I also found out, the primary reason so many candidates quit is because they don't like teaching in front of their peers, not because they weren't woods savvy.

I am no recruiter, but for all you young bucks who are considering the military (think long and hard)--I would suggest you consider this job. It's even open to females--as it is a non-combat oriented job. At the time I was there (2004) there were 350 SERE Instructors and only 13 of them were female. I have no doubt that a lady who hikes in AZ and enjoys teaching could be successful in the program. Just PM me if you are interested, but my suggestion is if you can make a comfortable, enjoyable living as a civilian--then do that. Take care and gitterdun.
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"Much is not dared because it seems hard, much seems hard because it is not dared"

[maryphyl]

This is hard--at first we borrowed stuff and then thinking we knew it all we bought a 7 pound Lowe pack for Robert and an external frame women's pack--Jansport--for me. We got one of those North Face 8 pound winter tents for a gazzilion bucks and two blue kazoos. The first hike with this gear was to thunder river. The park gave us a hand drawn sketch of the trail. The first night we made it to the top of the coconino--we were supposed to be on the esplanade but did not know what that was. The next night we made it across surprise valley where i collapsed from heat exhaustion (it can be hot in april).

Robert used that pack for years--it was comfortable. Mine ate holes in my hips so a couple of years later i got a 4 pound pack made here locally in Flag. My next pack was a 3 pound Lowe. Several years ago I got two of those white Kelty packs--We still use those as they proved comfortable, light and durable. They don't cook your food in the pack. Last year I bought a 6 oz pack I have only been able to use once so far. We have all ultralight stuff now. Last night i used my Excel program to decide what we should take for a 4 day canyon trip for tomorrow. With a tent and lots of warm stuff it looks like Robert's pack will be about 20 pounds and mine will be 18. Funny thing but that seems heavy to me now. mary

Afterthought--we gave away all our old stuff to Cameron kids just starting out.
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Shikekeh hozhoogo naasha.
I walk in beauty.

[PageRob]

Best bit of found gear was in Bullet Canyon, where we found some pretty nice rope, about 150' of it!
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Anywhere is within walking distance if you spend the time.