What’s Your Favorite Piece of Gear?

[Max Dilthey]

I love doing these threads (although, my wallet doesn't; you guys make me spend).

What's your favorite piece of kit, and why?

Call me crazy, but my personal favorite is the Thermarest Z-lite Sol, torso length foam pad. I had a very expensive inflated Thermarest Neo-Air for a half a year before I gave in to desire and grabbed one of these $30 wonders. This thing is beautiful for quick naps, as a support under another mattress, looks completely bombproof, and there's something about that color. I've slept comfortably on hard floor using just that; if it wasn't so cold, I'd abandon my inflatable completely! I love this thing!

[Steve Meier]

Good thread. I just got the Exped Syn 7 L/W pad that is sooo comfortable but I'd have to say my Nano 7 hammock with tulle bug sock and reconfigured suspension with whoopie slings. For about 10 oz it offers amazing comfort at every rest stop every 2-3 hours. It's up in seconds and allows me to take weight off my feet and relax my back and I'm ready to hike again in 15 minutes. Great stuff for a 49 year old with a bad back.

[Max Dilthey]

Awesome hammock! I use a Hennessy Hammock, and it's been great to me, but yours is just plain ergonomic!

[Kenneth Jacobs]

Definitely my Caldera Cone Sidewinder with Gramcracker. I can squeeze almost 2 full 2 cup water boils out of one ESBIT cube with cold water from the inside tap and 24*F outside. Leaves virtually no residue in the Gramcracker and obviously burns efficiently. May have something to do with the Evernew 0.9L Wide pot I use with it…dunno.

I was reluctant to try a Caldera Cone for so long, thinking it was kinda hokey and way to expensive. Now you can pry it from my cold dead hands!

I do also really like my Exped SynMat UL7, but the Caldera Cone/Gramcracker takes the cake.

KJ

[David Ure]

nm

[Travis Leanna]

My Enlightened Equipment Revelation quilt. So versatile and warm!

[James DeGraaf]

My favorite piece of gear would probably be my Hyperlite Mountain Gear 9'x9' cuben flat tarp. It can be set up is so many different configurations. Roomy for one but can easily fit two.

Second is probably Ti-Tri Caldera Cone with Evernew Pot. I use esbit and like mentioned previously, it is crazy how well it works and it packs up nicely.

Third, (can I limit myself to just three?). My custom pink Kalais pack. (I ordered it for my wife originally but due to my miss-measurement the pack fit me better than her. Ordered the size smaller for her too.) Now we have matching pink packs!!

[Jay Wilkerson]

My new Zpacks 20 degree sleeping bag at 22oz. A 6'6 bag with no zipper. Other sleeping bags in this size are 30-36oz if not much heavier.

[Justin McCabe]

Not because it's mind blowingly revolutionary but…my Snowpeak single walled Ti mug. Scooping water, sharing food with friends, my beloved coffee in the morning. my favorite "comfort" piece!

[Max Dilthey]

That pink pack is awesome! haha. I guess i'll pick a #2, then… my Boreas Buttermilk 40 is a wonderful pack. So comfortable without the frame.

The distribution of pockets is flawless, and it never fails to swallow my gear.

[Dean F.]

I have one of the old BPL merino hoodies, which is high on my list. The nearest comparable hoodie that I can think of is the Patagonia R1, which is fleece, and thicker.

I've also become a "full coverage" guy- I avoid hiking in shorts- so my Railriders EcoMesh pants come in quite handy.

I think my MLD DuoMid is almost the Perfect Universal Solo Shelter System (PUSSS). The TrailStar gives it a run for it's money, though, and I may change my mind if I ever get to try out the TrailStar.

[Barry P]

I can’t wait to crawl under my zpack 16.4oz 20F quilt every night.

And I’ve been enjoying my steripen opti more than I expected because of:
1. I love cold mountain mineral water taste. A carbon filter takes out the mineral taste.
2. I don’t have to worry about my filter freezing.
3. 3.6oz weight; smaller and lighter than the filter I was carrying. That Freedom is looking nice :)

-Barry
The mountains were made for Tevas.

[Stephen M]

It had to be my Gooses Feet Down Parka.

[Scott Smith]

A toss up between my Copper Spur UL1 and my WM Versalite

[Aaron Reichow]

Ugh, it's so hard to pick one.

Being winter, I've been in love with my Kahtoola Microspikes.

Other than that-

My pack: ULA Circuit

My shoe: La Sportiva Wildcat

[Mike W]

Definitely my (highly customized) MLD Burn frameless pack.

I had Ron add side compression straps and a padded waist belt and I added an external zipper pocket. The enhancements have made this the perfect pack for me and allows me to use the Burn for trips of up to a week long. The only problem that I have with this pack is that I like it so much that I sometimes use it when I should be using one of my larger packs… but that said, after a couple of days into a hike, I'm always happy I brought it.

[Tony Wong]

MLD Soul Side Zip eVent Bivy in Wide with Upgraded Silnylon 2.0 Floor.

I have had this bomber bivy since 2008 or 2009 and it looks as good as the first day I received it from Ron.

At 13.0 oz. with the Ti Wire hoop, it is not the lightest bivy, but it is so well built that I can not bear to put it aside in favor of one of Ron's lighter ones.

The beauty has allowed me to camp in the smallest of spots…on a granite ledge overlooking a lake for a glorious morning sunrise view, it has weathered 13 hours of howling winds and driving rain at base camp below the summit of Mt. Whitney under my MLD rain poncho and kept me warm and dry, and it gives me comfort at the end of a long day on the trail knowing that it can handle anything I throw at it.

Over time, I have changed shelters, changed cooking systems, sleeping bag to a quilt, and worn out clothing.

The bivy continues to endure.

Ron makes an awesome product!

-Tony

[Max Dilthey]

That bivy is freaking cool!

[whalen e]

Without a doubt, my favorite piece of gear is my sun brilliant yellow Duomid. I stress the yellow because I used to have a shark gray one, but here in the wet Cascades, you might spend a lot of time in your shelter and gray on gray isn't all that pleasant. So I sold the gray, bought the mood altering yellow, and what a difference. Easy to set up when the weather sours suddenly or at the end of a very long day. One of the few enclosed shelters (including tents) that is big enough for me. I enjoy the openness of a tarp but at the end of the day you can only take one shelter–and I reach for Ole Yellow.

[Paul Magnanti]

My MEC hat I paid $4 CDN for in Calgary a few years ago. Simple fleece hat that it is my all-purpose "go to" hat. Light, warm and, dare I say it, stylish! :)

[Bogs and Bergs]

Well, the Copper Spur 1 is right up there, also the RidgeRest SOLite (after many years of blue foam, who knew those little ridges could be so cushy? and a bit of shiny silver coating so warm? and the whole thing cheap and indestructible?), but my first thought was the Vargo Titanium Hex woodstove. 4 ounces, packs flat. Now I have stove redundancy on long trips, and a valuable addition to the daytrip/emergency kit. With that weight and size, I never even know it's in the pack.

[Five Star]

My "favoritest" favorite piece of gear is my custom ZimmerBuilt pack.

Items that continually bring a smile to my face when I get the chance to use them are my Katabatic Gear Sawatch quilt, my AntiGravity Gear pot cozie, my NeoAir, and my Hexamid Solo-Plus.

I have too many favorite clothing items to mention. :o

[Max Dilthey]

I've been looking seriously at that stove. Do you use it often?

[Hoot Filsinger]

Thank you cuben, sil nylons, 800 down, and merino wool but butt paste, leukotape, and a cotton bandana are first on my list.
Hoot

[David Gardner]

Thermarest NeoAir. Because I can finally get a good night's sleep on the trail.

[Author]

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