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Getting a bunch of gear freaks like us to whittle their list of "favorite" gear down to three items is like asking an AT NOBO entering Maine to throttle back to ten mile days.
Nonetheless, what has to be done will be done, and we've managed to come up with a short list of favorite gear that we used in 2004.
This isn't really an "Editor's Choice" sort of deal in any formal sense, and it sure as heck ain't an endorsement of Great Gear That Works For Everyone. It's just a list of fine products that made their way - consistently - into our backpacking gear lists month in and month out over the course of 2004.
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1) homemade TarpTent 1 modified with a catenary cut ridge, small beak on foot end, larger beak on head end
2) size medium GoLite Breeze … rides with minimal shoulder weight sitting on top of a trusty old Kelty Moab lumbar pack
3)Therm-a-Rest ProLite 3 – Short
Here are three items I used on my PCT thru-hike that have no equal on the market but could be improved upon:
1. Aqua Mira – Both the lightest and cheapest ClO2 product. 5 min wait is inconvenient.
2. Osprey Aether 45 – Perfect size and features (roll-top, side pockets, compression / laundry line). Needs competition in the comfort department.
3. Nunatak Backcountry Blanket – Versatile, good for people that roll around all night, requires no skill to use. Long (custom) order delays and the elastic drawcord deteriorated.
K.
#1 Without a doubt, Leki non-antishock trekking poles. (Good for old knees)
#2 Hennessey Hammock Ultralight Backpacker. No more wet spots on bottom of sleeping bag! Sleep like a baby!
#3 Any of my homemade alcohol stoves. Especially happy with fuel efficiency (and speed) of Atlanta Randy’s stove (can be seen on Backpacking Magazine’s Feedback “Ultralight Forum”).
*Big Agness SL1 – The mosquitoes never woke me up this summer on the AT
*Nylon running shorts with cool max liner = no chaffing!
*Aquafina bottles for water – light, no cleaning, buy anywhere
Happy Holidays!
1. ULA P-2, personally fitted by Brian in a visit to Logan.
2. Tarptent Squall – I pick it up every now and then to just be amazed at how light and small it is.
3. Brasslite stove – a functional art piece.
1. Smartwool socks – they allways feel warm and dry
2. Softshell jacket (REI One). Not super light for very comfortable and can be worn all day in changing conditions
3. MEC Northern lights pullover – lighter than pile but warmer
1. GossamerGear LightTrek Poles
2. GossamerGear G5 Hyperlight Pack
3. “all things” eVENT (i.e. Int Des eVENT UniShelter bivy and Int Des eVENT Rain Jacket)
3 favorites? Tarptent Squall – Photon Microlight – Montbell Thermawrap. The “Packa” pack cover/rain jacket is right up there, too.
1-Tarptent Squall-easy to setup, lightweight and roomy.
2-Golite Breeze-light, tough and versitile. I’ve used it on backpacking and fishing trips from Alaska to Patagonia and also makes a great airplane carry-on. Modified: added sternum clip and rear mesh pocket clip.
3-Dan Bailey Barebones breathable waders. Used for fishing, fording, hiking in wet, floating, raingear.
1. Highgear axis watch. I broke the strap on a summit and returned it for the smaller version. Very acurate altimiter, compass, and barometer. Only wish the alarm was alittle louder and the backlight stayed on longer.
2. Hessnesy hammock ulralight. I will never sleep on the ground again!
3. Jacks r Better Nest http://www.jacksrbetter.com/index_files/Products%20List_files/Under%20Quilt.htm
Fantastic quilt to keep warm in a hammck. Great by itself to use under a tarp. Nice guys good company!
1.Aqua Mira — How did I ever get along without this two bottle wonder. Replaced all of that “paraphenalia” I used to carry and lose.
2. Tarptent “Virga” — Can a “tent” be any lighter and more useful. Stuffs to the size of a cantalope and at 19 oz lets me carry a few luxuries to sinfully enjoy on the trail.
3. Big Agnes’ REM Air Core Insulated pad. 21 oz and 2.5 inches of sleeping heaven for these 56 year old bones after a hard day on the trail. (I know this is not ultralight or even lightweight, strictly speaking. BUT…)
And if I could name a 4th place, it would be my aquistion of the lightest and warmest piece of clothing I have ever purchased — Montbell’s UL down liner jacket at 9 oz
Happy Tails to all and to all a good night’s sleep!!
1. Bota of Boulder Outback water filtration System (filter in Nalgene bottle). Perfect for dipping and drinking as you go and waiting for the Aqua Mira to do it’s job in your other water carrier of choice.
2. Bozeman TorsoLite pad
3. those wonderful orange Titanium tent stakes-haven’t lost one yet (did 300 miles in CA this summer).
1. Bozeman Mtn. Works Quantum Arc X Quilt. My favorite bag, hands down.
2. Speer 8.5 Hammock with 8×10 Tarp.
Even if its been pouring rain all day and there is no flat,non-rocky ground around if I can find two trees 12-16 ft. apart ( not hard in the east) I will sleep high, dry and in blissful comfort.
3.Brasslite Turbo F Stove.
All I need, no more or less.Perfection.
Gear I’m looking forward to using in the winter of 2005.
1.Golite Hex 3
2.Montrail Stratos XCR’s
3.ThermaRest Prolite 4 Short (15.8 oz.)
1. McHale 0-Sarc UL……….Not the lightest pack but the best carrying pack I have ever owned!
2. Optumus/Brunton Crux Stove…….Great performing Stove!
3. Integral Designs Silcoat Stuff Sacks
Light, Well Designed and the Draw Cord actually stays put when fully stuffed!
Only one: The Vargo Triad
I’m new to backpacking and this stove is what got me out there.
MontBell Thermawrap jacket, beer can alcohol stove, MontBell U.L. Down Hugger #5.
Just got a Go-Lite Jam, but haven’t used it in the field yet.
1. Six Moon Design Starlite Pack w/ vest Harness
2. Marmot Chinook wind Jacket–an oldie but goodie 3 season lifesaver
3. Vargo Triad titanium alcohol stove
AllDownhill Norm
1: Black Diamond Lighthouse Tent – pure luxury for 3 lb.
2: Possum wool sweater – run in it and shorts in cold downpours, just right.
3: Smartwool tops and bottoms – best camp clothes and at home PJs.
Photon II Lights (I carry two)
Tyvek Paper (5’x7′)
Graphite/Aluminum fishing pole
You always need light though not at more than .5 onzes. Tyvek paper because it is multipurpose, and though the vistas are magnificent you still have to catch a few for good eatin’.
1. Snow Peak Ti Giga Power Stove
2. GoLite Race Pack
3. Garmin Geko 301
1. Tarptent Squall. Great shelter esp. for the South and Desert when “critters” become an issue
2. Nunatak arc alpinist. Comfortable warm and so versatile! ( and so Light! )
3. Salomon XA’s and antigravity pot cozy (keep the feet happy and save fuel )
1. The Montbell Thermawrap jacket-blocks wind and is warm without bulk.
The more I wear it the more I like it.
2. Hennessy Hammock
3. Homemade alcohol stove
If I could name a fourth it might be my new inline water filter…I like it alot so far (so nice just to go do something else and come back to clean water) but might try Aqua Mira later.
Granite Gear Vapor Trail pack – like putting on a well-fitted jacket! I, too, have forgotten to take this off at rest stops. (Fixed that by carrying the water bottle inside the pack.)
Thermarest Prolite 4 short – cushiony sleep, and the Vapor Trail pack (empty) with its luxurious backpad nestles against the bottom of the pad to turn it into a full-length pad.
(3rd place tie): MSR Zoid 1 tent and Vasque Sundowner Classic boots – the tent is the perfect combination of space, simplicity, weight, and function. The boots (admittedly not ultralight) fit me perfectly, and are so comfortable I don’t find any need for “camp shoes.” I’ve tried trail shoes, but not found anything that leaves my feet feeling this good at the end of the day.
1. McHale PopCan/SubPop pack. Expensive, yes, and not ultralight, but it’s custom made to my specifications, rugged as hell, and very comfortable. Weighs 3.4 lbs, but has several removable parts (summit flap, water bottle pockets, back pad, cord compression system).
2. TarpTent Squall. Super light and spacious. Like a tarp, but without the bugs.
3. Marmot Hydrogen 30 degree sleeping bag.
Others: Photon Micro lights, Antigravity Gear Pepsi can stove, Montbell Thermawrap Jacket, Montane Aero windshirt, Snow Peak 700 pot/mug.
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