Skurka and Sierra Designs team up for gear

From what I've read of Skurka and his videos/documentaries, he's not one to skimp on durability for light-weight. He sacrifices in other areas if he needs weight savings.

nm

I think the New tent/tarp shelter offerings are the right direction, albeit the cost of them is much too dear and still a bit heavy in comparison to the cottage group.

I was looking at a few of Skurka's gear lists the other day and from what I remember of past lists it appears they've been substantially revised to include gear from his current sponsors (like SD) that didn't actually go on the trips.

For example, his Sierra High Route trip photos show him carrying a GoLite Jam, but the gearlist now says ULA Circuit….

I understand a guy's gotta make a buck, but altering the lists in this way seems a little weird.

"I understand a guy's gotta make a buck, but altering the lists in this way seems a little weird."

Agreed.

Craig,

I think you are reading some motives into Skurkas gear lists that simply is not there.

First if all, ULA us not a sponsor of his. MLD IS a sponsor,but have you ever seen him recommend an MLD pack? :)

Second, Skurka mentioned several months ago on his website he was revising some of his gear lists to reflect CURRENTLY available gear .

He knows folks scan those gear lists looking for his current recommendations or picks. They are not intended to be historical documents but refections of his current choices for those trips.

He sells SHR maps to folks planning trips in the future . He would look pretty stupid recommending a pack for that route made by a company that is no longer in business. That would be just another thing folks here would chide him about.

If SD listens to Skurka, it could be a brilliant move. With the demise of GoLite there is a real opportunity to fill that market niche and SD has all the infrastructure— they just need good designs, which is the listening part :)

I've changed gear lists as well. For example, my list for the A.T. was badly dated so I've updated it several times. Overwhelmingly people are using lists to select their own gear. I do try to mention something like "Here is what I would carry if I hiked the AT again."

I think the point of the gear lists on his site, at least originally, was that they represented what Skurka used for a specific, and very real trip.

If he had gear lists that were generic in nature, i.e. recommended gear list for Alaska in the summer, for example, then obviously updating gear lists over time would make a ton of sense.

"By changing the items that he 'used,' it portends a different motive for his actions. Which happens – we all have to eat."

You are ignoring the fact that he doesn't have a sponsorship with ULA. So updating his gear list for their pack in no way helps him "eat"….

You are calling into question a guy's motives and integrity based on false assumptions.

Everything is an f'n argument here these days.

I'm not calling him unethical or anything of the sort.

I just think it's weird his gear lists no longer reflect what he actually carried.

No offense meant to his character or brands or sponsors or whatever….I've got nothing else to say here.

Craig,

I don't disagree with that. I'd prefer to see what he actually carried as well. He can easily have two. What he carried and what he'd recommend for a similar trip.

I was quoting Dave U, who after being informed why they were updated, and how the pack reflects a currently available one from a NON SPONSOR(as opposed a discontinued one), still said it was a decision based on "we all have to eat."

"You are ignoring the fact that he doesn't have a sponsorship with ULA. So updating his gear list for their pack in no way helps him "eat"…. "

I am referring to the SD connection. Shouldn't you be over in Chaff blowing your brains out?

NM because we don't know.

He should have separate lists. One for the gear he carried on that trip and one for the gear he would carry if he was doing it again.

Idea for SD…
simply bring back the Gnar Hoody
and employ a standardized fit, rather than the strangeass cut that jacket had.
a LW down hoody w/ thumbholes, very cool
and perhaps beef up the fabric at the area which becomes the "palm".

why no one else is doing this eludes me…

EDIT
their new one the DriDown hoody meets this

"I am referring to the SD connection. Shouldn't you be over in Chaff blowing your brains out?"

Seriously. WTF? blowing my brains out? Why don't you address the issues instead of going off half-cocked.

Glavin here from Sierra Designs….

What does this all mean, SD and Skurka partnering? Is he selling out to corporate interests over his experience and what works? Are his lists tailored to sponsorships, or his best advice as to what works?

Good questions.

Let's ask him directly, tomorrow, LIVE, and see what he has to say about it. The topic for tomorrow's double header is shelters, but we will be introducing Skurka and it makes sense to explain all of this directly.

You can sign up for the SD LIVE event at the following link, and can ask your questions in advance of the sessions tomorrow. Note: Skurka will be discussing shelter strategies at 11AM Pacific, and I will be presenting the new 2015 shelters at 1:30PM.

Note that the "strategy" session from Skurka, and the "product" session from me, are deliberately separated for the exact reasons being discussed in this thread. In any case, by watching what we are actually doing tomorrow, you will get a good idea as to how we think this partnership will be "better and different" than what you have seen from these types of relationships historically. Then you can decide.

http://sierradesigns.yourbrandlive.com/c/2015tents

Hope to see you all there!

Michael: "Why don't you address the issues instead of going off half-cocked."

Try saying this in front of the mirror and see how it works.

Here's the gear list for Skurka's biggest trip. It looks original: http://andrewskurka.com/wp-content/uploads/gearlists_alaska-yukon.pdf

And more about his lists. http://andrewskurka.com/2014/gear-list-philosophy-disclaimers-and-additional-resources/

Speculating about motives is dangerous territory when it comes to treating people fairly.

Craig,

His Sierra High trip link to his "gear" now goes to "Backpacking Gear List — High Sierra — Late-Summer." It isn't to his gear list for his hike. It is a generic list. This list is linked to some of the other trips he did and his obviously a guide to help others pick out currently available gear.

Several of his other adventures still contain his original lists. The Hayduke Trail, Great Western Loop, and Alaska-Yukon Expedition in particular still link to his original gear.

So it appears he has updated some lists for the shorter generic trips. He has kept the detailed recounting of some of the longer ones. Much ado about nothing.

Dave,

My basis is reading his site. He has many of his original lists still. He lists his sponsors. I'm going by what he says, not ASSuming anything based on discounts a person can get through him.

"Speculating about motives is dangerous territory when it comes to treating people fairly."

Good point. I will edit my posts because they make Michael's reading comprehension look worse that it actually is and we wouldn't want to hurt his feelings in any way. Chaff is there for that.

"Speculating about motives is dangerous territory when it comes to treating people fairly."

Good post Buck. Just don't forget people have to eat!

I see Craig's point.

He does have two sets of gear lists. One of generic lists for certain types of trips and another for past trips. If you click on the "Sierra High Route | July 2008" link in past trips it takes you to the "Backpacking Gear List — High Sierra — Late-Summer" page in the generic lists. Other trip lists look like the original lists, yet others have nothing. Its confusing to say the least.