You Tell Me…What is the Best Gear Ever???

MLD Soul Side Zip Bivy with eVent Top.

This one piece of gear has completely changed how I go backpacking and opened up a world of options for going lighter.

It has allowed me to go with a lighter sleeping bag as the bivy has enhanced my sleeping system by helping capture body heat. This in turn has allowed me to consider lighter/different sleeping pads, such as my GG Torso pad and thinlight pad.

It has also radically changed my shelter setup, allowing me to move from a tarptent to a poncho tarp. Again a two fold weight savings in my rain gear and shelter.

Another synergy of these changes is that I can now consider going to a smaller/lighter pack as these changes have decreased the volume of gear needed to be carried.

Best Gear Ever with the Best Quality of Workmanship- MLD Bivy Baby!

*Now only if Ron could make a blow up doll out of cuben…that might be the best ever. :)

-Tony

Tough choices. I'll restrict my gear to ultralight stuff, so that leads me to:

1) Propore Rain Gear — Not only is this great gear, but it epitomizes the trade-offs necessary to get to ultralight. It is extremely light, very breathable but also extremely fragile. It doubles as a bug shirt and bug pants (something a poncho can't do very well).

2) Tarp Tent Squall 2 — The first single walled tent I owned was an Eureka tent. While Eureka used to make great tents (and may still make some good ones) but this one has its weaknesses. While the Eureka tent was a few ounces less then my previous one, it didn't breath very well and it was bit cramped. The Squall 2 is much lighter, roomier and breathes better. In every way it is a superior product, not only to the Eureka tent, but to just about any tent made by a major manufacturer. So not only is it a great tent, but it clearly showed how superior the cottage gear makers can be.

3) Feathered Friends Penguin plus Groundsheet — This allows my wife and I to sleep in roomy comfort, while carrying much less weight then if we brought two bags.

4) This Website — There are so many other pieces of gear that I've bought and really enjoy, that it would be hard to list them all. However, almost all of them were found via this website. Not only has it lead to many smart purchases, but it has lead to feeling really good about the purchases. It is a bit like buying great produce at a farmers market. Not only do the folks make great gear, but they respect the other folks that make it, and have a tremendous amount to add to the discussions that take place.

Not necessarily in order of best to whatever…

1. Tarptent Sublite

2. NF Beeline

3. BPL SUL Firelite Ti pots: 1100(Manny), 900(Moe), 550(Jack). They all rock.

4. Luxurylight backpack

5. Snow Peak GST-100

6. Therma-Rest NeoAir: Small, Medium and Regular (Most comfortable sleep-in-the-woods I've had in 40 years.

When you get right down to it: All my current kit.

plain and simple

standard 8×10 flat tarp
20 Degree quilt
breathable bivy
frameless pack
trailrunners

everything else is just white noise!

My brain.

Someone had to say it.

>My brain.
>Someone had to say it.

Right on, Chris! An ounce of applied intelligence can replace ten pounds of gear any day.

Stargazer

Chris,

According to my life insurance policy….death by stupidity is covered.

Based on that, I would say that using my brain is completely unnecessary and overrated.

+1 on this website and the BPL Handbook….where it all started.

-Tony

Jim Baileys Loco Coco…

without it I might have a hard time sleeping at night!

Thank you Backcountry Bartender!

There's so much. Faves have gotta be:
1. Tyvek contractors overalls – the best rain gear in the world!
2. SmartWater 1L plastic water bottles, with orange evernew bottle caps added (love the little plastic tabs so you can't lose the bottle caps)
3. IKEA orange plastic cup, perfect size, perfect weight, perfect color!

Gear that is currently rocking my world (although not all of this I've actually tested yet):

1) NeoAir Small – A good nights sleep for 9oz!
2) MLD Revelation – Never again will I switch packs just to save more weight.
3) Tinder-Quik – A 5g sparker + 0.4g tinder = Under 0.5oz for loads of firestarting
4) Petzl e+LITE – All the light I need for under an ounce
5) GoLite Ultra 20 – This thing is perfect and affordable
6) PlatyBottles – For making 6oz Nalgene bottles seem ridiculous.
7) North Face Triumph Anorak – Stylish & bomber waterproof for 5.4oz.

Non-Gear 'Bests':

1) Golite – For getting me started
2) BPL – For teaching me so much
3) YouTube – The how-to videos on here are amazing
4) MS Excel – For making gearlists sexy.