What is YOUR luxury item

Good Scotch.

…and a noon-day fire-starter

Bender, I'm diggin' it. Where did you find one?

BTW, I received the DAM – looks great!

A good dram of scotish single malt

my solaris 3 winged solar panel on top of my pack ~7 oz

plus my ipod and headphones, i make speakers out of my cookpot if i need speakers.

and a book.

with my family we bring a metal unfolding table we got at REI. my dad has always tried to convince me that its useful, but i dont know why my stove needs to be 4 inches off the ground.

another person i know brings a lightweight hatchet. go figure, i guess HYOH, right?

IPhone (or iPod Nano if I'm feeling lucky) plus a AA battery charger on long-distance hikes:

1. The phone part of the iPhone, JIC (and to report to my wife that I'm not dead at the bottom of some ravine)

2. The iPod part because I can have eBooks, audiobooks, music, and even movies for the weight of a single paperback. There's nothing quite like drifting to sleep to the sound of Ralph Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis.

Stargazer

Some folks would say a little brown liquor is mandatory. Bourbon for me.

Thermarest Compak chair. Brunton weather station.

I carry a little Everclear flavored with lemon zest or caraway seed. Dilute it before drinking. Tastes better than it sounds. It can also be used for treating feet and for sterilization.

On kayak trips, when conditions are rough and your ears are wet a lot, a couple drops in each ear helps dry them. Prevents ear infections which can be common if they are constantly damp inside.

Tequila, doesn't always make it, however I never regret it when it does.

Since I can't really sleep on CCF I don't consider my Prolite 4 a luxury item :) However, if there's any chance of picking up a decent radio station I bring my Grundig M400 pocket radio. 3.4oz with lithium AAA's and worth every bit. Multiple-use as timepiece and alarm clock. It has a great old-timey sound and even gets short-wave (kinda). And then there's the beer…

I bring my wife and son. They complicate things, but are worth it.

Seconded. A nice sip of malt from a pewter hipflask while taking it easy in a thermarest chair takes some beating.

A small flask of Jack Daniel's

On base camp hikes, DownMat7 and a small lantern

Ipod mini speaker and evening libation for sure. Also FF down socks. Nothing better than toasty feet. Some would call my hammock a luxury item. I'm not sure there is much of a weight penalty any more for hanging; except in the winter months.

Fresh food is for sure a luxury item. Often we'll bring along non-dehydrated meats and vegetables for the first night out to cook on the campfire and splurge a little bit.

I don't consider it a luxury item but it is the heaviest thing in my pack at 21oz…24" wide down mat. In the past I would say the one luxury item I carried fairly regularly was a 3lb propane powered hot water heater with pressurized water shower. That was pure luxury!

A beer or two for the first night, bourbon for the rest.

if you're from a big city like me, SILENCE is a luxury – i take it into the backcountry at no weight penalty.

Aaron search eBay for Fresnel lens. I'm glad you like the air mat!

"If you're from a big city like me, SILENCE is a luxury – I take it into the backcountry at no weight penalty."

I live in the second largest city in the US — blissfully single — and the noise level is just fine. There are many moments of silence to be enjoyed. It ain't the city that's bothering men across our nation. It's the wife and kids. Heh heh…

Almost everything I carry. I could get by with an overcoat and a jar of peanut butter.

The one I get the most flak for isn't a single item- rather the choice to have 4 hot drinks or meals and a steamed cupcake every day. The item that goes with that is a Jetboil because it makes a cuppa very simple and easy.

LOL, Ben.. ain't that the troof

GPS

ALWAYS: My old full length Thermarest Lite mattress (like Mr. Willims I crave a good night's sleep)

SOMETIMES: Garmin Colorado 300 GPS

SELDOM: Wild Turkey honey liqueor

I saw 'Depends' and had to see. I was thinking you slept in them and could relieve yourself in the tent… then I read

Lantern with PLENTY of fuel. I wanted to leave it home on the up coming trip to Yosemite but the wife nixed that idea. At least I won't have to carry the fuel the entire time. :8^)

BTW, Wine/beer are not luxury items. They are necessary consumables!

When hiking long distance solo or with my BIL just some 151 to mix with some powdered drink mix is luxury most times. When doing an easy solo I will bring a book and some better booze. Those are enjoyable afternoons.

I am going on a hike this weekend that is about half my normal distance, and with a group so I expect the pace to be easy too. We are going to a hot spring so I am taking frozen Margaritas in an insulated cover for some fire and ice action.

Oh yeah, I am taking one of those light (not UL, not Heavy) 2P double-wall tents that we are testing too…

;-)