What’s Your Weakness?

Mine's gotta be cuben. In the last year I've acquired:

– 2 cuben packs
– 3 cuben shelters
– 2 cuben packcovers
– 7 cuben stuff sacks

Please don't add that up.

– 2 cuben packs
– 3 cuben shelters
– 2 cuben packcovers
– 7 cuben stuff sacks

Please don't add that up.

Did the math: comes to somewhere in the ballpark of the 2010 GDP.

Pack is my problem.
I just want to try different packs in every trip.
Hiking make me to buy new packs, and new packs push me to go to the wild.

About 20 packs on hand including daypack, hiking packs, and traveling packs.

Shelter is also my problem. 6 shelters and 2 hammock on the list.

My left hamstring! It's still not the same after pulling it 2+ months ago!

I don't have any real gear weaknesses right now. I think my weakness is more DVD's and books…I love books!

Dug
http://thf2.wordpress.com

Anything slightly lighter than what I just bought. My 34 gram Baledeo for instance is now too heavy. 22 gram here I come.

I currently own 5 pairs. Thank goodness for awesome prices on runningwarehouse

I would have to say my weakness is anything "new and improved." As was stated earlier, I have the "buy, sell, buy, sell, buy" problem as well. It seems to be as much of a hobby as actually getting out and using the gear.

When I was able to get out more I seemed to buy less. Perhaps researching and buying new gear is just a substitute for not be able to get out as much as I would like.

If I had to list one weakness it would be down sleeping bags. In the past 5 years nearly 30 bags/quilts have come and gone. The Katabatic Sawatch is a keeper but all others could be up for sale at any time.

. . . is that I'm willing to spend too much danged money to lose a few grams of pack weight. Thus, I just bought a cuben poncho for $160 that will save me 1.5 oz over my $9.95 DryDucks jacket. Thus, I owned the Baledeo 34g knife and replaced it with the 22g knife.

Broke but SUL,

Stargazer

I share Stargazer's addiction, and I know it's a problem because I sometimes ship my new gear to a work address so my wife doesn't see what's coming into the house.

Most of it is completely justified though. For example, sleeping bags. The WM summerlite is my default go-to solo bag. I have a nunatak BCB, the widest quilt, for when camping with my not-so-cold-tolerant dog who likes to sleep under covers. The WM Puma, for when I'm trapped in the arctic. And I couldn't help but buy the new Cocoon quilt, because who knows if it will be available again, and maybe I will need a synthetic quilt for some wet monsoon adventure.

I might just have found my perfect pack in the MLD burn, but am not ready to give up my Virga- might need it for the AT, or my Vapor Trail which I use in winter. I think I will retire my old terraplane pack (8 lb- more than my whole kit now) and 15 year old marmot synthetic sleeping bag.

This thread is at odds with the minimalist philosophy most of us adhere to on the trail. I'd like to organize my gear room the same way I do my pack, and just have the things I absolutely need. For now, I've settled for getting rid of non-camping gear like clothes and books to make room for the outdoorsy stuff and to maintain a more spartan appearance.

Midlayers.

Wool midlayers.
Fleece midlayers.
Light down jackets.
Light down vest.
Angora hiking sweater.
Fuzzy Marmot windshirt.

Everything else, I generally have just one of.

But the midlayers…they're like family…which ones to leave home??

– Elizabeth

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups come to mind. Not really hiking food but I can't resist them.

Rog is now frantically googling "Arsenic-laced Peanut Butter Cups", I am sure.

Otherwise, stove/pot combinations. I have four different Caldera Cones…

…

Haha… I always wondered why people used different shipping addresses then billing addresses. Gotta hide the "weakness" from the wife…

"I just bought a cuben poncho for $160 that will save me 1.5 oz over my $9.95 DryDucks jacket."
Wow….that's over $100/oz saved. Impressive.

My weakness is cheap stuff. I'm always looking to do more with less in terms of money the same way I do with ounces.

Of course, many things that promise to be "bargains" turn out to be completely useless or crappy. A $5 webbing-like hammock from china just showed up on my doorstep. Listed at 4 oz. but feels more like 10 in my hand, oh well. Still lighter than my old hennessey. Still haven't tried it out yet. It feels really cheap, so I suspect it may turn out to be a bust. Hopefully I won't find out by busting my rear.

But some bargains turn out to be real gems. A $30 pack from walmart just happens to have the perfect fit and features for me, I find a goretex jacket at the Salvation Army for $5, that kind of thing. And it does feel nice to know that many things in your pack can be replaced cheaply and quickly if anything happens to them.

Way too many shelters in my gear closet . . . not all are light!

Eureka Smokey River (very old 'winter' four-pole dome)
TNF Mountain 25
TNF Vario 23
MEC Tarn 2
MSR Hubba Hubba
Tarptent Squall 2
Tarptent Contrail
MEC Silicon Scout Tarp

Only the Eureka and the Vario have seen enough nights to have been worth the investment. I just seem to want to try new stuff every time out. Currently only the Hubba Hubba and the Tarptents get used.

Mine are jackets too….

Honestly, have near 15… half a dozen shells, a few softshells, a few fleeces… its bad.. anyone want some bomber gear for cheap? (MHW, Patagonia, North Face)

Shelters

MSR: missing link
fast stash (on the way)

Sierra Design: Lightning

Mtn Hardwear: light wedge 2

Golite:
Sl-1 w/ nest
SL 2 w/ nest
SL-3 w/ nest & floor
SL-4 w/ nest
SL-5 w/ nest
SL-6 w/ nest
SL-8 nest
Utopia 1 w/ floor
Utopia 2
Utopia 4 w/ floor
Xanadu 2
Hex 2 w/ nest & floor
Arcadia 2
Hut 1
Hut 2 w/ nest
Hut 2 proto in Epic
Lair 2 w/ nest

I have spare sl-1 tarps & some various nests if someone needs one. (no Ben, you can't have my extra SL-4 nest LOL!!!!!!!)

I don't have a problm, I can quit anytime I want! Looking to trade for a SL-8 Tarp
Regards,
John

Come on John, I bet your garage is too full, and I would be happy to take the nest off your hands!

I've always had a problem with jackets and getting into backpacking has only made it worse. Much worse.

I've purchased three in the last couple of weeks.

But in all fairness to me, I also sold a fleece vest.

So there……

Women. Period.

Kelty Windfoil II
Walrus Solo
Sierra Designs Half Dome
Sierra Designs Bike Light
Big Sky Evolution 2P – with both standard and porch fly
Tarptent Sublite
REI Cyclops Bivy – with Cyclops medium 40° bag
Integral Designs Unishelter Exp, eVENT version

My favorite is the Sublite.

Packs:

McHale Chasm
McHale LBP36
ULA Catalyst
ULA Circuit
Granite Gear Nimbus Ozone
Lowe Alpine Contour 60+10 Hyperlite
Osprey Stratos 24

…

>> Women. Period.

Whoa… that one could be really expensive!<<

Especially one you try to trade-in an heavier older model with feature creep for a newer lighter model ;) (i'm just saying…)