Your Best Gear of 2010

It was an MLD revelation year for me: the MLD Burn and Superlight bivy (full net hood) perfected my summer in Virgina/Pennsylvania/West Virginia and gave me comfort in the hottest, stickiest evenings at a minimal weight (and enabling 30 mile days in "comfort"). I can't rave enough about how amazing the material of the Superlight feels as a "sheet" going to bed in the humid heat with bugs swirling about the night air.

But it feels weird writing and even thinking about the heat of summer right now. Eh, it'll be here again. Until then, my new Exped Downmat 9 and JRB High Sierra Sniveller should keep me warm this winter.

Miguel:

I think most would agree that BS tents are well-designed. I love mine. I got it at PCT Trail Days silent auction — where I was the only bidder. Got it at a great discount. :)

Weiyi:

Mine is the standard package — silnylon with aluminum poles. Actual weight:

Tent – 28.0 oz
Pole – 12.3

Total – 40.3 oz

I'm trying to reduce the inventory in my gear closet and so didn't get too much new but there are some winners:

OR Graphic Dry Sack

Norrona Lofoten softshell – first softshell that's really keeping

Tarptent Hogback

SMD Swift '10 – I didn't think I would ever find a pack I liked better than my GG Mariposa Plus, but I haven't used any other packs since I picked this one up in May.

GG Litetrek 4 Poles – I finally retired my Komperdell C3's that had just shy of 2000 miles on them.

Golite Shangri-La 3 – for winter trips

In no particular order:

Tarptent Moment. Plenty of room, easy set up, and handles incredible wind and weather.

Coleman F-1 Ultralight canister stove. Yes, Coleman. Awesome performance and wind resistance.

Got a ULA Ohm this summer, used it on several trips. While I like the pack, I still haven't decided if it's "the one." I still have my SMD Starlite, which love, but it's just too large for most trips. So the Ohm makes the list on a provisional basis.

Keen trail runners and boots. They saved my feet this year. They are not built to last but I can handle that (they are not horribly expensive).

This was the first year in a long time I didn't backpack even once. Ah well! So while I got new hiking gear, I didn't buy any new tents or sleeping bags for once ;-)

This year I backed off on big purchasess (B/C I pretty much had what I needed.)

But my new Eddie Bauer First Ascent Downlight Sweater is my best purchase of 2010. (Yes the 1st edition leaked some down so I ret'd. it. Just got the replacement which is nice, nice NICE!
Now to spray it with Revivex DWR, inside and out, for additional water resistance.

But wait! There's more! I almost forgot my Merrell Moab Mid GTX boots. Love 'em.

And my Merrell Moab Ventilator shoes. Nice for day hikes in the southwest.

Next year (as in January) I'm geting the Caldera Cone Tri Ti Inferno. I "need" it for winter camping.

man, its a squeeze to narrow it down to three:

katabatic gear Windom balaclava
MLD Burn pack
Dogfish Head hiking socks

runners up:

Ti goat poles
saloman xa pro 3d ultra
and of course, my te-wa underquilts

Dog Fish Head hiking socks!!!!! Where?

Being that this is my first year back in the fold, almost all of my "good" gear is new to me since this last July.

JRB "Sierra Sniveller" quilt. Wow. I'm a quilter. I've been converted. I love this piece of gear. A lot.

Alpinlite "Stratiform III" tarp w/"Bug Tent 1.5". Stepping into tarping for the first time as well. Love it. Just takes practice. Also, thanks to all who have posted their tips & techniques on pitching.

BPL "Vapr" bivy. Also new to bivy camping, but love it. My sleep system of the Sniveller, bivy and Thermarest "Z-Pad" folded over to double thickness is heaven.

Non-typical backcountry gear: Apple Touch 4G. Mostly for the 720p hi def video & editing capabilities & wi-fi. But also notes/journaling, storing backups of topos, iBooks, a couple good movies – this is an almost perfect & lightweight machine for updating while on the trail. If it had a still camera the quality of the iPhone (5mp) it'd be perfect.

And the piece of "gear" I've found indispensable is this website & the knowledgeable reviews/banter/info. I don't lug my desktop into the wild, but the hardrive between my ears is brimming with the info I've gleaned here at BPL. Kudos.

Dug
http://thf2.wordpress.com

(my PCT '11 gear list if interested: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=40827)

@ PATRICK

https://www.dogfish.com/store/off-centered-holiday/gifts-under-20/bike-socks.htm

yes, dogfish head socks. show ppl that you have high taste. and do it in style!

I have to pile on too about the Feathered Friends down booties.
I also enjoyed my Montbell Alpinelight down parka in the earlier part of the year.

For a third I'll also list the Neo-air.

I quite liked the Ursack Minor for keeping rodents out of my food.

I might have listed my new Packa, but don't have enough foul-weather days with it to be firm on this yet, or rather, most of the bad weather days after I bought it were warm enough that I only used it as a pack cover.

#1. Buff- Merino Wool, UV Buff, doesn’t matter, I’ve had one on my head all year.

#2. New Balance MT 100/101’s- Single most used item of gear I own hands down. I’m on pair #5 now. Trailrunning, road running, ultramarathons, backpacking, chilling… these have seen the most miles and I love them.

#3. Trail Designs Caldera Ti-Tri/ MSR Titan Kettle kit, this little bastitch fed me warm food without fuss every single time. *(… and it took me almost an entire year to remember to face the handles away from the flame opening! ‘Do as I say, not as I do.’)

…runner ups:

MLD Monk- pure SUL simplicity
Patagonia Nine Trails wind shell – great for backpacking, even better for trailrunning

MLD Super Exodus pack (Bomber pack for colder months of the SE) might be replacing in 2020 if pushed
BPL Merino hoody lasted 100+ trail days without shredding since early fall 09
MLD Serenity shelter

Hike on!

McHale Chasm pack, ultra comfy and feature rich.

Neo Air (reg) for a good nights sleep

Montrail Torre boots, no longer made, but bought over a year and a half ago, and finally used on a rocky and root strewn trip. Not a single blister right out of the box. Rained on and off, mostly on, for 5 days straight days and feet stayed bone dry.

Darn tough socks

Jetboil, not light, but soooooo fast and convenient.

No Order:

Gossamer Gear Mariposa Pack: Used it at philmont, did 100 miles with it and finally bought my own (I was borrowing from Glen). This coupled with the NightLite pad will be my workhorse setup (might get a ZPack eventually but that still wont do what this pack does)

EnLIGHTened equipment Epiphany quilt: still havn't thoroughly tested it out but so far it is looking like the epitome of SUL gear. My goal for 2011 is to achieve SUL status, wich I feel I can reasonably do without sacrificing much in the way of comfort (this will include massive amounts of Cuben).

Caldera Cone w/ BPL 550SUL mug: I am still trying to get this setup down to 1/4lbs but I am not sure if I will be able to (PM if you have suggestions :D). Regardless it is an awesome piece of gear and very reliable, I feel that this may be close to perfect as far as the setup goes. The mug is just perfect for solo trips

In no particular order:

MLD speedmid with perimeter mesh.

Katabatic Gear bristlecone bivy.

GSI Halulite Kettle.

MT100s and MT101s. Best shoes yet, using them for everything.

My old Golite Jam2. Still gets my best piece of gear vote…for 5 years and counting.

La Sportiva Exum Pro: 600 miles and still nice!
Melanzana micro grid hoodie: so warm!
CDT pack: perfect fit.
Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ4: an older model, but still in the box (unopened) & clearance priced too.

Lots of new gear I'm happy with this year, but the top 3 for the year would have to be my katabatic sawatch quilt, my ti-tri inferno and ula circuit. All 3 have been revelations for me in how I spend time in the backcountry.

The quilt has improved my night's sleep at a reduction in weight, the stove has been a light and fun way to cook meals ( in wood-burning mode), the circuit has been the most comfy pack I've worn.

…

Alpacka yukon yak + explorer and 2 sawyer paddle

Enlightenned child kilt.

golite shangri la 5

With those we had some nice outdoor week end with our just arrived son ( 4years)

Here's some stuff that increased my enjoyment of the rockies this summer–

1) Aquamira Frontier Pro–
This is ended up saving me a ton of weight–with abundant (and familiar) water sources, I was able to save lbs off of my pack weight on both backcountry trips and day hikes. I'd just carry this in my hipbelt pocket with a liter palypus wrapped around it and only drink at water sources. For long trail runs I'd use this setup with a few gels and a windshirt in a montbell lumbar pack which was little more than a belt with small pockets.

2) Bear Valley Pemican Bars smeared with Peanut butter–this was a hearty enough combo to allow me to leave my stove at home for fast/high mileage trips. I usually forgot about my hunger even half way through one of these dense food bars. They also have the morale boosting bonus of tasting sort of gritty and wholesome like something a cowboy would eat on the trail. At $1.50 (and often $1) on sale, the price was right and I don't remember seeing any bars that had more cals/oz.

3) Droid X (smartphone)

I know this goes against a lot of 'backcountry philosophy', but these days I'm all for integration over escapism. At about 5oz, I had a camera (still and video), advanced mapping with gps, books–written or audio, music (although I saved this for rare occasions like the last 3000 ft pass of a 30 mile day when I needed a little escapism :), journaling, a better way to research/plan trips in mountain towns without having to bring my laptop….the list goes on of course. Probably the best part was when I'd see my friends around town I could share high quality pics and video from my trips on the spot. A good way to get folks excited about the mountains.

BTW, Craig, that is an amazing picture!

In no particular order:

SMD Swift '10 – I am in lightweight heaven.

Katabatic Sawatch – Uber comfortable and warm at 23.5oz.

Kookabay Downmat – Custom 24" x 60" has room for arms/elbows to stay warm and no drafts with a quilt.

4Sevens Quark Mini 123 – 190 lumens and a little over an ounce with battery!

1 – MEC Merino hoodie, a lot like the BPL one it seems, but more accessible to me (Canada). This hoodie with a hooded windshirt has convinced me I don't need a rain jacket ever again. Love it.

2 – Neoair. Side-sleepers rejoice!

3 – BPL Possum Down Gloves. As good as advertised, incredibly warm. Paired with MLD eVent Mitts for warm hands in almost any conditions.