What Item(s) Optimize the Best of Gear Convergence?

I sort of get what you are going.

Spork… I think this is hype. For me a spoon works just as well. If I could use chopsticks, they would even be lighter.

Swiss Army knife… my razor blade does the same thing 90% of the time, but the scissors are nice. On long trips the scissors are better for trimming finger and toe nails, and the tweezers are useful, but I only use a razor blade on short trips.

I use a pot of some sort to boil water for FB cooking, and also use it as a mug.

Poncho/Tarps are great multi-use, but stand alone rain wear and a larger tarp work better.

For the most part, multi-use items come with some inefficiencies for individual tasks. To me the on true exception is a bandanna. I can find dozens of uses for it.

Wide brimmed semi-floppy hat

Similar uses to Bandanna but also provides sun protection

+1 on the bandana!

Instead of a bandana, lately I've began taking one of the Lightload towels Joe (ZPacks) sells.

For less than $2 and at half an ounce, they do everything a bandana does, but deal with moisture better. Conversely though, I feel I have to be a lot more careful with it. Maybe it's just me feeling insecure.

Worth considering over a traditional bandana or buff.

I would have never thought this before frequenting this forum, but how 'bout the run of the mill CCF pad? It's a mattress, a ground sheet, a sit-pad, and a pack frame.

On one occasion, I attempted to use one as a toboggan… It worked. Sort of.

[On edit] I guess that makes it more "multi-use" than "convergence".

a hammock can be fun but without an underquilt it's useless beyond 60 degrees (pardon me for not considering other pad options, they're just "ok")
and an underquilt is definately useless without a hammock (pardon me for forgetting they may assist your leg pad in keeping your torso warmer)

OH, hammock plus underquilt is heavens better than anything the spork inventor had considered. peace.

Could probably be used for splints or hat in an emergency. Hadn't thought about it but we could probably come up with a lot more ideas.

You could float down a river on a decent-sized one.

Hands down the Packa is a great 2-in-one piece of gear.

The Gateway Cape: Rain gear, Pack Cover, Tent, etc.

MSR Dromodary Bag: Heavy duty water bag (I've had one for 15 years), Inflatable Pillow, Shower. Who needs T.P. when you have a shower, ha ha. :)

Unscented Zinc Oxide Ointment:

1) Sunscreen
2) Poison Ivy/Oak Treatment
3) Lip balm
4) Monkey butt cure
5) Combine with TP as a fire starter
6) Hemorrhoid Treatment
many more uses…

Everclear:

1) Stove Fuel
2) Anti-septic
3) Fire starter
4) Cleaning fluid
4) Hangover juice

Swiss army knife? Not saying people never use it, I am sure some do… but people do seem to talk about it all the time — like it's an essential!! Since the days of newbiehood, I've been carrying one religiously — but have yet to use it — even once. So why do I keep carrying it? Cause now, it's a talisman — I just know that bad things will happen if I ever leave it at home. And I am sure I ain't the only one who think this way. :)

But back to topic, as above, my blue foam pad performs the most functions — pack 'frame', chair pad, wind screen, and sleeping pad foot section.

Bear Canister:

1. bear-proof food storage
2. clothes washing machine
3. camp chair
4. card table

–B.G.–

Re: What Item(s) Optimize the Best of Gear Convergence? Posted 04/21/2011 15:38:06 MDT by Benjamin Tang (ben2world)
Swiss army knife? Not saying people never use it, I am sure some do… but people do seem to talk about it all the time — like it's an essential!! Since the days of newbiehood, I've been carrying one religiously — but have yet to use it — even once. So why do I keep carrying it? Cause now, it's a talisman — I just know that bad things will happen if I ever leave it at home. And I am sure I ain't the only one who think this way. :)

I've been using a S.A.K. so long, that I can't even use fingernail or toenail clippers anymore. The toothpic gets used on occasion, the tweezers get used all the time as do the blades and I used to use the can opener all the time too ( I try to stay away from canned food these days.) I recently got a big lunker one (the Champ) that even has pliers, hack saw, wood saw and a few other things that are really handy. It's a bit big for backpacking, but my Mini Champ only weighs a couple of ounces. I can't figure why some people would rather use a razor blade and fiddle fart around with that awkward set up to save an ounce or two.

Re: How about things that do at least three things Posted 04/21/2011 15:46:33 MDT by Bob Gross (–B.G.–)
Bear Canister:

1. bear-proof food storage
2. clothes washing machine
3. camp chair
4. card table

–B.G.–

How much do the cards weigh Bob? Are they UL? SUL?

To add to James' Everclear post…

Everclear is AWESOME at getting pine sap off fingers and clothes.

"How much do the cards weigh Bob? Are they UL? SUL?"

They're UL if you cut them in half. They're SUL if you just take the corners.

I read that concentrated alcohol can act as a solvent to remove the oil from poison ivy, if you can do it imediately after exposure.

Another use for Everclear.

"How much do the cards weigh Bob?"

The playing cards are manufactured out of a paper topo map that is no longer needed, cut by razor blade, and marked by ballpoint pen. Once the playing cards are no longer necessary, they are used as firestarters.

–B.G.–

Re: Re: Re: How about things that do at least three things Posted 04/21/2011 16:18:02 MDT by Bob Gross (–B.G.–)
"How much do the cards weigh Bob?"

The playing cards are manufactured out of a paper topo map that is no longer needed, cut by razor blade, and marked by ballpoint pen. Once the playing cards are no longer necessary, they are used as firestarters.

–B.G.–

Another excellent example of multiple use gear. Navagation, by day, then used to lighten the load of fellow hikers by night (their money) and start a fire to cook coffee in the morning.

"Another excellent example of multiple use gear. Navagation, by day, then used to lighten the load of fellow hikers by night (their money) and start a fire to cook coffee in the morning."

Yes, the lightening process by night is used in conjunction with white lightnin' as a beverage. That is sort of like DIY Everclear.

–B.G.–

2. clothes washing machine

Brilliant!! Could also be a sink for cookware?

Sink for dishwashing, sure. It depends on the canister opening size versus the dish size. The BearVaults have a pretty wide opening for this purpose.

A friend challenged me about using a bear canister as a clothes washing machine. I emptied out all of the food and carried it loose in my pack. Then I stuck a shirt into the canister, filled it about a third of the way with creek water, then dripped in about five drops of liquid soap and sealed it up tight. When stuck in the top of my pack, and with the way that I wobble going along the trail, that provided just the right amount of agitator action to get the shirt clean in about three miles. Then about another mile for rinse.

–B.G.–

Dr Bronner's soap:
– body wash/shampoo
– laundry
– tooth paste
– dishes
classic