What’s Your Favorite Piece of Gear?

[Delmar O’Donnell]

Great thread. Bumpage!

[Justin Baker]

My ohm. It's durable, functional, and it just melts into my back.

[Dan]

Definitely my Patagonia R1 hoody. On the trail, around the house, on airplanes and in hotels – it sees daily use.

I'm a big fan of the Gossamer Gear Minimalist pack as well. So good that I bought a spare.

[Mike In Socal]

My favorite "must have" piece of gear is my Golite Dakota Wind Shirt. At 4 oz, I take this running, hiking, backpacking and just whenever I think I might need something to take the edge off a cold day. Easy enough to stuff in a side pocket and light enough to not notice it's there. If Golite started making these again, I'd buy another.

My favorite "optional" piece of gear is my iPhone 5 (now 5S). Again, it comes with me when running, hiking, backpacking and pretty much everywhere. It has become my primary camera. While some people like to listen to music while running, I never listen to anything when I'm outside – I like the sound of my footsteps on dirt trails.

[Fred eric]

1- my neoair xlite women

with my first neoair i went from miserable nights and sore back on every foam mat i have sleep on, to sleeping soundly on any ground.
now with the xlite women i also have a great margin for very cold nights.

2- my BPL cocoon hoodie ( first generation ) i lenghtened a bit the sleeves and except for the color ( i would look less like a clown when after the usual 2 weeks hike we take 1 week to visit the country we went to ) its perfect for me.

3- when i hiking solo : my trailstar

Gear that looks good but not yet tested.
i just got the locus gear poles and they look great and easy to tighten for the weight, they are replacing my old Komperdell KC3

[McDowell Crook]

Glad to see this thread active again!

1. Zpacks pillow dry bag (used with a FlexAir pillow inside – ahhhhhh)

2. Altra Lone Peak 1.5 trail runners (accompanied by tiger-stripe Dirty Girl gaiters, of course)

3. MSR PackTowl Nano (hands down the most multi-use item I carry: towel, pot cozy/holder, plate, handkerchief, sweatband, dishrag, neck drape. only .6 ounces)

Honorable mentions:

Bota Box wine (I carry just the bag)

Alite Mayfly chair (heavy but worth it when I bring a good book on a solo trip)

[Ian]

I've owned Thermarest sleeping pads going back to the '80s and still have my first one. No patches in it and no leaks but heavy at 2.5lbs.

In the mid '90s, the Army started issuing the 1.5lb USGI Thermarest as a replacement for the CCF pad. As an infantryman, you don't get to pick an ideal location to sleep and we didn't have groundsheets. You'd throw this pad down wherever and make the most of it. I kept this pad and paid for it when I turned in my gear. It has a couple patches on it but considering the hundreds of nights of abuse and use, it's held up remarkably.

I now own the Pro Lite 3/4. It doesn't self-inflate like its predecessors, especially when it's cold, but I don't care; I just blow some air into it and I've never had problems doing this. It's rugged, easy to deploy/recover, comfortable, and lightweight at 12oz (advertised at 11).

[Adam Rothermich]

Based on how long I've used it, my Snow Peak 700 mug would seem to be my favorite piece of gear. It was one of the first "ultralight" items I got and although I've experimented with various beer can pots, cheap aluminum mugs, and even an MSR Titan kettle but I always end up back with my SP 700. I wish it were a little lighter, or that I had the cool aftermarket Rota Locura lid, but I love the graduations on the inside, that I can fit my whole kitchen kit inside it (using Esbit), and that's its been indestructible.

A newer piece of gear that I'm realizing I waited too long to get is my Prolite Plus. I've got the full length version and I'm getting a better night's sleep in the backcountry that I ever did on foam mats. Its the heaviest single piece of gear that I carry at 24 ounces but I think its a good trade off.

Adam

[Mark Verber]

Favorite… hard to pick one, but I guess it would be Five Fingers Spyridon LS trail runner "shoes". Miles and miles of blister free comfort even with multiple river crosses. Close second would be Patagonia Cap 4 Hoody (2012 and later when they started to use the new grid PowerDry)to it's comfort over a huge range of temperatures. Longest using without change is the MLD 850 Mug/Pot. Other beloved items on my perfect gear page.

[Nick Gatel]

I want to change my previous list. My favorite piece of gear is my brain — when I remember to bring it.

[Larry De La Briandais]

For sleeping, my BAIAC. I know it's too heavy, but compared to all the comparable pads it was MUCH cheaper and I finally sleep like a baby . :)

When awake, it is the sawyer filter. It replaced my First Need that was a tank and MUCH more work to use. And I had a system to make the first need work very well (received envious complements), but the sawyer is so much easier and WAY lighter!

[Lance Stalnaker]

Fun thread, but too many items I love to pick one

All of my Gossamer Gear Packs

Both my Warbonet Hammocks (BB 1.1 & RR) and my Wilderness Logic Hammock (Lightowl)

All my quilts from Hammockgear

My 5oz cuben tarp from Hammockgear

And all the other stuff that gets and keeps me out there having fun!

[Lou Z]

I have many, but it really comes down to one thing: my Keen Gypsum boots.

I know everyone has made the shift to trail runners and the Gypsums are not UL by any means, but my Gypsums have always been comfortable, sturdy, and kept me dry.

And yes, I own many pairs of trail runners, but the Gypsums are always the first thing I grab on my way out.

[Dena Kelley]

Just one? Can't do it. Here's my list:

My New Balance 4E width shoes- they've made hiking possible for me without blisters and I'm way more energetic with a light shoe than a boot. New Balance is one of the only shoes to consistently offer their models in a 4E.

My Granite Gear Vapor Trail- purchased used here on Gear Swap- I love it. My last pack was a GoLite Speedpack and the Vapor Trail is so much more comfortable. I don't even feel like I'm carrying it, even with a 30 lb load.

My MSR Pocket Rocket- which gets almost no love on this forum- I love it. Meals are quick and easy.

My Western Mountaineering Versalite w/ overstuff. I LOVE This bag. It was essentially my Holy Grail of sleeping bags, and it took a while to get one (I purchased used). But because even in summer our nighttime lows in Alaska can get quite chilly- and I'm a cold sleeper- I see this being my go-to sleeping bag except in the warmest parts of summer.

My Big Agnes Q-Core SL wide. Most comfortable night of sleep on the trail ever. My dog likes it too, as I have the long version and she sleeps at my feet.

Now if I could only find a tent I love as much as I love my other gear.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

My fav gear item has been my modded TT Moment. But I've sold it and must ship it this week.

My NEW fav piece of gear will be my Moment DW with a heavier duty crossing pole modded to run inside the fly (as on my original Moment). This heavy duty crossing pole will be used mainly for solo winter camping.

My other favorites:

2. Thermarest Prolite reg. mattress
3. WM Megalite overfilled bag
4. CC Sidewinder W/ Inferno wood burner or Gram Cracker & ESBIT
5. '09 REI Cruise UL pack
6. Merrill Moab GTX mid boots
7. REI Kimtah eVent rain suit

As you can see, much of this stuff is "medium light" but not truly UL.

I love a good night's sleep, I eat to live (not conversely) and like to stay dry.
"Gear is all about one's priorities." (I love to quote myself.)

P.S. (see below) Yeah, Roger Dodger, at my advanced age (septagenerian) my Eddie Bauer poles are necessary to preserve the (so far) good condition of my knees. Love'em.

[Mobile Calculator]

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[Eric Blumensaadt]

"Roger Dodger" reminds me of the last line of an "unclean" limerick. (Is there such a thing as a "clean" limerick or is that an oxymoron?)

"… It wasn't the Almighty
who lifted her nitey.
It was Rodger the Lodger by God."

[Mobile Calculator]

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[greg c]

ULA Catalyst – So comfy, so light
Lowa Baffin Pro Boots – leather lined bliss
MSR UL-3 poles – Bomber
Grivel G-12 crampons – reliable

[Max Dilthey]

I don't know if it counts as "kit" but I cycle tour with it, travel with it, work with it, and occasionally camp with it, too. My beloved USA-made backpack from Inside Line Equipment.

P.S. I know BPL is serious about affiliation, and I offered to write the copy for the guy's website. I don't think he's gonna publish it, but just in case…

[Serge Giachetti]

right now my favorite piece of gear is my trail runners, the la sportiva helios. These are easily my favorite trail shoes ever. Nimble, amazing grip, locked down fit, good balance of ground feel and protection, comfy over the long haul and with a heavy pack. Its rare that I find gear that I don't ponder ways to improve it (esp shoes), but I'm usually just happy to have these on my feet.

Other stuff I love–katabatic sawatch and hexamid twin tarp

Favorite gear of the last few years hands down: light AT ski setup

[Brian Lewis]

Count me in with those that mentioned trail shoes — noting that everyone who did so mentioned *different* trail shoes. That's as it should be.

Pretty much every gear item I have could be replaced with some other also-cool gear item and I'd do fine. Most likely shoes too, for that matter, with the big difference that anything else I could buy off the rack and jump on trail with few to no issues. Shoes take a whole lot of work for me, at least, to get dialed in.

Earlier this month I used up the last of nine pairs of ASIC Gel-Kahana 4's that I bought almost three years ago, and fortunately the Gel-Kahana 6's look (in the photo at least) just the same, so I have high hopes for the pair that I have on order. But until I hike about 50 miles straight in a pair, I'm just not sure.

So — shoes for sure.

[Author]

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