What our gear says about us…

You could likely make similar conclusions about me from my gear. I believe there's the saying "We pack our fears" and I think it's true. Like you, I fear being cold. Coming from more of a "bushcraft" background, I always carry a PSK (personal survival kit) any time I'm in the back country unless I'm actually planning to camp and therefore have all my camping gear. Otherwise my PSK (which fits in a 1qt ziploc) has stuff to make fire, make shelter, filter water etc. I also always have a FAK (first aid kit). And a knife.

That's a good way of looking at things. I'm with you—I think I fear being cold. I wouldn't have thought so before, but when I think about it that's what I tend to prepare for. Like you, I always bring three ways to start a fire, and if I don't have a shelter and sleeping bag with me I make sure to bring an emergency blanket. And I almost always bring my UL down puffy with me, if only to take up unused space in my daypack and keep stuff from shifting around.

A lot of people pack their fear of thirst, and I can't blame them. Unfortunately, an extra two liters of water weighs a lot more than a fire striker and emergency blanket. That's a fear I found worth overcoming.

I remember that Jack London story "To Build a Fire".

Just googled and re-read

Of course that was in the Yukon and it was -75 F which isn't really applicable to us

I think for normal conditions, a sleeping bag and tent are good to keep warm, especially here in the Pacific Northwest

I just re-read "Call of the Wild" – again, not really applicable to anything I'de do but a good story.

Lizz,

Good, thought provoking thread for me.

My pack definitely has a different assortment of things than my hiking buddy's pack and we are clearly different in many ways.

Heck, I found that one hiking friend and I set up our (same model)tents very differently. His was loose and sagging. Mine was taut. Start the psychoanalysis.

Our gear and actions are like Rorshcck or Thematic Apperception Tests….. waiting for interpretation. .

I think our gear choices reveal our fears, as well as our price/value justifications, our place on the style vs functionality curve, the level of confidence in our abilities, our hobbies, and our organizational talents.

Maybe online dating sites should require posting a photo that shows the contents of our packs. That would be pretty revealing.

I think all it says is maybe how much we are willing to spend on the activity and what we like to take along.
That I bring plenty of insulation…..does not have to mean I fear cold. It can mean I live in a cold cabin, work out in the cold and when I go backpacking I prefer to be cozy.
I never bought the "packing your fears" thing so that's why I don't read much into what people carry or leave at home.

It's possible that mine says "makes too much money and can't decide what he really needs." At least, that's one possible conclusion from having ten times as much light stuff as any one person could possibly carry.

I always pack a complete tent. I love sleeping in a tent, safe from bugs, creepy-crawlies and rain or snow.

In fact most of you know I obsess about having a secure winter tent. On one hand I love being snug in a tent in a snowstorm and on the other hand I want a strong tent to weather that storm.

Once on a solo sea kayak trip in Canada's Georgian Bay I took my 3 man Eureka dome tent AND an 8' X 10' nylon tarp so I'd have "room" if stormbound. Sure enough me and 5 other kayakers were stormbound on an island for a full day. That setup was palatial for one.

Hmmm. I try to be minimal, as few pieces as will get the job done efficiently but mostly, fewer parts to keep track of–less to worry about. Probably comes from moving a lot. I know what goes together and what it's for, anything outside that can easily be replaced or is non-essential.

You'd never guess that from my sense of order. Some people call it clutter. I know what is disposable. :)

I too fear the cold because i can't think straight when cold.
Always have enough warmth for me and another person.I am always amazed how many people i see hiking with no what if gear.

I've always thought of things temperature dependent, so I have 2 sets of packs and quilts … one optimized for the Rockies and one for 3-season arid Southwest. Could be cold and wet with monsoon remnants, or hot and dry. … or even muggy humid. Tried to minimize shelter but will probably need 2 also.

Ed: it

Mine says all I care about is sleep. Minimal food, clothes, and shelter, but a plush sleep system.

There was a day later on the PCT where it rained all day. By afternoon I had damped through and while I was wearing everything but my puffy jacket my body just wasn't keeping up temperature wise. I was on my way to resupply so if I stopped to camp I would have been hungry, if I had put my puffy on it would have been useless within a half hour. Once I hit the road, zero traffic, all I could do was keep walking as it got dark, trying to stay warm. I finally got a ride that dropped me at the laundromat where I got warm, but this was the only time on the trail where I was seriously nervous and vowed to always have a synthetic layer to put on. Now I pack a lighter down jacket and Thermawrap vest I wear with it. Not much but it would have made the difference that day.

Hmm, what does mine say?

If anything it says I was lurking here for years before I bought any new gear!

A caldera cone stove, an enlightened equipement quilt, and a ULA pack is probably a protoypical BPL gear profile.

My gear would tell people that I crave both lightweight and simplicity. Tent is the lightest weight self-standing dome around. Cooking is just boiling water to reheat packaged meals. Along those lines…

My gear would say, "Dang dude, you must like Golite stuff."

I pack based on experience and some common sense. Hypothermia is a real concern so yeah my pack includes items to stay warm and dry. I've been in the Sierra peak bagging when a cold front came rolling in pounding us with heavy rain and hail. I was cold and shivering within 30 minutes because of a lack of good equipment. It was a situation that could have turned bad quickly and since that experience I have been more selective in choosing the proper equipment. I don't necessarily feel that I overpack but I no longer attempt stupid light either. My approach is to not die from exposure. I think of it as survival instinct rather than packing my fears. I would say having 3 different fire starting systems is not being fearful but smart. Possessing the skill to implement them in wet weather is another matter.

P.S. Whiskey keeps you warm too, right?

although he likes to "be prepared" for any contingency ,he is simplistic and a bit lazy,so his gear is minimal and lightweight..

My gear also says "this dude is a free thinker and possibly mentally unstable..best NOT to camp near him…"

Which is fine with me as I hike for the solitude..lol

I'm the biggest hypocrite of them all.

I like to cultivate the image of the environmentalist who hates materialism….someone who can't stand snobs who look at labels. Yet when I'm out on the trail I find myself looking at other hiker's packs/shelters/bags/etc to see what brand and model they're carrying. If I see heavy or cheap gear I think to myself: "you're clearly stupid".

I'm a gear snob. I make myself sick!

'I'm a gear snob. I make myself sick!'

Hahaha. Albeit an indictment of myself that seriously made me laugh.

My gear says – I hate to be cold and I carry that fear on my back. Cold is not normally a problem for me in Phoenix, but if there is any chance of temperatures below freezing, you'll find entirely too many layers in my bag. Other than that, my gear says "light, but not SUL." I like a pack with a bit of a frame (Osprey Exos), a stove that is brain dead simple (Jetboil) and I like to sleep comfortably (Exped or Xtherm pad).

On another note, I have to agree with Monte. Yesterday, coming back into the Peralta trailhead (in the Superstitions) and I passed 2 groups that looked like they could use a sherpa. I could not believe how much gear they were carrying for a simple overnight. I saw heavy boots on their feet, camp shoes hanging from their 70L+ packs. As I watched them struggle up the hill, I couldn't help but judge. I hate to be that way, but now that I've lightened my load and seen the benefits, I almost feel like a religious convert that needs to preach the gospel whether people want to hear it or not.

[…]

"Mitigating a legitimate risk should not be discounted."
Haha! :)
I mitigated the expected risk of ice this week by carrying >12.5oz worth of Kahtoola Microspikes around with me. Since the only ice that I was forced to walk over was just a few steps across, I decided it wasn't a legitimate risk.
Then I busted my a$$ with a pair of Microspikes in my pack's side pocket…

"I'm the biggest hypocrite of them all.

I like to cultivate the image of the environmentalist who hates materialism….someone who can't stand snobs who look at labels. Yet when I'm out on the trail I find myself looking at other hiker's packs/shelters/bags/etc to see what brand and model they're carrying. If I see heavy or cheap gear I think to myself: "you're clearly stupid".

I'm a gear snob. I make myself sick!"

um…for a second there I thought we might have known each other and you were going to say that was me. This is EXACTLY me. Especially the "clearly you're stupid" part.