What has worked and not worked over time?

[Kevin Garrison]

I've been a stalker and then a member of BPL for more than 3 years. One thing I've noticed over my time on the site is that a lot of post regarding different pieces of gear is primarily focused on short-term observations rather than how a piece of gear fit, or did not fit over time. My goal with this particular thread is to entice members to discuss what their requirements have been, how they have transitioned over time, what has worked and not worked, and where they are now.

[David Thomas]

You mean "What has stood the test of time? What gear have you been using for years and years, even after comparing it to other options?" And those other items that seemed great, but aren't go-to solutions for us anymore?

Classics versus trendy items?

[Kevin Garrison]

So I guess i should go first. My original expectation was to lighten my load. After reading various comments from BLP members I thought this would be easy based on all of the commentary and feedback. My experience, however, was quite different…and definitely more expensive than I thought going in.

My first exposure to BLP was when i was searching for a snow camping shelter. My sons and I are active in scouting and a winter outing, Klondike, is part of our normal schedule. I spent a lot of time working with Scouts on how to build their own snow shelters so I was typically left with the need to quickly set of my own shelter after the sun went down. Net-net, I had no time and I needed something bomber given the chance of incremental snow. I ended up buying a RAB Mountain Summit bivy, based on feedback from BLP members, and it has been a great addition to my winter camping gear list.

I then started to read more of the BLP commentary and was bitten by the UL bug.

My focus then transitioned to how i could lighten my load. In my case, one of my sons is a little person (i.e., a dwarf), so my interest was to see how i could lighten my load such that I could carry his and make sure that he had a positive experience in the outdoors.

Rather than having me discuss my experience as it evolved over the past 3 years. what has your experience been?

I plan to detail my experience in a subsequent posts.

[Kevin Garrison]

David,

I love your question regarding what has stood the test of time. In my case, this is a difficult question to answer. My needs or perhaps my appreciation for what is really required, after being bitten by the UL bug, have changed based on my experience as I purchased and used different pieces of gear. I walked in with one set of expectations, typically shaped by the various BLP member feedback, and I've exited the process with very different expectations than I thought going in.

For example, I was enamored by all of the reviews regarding the MLD TrailStar. It's bomber in any weather, it provides tons of space and it was quick to setup. I bought in…hook line and sinker. My experience, after purchasing a TrailStar, met all of these expectations. What I did not understand was that i needed a fairly large and flat piece of ground to set it up. In most cases, I was forced to setup my TrailStar over a hundred feet from the rest of the group. Space and comfort were great but my ability to setup camp near the rest of the group was quite frankly, awful.

I really loved the shelter but it just did not work in a group setting…at least for me. Net-net, I sold the shelter and moved on…

[Kevin Garrison]

I moved on from the Trailstar thinking that i could reduced my footprint and also my weight. The result…I purchased an ultra light bivy. Forgive me for forgetting the manufacturer. I loved it. It took up very little room. It enabled me to pitch near my companions, but…I had no room to cover the rest of my gear in inclimate weather and I just did not like the idea of my gear laying around, exposed, for others to see (i.e., my mess).

It also picked up a ton of condensation, especially near the feet, that was a major warmth problem with my down bag. I ended up sleeping in a "taco formation" (i.e., bivy plus ground cloth wrapped around me) in colder weather. Net-net, the UL bivy just did not work. So where do i go from here?

[Edward Jursek]

One thing that has worked for me over time are sleeping bags and quilts with performance shells that eliminate the need for a bivy. I have had bags with Epic, Pertex Endurance Quantum UL, and cuben fiber shells. I have also heard good things about Nanosphere. I do not like bivys at all, there is just way too much condensation for me. A quality, performance shell will only add a small amount of weight to the bag or quilt and will do all of the things a bivy does without the condensation, extra weight and space in your pack. Feathered Friends and Nunatak use performance sleeping bag and quilt shell materials.

[David Thomas]

What has stood the test of time for me:

I still use Patagonia baggie shorts after 32 years. Including a few that are that old. And their expedition-weight PP UW.

I suspect that my Patagonia Nano Puff and Houdini will remain in that go-to category for a long time, but obviously I've got to baby them a lot more (no bush whacking).

SAK Classic. Well named. 5 kinds of usefulness in 21 grams.

My 1970's-style Kelty frame pack. Sorry, not UL, but on a family trip I might carry 35 pounds and I find a basic external-framed pack carries better and cooler than a UL pack. And is lighter than trad internal-framed packs.

Portable-Aqua.

DEET

A $0.97 cotton bandana. Wash clothe, neck cooler (after dipping in creek), snot rag, first aid supply, pot holder.

[peter vacco]

in my journals, on the back two pages … for several decades now they are labeled "things that work", and "things that do not work".

this saves me from having to paw thru many pages of very depressing text to figure out what happened that year.

what i find most surprising is the quantity of detail information that i forget over a winter.

so : what works, is to keep a list of what works.

cheers,
v.

[Sunny Waller]

Exped Sleeping Pads. For 3 season backpacking in the southeast I use the Synmat UL7. For cold weather Camping/kayak trips I use the Synmat 9. For warm weather camping trips I will stack the UL7 on top of the 9 for extra comfort. I have never had a problem..they are quiet and my back likes the vertical baffles the best.

[Ian]

Therm a rest self inflating pads. I've been using them since the '80s and they haven't let me down yet.

The TAR du jour for me is the pro lite 3/4. It really sucks at self-inlfating but it only takes a couple puffs of air to top it off. I'll preemptively add that I've never had a problem due to moisture from plowing air in to these pads.

I think the prolite is a near perfect combination of being lightweight, durable, and comfortable.

[Steve K]

For a while on BPL everyone seemed to get the windshirt craze.

That's something that's stuck with me. I have a handful of windshirts and I use them for climbing, cycling, hiking, backpacking and even around town in milder weather.

Weighing in at 3-6oz, I don't think there's been a single other thing that has lightened my load, transformed my layering system and dramatically increased comfort on the go.

[Tony Wong]

Here is a quick list of gear that I continue to use and don't expect to replace anytime soon:

1. 2008 MLD Soul Side Zip Bivy eVent Top, silnylon 2.0 bottom in wide
I backpack in the Sierras three season and have occasionally had condensation issues

2. MSR Titan Kettle…probably bigger than I need, but I appreciate the extra capacity

3. Sawyer inline filter/Mini: been using the original black Sawyer since 2009 and just replaced
with the mini last year…same technology, just different size & easier to use

4. Wind Shirt: Light, compact, and versatile. Great warmth to weight value for me.

5. GoLite Jam2 2008 model…great pack that served me well on the JMT in 2011.
MLD Exodus Full Suspension is possible replacement based on JMT experience +25 lbs weight

6. Petzel Tikka XP2, 1st gen. Heavy, love the red light & very bright for night hiking

7. Folding Ti Spork…hey, it works and is compact. Why replace it?

8. Platypus water bottles/bag….they just work.

9. Esbit Fuel for cooking system…light weight & efficient, smelly and hard to light

[Harald Hope]

Second on thermarest self inflating pads, went from green topped 1.5" to 1" to prolite, where I stopped. Tried neoair, and immediately bought a full length prolite after my first long trip with the neoair, which had the distinction of being the first air pad ever to make me miss a 3/8 closed cell foam pad, which I hate, with some strong feelings.

Platy then Evernew bags, great way to always be ready for stopping with enough water even if far from water sources. I like the evernew attached cap, it's a small thing, but losing your caps sucks.

Sierra Designs 1990s era hiking pants, I bought two thinking they'd die, but they never did, though I've patched one set.

Wind breakers, now called wind shells. Good cheap stuff if you buy online at ebay/amazon from china, same stuff as the expensive versions almost.

Old duofold green polyester long underwear, that stuff was nice, fuzzy. Especially for bottoms.

Newer ones that I don't see going away because they are pretty much better in every way than the old stuff I used:

Snowpeak 900 ml ti pot, big enough to hold a lot of food, small/narrow enough to barely take any room. No real loss from the old msr steel cooksets I used before that.

alcohol stoves, it's taken me a while to make one that hit all the must haves, but CHS (cannister hoop stove) a recent Japanese stovie design convinced me that I can actually have it all with alcohol. I don't really miss white gas or any other fossil fuel based stoves I've tried or used over the years.

Sawyer squeeze, love at first use, they nailed it. Full size for faster flow for me, mini for inline is good if you do that, I don't. I don't miss the pump filters I used, or boiling water.

Icebreaker type base layers, merino, for tops especially more versatile I think than synthetics.

Good merino socks, the newer styles/construction methods are better than the old wool socks I have drawers full of.

Good light sleeping bags, like Western Mountaineering. Though nothing is warmer than my old northface synthetic with fuzzy liner, that's a bag that actually is its temp rating, and that's warm at that rating. Super bulky and heavy though so it doesn't get used anymore, but if it was freezing cold humid rain over many days I'd rather have it than anything else.

Zebralight headlamp, great stuff, was so sick of those maglites failing in all kinds of weird ways, the massively better light and battery life don't hurt either.

[James holden]

it never really dies … even with daily (and nightly) wear 365 days a year

not to mention in the PNW it can be the difference between hypothermia and just uncomfortably damp

;)

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