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Gear genre you geek on most (shelters, packs, bags/quilts, cook kits, apparel)?
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Home › Forums › Gear Forums › Gear (General) › Gear genre you geek on most (shelters, packs, bags/quilts, cook kits, apparel)?
- This topic has 21 replies, 16 voices, and was last updated 1 year, 4 months ago by Josh B.
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Nov 14, 2022 at 5:36 am #3765013
I’d say just about every light or ultralight backpacker becomes a gear geek on some level. When your comfort depends on the gear choices you make you can’t help but analyze every item you carry. For me it’s shelters for sure, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get nerdy about other gear genres too. Actually stove and cook kit enthusiasts seem to be the most ardent. So what gear category interest you most?
Nov 14, 2022 at 6:21 am #3765014Funny you say that. I love the idea of stoves and I have a couple but I never use them because I don’t like cooking. I keep thinking that if I put the perfect tiny cook system together that maybe I will bring it to make coffee but at the core I love how measurable the optimization is. I’ve sold a few of my cooksets over the years but I have discovered people like to borrow them for trips.
And just recently a very close friend in Maine asked for advice on a stove for a bug out bag and I told them not to buy anything because I’m sending a hell of a Xmas present.
Nov 14, 2022 at 6:26 am #3765015It has to be shelters and backpacks, with a runner up to down jackets and rain shells.
I’ve had the same basic sleep system for the past 12 years, though I did move from CC pads to a Thermarest Neo-Air in 2015. I’ve used the same cook-kit – stove, cookpot, spoon, etc since about 2010. A lot of my kit and clothing has been the same for years, but I have gone trough some shelters and backpacks.
Shelters I’ve used the past ten years….
- Gossamer Gear SpinnShelter
- GoLite Shangri-La 2
- MLD Solomid XL (gen 1)
- MLD Duomid
- Massdrop (now Durston) X-Mid 1
Backpacks I’ve used the last ten years
- SMD Swift (frameless)
- McHale LBP36
- Seek Outside Unaweep (for Alaska)
- Z-Packs Arc Haul
- Seek Outside Flight (prototype)
- SWD Long Haul 50
Nov 14, 2022 at 4:22 pm #3765095I LOVE cook kits. I have so many…All kinds: Alcohol, wood burners, liquid fuel, canisters, integrated canister stoves, solid fuel stoves. I have some old and some that are new. Since I’m a mom of two toddlers I spend most of my hiking time on daytrips. I love to hike/snowshoe during the fall, winter and spring. I always take a cook set and have tea or coffee. I call this “tea-time!” I go on a couple mile hike, set up a stove, and enjoy some solitude and a hot beverage. Because I love stoves and cook sets so much I pretty much ALWAYS take the time to sit, enjoy nature and have “tea time!”
Nov 15, 2022 at 2:23 am #3765164Backpacks and tents for me, because there is no perfect one yet (for me)
Dream backpack:
Ultra 200 with ultra 400 bottom and pockets.Alum 7075 stays, u-shaped ala Kakwa for horizontal and vertical stability.
Running vest style shoulder pads with double pockets ala zerk40, but slightly more padded for 35-45lb carries
Ultra mesh or venom mesh front pocket, make this pocket huge, run along most of the pack front.
45 liters/65 liters options
Adjustable torso and hip belt
Larger quiver pocket on one side, aka Kakwa/Mariposa/lite50. Large enough to fit xmid2 tent
Dual pocket design on the other side – bottom for 2 1liter bottle carries and top for filter/stove/accessories, etc. Ala Mariposa/lite50
Large hip belt pockets to fit largest phones/go-pro/snacks.
Built-in shoulder pocket on one side for water bottle (waymark style) and phone pocket with extra mesh pocket on the other side (liteAF ultra200/justinUL style)
Fits bv475/bearikade blazer horizontally inside.
Bottom straps for bulky pads/extra gear storage
Top Y strap for bear canister and bulky storage.
Seam tape optional.
Dream shelter:
Silpoly 20/30d floor with a nice 8″ high tub floor, with .8DCF fly, dual wall. Xmid2/pro stepchild. Keep it under 2lb.
Nov 15, 2022 at 7:54 am #3765184Shoes and socks. I’ve suffered from foot problems for years and have developed an obsession for comfortable footware. I’m constantly researching and experimenting and have acquired an embarrassing number of shoes and socks.
Nov 15, 2022 at 12:00 pm #3765203When I was in my 20s I typically did weekend trips and my goal was to go as far/fast as possible. Once my basic gear was light enough I geeked out over packs. A pack was one area that made a big difference in my comfort.
Funny thing is since moving to Alaska I’ve done virtually all of my trips with a Seek Outside Unaweep. It does everything I need with no fuss.
Nov 15, 2022 at 5:43 pm #3765261Also shoes for me for several years. I could not find the perfect shoe. I tried Montrail, Solomon, and Garmont products and finally settled on LaSportiva Ultra Raptors for the last 8 years. I have one last pair on deck and I am dreading trying the Ultra Raptor 2s and finding that I need to start the process over again.
These days I have a rain shell problem.
Nov 15, 2022 at 6:16 pm #3765262Shelters are a really interesting challenge because there are so many different things you are trying to simultaneously optimize for and with so many possible solutions. You see a lot more diversity in the form of shelters than you do in most other areas (e.g. in comparison sleeping quilts all look the same).
Nov 15, 2022 at 8:50 pm #3765269Honestly what takes most of my attention is what I hate rather than what I love. I love having gear that does its job reliably, so I rarely have to buy another. For many things I’m satisfied (sleeping bag, tent, cooking gear, etc. is all good). But what I spend most of my time fussing over are the things that I have a hard time with, like raincoats. Still in search of a decent raincoat… I did finally settle on shoes and those have always been problematic. I’ve been using the Topo Terraventures and with this latest round I will probably buy a few more pair to have them on hand, because most certainly they’ll do something like make them narrow and overly padded or something and wreck the design that works for me. I spend an awful lot on shoes.
Geek out on though… hmm. Probably food! Love trying new backpacking meals.
Nov 16, 2022 at 5:51 am #3765283<p>@David Hartly – Similar boat – I’ve been using Ultra Raptors since 2015 and am about to have to try a set of Ultra Raptor II’s – hoping they haven’t screwed them up. </p>
Nov 16, 2022 at 7:09 am #3765287@AK Granola – your right – geek out is probably the wrong description for me. Its more like fussing over things where I haven’t found something that works. I must admit that I find some of the threads on stoves, shelters, and fabrics (other than rain shells) a bit overwhelming to follow. There is always room for improvement of course, but most of the options there work good enough for me within their limitations.
@Brad Rogers – optimistically – maybe they solved the problem of the mesh failing where it connects to the toe guardNov 16, 2022 at 10:39 am #3765292Perhaps due to my years as a caver in pre-LED days, there were a few decades where I’d snap up any light that outperformed what I used to cave with – which was almost every light. That’s settled down in the last few years. For a trip with lots of head-lamp hiking in which I want the option to see far down the trail, it’s a NiteCore NU25 (400 lumens, $36).
For not so much night hiking it’s the smaller, lighter Petzl Bindi.
For SUL on established local trails, it’s a $10 NiteCore Tube (55 lumen, but I use it in 10- and a surprising amount in 1-lumen/58-hour mode.
For around the house and in each car’s emergency kit, I’ve really like Dorcy’s 190/200-lumen “true spot / cyber light”:
It’s not tiny, but it’s very light for a home flashlight, especially with 4 lithium* AAs in it and has a crazy good spot for seeing hundreds of yards down the road/trail for moose. They may be discontinuing it – recently the price went from $15 to $25 and availability plummeted.
So I’ve got all the lights in my quiver that I need, but I do buy those four again and again as gifts for others, the kids as they go off to college, etc.
* all the flashlights in our cars have lithium batteries because when it’s sub-zero F and you most need it, alkalines don’t work.
Nov 16, 2022 at 11:21 am #3765294Cooking – I experiment to see what the limits are to cooking meals on the trail. I can cook maybe 70% of the stuff that I eat at home on the trail while maintaining a lightweight light weight philosophy. That impacts the gear that I buy and use, mainly stoves in order to easily control thermal output. Simmering/baking 75-100 watts, frying~200 watts, boiling +400 watts. In addition, I experiment with foods that can be de-hydrated. My 2 cents.
Nov 16, 2022 at 6:02 pm #3765315I get especially nerded out over net tents and bug bivys. In the past 7 years I’ve made countless net protypes for A frames and half-pyramids, some with floors and some without. It all started out of necessity because I simply couldn’t find the kind of bug nets and bug bivys I was looking for anywhere. The MLD Bug Bivy is a classic masterpiece and I like to pair it up with my 57″ wide poncho tarp, but when I use a 5′ to 6.5′ wide solo tarp I want more room. Yet all the A frame net tents out there are 38″ tall or higher and they’re just to big (and heavy) for my style of flat tarp camping.
And when it comes to Pocket Tarps, Gatewood Capes, Dechutes or any other half-pyramid tarps there’s simply nothing available in terms of an ultralight bug net (the 11 oz SMD Serenity is the only thing and it’s just too heavy). So I’ve made at least 20 bug nets and extra large bug bivys that I use extensively each year when mosquitos and ticks are out. Most creations just ended up just being prototypes that I improved upon with each iteration. Always takes me few tries to get it right. Wouldn’t want to even tell you how much I’ve spent on noseeum netting from RSBTR, Dutchware and Questoutfitters.
Nov 16, 2022 at 8:12 pm #3765322Monte… I thought the original hexamid (other than the low entry) was a remarkable balance. They used netting for the floor and the sides. Gave a large, bug free space, decent protection for 3 seasons, in 10oz package including stakes (excluding hiking pole).
Nov 16, 2022 at 9:18 pm #3765324Whaddya mean 3 seasons? And it snowed that night.
Nov 16, 2022 at 9:26 pm #3765325I don’t really geek out over any gear. That’s not to say I haven’t bought lots and lots of various gear (lots of shelters, lots and lots) but that’s always been more about enjoying buying stuff than geeking out about anything.
I guess if I geeked out over anything it would be the stuff I’ve had custom made. I get some wild idea, find someone who is willing to have a go at making it, and then use it once or twice before getting rid of it. But really it’s more about having fun coming up with the stuff than actually geeking out over it.
Nov 17, 2022 at 2:42 am #3765334Yes Mark, I have a Solo Hexamid in .74 that I’ve used extensively. I still say it provides the most protection per ounce than anything else. However I’m 5′ 10″ and I think if you’re much taller than that it can be a problem. ZPacks even said as much themselves when they last offered the Hexamids. The full netting floor can be less than ideal though. Sure you can put a polycro underneath, but in sticker bushes cacti or brambles the netting can catch around the sides. I asked Joe at ZPacks years ago to do a regular floor in the Hexamid, such as the Plex Solo for example. He said he didn’t want to change the original design.
Nice pic of the Hexamid Doug. I suppose you never got it in a situation to where the netting got wet and then froze to the ground overnight. It can be a major bummer let me tell you. Besides, the Plex Solo is really just a Hexamid on steroids or a Plexamid without the gimmicky strut, and it’s only a couple of oz more,
Nov 17, 2022 at 4:51 am #3765335dorcy.com has the flashlight that David Thomas recommended available and a 35% off sale. Brings the price to below $20 including shipping (for me).
Nov 17, 2022 at 8:37 pm #3765421“I suppose you never got it in a situation to where the netting got wet and then froze to the ground overnight.”
Correct. That might have been the only winter trip I did with it, not sure, it was a long time ago. But I do remember having no issue with it sticking to the snow or anything.
Nov 17, 2022 at 10:39 pm #3765450Backpacks are number one for me with technical clothing number two. I could read about and shop for backpacks all day every day. Backpacking bags to day packs I love them all. Of course I am searching for the Perfect one.
I love fleeces and mid layers especially and working on layering systems. I deeply enjoy “solving” for cold weather.
Tents are great but don’t hold my interest as long since there are fewer options.
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