(Old Timers) Items you carry now that you didn’t many years ago

1- smartphone aka phone, gps & camera rolled into one

2- inReach

3-reading glasses to read the above :)

I like 1&2, wish I didn’t need 3

Eric, most of those items were not even available in the 70s and 80s.

Like Mike, I bring glasses. I actually bring glasses without the magnification just so I can see the trail and then I have clip-on magnifiers so I can read.

My phone replaces the 110 film camera I used to use back in the 70s/80s.

These days I bring a shelter. I used to go without a shelter.

I bring rain wear, too.

“I like 1&2, wish I didn’t need 3”

Welllllll, you don’t need the glasses for 1&2, you can use the phone as a magnifier if you want. Glasses are sure easier though.

A kindle: book and light in one!

Phone

It’s a phone, camera, GPS, book, TV all in one

Of course it usually requires an extra battery for more than 4 days, less depending on how much gPS is used to check position.

Cushy inflateable pad, and foam sit pad.

Sitting on rocks and logs hurts my bony ass.

Every single item.

1) Alcohol stove. Had no idea they existed when I started backpacking in ’73.

2) Titanium cookware. At the time, titanium was some kind of space age material.

3) Silnylon. Was that around in the ’70’s? Everything I had back then, that was waterproof, was either PU coated nylon or vinyl.

4) Comfortable boots. I wore a pair of burly Pivetta 8’s that were heavyweight marvels. No force of nature could harm them, but WOW were they hard on my feet. Never managed to break them in, and it was a happy day when I finally decided enough was enough, got rid of them, and bought a pair of (relatively) lightweight Asolos.

Electronics! iPhone, multiuse as described, plus battery pack to charge it – but now no need for SLR. PLB. Comfortable sleeping mat, sometimes an UL chair. UL pack and tent instead of heavier gear from the 80s. Osteoarthritic knees that I didn’t have back in the day :;

Viagra?

additions?

cell phone which sometimes replaces the camera I used to carry,  minimizes physical maps I carry, removes the temptation to carry a paperback book, etc.

Bear Canister cause they are requirement many of the places I go and didn’t exist years ago.

1 hiking pole (for river crossings and as a pole for my shelter)

real change are reductions:

not carrying as much extra clothing (because what I wear can dry in the field)

less consumables: repackaging to bring what I need rather than the original packaging (eg not carrying 4oz of Dr Bronners, etc).

items made from lighter / better materials (steel -> aluminum/Ti/plastic, cotton -> merino/polyester, oil lamp/incandescent bulb –> LED)

The only thing I feel mixed about is Lecia CL –> Sony RX100

–mark

I used a hiking staff. Still use it.

I never took my real camera (Twin Lens Reflex) because it was too heavy. Sometimes I took an Instamatic. Now a RX-100. Often I don’t take a camera at all.

I used iodine tablets, now CLO2 tablets. No electronic device. Tried a BeFree, didn’t like it.

I still use a Cammenga lensatic compass. Tried a GPS and didn’t like it.

No phone. No Spot. No satellite messenger.

I now own an air pillow.

I did use an air mattress in the ’70s, an AirLift of Berkeley you old farts might remember. Here’s an ad from 1974. The ad is interesting, as it states no puncture worries, but it came with a patch kit. It had 9 tubes and each one had to be inflated. Also came with a spare tube. Can’t remember the weight.

Actually I still use a lot of my old gear. Such as a Synchilla vest and occasionally a pair of ancient Danner Mountain Light boots that are 35 years old and have been rebuilt a few times.

A couple weeks ago:

Let’s see now ………..Blood Pressure Meds, Statin, Plavix.

and a smart phone.

Larry S

Helinox chair

I am kind of like Nick (but without the righteous burly beard)

Poles (I did use a staff/single pole), cell phone occasionally for gps, air pillow, Thermarest trekker chair, air pad from ensolite pad, padded hipbelt (the first packs in the 60’s and 70’s just had a webbing strap if it had any hipbelt), actually went tarp>tent>back to tarp, BeFree or CLO2 from iodine or nothing, headlamp from flashlight, Bourbon!

I pick and chose from a lot of the afore mentioned but also trail runners, BushBuddy, FoldaCup, Tenkera, smart phone, alcohol stove, trekking poles, head lamp, air mat, z-lite pad, BA MtnGlo tent lights and all my aches and pains.

No longer do the boots, tube tent, coffee can bucket with a coat hanger bail on an open fire, Sierra cup, rain poncho/groundsheet or broom stick staff.

Alcohol stoves aren’t new. They’ve been around since before my parents were born. Back in the day, I repurposed a Sucrets metal box, filled it with sand and alcohol and used it as a stove with a military canteen kit.

The residue in the small lid of the Sucrets tin is from using it as a pan to burn solid fuel (Trioxane), similar to Esbit. The tin on the right I would fill with sand and alcohol but it wasn’t very efficient.

Seems most things aren’t new, other than electronics ;-)

a smart phone is now just called phone?

I guess when they first came out they were different so needed a new name?  Now non smart phones have disappeared?  Or you can use a derogatory name like “flip phone”?

I had a flip phone until a couple years ago, too lazy to switch

I think my dad had one of those air mattresses.

My dad also brought a volleyball, net, pump and needle for the ball, fishing pole and tackle, a full-sized aluminum folding chair and an aluminum pancake dispenser.

Jerry, I’d think old cell phones would be called “stone phones” because it rhymes, but my teens inform me that they are “rock phones” (as in “dumb as a rock”?).

For me, mostly, a cell phone.  Which eliminates camera, maps, compass, backup light, book, other comm devices, etc.

Trekking poles on steeper routes.

A dedicated pillow does work better than your clothes in a stuff sack, especially when you’ve minimized the clothing.

Other new items I carry in this century are mostly replacements for older tech: LED lights, UV water treatment, a quilt, etc.

I now carry a canister stove, tent, water treatment (steripen or BeFree), trail runners, headlamp, air mattress, pillow, and camp shoes. Probably missing some things.

In spite of adding these things, my base weight has come down from 25lbs to 10, give or take, and instead of needing 2.5lbs of good per day, I am fine on 17oz each day for trips up to about 10 days. After that I get hungry and think about food, a lot.

In spite of adding these things, my base weight has come down from 25lbs to 10, give or take,

I think this is the important thing. Much of the weight savings are due to lighter materials that are fairly durable. If we look at the technology for actual backpacking gear, there are few truly innovative designs in recent years.

Electronics such as digital cameras, smart phones, PBL or Satellite messengers are surly innovations. I only use a digital camera.

I still have to lift one foot at a time and put it down to move forward.

The phone also replaces a mirror

Plus, you can look at ticks on your back where you can’t otherwise see it

I used to be a staunch digital camera person but I have broken so many cameras on hikes it’s ridiculous. I think every last one of them died due to hiking. I’ve never broken my phone and the pictures turn out really nice. I prefer to take pictures of the view over close-ups, but it will do pretty decent close-ups. Decent enough for me. All I care about are the memories anyway. It’s a wonderful device.

I love my phone. It’s like a buddy. And I don’t even have social media apps, or very many apps at all, and I rarely use the internet on it. The camera, the notes, the Gaia GPS, the podcasts and audio books and my massive library of tunes that I can look up when playing old-time fiddle tunes with my friends. We often can’t remember how the tune goes, so I look it up to remind us. Also the voice memos so I can record new tunes to learn. There are even apps for identifying birds and flowers but I have not used them. Maybe someday. Recently I discovered I can actually edit videos and stills into movies on it. How did I not know I could do this? I can’t imagine life without it anymore.

There is no doubt that smart phones have gotten very good and serve many, many functions. I have seen some fabulous pictures from iPhones. I am also familiar with all kinds of really neat apps. Ide showed me an app that looks at the sky via the camera and can identify celestial objects. He has another one that can look at prominent peaks on a ridge and identify them. You could probably down load trail guides, and even field guides for plants, trees, birds, etc. It can be an alarm clock, a compass, and an accurate navigation tool with maps. On a town re-supply you can use the wallet to buy stuff without cash. It can interface with a satellite messenger. You can even use it as a level to fine tune your tent location. Its a music player.

I can go on and on.

Oh, by the way, you can even call people with it just like a phone.

I just happen to dislike this kind of technology in the backcountry. Some of my good friends bring them backpacking and it hasn’t hurt our friendship.