Staff Picks – Our Favorite Gear of 2020!
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Durstongear/Massdrop X-Mid 1p – I’ve been using this shelter since it came out in early 2019 and have been very impressed. It’s well thought out, easy to set up, roomy, and is a lot of tent for the price. One of the features I really love about this shelter is the fact that you can open both doors for cross ventilation – a feature not found on many solo tents, but quite useful here in the humid southeast. You can even have the doors open during non-windblown rain without getting water inside the inner net.
Patagonia Airshead Pullover – I’ve still been using my trusty 2011 Houdini for backpacking, but I bought an Airshead on clearance to use road and trail running and it has been fantastic. The fabric has a wonderfully soft, supple hand that is comfortable against the skin – more so than any other windshirt I’ve used, and it it’s just the right balance of windproofness and breathability. After years of feeling like there was no real replacement to my ’11 Houdini if something happened to it, I would be totally fine backpacking with a Airshead or Houdini Air.
Patagonia Sun Stretch Shirt – I’ve tried several button up hiking shirts for trips out west where I need bug and sun protection and after several years of using the REI Sahara, I finally broke down and bought a Patagonia Sun Stretch shirt from Worn-Wear – Patagonia’s online used clothing store. The shirt didn’t look like it had ever been worn to me, and if it was, it was cleaned and prepped as brand new. As with most Patagonia gear the quality and materials were excellent. It’s more breathable than most button up hiking shirts and with an at home Permethrin treatment still kept the early August bugs at bay. While I’ll continue to reach for my OR Echo shirts when bugs aren’t an issue, the Sun Stretch is the best shirt of it’s style that I’ve found. It also earns bonus points for looking good off the trail as well.
Fires and Covid made backpacking a bit difficult in the PNW in 2020, so I turned to overlanding and camping to get away from most civilization and into the woods. So my favorite gear for 2020 is car camping gear. My Kuma 19″ propane fire pit is a definite winner for cold nights when the sun goes down around 4 pm. I’d have been in my shelter by 5 pm without the fire pit, instead of drinking scotch (or tea) and chatting til after 9 pm.
Another favorite piece of gear is my 12’x20′ Oware tarp. It’s a great place to sit under with the fire pit to get out of any rain or snow falling. As with everything Dave makes, the craftsmanship was impeccable. Many ways to set it up, it serves its purpose extremely well. Here’s the tarp and stove in action.
My Dometic PLB40 battery is a great piece of kit. I’ve used it three times so far while overlanding/car camping, and it has lasted through the entire weekend (often Friday night to Monday morning) keeping my Dometic fridge running, and still had 50 percent or more battery left. Part of that, of course, is because I was using it in winter, I can’t wait to see how it does in warmer weather. It recharges quickly and holds a charge quite well. You can also use it to charge various devices via USB.
I’ll offer four instead of three, the fourth being my new Rav4 TRD Off-Road with a Front Runner Slimline II rack on top. The new Rav lets me go places I certainly couldn’t with my Elantra (or even my old Rav from 2015), and the Front Runner rack sits low enough that I can actually pack up the Rav in my garage instead of having to do it in the driveway. While it’s not a true 4WD, and nowhere near as off-road capable as a vehicle purpose-built for overlanding, it does get around 30 mpg. Hard to beat. (Thanks to Ian for the photo)
I have two and they are my Topo Athletic UltraVentures and their gaiters and my ZPack Arc Haul Zip. My new gear to try for 2021 is my new 2 person tent the X-Mid 2p.
The only new gear I’ve bought in the past two years was one of Dan Durston’s packs, for when I’m in a fanatical mood and don’t need the size of my (admittedly ridiculous) McHale. Otherwize, I have sold or gifted all of my old (non-military) packs.
So other than that I’ll just post this:
Not terribly light, I know. This is the car-camping rig that I cobbled together for my daughter’s Girl Scouts activities.
I’m not an off-roader, but I do like to get to remote trailheads. My career is demanding enough- and thus my time off is limited enough- that I try not to waste time with long approaches, and this vehicle gets me to places where I can already start my hike remote. I’m slowly working on necessary accessories like a winch, etc. Unfortunately, RhinoRack tells me that they have no plans to develop a Backbone system for the 2-door JL.
It also turns out to be a surprisingly good “city car”. It is short (2-door version) and has a ridiculously tight turning radius, so it’s easy to park.
It gets best in class gas mileage with the 4-cylinder 2.0L turbo, believe it or not- I suspect because nobody else makes a “light SUV” with an engine that small. Though unfortunately this engine is not offered with a manual transmission.
But then, predictably, right after I bought it Jeep released their plug-in hybrid Wrangler (though only in 4-door). Grrr. If I’d just waited another year… We got my wife the plug-in hybrid Pacifica a while ago and it has enough range that she can do her daily commute on battery alone, which is very nice. Presumably the hybrid Wrangler (also by Fiat-Chrysler) would have similar performance. Alternative vehicles have (finally!) gotten practical enough that I can look forward to getting one for my next vehicle, I supppose. But, wow, I’m considering trading in far sooner than I usually do for that hybrid Wrangler. Apparently you can even run the engine to use the vehicle as a generator to power equipment in remote locations if needed, not unlike that new F150.
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