What would you replace?

[AK Granola]

If little green space aliens descended from the sky and took all your stuff – everything! – what one camping gear item would you move heaven and earth to replace with the same make/model/brand you had, rather than just buying a different, newer model? What is the best darn thing in your kit that you simply will not do without? (thinking about Christmas gifts for outdoors types) I’ve read through the member voted items, but nothing is really jumping out. I’m fortunate enough to have some young relatives that are just getting into backpacking – huzzah! And will be looking for gifts for them.

[Ryan Jordan]

Probably a headlamp and a stove. And since they are young and new, avoid the obscure gear and go for the staples:

• Black Diamond Spot Headlamp
• MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe Stove

The idea here is just to find gear that works and is delightful to use, regardless of experience level.

[Matthew / BPL]

I don’t think I have any particular pieces that I couldn’t live without.

Assuming they like cooking, how about an esbit/alcohol kit? That’s such a good place to help someone find a compact solution that weighs 5 or 6 ounces rather than a solution that weighs 3–4x more.

[Mark L]

For every young lad when I was growing up, it was the traditional pocket knife. No one would be caught dead in the woods without one. And of course they had to be from our main hometown employer – Case cutlery, in Bradford, PA. https://caseknives.com/

People still send their pocket knives in after decades of use and they will polish them up and refurbish them for free. A pocket knife is a rite of passage. People hand them down to their kids. When grandparent’s pass, there is always a discussion about who will get their pocket knives.

Then when we got older, it changed to a Zippo windproof lighter – the original. Also made in Bradford, PA. https://www.zippo.com/collections/lighters

Nobody would be caught dead in the outdoors without their lighter. That lighter has a deep history. People still send them back after many long years of service to get them refurbished for free. And once again – they are passed down from generation to generation. You can get them engraved.

Now today, for me personally, I can’t think of anything more intimate while solo backpacking than a stove.

The stove is the interface between food and us. It is the tiny flickering flame we stare at while lost in thought on a cold dark night. An ultralight stove is often a person’s first introduction to the ultralight world. Mine was a homemade cat stove, completed with a tuft of insulation from my garage attic.

In recent years I’ve switched to solid fuel. There is still something magical about the ultralight stove, weighing in at a mere 0.4 ounces. You can slip it in your pocket. It can become like a friend.

Here is mine.

There is something which becomes uniquely personal about the gear I’ve mentioned.

I suppose the final type of personal gift would come at a yet older age – the portable bidet. Nothing says love quite like it. I’m not sure they can be engraved, though.

Mark

[Mark Verber]

I am very happy with my current kit but pretty much every item has multiple reasonable alternatives that I could be quite happy with.

The are two items that come to mind:

xoskin toe socks which are a very recent addition for me. Since I started wearing them not only have I had no blisters, but I had spots that were trending toward blisters than healed while once I started wearing these socks even though  I was still putting in 15-20 miles days.

The one item I have that I don’t know of anything on the market that would be quite as nice is my discontinued MLD 850 ml pot/mug + Trail Designs ULC Caldera.

[Tyler P]

My Arcteryx Squamish wind jacket circa 2016.  I love it and I bring it on every trip.  I haven’t yet found a better model.

Thinking about that as it relates to gifts:  I think a good wind shirt/jacket can be a revelatory experience for someone who may be relatively new to outdoorsy pursuits.  Seems most folks have static insulation or high wind blocking apparel for daily life — stuff that’s great for going to school or commuting, but requires constant donning and doffing to thermoregulate while hiking.  It’s harder to enjoy the activity when one is regularly uncomfortable; too sweaty, too cold, repeat.

A sweet-spot breathable midlayer means a lot less faffing on the trail; less distraction means more opportunity to take in the surroundings, spot interesting flora and fauna, and just generally enjoy being outside.  That’s a pretty good gift, imo.

[Bonzo]

My main-use backpack; it’s what makes the rest of my activities possible…and I don’t have an off-the-shelf pack, so that’s the crucial bit of kit.  Everything else I own came in cardboard and bubble-packaging with a recognizable label, so their replacements can be whatevs.

[Paul Wagner]

Yeah–I’m pretty much over obsessing about individual pieces of gear.  What I have works, but I’m quite sure that other stuff would work just as well.  I do like my HappyYaks socks, but I can always get more of those.

[Scott Smith]

My WM Summerlite..

I’ve had a bunch of bags, including FF, and, for me..this the one and only

[Devin Z]

Two pieces: 1- EE 10 degree quilt in digital camo. The warmth to weight is awesome, the color always makes me laugh and it’s such a joy to wrap up in at the end of a long day.

 

2- Benchmade 940. My father gave me mine when I left for college and it’s my most treasured piece of outdoor kit. You can send it back (or in my case drive down to Oregon City) and have them completely refurbish and sharpen it for $0. The shape is perfect for my hand size, the blade remains sharp and easily maintained and it’s soooooo light for the level of functionality. I know I could use a straight razor dental-flossed to a Bic and it’d be lighter (haha, lighter….) but I refuse to allow weight to effect my appreciation of this knife. I’ve got about 15lbs I’d want to lose off myself before I start looking at my knife as a place to save a couple oz.

[Dan]

Not really a backpacking piece for me, but I continue to buy Marmot dri-clime windshirts/jackets for high intensity winter activities. Very old school, but they work extremely well for me. I can’t see buying one of these as a gift, however.

Good stocking stuffers:

– A buff

– Petzl e+lite

– Squirt/Micra leatherman

 

[DWR D]

If your budget allows, a Garmin inReach Mini would be a great gift… keep them young-in’s safe and keep them in touch…

 

[Atif Khan]

We will be living in a village in the Himalayas for several months in 2024 so this question is a reality for me. Most things will be provided for: food, water, shelter, bedding, and pack animals. There will be excursions when boiling water will not be an option, so the one thing I will not leave behind is a Sawyer Mini (attached to the McHale, of course).

[David Thomas]

Well-loved stocking stuffers for outdoorspeople?
Victorinox Classic.  $5 for TSA-seized ones on eBay.
Victorinox Little Vicky paring knife – I defensively give one to all hiking/hunting companions so they quit swiping mine.
NiteCore Tube – at 1 lumen great for reading in a tent, at 50 lumens enough on a trail.
NiteCore NU25 – when you need to do a bit of route-finding and then dial it back down on mostly extablished trails.
A brass-bladed ice scraper.  You have to drive to the trailhead, right?  Getting uncommon for even Alaskans to know about them, and yet they’re now so easy to find because of Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Industries-F101-Combo-Fantastic-Scraper/dp/B01MY1FTSD/ref=sr_1_5
I buy them in lots and hand them out.  Brass is softer than glass but much harder than ice (or plastic ice scrapers) so pushing down on them lets you take ALL the ice off down to clear glass.

[jscott]

Pocket knife? Not me. way too heavy!

Darn Tough socks would make great stocking stuffers I think. So would a Simms LONG bill visor, or if that’s not made anymore, their long bill ball cap. If someone wears glasses, these can be worn under a rain hood to  keep lenses dry.

[Mark Verber]

Ah… misread the ask. You are really asking about gifts rather than what are beloved. Good socks which can be the stockings :) make good sense.  Darn Tough would have been my recommendation, but as mentioned above, XoSkin have been my new favorite socks. As many people have indicated, knives are useful backpacking and in everyday life. It’s a way to show trust and teach responsibility to younger folks. Any of the Swiss army knives can be good gift. Over the years I have given a number of Benchmade and Opinel knives which have been very well received.  Likewise good quality LED flashlights and headlamps have been appreciated. I like the NiteCore NU2x line but there are lots of good options.

[JCH]

1. Montbell Alpine Down Parka

2. Montbell Light Down Pants

I have not found more performant, more well crafted, more fairly priced options in those categories. I wouldn’t even bother to shop (except perhaps to see if someone had a better price that directly from Montbell).

IMO, the best way to introduce people to (winter) backpacking/camping is to make certain they are warm.

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

I can probably replace everything I have with a different brand of something similar. I like all my gear but most of it isn’t that unique. Of those items that are unique, I suppose:

1. Zpacks Pocket Tarp with doors. This item isn’t for everyone.
2. EE Copperfield windshirt and windpants. The shiny fabric is off-putting for some, but there are similar items that are less shiny, such as the Timmermade HyperD 1.0 versions. Not everyone sees the need for such things but I find them quite useful even in daily life.
3. ULA Rain skirt. Not unique but it is less constricting to walk in than some other rain skirts, especially DCF rain skirts.
4. Nitecore NU25 from Litesmith with the replacement shock cord strap. The shock cord is much lighter and it is comfortable to use and makes the item smaller when shoved in a pocket.

[Bonzo]

I misread the ask as well, but my answer remains unchanged.  As far as gifts are concerned:

This might not be a common answer, but the best outdoor gifts that people give me are meals: dehydrated, freeze-dried, snack bars, etc…all of them make wonderful gifts.  Such items are often disproportionately expensive, so I don’t usually get them for myself…but I always appreciate it when someone else spends the $5 to $15 that a box of bars or a tasty freeze-dried meal will cost me.  Even if it’s not something that I would normally eat – lookin’ at you, Mushroom Stroganoff – I still enjoy trying new noms in the outdoors; often, I’ll write the name of the giver on the package(s) so that I’ll know who to thank, later…or whom to tell a very funny story to, if the food didn’t work exactly as planned.

Other fun gifts I’ve received:

• A renewal of my AAC membership.
• State/national park passes.
• Small paperback books, with inscriptions like “to be read while stuck in the tent during rain/snow/hail storm.”
• DIY gear kits.
• Info: trail guides, recipe books, skills courses, etc.
• A filled flask, with some damned fine scotch, therein*

* – may not be appropriate for all ages.

[BlackHatGuy]

Gosh, this is backpackinglight! Nobody said a scale! Nobody said a spreadsheet! Sheesh! /jk

I think the best gift would be to take them on a really cool backpacking trip.

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