Your favorite gear of 2015

Love my Borah Gear down jacket.  So much warmer than a Western Mountaineering Ex-Lite Jacket.

Rockwoods .8oz waterproof fabric.  Endless possibilities to look forward to in 2016.

My 15* “go to” 21 ounce quilt.  It even loves me back by keeping me so warm.

I’ll add that I’ve become quite enamoured of KUIU merino shirts, gloves and hats. I use them all the time – hiking, backpacking, bicycling. Big fan. Even bought my brother a set for Christmas.

Chris I havent used the Duomid, but did sell a Solomid and move to the BT2 specifically to address two concerns   First, wind gets under the side of the solo, which the BT2s sod cloth addresses.  Second, the BT2 is taller which keeps condensation off your face. Build quality of both is top shelf.  I dont miss the MLD peak vent, and like the number 8 zips on the Seek Outside.  BT2 is heavier, packed size roughly the same.  Tiny footprint of the Solo is nice in thick forests and rocky spots.

Chris- a 30l pack would be too small for a thru hike for most people.  If you want to go HMG the 3400 or 4400 might be best.  I might also look at the Seek Outside 3900 or the ULA Circuit as it’s a very popular thru hiking pack.  The z packs arc haul looks intriguing as well.

LADIES:  It took me a year of hiking to realize I could use a “pee rag” (cut up bandana or – as I prefer – a cut up microfiber washcloth from REI) instead of toilet paper, and I felt pretty good about the change.  However, a couple of months ago, I trumped that discovery when I purchased the pStyle (on Amazon).  This thing is awesome!!  I no longer have to expose all my parts to the freezing cold while peeing in the night!  “Pulling over” on a hike to pee in the woods is much quicker and easier now that I don’t have to undo my pants and waist belt and get half-undressed before re-arranging all clothing layers.  If you hike with boys, the pStyle will make quick trail-side peeing easier!  It has come in handy at trailheads, on hikes, and at campsites…anywhere where it’s difficult to be discreet while dropping my pants and squatting!!  I do not miss having to do that :D

I had a couple really good pieces this year that I’ll be using again in 2016.

1. A MYOG pack made using a frame and hipbelt from an Unaweep.  This seems to be a trend.  Like others I really like this pack.  I cut the frame about 1 inch shorter so it ends right at the top of my shoulders.  I made several packbags for it for different uses.  For desert hiking I made a small bag out of dyneema gridstop.  With a small gear pocket its was 34oz.  For a pack that can haul 50 pounds that is a great weight to performance ration.  For packrafting I made a bigger pack on the same frame.  It was great for carrying heavy and bulky packrafting loads.  I’ll definitely use it again in 2016.
2. Kokepelli Nirvana Packraft – This pack works great in rapids and the double chambers are nice.  Again I’ll be using one of these again this summer.
3. Kokatat Drysuit – Worth every cent.

Arc Haul … breezy back and nice ride

Lone Peak 2.0 … looking forward to the 2.5s this year

UMBRELLA!!!

I can’t believe I never tried one before (especially on those JMT trips I did the past few years!).  Best gear I’ve ever found, and I’ll never go on a trip without it again.  Best 8 oz i’ve ever carried.

• Dirty Girl Gaiters
• Injinji RUN 2.0 Lightweight Mini-Crew Socks

The combination of thin gaiters and thin toe socks made a big difference in my hiking.

• Patagonia Capilene 1 Silkweight Crew Top
• Sawyer Stay Put Sunscreen SPF 30

The combination of a thin long-sleeved shirt, and sunscreen that truly lasts all day long, means no more sunburns for me.

— Rex

Like many others my kit has been stable for years, so my favorite gear “of 2015” is probably the same as for 2014, 2013, etc.  The criteria above is for gear that always seems to make it into your pack over and over, so…

I’d have to say my solo shelter system, which generically is a 2P mid with a bivy.  Specifically I use an MLD DuoMid and SuperLight bivy but there are many excellent alternatives.  I find the 1P mids to be uncomfortable collections of compromises whereas a 2P mid is a palace for one for only trivially more weight.  The bivy is my groundsheet and bug protection and is also handy when cowboy camping, which is what I usually end up doing anyway.

I’ll include my cook system, though it did change slightly a few years ago.  I believe that a wide (as opposed to tall) pot on the order of 1L is the One Pot To Rule Them All.  It’s large enough to make a multi-course meal for one yet can cover two in a pinch.  Mine is the uncoated 0.9L Evernew ECA252.  I have yet to meet a nonstick coating that didn’t flake off very rapidly and avoid them, though I admit that I have no experience with the new thin ceramics.  I’m nonetheless inherently suspicious of them and I’ve always been able to remove any burned-on crud with a handfull of sand and some elbow grease at any rate.  I used to use a Ti-Tri Caldera Cone for it’s multifuel possibilities but made a SuperCat during a simplification phase I went through and have been favoring that.  I’ll probably switch between the two as needed.

I spent a very uncomfortable night several years ago when I was unable to make tinder for a fire in some unexpectedly miserable conditions using the tiny blade on my Leatherman Squirt.  Since then I have carried a full-sized fixed-blade knife as a “luxury item.”  Mine is usually a MoraKniv Companion for the sake of keeping the weight and cost down while retaining full functionality.  The Moras lack a full tang, though, and I’d like to find something similar that has one.

My other “luxury item” is a Klymit X Pillow.  What can I say?  I’m getting old.  :)

After decades of wearing minimalist nylon hiking pants I finally put some stretch Prana Zion pants on my Christmas list, and my wife delivered.  I have high hopes for them.  I have only used them once on a dayhike in the Tortolita Mountains but they were quite comfortable.

NM

Sony RX100 II

Patagonia Houdini

Sawyer water filter bottle

MLD Core

Supermid: family + PCT=good

Kit list ‘fairly’ stable.

PHD Ultra pullover is the standout.

Dean. Mora is bringing out a full tang knife this year.

as a note … if one has an aluminum pole tent … one can use the aluminum pole repair sleeve as a “bellows” rather than buying something extra

just dont touch the flames too much with it

;)

Mini Bic.

Enlightened Equipment:

1. Accomplice, amazingweight savings and water resistant down.

2. Enigma

HMG

4400 southwest.  Finally a simple pack to take the place of an almost identical north face that’s heavier and not waterproof. With two kids now, I needed higher volume.

Tarptent Cloudburst 3

Incredibly versatile tent for not much weight.   When taking the kids, this works much better than my mid.

Oruxmaps, (past 3 years but sooo good)

No need for a Garmin anymore. Does everything a GPS should and more.  Free and tons of map options also available for free.   Highly recommend.

Yeah, but…

I’d have chosen the Olympus TG4 over the Canon G15. The TG4 has an F2 lens that takes fantastic photos, has a removable ring around the lens to mount other lenses, is waterproof to 50 ft. and “drop resistant” from 7 ft.

Let’s see the Canon G15 match those features as well as give photos as good as the TG4.

I had my original TG1 stolen and recently replaced it with the TG4. It’s still the best point-and-shoot out there for outdoor work.

My neoair xtherm.

For the fan of the Pearl Izumi trail n2 (@mocai I’m looking at you)… better stock up, they’re exiting the running shoe business: https://pitchengine.com/pitches/61571fab-3af9-4caa-a210-c11f02136311

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