OK, I'm one of the biggest gear-heads on the forums; I'll freely admit that. But, for me, messing with gear is kind of a hobby unto itself - and something to do between trips.

My own decision point on which piece of gear to use (assuming that my choices all perform well) seems to be how much I notice the gear during a trip.

Naturally, before the trip, it's all about the gear: what will the weather and route require me to take? (Warm clothes? Extra water bottles?) At this point, I look heavily at pack weight (pun intended), count the tent stakes to be sure they're all there, test the water filter in the sink, and pack and repack to get that optimum load. I tinker with the fit of the pack, and go through the first aid kit to see if I've got enough Advil and Aleve, and such. In short, I let the OCD run wild.

But it's something quite different on the trail. Most of my gear ends up fading into the background during the trip. Its use becomes such second nature that I barely notice it. For example, to me the Jetboil is so easy to use that I don't really have to think about it while I'm setting it up or cooking; I can pay attention to the boiling without really dwelling on it. I can carry on a conversation, or look at a map. The food isn't even the main focus of the meal; it tastes good enough, but it's the sunset or the view or the sound of the creek that's the main focus of the meal. The tent, with its full mesh screen, feels exactly like sleeping under the stars on a warm, clear night without the rain fly; I'm not thinking about whether it's pitched tautly enough. Even my hiking sticks are pretty much unnoticed; they're light enough that my arms don't get tired lifting them, "flickable" enough that my feet don't get tangled, and it's as natural to flip a branch off the trail with the point of the tip as it is to reach down and toss it with my hand. The pack rides lightly, doesn't slide down my hips, and doesn't settle all the weight on my shoulders; it swivels with me, and I'm never fighting it.

In short, the gear - though essential - really goes pretty much unnoticed once I step onto the trail. The trip, with its scenery, weather, companionship, and experiences, takes center stage and becomes what I remember.

How much attention do you all pay to your gear while you're actually out there?

1) Tent. I hate dealing with a tent. Does not matter what brand of tent. Finding a tent spot, setting up (I never can figure out what is uphill), adjusting, readjusting, taking down a wet mess, sponging off the water, the dirt.. UGH!! If at all possible (no mosquitoes and good predicted weather) I much prefer a bivy sack or old fashioned cowboy camping (or my husband along - HE deals with the tent!)

2) The backpack. If I were to stick to shorter trips it would be less painful. But I always overload the poor pack (suffer for the first few days with a 2 pound pack vs.the heavy but better suspension of a 4 pound pack and carry more the entire trip). I usually choose the former and suffer for a few days! When I plan a trip I just cannot resist stretching it to 14 days.

3) Bear canister - contributing factor to #2. The stiffness of the bear can against my back just as much as the added 2 pounds weight. On the other hand, the bear can eliminates dealing with hanging food - a real pain too. Ideal are locations where I can use the Ursack.

4) any piece of gear that fails to function properly! Leaky raincoats. Sole of shoe delaminating. Hole in sock. Since I tend to use my equipment until it fails, at some point almost all my equipment becomes quite noticeable!

I pay attention to the little things. (it a trait I've been taught ) I like to take care of my stuff, so that they will last a long time. At home I give it proper storage, maintain them, etc. On the trail I usually notice things as I'm using them.

This sums up my response well--I go into management-by-exception mode, focusing on what's failed or failing, forgotten, lost, etc. And there's always something; if I'm lucky it's only one thing but there's the occasional gear-fail cascade.

The best I can tell myself is "don't do that again." Put another way: find a new way to screw up. I never take exactly the same kit twice. Never.

Cheers,

Yes, when it stops functioning properly, it pops out of the background and takes stage center really fast. My Sawyer filter did that a couple trips back - it was some new Platypus bottles on which the threads weren't compatible, causing dirty water to stream into my clean container - and it really affected that day's trip. Fortunately, I was with a group and someone else had a Platypus GravityWorks that performed flawlessly. At that point, "water filter" faded into the background for the rest of the trip (except to the extent that I was hauling a quarter pound of paperweight.) After the trip, I solved my problem by switching to the Gravityworks, which promptly faded into the background on the next trip. (I may order some of the new Sawyer bags and give it another chance. But I may not.)

Up until the last few trips, I was always trying out new stuff, too. The last 3 trips, I've carried exactly the same kit (except for the water filter and weather-specific clothing, like long johns and a down jacket) every time. So, much to the chagrin of my pushe...I mean, outfitter, and the newbies in my local hiking group, my gear purchases and subsequent discards have decreased significantly.

Your Sawyer filter problem was actually a Platypus problem; Cascade Designs changed to non-standard threads when they went to the newer curvy-shaped bottles. It also means that those of us who lose bottle caps frequently have to buy the new Platy caps; we can no longer use soda bottle caps as spares.

If you can find Evernew bottles, they make a much better choice for the Sawyer Squeeze. So can flexible soda or water bottles. I switched to all Evernew bottles because the cap is attached with a toggle to the bottle, so no more lost caps! They are of course in high demand because of their compatability with the Sawyer Squeeze coupled with Evernew's loss of production from the Japanese tsunami. If you find any available, pounce on them quickly!

Thanks, Mouse. At the risk of swerving off-thread, I'll add a bit to that.

I still think of it as a "Sawyer problem" only because that was what I concluded in the field. (It had worked fine the previous trip with some older Platy bottles - which were showing signs of wear and got replaced for this trip.) You're right, of course. The Sawyer is a great filter, and can't really be held accountable - nor can the Platy bottles. The only "problem" was that the operator didn't realize there was a compatibility issue - which he would have realized if he had tried out the new gear before taking it out (as he has recommended to others. Hmmm... )

However, before I figured that out (thanks to help from some of the folks on the forums), I had replaced it with the Gravityworks.

There were two other issues with the Sawyer, though, that did relate to ease of use - and thus whether it faded into the background of the trip. First, those small-mouth bottles, whether Platy or Sawyer, are nearly impossible to fill when held horizontal in moving water. The solution is to dip with something else (in my case, a small folding bowl) and pour into the bottle, then attach the bottle and filter - adding a "nuisance" step. What moved me toward the GravityWorks was using the friend's on the rest of the trip: its "dirty" reservoir uses the big-zip bottom, so you simply scoop water, close the bottom, and filter.

Second, the Sawyer, as sold, doesn't attach directly to the "clean" bottle, which means you have to aim the flow into the other container, which does require pretty close attention. The Gravityworks does have a direct connection capability.

In all fairness, you can retrofit tubing, bottles, and connectors onto the Sawyer so that it's identical to the Gravityworks - but at the moment I bought the GravityWorks, I hadn't figured out that the problem was compatibility, not the filter, and I had another trip the following weekend.

Don't know if my Squeeze filter is like everybody else's, but it has a hose barb underneath the spout cap. Once I fig'gred out I could rig the works as a gravity filter I stopped with the whole squeeze/roll/coaxing thing and hang it instead. Still hate filling the narrow-neck bags so I usually prefer the Sawyer Gravity setup (unless soloing).

p.s. Another lesson learned: backflush your Sawyer at the beginning of the season, no matter what you did in fall. They can clog over winter (probably stuff growing inside).

Cheers,

I'll second the backflush. I pulled mine out two weeks ago and took it on an overnight. I also left the syringe at home. Let's just say I won't do that again.

I'm not a gear head. For the last overnight trip, my son and I carried a total of 42 pounds including food and water.

I'm attached to my Svea 123R stove I got in 1977. That and the coffee are the only things I pay much attention to. We generally make coffee 2 or 3 times on the trail where there is a good view.

Our packs are old external frame packs from the 80's.

Both of us have gone back to cotton. It's more comfortable and it doesn't smell as much as synthetic. It works in Colorado. Cotton doesn't kill. Wet cotton can get uncomfortable, but there is no reason to get wet if you have rain gear.

We use cheap Alpine 20 sleeping bags. I've been tempted to buy a good down bag, but have never gotten around to it.

Neither one of us uses a pad, and we are as likely to cowboy camp as we are to sleep in the tent. We do set the tent up in case a rainstorm comes.

We have been stumbling into becoming more minimalist. I've stopped carrying water if I know there is water in the next 5 miles or so. My son only needs one bottle for that distance. If it's just overnight, we grab a few granola bars and bring some macaroni and cheese for supper.

Before the trip: I tinker with gear, packing, inspecting, fitting pack, repacking...for up to a week out. The anticipation this builds up for me is great. Also, my dog has learned what all the commotion means and he perks up as well.

During the trip: I constantly evaluate how well my set-up/gear selection is working for me and the dog. I also evaluate how my friends are doing with their gear... after all, they may have something I want to seriously look at!

After the trip: Cleaning, drying, inspecting, and putting away is the name of the game. So gear is at the forefront here too.

Between trips: What new gear is out there? Where is the nearest outfitter so I can go look at it? When are my next editions of Backpacker and Climbing going to arrive?

Hi, my name is Ben and I am a gear-head.

Yes, search teams all over the place call it Death Cloth for ... no good reason?

Uh huh.

I get so wet wearing rain gear just sweating that I wouldn't wear cotton if you paid me. Oh wait - I did wear it. Had a synthetic shirt along just in case, and it was a good thing, because the rain gear (goretex) failed, soaked through, and presto, wet cotton shirt rode around still wet, for three days on the back of the pack in the sun.

And then there were the search subjects who wore cotton shirts and cotton hoodies, hiking in the Central Sierra, who had to stop and build fires twice when the temps dropped, it rained, and they got soaking wet. Had to dry out their jeans too. They managed to make it to their destination for day two - in six days.

May want to re-think that choice.

I realized what a gear head I have been when taking the stoves, bags, quilts, pads, etc to the backpacking class on gear night.

Wow.

I have more stoves than REI.

I'll vote with Lori on this topic.

I have been mountaineering and backpacking for a long time; over 65 tears if my figuring serves me. In the early days, most folks wore cotton with wool for warmth. It wasn't because of any particular virtue of cotton or wool, it was just that this was what was available. Tradition ruled and a lot of hikers went out dressed in jeans or military surplus clothing. Hell, the Army dressed infantry grunts in cotton and wool in WW-II and in Korea: there were a lot of hypothermia casualties in those wars too. As recently as the early 80's, most hikers, including me, wore jeans or cotton field pants, cotton T-shirts and cotton undies even in Washington and Oregon. In colder weather, wool shirts and pants went on over cotton underwear: I recall having damp underwear a lot of the time even on a trip in Arizona. When when better products and knowledge came along we changed our clothes.

Yeah, I lived through my cotton years but it was not because of the cotton, it was in spite of it. Careful use of cotton is probably OK but the overwhelming weight of evidence shows that you are better off with synthetic layers. Twice in the past twenty years I have had to cut a trip short to assist hypothermic, cotton-clad hikers out of life-threatening situations. They weren't prepared and had thought that they were. Because of their hubris, I missed out on potentially great hikes. Frankly, it pizzed me off a little.

As noted elsewhere, "Good judgement comes from experience; experience comes from bad judgement".

Added in editing: BTW, one of the cut-short trips was on the upper Poudre River in summertime Colorado; the other was in summertime western Washington.

Well, I think this too can be a regional/conditions kind of thing. I generally wear cotton in the winter, but I also bring a lightweight synthetic outfit as a backup.

If I'm going bushwhacking in the forest here and it's going to be 50ºf highs and sunny and dry I am wearing heavy denim jeans. They are by far the best thing to wear in those conditions here.

I got some cotton clothes soaked on a trip into the Buffalo River NP and had them hanging on a line in front of a campfire for hours and they never dried out either. They were under a tarp and trees but it was drizzling or raining the entire time. I was really glad to have my synthetics with me on that trip!

If I got my clothes soaked out there again I might try rigging up a dryer box out of an emergency blanket and dry them inside it using either solar or a campfire to power it. I've tested that in my backyard and it worked pretty good.

Well, I was one of those jeans-wearing, cotton t shirt hikers too - long ago. There really was nothing else.

Some old (older, okay?) fellows of my acquaintance still have wax-coated cotton anoraks for winter time.

The push for no cotton has more to do with the general sense of the folks I'll call backpacking tourists, who don't understand the fabrics and how they work, and when they are appropriate. So the general push is to give the consistent message of "no cotton" to be sure they aren't going to make mistakes with it. I won't be wearing it any more myself because there are better fabrics to work with now. I am really enjoying merino wool in many applications - temperature management is much easier with it.

One of the students in the backpacking class I'm in the middle of teaching asked why we needed so much time to discuss backpacking - I'm having a tough time distilling the information into the time I've allotted myself, and deciding what is most critical for folks who have never backpacked to understand. I wish at times that I had Freedom of the Hills in paper form - half that venerable tome has to do with mountaineering, ie ice, snow, alpine climbing, etc - but a whole lot of it is applicable to backpacking, including the sections on first aid, group dynamics and leadership, and the excellent section on clothing.

I'm still stunned sometimes at what people do, so I guess the broad based general teaching that "Cotton Kills" is probably best.



I have been loving that $3 cashmere sweater my daughter got me at a thrift store a few years ago. She just bought some "Smart wool" that she says she likes a lot.

I guess what we might take away from this drift is that if your gear is working for you than you may not need to be as conscience of it. When it doesn't, you become very conscience of it.

I think its not cotton that kills. You have to consider the percentage of people wearing cotton compared to any mortality statistics - since most people going into the backcountry and getting into real trouble may not have a budget for special hiking clothes for instance, so they wear what they have. Just maybe 90% or more of people "out hiking" are probably wearing cotton, so you would expect 90% plus calls to be for them.

I think what does kill is ignorance. You can avoid hypothermia with minor rain gear, even a poncho. People who simply enter the wilderness with nothing but what they were wearing in town, not thinking that there might be a problem later and getting into trouble. Its not like the cotton got them in trouble, and there is also the regional - humidy - thing. Frankly cotton is fine for backpacking in the (EASTERN) central cacades if you have long underwear and waterproof jackets along. In the WESTERN Cascades you better be prepared for humidity and skip the cotton.

OR hike in cotton tank top and cutoffs as long as the weather is nice and change into foul weather gear when its required - why wear foul weather gear all of the time just in case?
Jim

"If your gear is working for you than you may not need to be as conscious of it. When it doesn't, you become very conscience of it."

After all my stumbling about in the initial post, I think you've neatly and concisely summarized exactly my feelings. Thanks, Bill; I may steal that quote.

I think my many years in the military spoiled me in one respect to outdoor gear. That stuff is tough as heck so a person can get used to abusing it.

I feel like I have to baby my civilian gear, so I pay special attention to it. I have had too many items go down to do otherwise.

Interesting --- I've put more miles and time of use on my gear than most people do, and tend to err on the side of lightweight (and thus less durable) gear, and I've come to the opposite conclusion. I've got some gear from my long-ago time in the military, but other than on rare occasion a wool mitten or glove, it's all too heavy for me to consider now.

I'm not meaning to argue here or suggesting that you're "wrong" (!), just saying that my experience has been different.

Such that in teaching part of a backpacking class earlier this year, I told people that I think that durability in gear is something that's IMO overrated for a person that takes reasonable care, and uses the gear in ways and within the limits of what it's expected to do.

The things that do tend to wear out on me are the zippers on "ultralight" jackets and tents. Lighter backpacks can truly "wear out" but it takes thousands of miles; even a quite light pack such as a Gossamer Gear offering will be plenty solid enough for a couple of thousand miles of use. My still-pretty-light ULA pack is approaching 4000 miles of use now and still has a good deal of mileage left in it.

Shoes wear, certainly, but that's understandable, and even then, folks sometimes get a lot of miles out of a single pair.
Even socks last pretty long for me; I don't mind modest holes in them.

I think it's good to be "conscious of gear" insofar as, for example, you don't jerk-lift an ultralight type of pack via a shoulder strap, or you don't just throw your stuff down hard on the ground. I think, however, that if you get in good habits with your gear, you don't have to be conscious at all.

If you tend to bushwhack a lot or otherwise go off trail, or scramble, or anything outside of walking established trails, then obviously --- YMMV on this point.

These things are things I do. I have not yet worn any of my civilian gear out (aside from shoes and socks)... it breaks or otherwise becomes non-operational before I can wear it out.

I feel that I actively avoid abusing things these days, but I have been called a "brute" and a "bruiser" many times. I wear out boots/shoes in less than a year, but I am 6'1"-220lbs.

My main backpacking buddy has a lot of gear with a lot of miles, and I see no real difference in how we treat our gear in the field, so in the end.... ellifiknow.