What is the 1 item you brought with you on a backpacking trip (most likely early on in your hiking career) that when you got back home thought to yourself "What in the HECK was I thinking?"
I am sad to say that mine was a battery operated fan. The fan itself was lightweight, only 6 ounces. I think it might have been the 4 D batteries that caused the issue! What can I say, I'm a picky sleeper...
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Seconded on the big ol' sheath knife--worn on a belt, of course, to keep it handy for skinnin' barrs. They actually didn't allow us to have them in Scouts because of a kid who stabbed himself in the thigh because the knife worked its way through the sheath while he was crossing a log.
I waan't there; evidently it was quite bloody.
D-cell flashlights come to mind. Way too many clothes, of course. Then there was the time I soloed with a hammock and a two-bag sleep system comprising a liner bag with half-zip and an overbag with a zipper on the opposite side atop a foam pad. In three miserable nights I was NEVER able to get completely inside both, and they twisted me into a half-warmed burrito while underneath, the pad would turn sideways.
Most of us ended up as ultra-lighters because of this very question. 1. Full Mirro cookset for 2 (while solo) 2. Coleman Peak 1 stove, along with that cookset. 3. big Air Force survival knife w/sharpening stone 4. Pistol/ammo Not to get controversial, but I gave up on that long ago when I realized my fears weren't rational. In some places, yes, most places, like carrying a brick, and it's never seen the light of day. 5. Texsport dome tent with fiberglass hoops. All the rage when new but 8 lbs.!
Most of us ended up as ultra-lighters because of this very question. 1. Full Mirro cookset for 2 (while solo) 2. Coleman Peak 1 stove, along with that cookset. 3. big Air Force survival knife w/sharpening stone 4. Pistol/ammo Not to get controversial, but I gave up on that long ago when I realized my fears weren't rational. In some places, yes, most places, like carrying a brick, and it's never seen the light of day. 5. Texsport dome tent with fiberglass hoops. All the rage when new but 8 lbs.!
Sounds awfully a lot like my early incarnation of gear! That and a hatchet, ridiculous. I also did a few grueling hikes in steel toed work boots.
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Registered: 02/07/07
Posts: 3917
Loc: Ozark Mountains in SW Missouri
Originally Posted By dylansdad77
What is the 1 item you brought with you on a backpacking trip (most likely early on in your hiking career) that when you got back home thought to yourself "What in the HECK was I thinking?"...
Honest to goodness, I've carried most the same goofy stuff as most (except a gun, I've never carried a gun), but my 1st response to the "What in the HECK was I thinking?" question is by far and away other people I brought.
And after thinking about it some more the answer would be the same if were to ponder the best thing I've brought.
As far as gear goes, I get to combine the two. I brought a "Camper's Saw" and a spool of heavy twine with me once on a trip, and I brought about 3 construction workers with me too. The saw was the kind with the thin stainless blade that folds into the handle, the twine was jute, and the construction workers were the young and burley beer drinking kind.
We camped at the mouth of a creek and river and there was a pretty big fallen Sycamore tree about a 100 yards up the creek when we got there.
Oooohhh, yes, your saw tale has me remembering the axe. Not a hatchet, an axe. Certain buddies would also pack an Army surplus entrenching tool (not the lousy Korean copy, either). They were great for...trenching.
Funny how we bury certain memories [pun unintended].
A friend once produced a watermelon from his pack, I think it was night 2 or 3. But he became an instant hero and legend from that day forth. Nobody ever applauded the axe.
I sneered under my breath at a friend who brought a 5th of scotch in a glass bottle on a backpacking trip (a very difficult trip at that). But, I gotta say I enjoyed drinking it:) I'm not sure what my personal worst item was, but a copy of "War and Peace" is definitely high on the list.
Registered: 02/05/03
Posts: 3292
Loc: Portland, OR
I once brought a very heavy surplus army coat (cotton!) on a backpack, which must have weighed five or six pounds by itself. It was in July, but I must say the weather where I went was nasty, cold and wet much of the time I was there, and the coat was the warmest thing I owned at the time. It came in handy, but still it was a wretched thing to lug around.
I sneered under my breath at a friend who brought a 5th of scotch in a glass bottle on a backpacking trip (a very difficult trip at that). But, I gotta say I enjoyed drinking it:) I'm not sure what my personal worst item was, but a copy of "War and Peace" is definitely high on the list.
i had a friend bring a half gal of tequila once, I woke up with one leg in the river and a fishing pole underneath me. The next day was miserable and I could not get rehydrated, never again!
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The wind wont howl if the wind don't break.
A cast iron frying pan, extruded metal grill, and a heavy leather glove. An axe, rope and umbrella was standard gear. The heaviest burden I carry now is the memories of being able to haul that stuff painlessly....
Yesterday at Costco I saw an adventure-in-the-making: guy was headed to checkout with these items in his cart--two very large (Costco-sized) bottles of vodka and a tent.
Speaking of adventure potential, by Thursday it's supposed to be near a hundred in the lowlands, so it's time for the summer gear and hitting the usual July spots now!
And I still wonder if they couldn't make those with Skeeter netting...because they sure were cheap and lightweight.
Some of today's cottage industry sil-nylon tarps are patterned after those old tents. I remember some really good designs back in 1960's Scouts, one being a simple pup tent from Sears. My poncho shelter is basically a big sheet of sil-nylon and is sometimes set up like those old tents. Works like a G.I. "half shelter", especially if someone else has a poncho shelter you're hiking with.
And bringing along others.......most of my accompanied hikes have been good experiences, but there are a few "stories". I've had people show up expecting me to outfit them! Ruined the trip. What did they not understand about "you are on your own"?
Registered: 10/30/03
Posts: 4963
Loc: Marina del Rey,CA
I don't necessarily think some of these items you all have carried are "boneheaded." Some are just classic beginner's gear or fit into the "it seemed like a good idea at the time" category. I remember as a Boy Scout carrying a surplus shelter half (one half of a heavy cotton pup tent that buttoned together with another half) and three piece wooden tent poles. I also had a surplus mess kit, canteen, web belt and folding shovel/trenching tool.
However, a couple of things I bought many years later sort of fit into this category- a signal flare rescue kit and a combo lightweight (relatively) axe, hammer, saw gadget I took bike touring. Weight wasn't that big an issue on my bike, but neither one of these was all that useful.
Some things I have carried were not bad products, just not a good choice for my intended use. My XGK is a great stove, but not really intended for hiking; it's more of a mountaineering stove. My Cat's Meow was a good bag when new (it's lost a lot of loft over the years), but not really a bag for the mountains of NZ; just not warm enough.
As far as big knives go, I remember buying one of those huge Scubapro Bowie knives with the fake ivory handle when I started diving. After soon realizing how ridiculous it was, I wound up with one about 1/4 its size that strapped onto my arm and was really practical. I still have it.
Edited by TomD (05/16/1402:38 AM)
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Didn't we all? Was yours the little tiny one that stored inside the suction cup thingies, or the Sawyer one with the syringe and 5 or 6 little cups (the socket set of snake bite kits)? Or both?
Registered: 02/05/03
Posts: 3292
Loc: Portland, OR
I made the mistake of buying a snake bite kit (the two rubber bulbs fitted together with a razor blade and instructions inside), but after I owned it I never made the mistake of carrying it.
Further memory-dredging: Deep-Woods OFF! insect fogger, in the large economy can and speaking of spray cans, PAM spray cooking oil, which, Boy Scouts being Boy Scouts, some bright light puts in the fire for easy disposal.
And to think you couldn't legally buy bottle rockets in Washington state.
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