Jim, nobody does that anymore. We use "space blankets". And the internet brings those mountain tops right into the computer room!

ALL sports are driven by "marketing". It's not a 'conspiracy'. How does a company take an old concept like "a bag with straps on it" and keep sales alive? By constantly changing it with 'new' innovations like ice ax loops, crampon pads, and hydration bags on your kids book bag. I ran into this in the scuba business in the '80's. Delivering air to a sport diver had been prefected....so...they made it all prettier, and started adding gizmo's that you had to have or you weren't cool. I even put dive computers in that category! Sure, plastics and materials change and improve, but basic concepts remain the same. My old gear works just fine. Camping/backpacking is no different. I remember NOT using sleeping pads from the 60's to about the mid '80's...then you had to have a Thermorest. Enter the "ultralight" mindset.....
We tend to go counter to the marketing and get back to basics.
I find thinking past the marketing and un-doing the fluff we're sold, lightens the pack a bunch!


Agree on the 'footprint' thing....that probably is a conspiracy.