Backcountry Forum
Backpacking & Hiking Gear

Backcountry Forum
Our long-time Sponsor - the leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear
 
 
 

Amazon.com
Backpacking Forums
---- Our Gear Store ----
The Lightweight Gear Store
 
 WINTER CAMPING 

Shelters
Bivy Bags
Sleeping Bags
Sleeping Pads
Snow Sports
Winter Kitchen

 SNOWSPORTS 

Snowshoes
Avalanche Gear
Skins
Hats, Gloves, & Gaiters
Accessories

 ULTRA-LIGHT 

Ultralight Backpacks
Ultralight Bivy Sacks
Ultralight Shelters
Ultralight Tarps
Ultralight Tents
Ultralight Raingear
Ultralight Stoves & Cookware
Ultralight Down Sleeping Bags
Ultralight Synthetic Sleep Bags
Ultralight Apparel


the Titanium Page
WM Extremelite Sleeping Bags

 CAMPING & HIKING 

Backpacks
Tents
Sleeping Bags
Hydration
Kitchen
Accessories

 CLIMBING 

Ropes & Cordage
Protection & Hardware
Carabiners & Quickdraws
Climbing Packs & Bags
Big Wall
Rescue & Industrial

 MEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 WOMEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 FOOTWEAR 

Men's Footwear
Women's Footwear

 CLEARANCE 

Backpacks
Mens Apparel
Womens Apparel
Climbing
Footwear
Accessories

 BRANDS 

Black Diamond
Granite Gear
La Sportiva
Osprey
Smartwool

 WAYS TO SHOP 

Sale
Clearance
Top Brands
All Brands

 Backpacking Equipment 

Shelters
BackPacks
Sleeping Bags
Water Treatment
Kitchen
Hydration
Climbing


 Backcountry Gear Clearance

Page 1 of 2 1 2 >
Topic Options
Rate This Topic
#170774 - 10/21/12 10:02 PM What if.......
rockchucker22 Offline
member

Registered: 09/24/12
Posts: 751
Loc: Eastern Sierras
......money wasn't an issue, what would your set up consist of?
_________________________
The wind wont howl if the wind don't break.

Top
#170779 - 10/22/12 12:05 AM Re: What if....... [Re: rockchucker22]
balzaccom Offline
member

Registered: 04/06/09
Posts: 2232
Loc: Napa, CA
That takes all the fun out of it!

But still, I think we would be happy with what we have: Golite50 packs, a homemade single wall tent for two that weighs three pounds, and some REI sub-Kilo bags.

That's after a half-century of exploring the Sierra...and picking up good gear when it was cheap.
_________________________
Check our our website: http://www.backpackthesierra.com/

Or just read a good mystery novel set in the Sierra; https://www.amazon.com/Danger-Falling-Rocks-Paul-Wagner/dp/0984884963

Top
#170784 - 10/22/12 06:12 AM Re: What if....... [Re: rockchucker22]
Glenn Roberts Offline
Moderator

Registered: 12/23/08
Posts: 2208
Loc: Southwest Ohio
If money were no object, my setup would be carried by a sherpa. smile

Actually, it would probably look about the same as it does now, except that I might consider a McHale custom-made pack.


Edited by Glenn Roberts (10/22/12 10:00 AM)
Edit Reason: more precise

Top
#170786 - 10/22/12 09:29 AM Re: What if....... [Re: rockchucker22]
lori Offline
member

Registered: 01/22/08
Posts: 2801
There wouldn't be a change.

My gear works for what I do and keeps me comfortable.
_________________________
"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind there are few." Shunryu Suzuki

http://hikeandbackpack.com

Top
#170787 - 10/22/12 09:49 AM Re: What if....... [Re: rockchucker22]
DJ2 Offline
member

Registered: 01/06/02
Posts: 1348
Loc: Seattle, WA
No change here.

Backpacking gear is pretty cheap when compared to cars, houses, boats, etc. So from a practical standpoint money is currently no (or a very little) object.

Top
#170788 - 10/22/12 09:57 AM Re: What if....... [Re: rockchucker22]
Dryer Offline

Moderator

Registered: 12/05/02
Posts: 3591
Loc: Texas
No change. Most my stuff is home made and that which is not works the way I want it. Worrying about gear is what I DON'T want to be doing while out in the boonies. I improve things when they need it, which isn't often these days.
_________________________
paul, texas KD5IVP

Top
#170789 - 10/22/12 10:01 AM Re: What if....... [Re: DJ2]
Glenn Roberts Offline
Moderator

Registered: 12/23/08
Posts: 2208
Loc: Southwest Ohio
Does Mrs. DJ2 know that you don't consider money an object when it comes to gear? smile

Top
#170790 - 10/22/12 10:07 AM Re: What if....... [Re: Glenn Roberts]
rockchucker22 Offline
member

Registered: 09/24/12
Posts: 751
Loc: Eastern Sierras
I was telling my wife about those nifty quilts everyone likes, then I told her how much. Doesn't look like I'll be getting one soon. cry
_________________________
The wind wont howl if the wind don't break.

Top
#170795 - 10/22/12 11:10 AM Re: What if....... [Re: rockchucker22]
rockchucker22 Offline
member

Registered: 09/24/12
Posts: 751
Loc: Eastern Sierras
Maybe if your happy with what you posters could list there current set up, not the small stuff, just the main equipment.
_________________________
The wind wont howl if the wind don't break.

Top
#170796 - 10/22/12 11:36 AM Re: What if....... [Re: rockchucker22]
Cranman Offline
member

Registered: 01/21/12
Posts: 133
Loc: Central NC
My nifty quilt costs well under a comparable sleeping bag when you compare temerature ratings and weight. Plus it's super comfortable, if you have not tried one you should. Never again will I be confined to a narrow bag like a sausage!

Top
#170797 - 10/22/12 11:40 AM Re: What if....... [Re: Cranman]
rockchucker22 Offline
member

Registered: 09/24/12
Posts: 751
Loc: Eastern Sierras
Originally Posted By Cranman
My nifty quilt costs well under a comparable sleeping bag when you compare temerature ratings and weight. Plus it's super comfortable, if you have not tried one you should. Never again will I be confined to a narrow bag like a sausage!
Oh I'm getting one! It's just hard to justify when I have 2 good backpacking bags. Just have to put a bit aside then chose one.
_________________________
The wind wont howl if the wind don't break.

Top
#170802 - 10/22/12 01:00 PM Re: What if....... [Re: rockchucker22]
BrianLe Offline
member

Registered: 02/26/07
Posts: 1149
Loc: Washington State, King County
Setup for what conditions/situation/etc? I.e. ...

What season?
What area(s)?
What kind of hike (base camping or distance hiking, or ...)
What length of hike (days, weeks, months?)
Going solo or with my wife or with a group? If with others, what pace and style constraints do they impose?
For shorter trips (days, not weeks or months) what's the extended weather forecast?

I guess my point is that there isn't a single "setup", for me at least. And I'm disinclined to iterate through all the possibilities ...

I do tend to use one of two different ULA packs depending on the trip (Circuit or an older P2), and I pretty much always use a WM down sleeping bag (which one varies by expected conditions). And I consider those to be pretty optimal choices for pretty much any trip --- wouldn't replace either if I won the lottery.
_________________________
Brian Lewis
http://postholer.com/brianle

Top
#170804 - 10/22/12 01:14 PM Re: What if....... [Re: rockchucker22]
Rick_D Offline
member

Registered: 01/06/02
Posts: 2939
Loc: NorCal
Jet pack, baby!
/A. Powers

Cheers,
_________________________
--Rick

Top
#170805 - 10/22/12 01:17 PM Re: What if....... [Re: Rick_D]
ETSU Pride Offline
member

Registered: 10/25/10
Posts: 933
Loc: Knoxville, TN
I would probably buy one of everything. grin
_________________________
It is one of the blessings of wilderness life that it shows us how few things we need in order to be perfectly happy.-- Horace Kephart

Top
#170806 - 10/22/12 01:22 PM Re: What if....... [Re: BrianLe]
Glenn Roberts Offline
Moderator

Registered: 12/23/08
Posts: 2208
Loc: Southwest Ohio
I agree with Brian - the list changes constantly based on what's needed for a given trip.

However, in the spirit of the OP's question (and because it beats working), here's the big stuff that lives in my pack most of the time (Conditions: 3-season in the Ohio River valley):

Gregory Savant 48 or 58 pack, depending on length of trip and cold weather clothing taken.

MSR Carbon Reflex 1 tent; I also take either the footprint or the "mud flap" (vestibule-only footprint) that get used more often as a ground cloth to sit on at lunch, breaks, or around camp. The full footprint also allows me to make a fly-first pitch when it's raining, then attach the inner tent where it's dry. The tent lives in two small stuff sacks (one for the inner, one for the fly), which is more flexible for packing and keeps a dry inner separated from a wet fly.

MSR Hyperflow filter, Nalgene 1-liter bottle (because it has measuring marks and because I like it), and an MSR Dromlite 2L or 4L bag, depending on how much water I might have to carry - inflated with air, it makes a great pillow.

MSR Micro Rocket, Titan kettle, and Titan spoon - entirely adequate for boiling water once a day (twice, if I also want morning tea.) Nice, compact kitchen that stores in the same bag as the food.

Thermarest NeoAir XTherm (48 or 66 inch length, depending on season) - very warm, very comfortable, incredibly light and compact. With the 48 inch, I store my pack under my lower legs; in cold weather, I store it crosswise at the foot of my tent, just beyond my feet which are on the 66 inch pad. I used to carry the chair kit religiously, but find that I'm leaving it behind more often, taking a NeoAir or Z-lite sit pad instead, because it's easier, lighter, and works well with the ground cloth.

Western Mountaineering sleeping bag - Alpinlite, Megalite or Mitylite, depending on forecast temperatures. ("You can have my WM bag when you pry if from my cold, de...wait a minute, I'm never cold in it.") Also WM Flash jacket, pants, vest and/or booties, depending on temperatures. (The bags are roomy enough that I can wear the clothes inside it, which gives me a safety margin when it goes colder than the forecast.)

An Outdoor Research Foray rain jacket and pants, which double as long pants or windbreaker as needed.

A spare pair of wool hiking socks - last, but a long way from least. There's no greater pleasure than changing into clean, dry socks just before slipping into the sleeping bag. (Well, almost no greater pleasure.)

That's about it - nuts, now I gotta go back to work. (It's called work because all the other 4-letter words were taken.)

Top
#170807 - 10/22/12 01:24 PM Re: What if....... [Re: rockchucker22]
lori Offline
member

Registered: 01/22/08
Posts: 2801
I have several setups. Depends on conditions, company, expectations and desired addional activities planned.
_________________________
"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind there are few." Shunryu Suzuki

http://hikeandbackpack.com

Top
#170810 - 10/22/12 02:38 PM Re: What if....... [Re: rockchucker22]
aimless Offline
Moderator

Registered: 02/05/03
Posts: 3292
Loc: Portland, OR
My first reaction was excitement at all the new gear I could buy! My second thought was that if I listed a whole bunch of different new items I would only be doing so based on hearsay, not on personal experience out on the trail.

I'd love to have the time and money to be able to experiment with a lot of expensive new gear, but they would all be experiments and there would be many mistakes and failures and lots of things discarded in favor of further experiments, so whatever I mentioned today would probably not be on my list two years from now.

Once I realized that, the zest went out of it. Sorry. It was a fun question. frown


Edited by aimless (10/22/12 02:38 PM)

Top
#170815 - 10/22/12 04:07 PM Re: What if....... [Re: Glenn Roberts]
rockchucker22 Offline
member

Registered: 09/24/12
Posts: 751
Loc: Eastern Sierras
Thanks Glenn! At least for me 3 out of 4 seasons I use the same basic set up, now winter that's different.
_________________________
The wind wont howl if the wind don't break.

Top
#170816 - 10/22/12 04:09 PM Re: What if....... [Re: Rick_D]
rockchucker22 Offline
member

Registered: 09/24/12
Posts: 751
Loc: Eastern Sierras
Originally Posted By Rick_D
Jet pack, baby!
/A. Powers

Cheers,
nice!
_________________________
The wind wont howl if the wind don't break.

Top
#170818 - 10/22/12 04:45 PM Re: What if....... [Re: rockchucker22]
Glenn Roberts Offline
Moderator

Registered: 12/23/08
Posts: 2208
Loc: Southwest Ohio
Since Ohio winter is really just fall or spring with a couple of inches of snow, I don't really have a "winter" setup. I do own a pair of snow shoes, but that's just wishful thinking.

You may have noticed a bit of obsessive-compulsive tendency to my choices (MSR, WM) - as an accountant, such behavior is an occupational hazard; I try to control it in the rest of my life, by letting it run amok in my backpacking gear. smile I'm not trying to imply that those are the only good brands out there; they're not (far from it - you almost have to make an effort to get crappy gear nowadays.)

Top
#170820 - 10/22/12 05:15 PM Re: What if....... [Re: rockchucker22]
Samoset Offline
member

Registered: 07/04/08
Posts: 429
Loc: Newnan ,GA
I wonder what the good folks at REI would sell for? Because if money is truly not an option I'm buying the outfitter! HeY what better tester than the owner;)

And besides its more of an investment/business endeavour. Atleast that's what id tell the wife.


Edited by Samoset (10/22/12 05:17 PM)
_________________________
Some peopole live life day by day. Try step by step.

Top
#170821 - 10/22/12 05:21 PM Re: What if....... [Re: Samoset]
Glenn Roberts Offline
Moderator

Registered: 12/23/08
Posts: 2208
Loc: Southwest Ohio
Try that logic - we'd all buy a ticket for THAT conversation!! smile

Top
#170823 - 10/22/12 05:34 PM Re: What if....... [Re: rockchucker22]
DustinV Offline
member

Registered: 01/31/10
Posts: 190
Loc: Lakewood, CO
I think that if someone dropped a load of money on me (and my wife didn't find out ;-) I think I'd buy more gear without thinking as hard about it because I wouldn't have to wait for budget to reach the level of the expense.

Also, I think I'd get more 'experimental' gear because being disappointed in gear hurts more if it costs a lot.

If I had a load of cash, I'd grab a Patagucci Houdini jacket, a Jacks R Better quilt and some kind of elephant's foot sleeping bag and a hooded down jacket and... and... and... all just to try out different configurations.

Top
#170824 - 10/22/12 06:07 PM Re: What if....... [Re: DustinV]
OregonMouse Offline
member

Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6799
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
I'm not too sure what I'd do. I'm pretty satisfied with my gear as it is now. I try to keep up on new items coming out just for the fun of it, but mostly haven't been tempted.

I might buy a horse or llama and a place I could keep said beast of burden.
_________________________
May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey

Top
#170839 - 10/23/12 11:50 AM Re: What if....... [Re: OregonMouse]
billstephenson Offline
Moderator

Registered: 02/07/07
Posts: 3917
Loc: Ozark Mountains in SW Missouri
Wow, for me unlimited funds would change all kinds of things. I'm sure I'd go buy new everything, even a new can of cat food for my new stove wink

The best thing about it would be the free time I could buy to use all my new stuff. I could go hike into the most remote places and have my pilot fly my helicopter in to resupply me and let me visit with my wife for a few hours.

OM, I already have my burros, but having the time to work with them as I'd really like to is hard to find. A new truck and trailer to haul them in would sure be nice too.

Yeah, unlimited money would change a lot of things for me, but it's not something I think about much. I'm pretty happy with my gear right now, and with where I am and the opportunities I have to use it.

_________________________
--

"You want to go where?"



Top
Page 1 of 2 1 2 >

Shout Box

Highest Quality Lightweight Down Sleeping Bags
 
Western Mountaineering Sleeping Bags
 
Lite Gear Talk - Featured Topics
Backcountry Discussion - Featured Topics
Make Your Own Gear - Featured Topics
Featured Photos
Spiderco Chaparral Pocketknife
David & Goliath
Also Testing
Trip Report with Photos
Seven Devils, Idaho
Oat Hill Mine Trail 2012
Dark Canyon - Utah
Who's Online
0 registered (), 257 Guests and 0 Spiders online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
Noodles, McCrary, DanyBacky, Rashy Willia, WanderBison
13240 Registered Users
Forum Links
Disclaimer
Policies
Site Links
Backpacking.net
Lightweight Gear Store
Backpacking Book Store
Lightweight Zone
Hiking Essentials

Our long-time Sponsor, BackcountryGear.com - The leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear:

Backcountry Forum
 

Affiliate Disclaimer: This forum is an affiliate of BackcountryGear.com, Amazon.com, R.E.I. and others. The product links herein are linked to their sites. If you follow these links to make a purchase, we may get a small commission. This is our only source of support for these forums. Thanks.!
 
 

Since 1996 - the Original Backcountry Forum
Copyright © The Lightweight Backpacker & BackcountryForum