Gear Choices In Perspective.

Rick Marchand

Rick Marchand

Donkey on the Edge
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Whether we’d like to admit it or not we, as humans, will always be slaves to our “gear”. The ability to use tools is one of the things that separate us from the other animals. (Aside from those monkeys that use sticks to get ants… ah… you know what I’m getting at… lol) From the Bushman to the Businessman, we rely on what’s in our pockets, packs, and around us to get the job done. What runs through your head as you choose your kit?

My criteria have changed dramatically over the last 15yrs or so. In the early 90’s it was all about hi-tech, lightweight, synthetic, low impact, leave-no-trace kind of stuff. Ostrome, North Face, Gore-Tex, Gerber, Thermarest, Outdoor Research, Peak…. All name brand kit… and a lot of it. I carried my own fire starting tinder, was never without my loaded “survival tin” and rarely spent a cold night in the woods.

Nowadays, I wear natural fibres… my tools are made of leather, wood and steel. You would be hard-pressed to find a crucial piece of kit that I didn’t make (or couldn’t make) myself. I don’t carry the million item “altoids tin”. I will still use low impact, conveniences like stoves, lighters and flashlights when I can… but do not rely on them. I like the fact that I am not disconnected from my environment anymore... to me its like being married to the perfect woman. (which I am) It’s a relationship in which you both need each other... I feel vulnerable and invincible at the same time.

My new theory is this…

“If I can’t make it, I don’t take it.”

This holds true for 90% of my personal kit. (still can’t weave my own blankets… lol) With that said, I don’t necessarily MAKE EVERYTHING… sometimes its easier to buy… but intimate knowledge of each piece of gear is paramount to me, now.

What criteria is important to you when choosing gear?

Rick
 
Same basic theory here. Besides I just cant stand the noise that the synthetic wonderclothes make.
 
Believe it or not you have really rubbed off on me ,

My attutide towards what I carry and how much I carry is really been scaled down, I like to think like can I carry it and not notice it , leaving more energy to enjoy my serroundings, my days of 60 pounds of kit for a weekend camp are done, simple basics and forage for the rest , Knife ,saw, tarp,blanket, flashlight,paracord, fire starter(x2) and a few band aids and a harmonica. easily carried in a small rucksac or in your pockets/on your persons.

Rick is a heck of a woodsman and a couple hours in the bush he really reminds you to use all your senses and to work with your enviroment instead of against it with tonnes of gear getting in the way, something I think we all need to learn.

Thanks Bro.


cya
jimi
 
Nice post Rick ~ I have gone through similiar changes over the years, most occurring on longer jaunts when the learning curve is the highest. There is truth in the "the more you know, the less you need."

To answer your question, what I am a slave to must be simple, multi-use, and durable with a primary focus of making me comfortable enough to sleep during the night ~ whether it be planned or not.

I personally prefer natural items and won't give up my wool socks, stocking cap, or jacket; but I take advantage of technology too. For example, I like my silnylon poncho; works as a poncho, tarp, or bivvy.
 
Thanks Jimi.... Feel like doing a Winter camp sometime soon? You can test some more of your knives... maybe one will "go missing"..... he he .... damn racoons!



Quiet Bear... I hear ya, bro... waterproof fabrics like a tarp, poncho, groundsheet make things alot easier... debris huts and wiki-ups are a PITA when its raining or on weekend trips.... Who wants to spend half a day making a natural shelter for 1 or 2 nights?



Rick
 
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I still have a serious case of gadget-itis, so it's difficult to NOT buy the latest and greatest cook your soup/warm your shelter/tell you what the UV index in Moosejaw is/pee for you at 3:00 am/gadget. That said, it usually doesn't make it too long before it get's tossed in a pile of "why the hell did I buy that again" stuff. I know I should simplify, get back to nature, and read my well worn copy of "The Other Side of the Mountain", but I haven't been so inclined yet. Maybe tomorrow though.....
 
Great post.

Like Jake said, most of the stuff I take with me can do more than 1 thing.

I also take things that are really difficult to make in the woods. Which in my case is just about everything.
 
I don't think that we are really slaves to our "gear". We as Humans are intelligent tool makers by design because we lack other traits that would help us survive in the wild like other animals such as for example....fur, strength, blubber layers, claws, night vision, smell, running speed, tough hide, huge teeth, hearing...ect….
So, with our great intellect we make "tools" (or gear) today like we have for millennia that aid us in our inherent deficiencies. The only difference is that with our superior intellect we are able to always progress and make our "tools" better with our new fangled wonder fabrics and materials. I see nothing wrong with modern gear or clothing, nor do I see some old school gear or tools a hindrance, just not as efficient.

EXAMPLE:
I remember seeing and reading about the 1924 Mallory expedition. I saw vintage photos of Mallory climbing Mt Everest in nothing but wool and cotton cloths, poorly designed and malfunctioning Oxygen apparatus (due to technology limits at the time) …he perished. 29 Years later Hillary followed to conquer Everest, he had some modern Nylon gear (by 1956 standards) and better designed breathing bottles, much improved since Mallory’s attempt. It can be done with old school gear, but the chances of success are increased dramatically with newer clothing and technologies, hence the record amount of people summiting Everest today…..
 
"What do you want for Christmas?"

"Leather, wood, and steel."

Nuff said.

Mac
 
That's a very good question.

I tend to buy good stuff when I can (North Face, Spyderco, Kelty, etc), and if I can't then I find some other stuff to fill it's place.

Most of my stuff is basic, I'll bring a good axe, my zippo, a knife or three, a water filter, and some extra clothes. I've never gotten into the zillion item "altoid tin" type kits. They just don't appeal, although they have their uses. I'll bring a belt, some biners, some (read: lots) of rope, my flashlight, some batteries, a basic first aid kit + super glue. Gloves, good socks and boots, rain gear.
 
I share your love of natural materials, and would add the criteria of quality to the list. I believe that less is more, but that each item should be carefully chosen for its own sake.

I think all of us go through a sort of cycle, oscillating from the newest and greatest gear to the simple, traditional basics, and sometimes back again. Sometimes not. This has been discussed concerning knives: Many go from an interest in tactical-type knives to an interest in more traditional styles and materials. Pretty interesting stuff, actually.
 
I'm changing my tune as far as gear too. I can't afford a ton of high tech stuff, so I save and buy good stuff when I can, and stock up. Recently I had some sort of epiphany regarding my gear and my knives. I have purchased/traded for some knives that filled a void in my collection and sold many others. I have experienced "the light", meaning the big choppers have been sold, except one. Many of the smaller knives are gone with only a few left.

I am not carrying trowels, filters, and tons of specialized stuff, instead relying on trial and error (in a safe environment) to be my teacher. I can read all about things, but experience is a better teacher. A firesteel, knife or 3, a few bandaids, a Ritter kit, a tarp/poncho,and something to boil water in is the basics.
 
I gave up on the latest greatest stuff years ago. Most of my clothes are natural fiber, cotton for summer and wool for winter. When I went back to all wool for winter, I started enjoying the cold weather again. For the several years I tried the synthetic fleece stuff and gortex outer layers, I never felt as warm and comfy as in my Filson wool coat, Merino wool sweater, and Mil-surplus wool pants. Give me a nice bulky knit wool sweater over the modern stuff any day. If its wet out, I like my waxed cotton.

Some years ago, I took Errett Callahan's course in primitive technologys. It's really surprising how well a sharp piece of flint, obsidian, or even some knapped glass from the bottom of a beer bottle, can cut. Chert works well too.

The clothing you wear is your first line of defense if the do-do hits the fan, why take chances? When Shackeltons men were marrooned on the antarctic ice, they all were well clad in wool, and not one man died. They were soaked while rowing to Elephant island, and those who sailed in the James Caird for help crossed 800 miles of bad ocean in what was an open boat with a canvas cover on it. Wet freezing conditions. I wonder if they had been clad in gortex and fleece, would they have survived?

There's a good reason sheep have been the oldest domesticated animal next to dogs. When things get really nasty, good wool garments are worth their weight in gold.

As for Mallory, from the evidence it looks like he was killed by a fall, possabley on the way down. The book I read made a haunting case that he may well have made the summet, and died on the return.
 
All my gear first and foremost has to be basic and rugged. As a 'filter', that knocks out a lot of gear choices and makes life easier. I like simple things, it makes me feel genuinely good to take a lot less stuff, and stuff that can really hold its own.
 
While I love natural fibers, some modern fabrics are just plain better for function and performance.

Hillary wore the best of his day and make no mistake if it were today he'd be wearing the latest and greatest science fiber.

I supposed we could conquer Mars in Filson but its not advised ;)

Skam
 
I tend to mix the best of both worlds. I prefer wool socks and sweaters while I still enjoy gortex and fleece. I still like my old field jacket and carhartt, but for rainy days it's Columbia and North Face. Yeah a lot of yuppies are wearing it, but it's still very functional.
 
I like both kinds of stuff.

Around home hiking in my woods and car camping I don't really go for the high tech stuff. I'll sleep on blankets and wear natural fibers

I used to wear cotton t shirts backpacking and at the end of the day they would be soaked with sweat and weigh a ton. You could never get them totally dried out and I'd pack a long several cause I wanted a dry shirt.

Finally broke down and tried the synthetic under armor shirts. Not only do they allow more sweat to evaporate and keep you dryer, at the end of the day and they are wet with sweat you can stick them in the creek and rinse the sweat out, hang it on a tree and you can watch the water drain out of them drip drip drip. In the morning they are totally or very near dry. It's amazing. I can wear one synthetic shirt on the trail and have a cotton one to sleep in and put on once I make camp. In the space I used to carry an third shirt I can stuff a platypus full of Jaegermeister:thumbup:;)
 
I'm with HD. I like both kinds of stuff. However, for me, it is really important to know how and be able to substitute any of my gear with things I can make in the bush. That way, if for whatever reason, you're deprived of all the toys, you can, for example, still make a sling and use it for hunting instead of putting your ass in it :rolleyes:

Doc
 
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