Long Term Use Gear

madbomber1998

madbomber1998

Joined
Nov 27, 2008
Messages
182
Heya guys. I've got all the regular backpacking gear, etc. Now looking to expand to more hard-core gear - stuff that will last a lifetime (or a really long time) of continous use. Right now I'm out backpacking on the appalachian trail and have been out for almost a month - taking a few days off because I got sick. One of the regular things I'm seeing is people's gear falling apart - even good gear, pretty good boots failing after a month of continous use, etc. I like alot of the modern materials and such - but sil-nylon tarps just aren't going to last long-term. (I have a couple of them and they're awesome for backpacking though)

So if you had to pick a list of gear - not specifically knives, but everything - boots, socks, packs, tents, tarps, knives, sharpening gear, cooking gear, clothing, etc, specifically regular use gear - boots, clothes, etc. - what would you get / recommend if you were buying for long term, continous use. IE, you will never be able to replace the item if it breaks / go bad or breaks and you will use it alot.

Not specifically looking for lightweight backpacking gear (though lightweight is welcome) - looking more towards gear designed to live in long-term.
 
Well, everything will wear out eventually, and when you are putting 20 miles a day on a pair of boots for months at a time, then they are bound to fail a lot sooner than you would expect. For boots that would last longer, I would say leather, but some people prefer the lighter trail shoes, and just ship themselves replacements, because they know they will only get so many miles out of them.


If you are going to be building a cabin and living there, then you can afford heavy durable items, but that situation is far removed from backpacking, where you will have to carry your gear everyday for miles, then somehow durability becomes a little less important than weight. Although, with proper care, even those really light weight, modern materials should last you a long time.

Backpacking aside, for long term use, can't be replaced, I would go with a lot of wool, leather and canvas.

boots-leather
socks-wool
pack-canvas, cordura nylon, etc.
tent-canvas
knives- 4" long blade, 1/8" thick, or really just about any fixed blade that isn't too thin
sharpening-just about any stone should last almost forever
cooking gear-cast iron
clothing-wool

Granted, that list is under the assumption I will never have to carry any of it...
 
I think it's really hard to determine how long something will last because most stuff doesn't get enough use to really know.

I have a 20 y/o Coleman sleeping bag that has got a lot of use.

I have a 20 y/o Ecco Candle lantern

And a 20 y/o Coleman Peak 1 stove.

Those are some things I have had that have lasted.
 
I've been through this same thought process, and here is what I've come to believe:

Its best to know how to make or repair everything in your kit...and then have materials on you, or know how to procur them. This takes and extreme amount of practice, and I'm nowhere near there yet, but as I've read such people as Rick from Wilder Tools say: "If I can't make it, I don't take it..."
 
Wool sweaters.

Of all the outdoor clothing I've tried in my life, nothing beats a nice bulky weave wool sweater. A nice thick fishermans weave type. We're tried the lightweight fleece stuff, ( the better half and I) but ended up going back to the old sweaters. My old Peter Storm and Filson sweaters are over 20 years old, still in great shape, don't pick up oders, breath well, and are really warm. A nice kind of warmth that the fleece stuff does not give. Under some kind of shell coat, they keep me warm down to single digit temps.

In the winter, my wool watch cap is my go-to hat.

I love wool. It lasts, and it works.
 
Well. . .

For traditional packs, see Duluth Pack, or Frost River. Leather and canvas.
For modern packs, see Kifaru and Mystery Ranch -- I hear good things about Badlands as well.

Socks -- I like Smartwool, but they aren't the most durable.

Knives -- Busse. For bombproof designs that don't get a lot of attention from buyers, see Himalayan Imports.

Problem with long term tents or tarps is that the UV from the sun murders them, although canvas is FAR less susceptible to such damage long term. Canvas, of course, will be much heavier -- especially if treated to be water resistant and fire resistant.

For footwear, my thinking is buy what fits you best, and buy a bunch of them if you have to. I typically get 4-5 years out of boots (with daily use) I get from Hitchcock, but they carry 3E to 6E widths, so if you have normal sized feet, they don't have anything from you. If you can find good leather boots that fit you, get them and treat them with wax, and they'll last a long, long time.

Something to keep in mind is that folks often get sticker shock looking at ultra durable items, but keep in mind how long they will last, and you won't likely have to replace them, and it's not so bad.

Also keep in mind that when you skew the balance toward one point or the other, you sacrifice something.

It's the old compromise triad: You can have it: cheap, light, durable -- pick any two. If you heavily skew the scale, say to durable, you then get one pick, it'll be neither light nor cheap. Skew it all the way to cheap and it'll be heavy and not durable. skew it all the way to light, and it'll be expensive and not that durable.

What you have to figure is where you want the balance to be.
 
I share your appreciation of hard use gear. I have some diamond stones that are just as good as when I bought then 7 years ago or so. As far as knives go I tried to go cheaper but back in 1998 bought a busse and its one tough son of a gun, kind of a hybrid lightsaber/prybar. I should have saved some money and bought it first. They have an exchange on bladeforums and a number of models are often available.

I would concur with several other posters that often the traditional materials hold up much better, even generationally with the only disadvantages usually being weight, price and even more weight. If you get a hard use kit put together pics would be in order.
Josh
 
Yea, I'm looking for the balance between the extremes; something manpackable, but durable. My last pack was a mystery ranch pack - it'll outlive me. Got a lot of badass himalayan imports knives. Same there. Been looking into wool sweaters too - already have a few. Right on with the replies so far btw, the kinda stuff I was looking for. My next goals will be boots and clothing - heavy duty, long lasting leather boots and simular for clothing, from base layers to pants to outer layers. Looking at a lot of old military surplus stuff recently and how it stands up better long term than some of the newer stuff long term amazed me. But I still want the best that modern technology offers too.
 
Eberle, Kifaru or Mystery Ranch packs cost alot but will take the constant abuse for sure. As far as footwear goes... there are alot of high performance light weight trail shoes and boots that fall apart real fast. I've been wearing my TNF Rucky Chuckies around town for maybe three months now and they are already falling apart. Don't necessarily spring for the lightest weight shoe. Look for double and triple stitching and read reviews as to how long they last. Wool is definately the way to go, I wear it on an almost daily basis, especially when it comes to socks. It helps if you wash them out when able along the trail so they don't get all crusty and nasty and fall apart on you. 303 all your gear, it's a UV protectant for aircraft that also does a bangup job on synthetic materials like pack nylon and tent. Ti cookwear is good stuff, it's light and super heat resistant so your skillet is less likely to melt out on you after heating and cooling and heating and cooling every day. As far as sharpening goes I like wet and dry sandpaper and an arkansas stone, I usually bring a small piece of 3m scotchbrite along with to remove any rust on the knife and scrub the filings out of the arkansas stone. works like a charm and lasts a good long time. Consumable materials is always the biggest thing IMO, carrying enough firestarting material (IE extra lighter fluid, tinder or whatever) water, replacement filters, batteries, food, moleskin, etc. Battery life is really important if you're using things like a GPS, flashlight headlamp etc, and will not only allow your gear to run longer but also save you weight on packing surplus batteries.
 
Boots - Whites expensive but they usually last me around 8 years per pair or more and I put a lot of miles on em.

Socks - Wool there is a brand called Darn tough that last very well. Can't remember the brand I'm wearing now that I picked up[ localy but they are 100% Worsted wool and are lasting very well.

I picked up a Swiss Large Mountain/Alpinme Rucksack from armynavydeals.com it is made of leather and rubber coated heavy nylon. A very durable bag.

Cookware I use either MSR Alpine or Zebra pots. I've been prefering the Zebra's because of the billy design.

Stove - MSR XGK EX It is a bulletproof expedition stove that is truly multifuel. Get and store at least one maintenance kit. Some folks will tell you you can't simmer with it. Baloney!! Just only pump it seven pumps when pressurizing the cylinder and it'll simmer just fine. Otherwise the Coleman single burner dual fuel stove will last about forever.

Clothing - Wool including merino wool long underware. I have made myself several pieces of outerware from heavy military wool blankets, as well as under layers. I shrink the blankets first by washing and drying in hot water and in a hot dryer. After sewing em up I treat the outer layer with lanolin. For really wet weather Get a wax and oil treasted cotton shell. Several are available from Kakadu and Filson.

There are many VERY good knives available from excellent maker here on the forum. Everything from ESEE knives to Fiddleback. The ESEE 4 from ESEE knives and the Ratmandu from Swamprat are couple real good ones.

Hope this helps
 
I am a middle of the road guy. Havng worked with tools and equipment for my whole life, I have found that the best value usually lies between the cheapest and most expensive stuff, The cheap stuff is easy to replace but it's gonna need replacing pretty often. To many times, the most expensive stuff is 30 percent paying for the name and about 60 percent better than the cheap stuff. I have seen few exceptions to that rule, buy Good stuff and leave the extremes for those willing to pay whichever cost they prefer.
 
Wow, interesting post. I don't think anybody wants to buy any kit knowing it will wear out...but that's the reality and you'll have to pay more money for that gear to last a little longer. I've seen a lot of the newer "off the shelf" type of gear that the military has paid for...some survived massive abuse, some didn't make it after the first field exercise. I know military surplus gets both positive and negative reviews, but a little handling in the surplus stores gives you a pretty good idea if it's over-built or cheap crap.

Wool (if taken care off) will last. As much as some people don't like cotton, canvas, ventile, waxed cotton...all are hard wearing and will last and repairs are much easier.

I have a healthy respect for the ultra-light backpackers and industry has really developed some great stuff; HOWEVER, I don't think a lot of that ultra-light gear would make it through a trek in some remote areas of Canada for a solid month or two (or any other climate/region...off trail).

Identify what is "essential" to you. Prioritize your purchase and save the big bucks for those items. Udtjim brought up a good point about finding that balance as all your stuff doesn't need to be top dollar. I think the Zebra stainless pots will last a very long time and most likely serve you better than the more expensive titanium cookware over the long term.

Closed cell foam sleeping pads will outlast even the toughest air matress (although my military Thermarest has held up well over past 10+years), and they're cheaper.

I'm not sure how long my Silnylon tarps will last, but the good'ol blue Walmart tarps are dirt cheap and can be stacked deep.

Surplus packs (should be a lot of Alice packs out there) aren't comfortable, but will last and take some serious abuse. At the other end of the spectrum, my Kifaru and military Arc'Teryx will last longer than I and can withstand a lot of abuse.

Good topic...

ROCK6
 
I doesn't surprise me to find that a fairly common sentiment in this thread is that traditional gear outlasts a lot of more modern gear. I've found myself moving more in that direction in the past few years -- carbon steel knives, stainless steel pots, wool socks/clothing, etc. -- for that very reason. I haven't abandoned modern gear completely, because weight is still an issue (and some modern gear is just unbeatable, like Kifaru), but traditional gear can often be obtained in moderate weights. Besides for the vast majority of us, the most effective way to lighten our load is to lighten the load we carry around our midsection:).

Some gear that tends in the traditional direction that I've had success with are Zebra pots, Woolrich, smartwool, Stetson, and the rather obvious knife manufacturers (Busse, Bark River, Rat Cutlery) that have carbon steel knives.
 
madbomber1998 said:
One of the regular things I'm seeing is people's gear falling apart - even good gear, pretty good boots failing after a month of continous use, etc.
Click to expand...

What brands of gear are you seeing falling apart and after how many miles? Are you So. to North or did you start in Maine?
 
South to north. Got sick a few days ago, hanging out in asheville - think I have strep throat.

I've seen a number of boot brands totally bomb within 250-300 miles on this trip - most being the lighter boots. Merrell and the like (though my pair of merrells are holding up awesome - one other guy with the same exact shoe, brand new before trip, had them fail within 300 miles. I'll see if I can remember the other brands. Also a lot of sterilite water purification systems and the cheaper water filters have been failing.

One of the other reasons I thought of this idea for a thread is on another forum, I was reading about a guy who lost his job, couldn't find a new job, had to move out into his buddies remote, off grid hunting cabin to live long-term. Would my gear hold up to a year of living in that? What about your sleeping bag? Etc.
 
You are going to trade weight for time, often.

I don't mean boots- boots wear out. that's why you wear boots instead of bare feet. Good, thick, heavy, well cared for leather uppers and properly replaced insoles will make it worth resoling boots 2 or 3 times. But even then- they will wear out.

Most other gear, it's the trade off. There was a lady who did the AT with a shower curtain as her tent/tarp and raincoat. It lasted the length of the trail. How much more does it need? It's $10!

A nice tincloth tarp and proper repair/maintenance is great, and will alst a long time, but will weigh as much as my full loadout for a 2night trip.

wool blankets and such seem to outlast sleeping bags, IME.

and if I can choose leather or nylon, I choose leather. and pack mink oil with me.
 
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