Old timey Mt man or Mr high-tec ?

pitdog

pitdog

Joined
Apr 13, 2007
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What kinda person are you or what kind would you like to be Which most suits your personality ?

Are you a Wool person or fleece.
Titanium spork or freshly whittled wooden spoon.
Micarta handled CPM3V knife or Maple handled 1095 blade.
Aluminum/titanium pans or Cast Iron.

Obviously we all have a mix of gear and equipment but which kinda person wold you rather be ?
 
Do i get a mule to carry my stuff or do i play the mule for my self... That is the real Q
 
I like the mountain man idea. I would like to learn more about plants, making my own gear, including knives, but the truth is I love modern conveniences too.
 
I guess I'm a mixture of the two, leaning toward old timey.
Fleece for clothes, wool for bedding
Hobo tool for eating. I highly recommend the one by Ozark Trail. Cheap and good design
Maple 1095, or smiliar steel
Cast Iron
As far as bags and pouches, leather and canvas as well as synthetics.

Hobo Tool: always in my lunch box :)
hobolarge.jpg
 
i think i fall in the middle as well... as much as i would love to be strictly traditional style gear, i love the comfort of my modern amenities...:D
 
I think the mountain man concept applies to me.

  • Cast iron
  • Wool
  • Carbon steel
  • leather sheath - stacked leather washer handle knife
  • canvas packs :thumbup:
  • blue jeans -> I know some people think they ain't for outdoors stuff...
  • a lot of other trad. gear...

Peter

btw.: great idea for a thread. :thumbup:
 
A bit of both. It just depends on the situation. Most would probably just call me a confused combination of the two. Although I probably lean more toward the mountain man side most of the time, I'm not into super high tech stuff as far as woods bumming and outdoors stuff goes.
 
Hmmm. For longer hikes or backpacking trips I use:

Titanium
Fleese
Down
Silnylon
Mora 510, Triflex Craftsman 780, or Kellam Puukko

Back pack for 3 day GC trek weighed 20 lbs including all fuel, food and 3 liters of water.

Uh, high tech? (SUL - Super Ultra Light)
 
I would rather be neither. I like to be a mix between the two, I have a deep respect and appreciation for the traditional gear, but I understand that some of the newer gear works much better. Why not use what you like, which can be because it's traditional or because it works well. Sometimes these traits go together and sometimes they dont. Alot of the traditional gear is elegant in its simplicity, and that's what I truly love about an opinel or a douk douk or a wool shirt.
 
Fall in the middle somewhere as well.Synthetics do have their place though.
1095 carbon steel
wool over fleece
modern suspension packs and outer shells/rain wear
titanium spork/cookware.
No cotton! except for my Filson guide shirt.
 
I fall in between. I am a new school guy trying to be old school. I have a bunch of new-ish gear that I am trying to duplicate with Mt Man gear and know how. I think I am mainly striving for new gear supplemented with the Old School knowledge and abilities.
 
Bit of a mix here. Some old stuff is just irreplaceable and some new technology is fantastic.

I like wool + a good synthetic shell, high end steel but natural handle material. Definitely prefer to mix up a bag of bannock and bring some cured meat and dry cheese and stuff like that instead of those freeze dried vacuum sealed meals in a bag.

It's silly to completely disregard the merits of either 'category' cause both have good things to offer.
 
I starting to lean towards forged knives but that is about at traditional as I get when backpacking. I love my Osprey packs and synthetic gear! :)
 
Way more traditional than modern.

Wool for clothing, outer shell waxed cotton.
I use either natural shelters, my jungle hammock or tarps (either an old BSA shelter tarp or sil-nylon.
Generaly stainless steel cookware.

However I do occasionally use modern equipment (MSR stove, Water filter)

Knives are 1095, 5160, or 15n20 steel.
My RAT RC6 is my frist blade with micarta handle and I really like the knife.

I guess I try to find a balance.
 
In between. I might say "of course." ;) I use what works best with a reasonable price tag and doesn't look out of place out there. Some "traditional" gear and some modern gear. I really have no interest being any kind of mountain man any more than I'm interested in being a tech junkie somebody accidentally dropped in the woods. I just use what I like. :) For some things, that's older stuff. For other things, it's newer stuff.
 
I'm right in the middle, too, though I don't have any woollen clothing.

I use a mix of carbon steel / wood handle and stainless steel / synthetic handled knives, sometimes carried in leather sheaths, sometimes in nylon. I wear synthetic thermal layers, but usually cover them up with an old plaid shirt. When I'm out fishing, it's cast iron all the way - when I'm on a longer trip, it's compact stainless cookware. And so on.

I suppose I lean towards the modern side of things most of the time, but not out of any particular inclination towards high-tech gear.

With some things, I won't compromise - when it comes to paddles, for example, I use wood!

This is an interesting thread. Looking forward to seeing what others are into.

All the best,

- Mike
 
Mixture of both here too. I like the old timey things, and will usually break out the flint and steel to start a fire first, just for nostalgia.

But most of my knives are more modern, carbon steels, with Micarta handles. Been known to make up bits of kit I couldnt afford, lol. Big fan of Millitary surplus items too !
 
I would say a bit of both, but whether the gear is old-fashioned or new-fangled, give me simplicity. Even when I use newer materials, I prefer simple, plain designs that are functional and durable. For example, my favorite knife is a Mora 510. The carbon steel is a little old fashioned, but I like it better. The plastic handle is modern, but it is simple and it works. The design of the knife is centuries old. Basically, I like things that are plain, unpretentious, and get the job done. To me, High-tech means lots of moving (read "failure-prone") parts, and unecessary design elements. Modern materials are fine, but let's not get fancy.
 
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