Old timey Mt man or Mr high-tec ?

I'm in between, like everybody else, but each year I find I get more high-tech.

I used to have more traditional gear, but it's too heavy and slows you down too much. The faster I go, the more ground I cover, the more I get to look at, etc...

I like to do 20-30 mile days and in order to do that for days on end you can't be hauling around the heavy version of everything. If I hike ten miles in a day I am generally bored and antsy, unless I've gone out with the specific intention to not do a ton of hiking. But if it's a hiking trip I want to burn miles.

I did a 50 mile in-and-out one weekend with all cast iron cooking gear and wool and it was fun. But to do it for a week straight your pack is just too heavy with all the extra weather gear and food you need to bring.

However, in day to day life, where I don't care about weight etc, I like my cast iron and wool sweaters (knitted by my girlfriend no less.)

Although I have some pretty high-speed gear for tacticlol survival stuff, I guess. Even some of that is a bit old school though...M14s and 1911s are my go-to guns.
 
I tend towards the mountain man side of things. I generally do prefer my canvas and leather packs, tarps over tents, etc. But every now and then I get the bug for the new stuff, although not for weight savings -- I look at a lot of Kifaru and Maxpedition gear (thinking 1000D Cordura will hold up as well as the 18oz canvas I usually pack). A lot of guys complain about the weight of traditional gear. But if you're really about the mountain man way, it's not a problem. Mountain men carried the essentials to survive, the rest of their gear rode on the mule/horse. :D Mountain men were more of the car/canoe camper than the backpacker. With the scars from my adventurous and wounding youth and recent health problems, I'm so sore after doing 20 miles carrying nothing, that such isn't an option for me. I can comfortably do 5-10 miles a day with the gear I pack.
 
Both for me as well. I have and like fleece and wool. If Camping at our retreat spot or any other non hike in camping we use cast iron . The really odd habit I have with knives is I only have one stainless fixed blade, all my working/bushcraft knives are carbon, mostly 0-1 or a-2 ...But my folders are the opposite , Strider SnG , Microtech LCC. Blade techs, etc... I am quite happy with my odd taste though :)
 
On long backpacking trips I am high tech - I definitely don't want to be carrying a dutch oven on the trail. But if I don't have to carry it, I tend more toward mountain man.
 
I would have to say, I like the modern side of camping, I also like the Mil spec style of gear, maxpedetion and the like. I enjoy Kydex over leather, I like Carbon steel of any type, but latley I have had a..... awakening for Scandi ground knives, If I could get an RC6 with a scandi Grind:D nice.
 
I'm in between leaning away from technology.I carry a GPS so I can mark interesting stuff I come across.My knife,flint and my whits are what I love hiking the most with.
 
Like most others I fall somewhere in the middle. I enjoy the comforts of some newer things like fleece and the newest shoes/boots, but also enjoy the simple things in life a nicely whittled spoon that I would have created myself.

I can't say that I'd rather be one or the other, but I can tell you if I HAD to choose one or the other I'd be the "Old time" guy. I dislike all the geeks I see in the woods that have high-tec everything just for the sake of having it.
 
stockman242 said:
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:
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Sounds like my choices, have plenty of all the above
 
I think the old mountain men were the actually the modern outdoorsmen of their time and used the latest and best gear they could afford then, their survival depended on it. If they were here now, I think they would be testing and trying all the latest stuff we have now, and carrying whatever worked best.

I also think they would look at us like we were nuts if we shunned all the advantages of modern gear. Romanticism is great fun and I indulge in it too sometimes but I wouldn't risk my life on it. (Fortunately, I don't have to. :))
 
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Im right in the middle. I like fancy gear, but also love the Trad stuff. I find I use a mixture of both....
 
Blue Sky brought to light something most of the posts have not discussed...the fact that most of the mountain men were quick to adapt to better choices in gear when made available. For one thing they weren't backpacking the heavy stuff, so the car camping analogy is right on. Second, they jumped all over the advances in firearms once metallic cartridges and multiple shots were available...it gave them a tremendous advantage to be able to fire repeatedly before reloading. I suspect if they had our choices they would select what worked best for them in real life and death situations...lighter, warmer, more waterproof, more efficient, would be things of importance to them. Having said that, the traditional gear is a great part of the woodcraft interests we all share, certainly worth learning about and experimenting with in its own right. Romanticism aside tho, the mountain men we read about represent a small percentage of "survivors" who were strong enough and adaptable enough to live through the harsh environment they choose to operate in. Unique individual strength might have been much more a factor in their survival than what equipment choices were available.
 
I fall between, like most others. I'd love to say I'm a big, tough mountain mand, and don't need nuthin' but a Green River knife and the clothes on my back, but....

I'd be hopelessly lost without my GPS. as much weight as I'm carryin' on my fat ass, I damn sure can't afford to carry any extra on my pack, I'm an unabashed fan of deet, raingear, parcord, etc.

I use a tin can stove for most cooking, won't hesitate at all to carry a thin, carbon steel knife, and my guns are frequently single action revolvers, or a lever action. I love making my own things in the woods, and everytime I walk into REI there's so many noses turned up into the air, they'd need a mass burial site if there were a sudden rainstorm. So, I still have hints of the traditional, but I'm alot more into just plain what works.
 
andrew7978 said:
If you want to talk about a mountain man, a guy I knew was trying to quit smoking so he would only light up a cigarrette if he lit it from a fire created with a bow drill.
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My bet is that he is still smoking and is just really good with a bow drill now. Am I right?
 
Both. I like gadgets and hi tech gear, but I also like gear and knives that looks like it came from past eras.
 
texasred66 said:
Wool clothes-wool blanket-flint & steel & char cloth-1095 with wood handle-tin pot-tin cup-no forks or spoons-smooth bore flint lock-leather & canvas for pouch & bags.
I like the mt man way but on the other hand lite weight is good also.
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I agree. But then after 25 years of rendenvouzs. Throw in a tipi for comfort.
 
texasred66 said:
Wool clothes-wool blanket-flint & steel & char cloth-1095 with wood handle-tin pot-tin cup-no forks or spoons-smooth bore flint lock-leather & canvas for pouch & bags.
I like the mt man way but on the other hand lite weight is good also.
Click to expand...

I agree. But then after 25 years of black powder shooting. Throw in a tipi for comfort.
 
I'm a pragmatist. Whatever it is, it needs to work, and work well. Bullet proof.
I'll try any new gear that comes down the pike, but, it better do something that existing gear could not do, or do it better, being an improvement on the existing gear, or it's not worth fooling with.

I despise gadgetry that can break. The fewer manufactured moving parts the better.
Some traditional things that are "must have" items: Wool, flint, and char cloth.
Modern things that are nice are Velcro, polar fleece, and LEDs.
.....and Duct Tape :)

I highly respect those folks who are 100% or striving to be near 100% traditional, as they keep our history alive. Plus, after seeing the pic of BigMike, I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure he doesn't get mad at me. I'm glad he is on our side. :) :)
 
I'm definitely in the more modern camp because of weight savings, better performance, convenience and availability.

That said I find it amazing that some designs have stood the test of time. Whoever designed the canoe and paddle was a genius. The lines and pure function of the canoe is truly awe-inspiring. I definitely want one made out of modern materials, but the essence if it is the same which I appreciate.

I also marvel at traditional materials still hanging on. Wool (although not the scratchy kind), silk, down, carbon steel, cast iron, wood, leather and even cotton (gotta love a nice soft bandana around camp, as well as using it for char cloth) are still around in full force. Amazing stuff, each and every one of them.
 
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