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pit man

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Nov 2, 2005
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Back in the UK there was an outdoor mag called Trail that had a feature called ' Used and Abused '.
In this, people featured outdoor gear that they thought was money well spent or stuff they couldn't now live without !
So I thought we could do the same thing here,it could be a stove,tent,sleeping bag,headlamp,etc,etc.....you get the idea,but please lets leave knives out as this has been done on many other threads !!!
So I will set the ball rolling with these Mountain Equipment Fleece pants. They are made of Ultra Fleece,K2 or Karisma fleece all of which are different names for the same stuff. They cost me about $70 and for about 7 months of the year I live in them.
They keep you warm in all but the coldest of weathers and are as tough as hell and refuse to wear out. I have read they are twice as windproof as Polertec 200 and as such are ideal for a wide temp range and still breath very well.For some reason,even in a downpour your legs don't feel wet,for this reason I very rarely wear waterproof bottoms !!!
Ps I know they are dirty,they are just about to go in the wash !!!:D
Saanichinlet009.jpg
 
About 4 years ago I purchased a Byers travel hammock. I don't enter the woods without it. I sleep infinitely better than on the ground. Couple it with mosquito netting and a tarp you are lighter than a tent. Since you are now comfortably suspended you can also ditch the sleeping pad saving even more weight. With all this weight and space saved you can now carry a full sized Sig and a bigger knife, which is what we wanted in the first place.
 
the petzl head lamp with 5 LEDs ( i believe 90 hours run time) and an incandescent light that goes from spot to flood ( 30 hours ) is the best beast i have ever owned for 68.00 bucks or so.
 
Photon II. Cheap, reliable, bright, long batt. life and tough as nails. Not to mention how small it is. Can't say I use it everyday, but its helped me fix my car many a time!
 
My Helly Hanson heavy fleece is very warm and comfy, got it at the outlet store and can't find pics of it. It's one of those smooth outside and fuzzy inside ones.
Lighthiker, is paracord strong enough to anchor it?
 
Fenix L1D CE - 20+ hours of light on low (which is still an extremely useable level of light) or the option of medium and high (which puts out a serious level of light). All powered by a single AA battery (runtimes increase significantly with use of Lithium AA's or NiMH rechargables. By simply carrying a four pack of AA's with you, you've got enough light for about 5 days of total darkness, or weeks of more standard usage. If you don't mind the extra length, you can get it in a 2xAA model that doubles the runtime and also features a Turbo mode that puts out 2x times the light of the High setting. I have one in my pocket everyday. Great lights and small enough that you can't have an excuse not to have one on you.

$50.00

fenixl1d01.jpg

Pic shamelessly borrowed from the Fenix website
 
Fiskars 15" axe. $20 can chop you allota wood and it's pretty lightweight.

After that, I'd have to say the LM new wave that I got on epray for round $35 shipped.

Maglite 3 watt LED 2 AA flashlight. Home Depot had em on sale for $14.99 last December. small, and very very bright, long lasting, durable and weather reisistant for the price.

Opinel folders: Just got a #6 & a #8 (like the #6 better) - though not the toughest on the market they gotta be the best for the $$ that I've seen and sharp! (and easy for a novice to keep sharp...)

Surplus ECWCS USGI gear. These things go for a steal on ebay. I could tell you some stories..... :)
 
While I don't use it much these days, I bought an OD Ultralight Thermorest, self-inflating sleeping pad in the long version at Clothing Sales on Fort Wainwright, Alaska. I proceeded to use that pad in the field, on camping trips, and even on the floor when visiting son when my grandson was born and there was only floor space available. After many a comfortable night's sleep in a variety of situations I consider that one money well spent and am thankful for the good rest I've gotten because of its performance. It packed small too.

I guess I'd also have to toss a good, crushable, wool felt hat. For years I had one I got from Eddie Bauer. It was a very comfortable, easy to wear hat that fit my big head. That hat kept my head dry and my glasses clear repeatedly. In hot weather I would just dunk it in a creek, get it wet, then let it cool my head as the water evaporated. From time to time I'd also use it to dump water over my head if I felt like it. No matter how hard I mangled it, it always went back to looking good. Only after it faded and was getting a bit worn looking did I toss it. I regretted doing so afterwards. Not only did it still have some life left in it, but I had the dickens of a time finding a replacement. Only after buying and trying a number of different hats over a few years to find just THE one, I finally found it. The new one is a Bailey and I got it, of all places, from Sheplers. It has all the excellent traits of my old hat, to include being very comfortable and easy to wear. This one looks a wee bit more Aussie, where the old one was Indiana Jonesish. Btw, I checked out the Indiana Jones line and they didn't quite make it. Just like my old hat, I've had many compliments on it from a variety of people, often just out of the blue. My Stetson and a few other hats are just decorating the walls at home now. If I'm just taking the dog out I will usually pop my this hat on.

Great thread subject!
Amos
 
Runs With SharpTings said:
the petzl head lamp with 5 LEDs ( i believe 90 hours run time) and an incandescent light that goes from spot to flood ( 30 hours ) is the best beast i have ever owned for 68.00 bucks or so.
Click to expand...
:eek: :eek: :eek:
What kind of batteries does that take? I've never seen such long useful runtimes.
 
A little bit of kit that didn't really cost me anything is a small section from an old foam sleeping mat.I always carry this with me as it weighs next to nothing and saves me getting a cold wet backside on my tea stops. On really cold days it can also be placed under you coat or fleece and helps block the wind and gives that extra bit of warmth !!!
 
Thermorest. Twenty-three years and still going. Used an average of 24 nights a year.

Coleman Multi-fuel Stove (orginal model). Seventeen years. Starts every time. Adjusts to real simmer.
 
Up till 2 days ago I would have said a Petzl TacTikka 3 LED headlamp. However I lent it to my son for a Boy Scout event and I guess he lost it. Now for the time being I will have to say it's a Gerber Recon M or maybe the PentagOnLight LED right angle "molle" light. I like having a red lens for reading in a tent.

Next would be a Eureka Venture Extreme tent. Mine is waterproof regardless of how much rain there is. Speaking of rain I wear a mil ECWCS jacket that works perfectly though it is heavy. When rain isn't in the forecast my fav jacket is a brit "SAS Smock" by Arktis in OD green. A Nalgene bottle or Kleen Kanteen paired up with a Vargo 700mL ti cup and an MSR toolspoon does kitchen duty. Esbit tabs either heat my water or help start a fire. A Sweedish firesteel and Bic lighter are always found in my gear. When weight isn't a concern then I will bring along a Svea/Trangia Sweedish messkit/cookset. I have both the SS and aluminum versions. An MSR pocket Rocket is a favorite to use (carefully)with the Vargo cup.

I also have some new kit that I like very much so far. A Camelbak BFM has been carrying a Crusader cooker. I'm trying out a mini Trangia cookset I'll even cook dinner in it tonight.
 
1095

Mini Trangia

Danner boots

Mountain Curs

Pflueger president spinning reels

Remington shotguns

Jack Daniels

Just a few of my favorite things.:D :D
 
+1 on the brimmed felt hat. My experiences mirror those of Amos.

Leatherman Wave, or if it is too much money/size/weight, the LM PST.

Brusletto Profileringskniv

Quite a few of the Fenix lights.
 
Yes they are ' Mountain Equipment ',but if you do a search on the material there are other companies that also use it !
 
-Wenger Mountaineer folding knife/saw (or SAK)
You just can't beat having a quality multi-purpose folder handy.

-Princeton Tec Aurora Headlamp (120 hr. run time?)
I've changed batteries only due to timespan, haven't ever seen it actually die. Not something that would light up the whole camp area, but, constant depenadable light. Modes, flashes, dim, bright, etc.
LED Headlamps=Goodness.
 
A few things I've found to be really good:

Pair of Salomon trail shoes (think they're the old version of the Extend Low) - I've got feet that are as flat as pancakes, and these shoes have been an absolute Godsend. Extremely light, extremely comfortable and hard wearing, and I dont even wear my very expensive custom othotics in them because they're far more comfortable without. All this for about US $100, fantastic.

Second thing is a lined 300 weight polar fleece by an Australian / NZ company called Kathmandu. Kept me toasty warm all winter with just a tshirt underneath. Kathmandu products are normally way overpriced, but I got this at about 50% off at a sale, making it great value.

This one is for the bjj players - Koral gis, made in Brazil and worn by Gracie Barra, these things aren't cheap but they sure as hell are good. Really, really strong and brilliantly contoured cut which gives full range of movement but minimizes gripping ability. Not too heavy but not too light, an all round great gi.
 
Jh205 if i may ask for some more info about the Salomon shoes. I got some awfully flat feet. Any help there is better then anything you can think of. If you dont have flat feet its just hard to understand the pain.

sasha
 
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