Your camping equipment...what do you use and what is your favorite?

It's funny, I'll pop on knives, but most of my other gear is pretty old and a lot of it was bought used :o
 
The question is, does it work?

When hassled about my ancient stove, I tell people I'll replace it as soon as I wear it out.

Heck, my kids won't wear out that Svea at least as long as they make o rings to fit the filler cap.
 
Most of my gear purchases in recent years have been to replace older gear that was stolen from me. Still... it is hard to resist some of the newer improved gear and comfort items. And it can be done on a shoestring budget if one is persistant. I'm all about smoothing it these days.
 
I've re-done my gear probably 3 or 4 times over the years. Starting out very poor, I begged, borrowed and bought the cheapest best i could afford. Now, after 30 years i have more appropriate equipment. It's hard to list "favorites" as i tend to keep what works and that's the main criteria - what works. Not what just gets by (been there, done that).

Like Codger_64, i like to "smooth it" these days. However, i have young kids that will want to learn of high places, hard climbs, frosty nights and star-filled skies - my "smoothing it" season has not yet begun...
 
Codger_64 said:
Most of my gear purchases in recent years have been to replace older gear that was stolen from me. Still... it is hard to resist some of the newer improved gear and comfort items. And it can be done on a shoestring budget if one is persistant. I'm all about smoothing it these days.
Click to expand...

Upgradidius. If that's how you spell it, hahaha.
 
Tent: Big 6 man beast that is too heavy for hiking. Have not figured out a backpacking tent. I like the Salida II so far. Gonna do some tarping this year, too.
Stove: Coleman two burner, or the pocket rocket
Cookware: Cast iron, the only way to go. Or Snow Peak Ti pot for heating up a tasty freeze dried meal. I eat of paper plates when car camping. No muss, no fuss. All the paper gets burned. Plastic is packed out and thrown in the garbage.
Air Mattress: Big motorized bastard for car camping, think it is a Coleman. Or my Big Agnes.
Sleeping bag: GI olive drab number. Packs up small. Keeps me warm. Doesnt weigh much, either. Gonna get the bivy bag, too.
Knives: Usually my Sere S2K, BM AFCK M2HSS, Ray Kirk Wirk Knife, or Becker BK5. Always have an SAK with me, and use it more than any of them, honestly.
Water: Nalgene bottles and Sawyer filter. Usually carry all three bags since they dont weigh anything. Going to switch to a one liter Disani bottle, as it is easier to fill from a stream or river.
Fire: Bic and fatwood. Got a gobspark recently, but have not had a chance to really take it for a spin. Have used to it light my charcoal, though.
Boots: Some old Timberlands. I have some Merrill MOABs on my list, though.

I am a cheapskate, too. I always drag my feet when buying gear. It has saved me a lot of dough, though.
 
I'm pretty much using the same gear I used in the 90's. Good stuff, like a nice Gregory internal frame pack, Eureka dome tent, Marmot bag, Whisperlite stove, etc. Nothing really expensive, except the backpack at the time, but it still looks and works great. I need to get a new water filter, but other than that I'm good to go with my old stuff. I was in an REI recently. No thanks! Bunch of granola eaters, trying to sell me $90 shirts for camping. You should have seen their faces when I asked where the ammo was! LOL!
 
Here's my basic list of camping gear. All of its my favourite, it's just used in different conditions and/or on different trips [e.g. skiing vs. climbing vs. hiking etc.]. If I don't like something, it gets sold. I'm pretty picky and usually never buy stuff on a whim.

Tents: Black Diamond/Bibler Fitzroy [2 man], Black Diamond/Bibler Bombshelter [4 man], Mountain Hardwear Approach
Sleeping Bags: 0F/-18C Feathered Friends Ibis, 20F/-7C Western Mountaineering Alpinlite, 35F/+2C Western Mountaineering Caribou
Packs: Dana Designs Astralplane, Arc'teryx Naos 55
Stoves: MSR Windpro, MSR Dragonfly, MSR XGK EX, 22" Partner Steel dual burner.
Sleeping Pads: Thermarest Prolite, Thermarest NeoAir, Thermarest XTherm, Exped DownMat 9
Bivy Sack: Bibler/Black Diamond Climbing Bivy
Headlamp: SureFire Minimus
Knives: many - usually bring a folder: ZT or Spyderco
Clothes: Mostly Patagonia and/or Arc'teryx

Lots of other stuff in the 'ol gear closet, but that's the main stuff.
 
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Thought I'd toss in a few more that have occurred to me, mostly from the clothes closet...

Marmot Belay Parka - Insulated with Primaloft. Goes on over everything when stopping on the trail. My "I won't die in the woods tonight" jacket.

Ragged Mountain Rock Pile Cardigan - Made from unlined 1/4" pile, not fleece. More breathable than fleece which allows better heat dumping when opening up a shell zipper or pit zips. More stuffable than fleece too.

DriClime WindPants - Mine are home made. Nylon outer shell. Capilene lining (Marmot uses DriClime). Full length side zips. Great wet weather hiking pants. Layer over shorts easily with no need to remove boots. Super adjustable temperature by zipping down the sides while still wearing them. Dries fast.

DriClime Windshirt - Super versatile. Mine is an EMS knock off with (extra bonus) pit zips. Inner layer, mid layer, outer layer. Get's used year round.

TNF VersaBivy - Bottom is waterproof. Top is VersaTech (like Pertex). Very breathable and sheds snow/spindrift well. Fantastic for winter camping.
 
Pinnah you remind me of a few items I have too in the clothing department:

Rain: marmot precip jacket
Hat: marmot precip hat
Pants: Columbia silver ridge 2 convertibles, Duluth trader flex fire hose, 5.11 taclite (all awesome)
Shorts: royal Robbin (awesome).
Vest: Columbia ballastic II wind proof vest (awesome)


There is more
 
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Some of my favorites:

Packs: Lowe Alpine Crossbow 90... had it for many years and it's still going strong. Mystery Ranch Crew Cab... wonderful! Mystery Ranch Longbow... also wonderful!

Hammock: ENO DoubleNest... I rarely use a tent these days.

Tents: Big Agnes Seedhouse 1... a very light, easy-to-pitch, simple solo tent with lots of room; my girlfriend and I can sleep comfortably in it. For more room, the classic Eureka Timberline 4 is pretty hard to beat! Mine has seen some hellacious wind storms, lots of rain, and snow and ice with no problems.

DAC hardened aluminum J-stakes or MSR Groundhog Y-stakes hold everything in place.

Stove: My old Coleman Peak 1 has had a LOT of use and I have yet to make a single repair or replace a part. I have a Bushbuddy twig stove, several Trangia burners and related stuff that also get used frequently.

Cookware: The GSI Kettalist Solo set is my favorite, followed by the GSI Pinnacle Dualist for when I need to cook for two. When with the girlfriend, the Platypus wine bag goes along, as do the GSI two-piece nesting wine glasses.

Knife: I have a big selection, but my Off The Map Bushcrafter is the one that goes on every trip, along with a Victorinox SAK or Farmer. For cold-weather camping, a Snow & Nealley Hudson Bay axe and a Trailblazer 18" folding saw also go on every trip.

Sleeping bags: For warm weather, I use an REI Polarpod 35* bag. It has synthetic fill, but is as light as most down bags with that rating and compresses nicely. For colder trips, a Marmot Flathead 20* down bag goes along.

I have a couple of Cascade Designs RidgeRest pads I've used for years as well as a self-inflating Thermarest (don't know the model; light-weight version, 1.5").

I love the Sea to Summit e-Vent compression dry bags for my sleeping gear. I also have an Outdoor Research compression dry bag that I really like. I used to use normal (and lighter) compression sacks, but one episode with a leaking hydration pack and wet gear on a winter trip made me decide to carry a few more ounces and be sure my sleeping gear was DRY, no matter what.

I never camp without my UCO Candle Lantern, my Black Diamond Icon headlamp, and Petzl Tikka back-up headlamp.

For water, I use a Sweetwater Guardian filter when alone, or a Katydyn Base Camp gravity filter when with the girlfriend or a buddy. In the packs are a variety of hydration packs: military versions of the CamelBak, Source and Blackhawk hydration bags are my favorites, and regular civilian CamelBaks get used, too.

I always seem to wear the same pair of 5.11 nylon cargo pants and Columbia GST shirt when I head into the woods. A Marmot Precip or a The North Face original Mountain Jacket go along as shells, with a Cabelas or Eddie Bauer down jacket and some REI Gore-Tex packable rain pants.

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
Black Diamond Synchro skis. Made by Atomic. Sitting on my porch with klister cooling off and waiting clod tomorows overnight ski tour. Spring touring.
 
Hennessy and Warbonnet Hammocks, Hammock Gear Underquilts, Golite Top Quilts, ULA Catalyst pack. Too many stoves to mention. Tent free for over two years. I did just buy a new military gortex bivy for emergency use for day hikes, as it was actually cheaper than the SOL Escape.
 
here's a video showing my overnighter equipment:

[video=youtube;P5zMtrmlO7E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5zMtrmlO7E[/video]
 
Tent: R.E.I Half dome (awsome tent, I've used it on top of some high peaks mountaineering and it's been great threw some rough storms)
Sleeping Pad: thermarest
Sleeping Bag: Big Agnes
Hammock: Vietnam jungle hammock (I use occasionally when going light or nice weather)
Pack: EMS 65 ( this pack has taken such a beating & still is like new)
Cooking: MSR pocket rocket usually / whisper lite when very cold or high altitude & MSR cooking pots and pans, and a nice metal 2.5 cup capacity coffee mug with folding handles which (before the MSR kit I used a cheap run of the mill mess kit)
Filter: Platypus gravity filter / aquamiri straw / iodine crystals
Water: Platypus bladder and nalgene bottle
Food: I try to hunt or trap when I can but if not I usually use mountain house or wise meals
Knife: Standard 12" Kbar, 7" skinner, cheap folder, and a multi tool of which the name escapes me, cold steel khaki machete, Berber hatchet w/ saw in handle, also I carry a Hoffman harpoon strapped to the sheath of my Kbar, a few custom arrowheads as I can use arrows in my slingshot, and a small frog gig trident spear tip (I also have Bryan breeden making me a custom WSK tracker type knife. It's not the one he's been putting out, me and him spent a while working on the design and every single detail)
Fire: regular lighter & matches, also have a wind proof lighter which uses cheap lighters inside it as the fuel (it's works really good and is really cool), I also have a magnesium bar which I like better then a regular ferro rod.
I do a lot of mountaineering and camping as I'm a guide for private partys, I change things around depending on weather and terrain, and also how far I'm traveling but for the most part this is my kit. Sometimes I cut down a lot and use a minimal setup like when I did the Appalachian trail but then I sacrifice a measure of comfort, so when I'm going less then 40 or 50 miles I use my bigger pack and load it up with gear for a more comfortable trip. I can easily carry a 40 or 50 pound pack and keep up with a lot of people carrying half that, as I'm used to carrying tons of climbing equipment up seriously steep terrain & stuff like boulder & talus fields. So most of the time weight is not really a worry of mine but when it is I have some lighter gear I swap out for my regular gear.
 
Awesome, this thread is really cool. I'll begin my list but before I do I want to mention that I do not have a lot of money but I make due with what I have. I am always looking for a good deal.

shelter: Grand Trunk Ultralight hammock, and Wal-Mart tarp

sleeping bag: Generic mummy bag (awesome deal and yes I have done much research). I actually string my hammock through my sleeping bag in order to save heat. This allows the bags insulation to stay lofty. It's the same principle as an underquilt and a top quilt.

Bag: High Peak Kathmundu backpack

Stove: either brunton stove, alcohol stove, or yet to be tested in the field wood gasifier stove.

Pot: small and aluminum

Filter: Sawyer Squeeze (No Brainer in my opinon)

Fire: Ferro rod as main starter, bic as secondary, matches as last resort. Cotton balls with petroleum jelly on them is a must have

Knives: My personal favorite. I usually take a larger knife and a small folder. usually my dozier as I love the blade shape but have taken tenacious opinel etc. I then use a
mora or my old hickory butcher knife. I look forward to trying out my new ontario tak 1 and becker bk2.
Food: usually a mountain house meal a day along with Oatmeal for breakfast and maybe a rice meal for lunch. always take some fresh fruit even though it's heavy.

I am always trying to lighten my load but I don't know if I want to go ultralight just yet. I'm young and strong so I might as well take advantage while I can.
 
Just this past week, we did a short 30 mile hike; gear check:

Osprey Atmos 65 liter (a little too big for a short 3-4 day hike) w/ Osprey 3-liter water filter
Warbonnet Blackbird with an Arrowhead sil-nylon fly
Gossamer gear closed cell sleeping pad (fit in the hammock and went inside my pack)
Sea-to-Summit Micro-III 850 down bag (rated for 30 degrees, opens up like a quilt)
Sawyer squeeze filter; two-2 liter bags, connector for inline bladder refill; half-Gatorade bottle for filling
Aqua Mira purification drop system back up
Nalgene 48 fluid ounce collapsible water container
Vargo 22oz single wall Ti water bottle
Bushbuddy stove, aluminum foil wind screen; titanium alcohol stove, alcohol (I think about 12 fl ounces)
Snow Peak Trek 900 pot with Four Dog mods; collapsible cup and Ti spork
Sea-to-Summit dry bag for food with bear hanging kit
Small bag for clothes (Polartec silk-weight long underwear, Ice Breaker light weight wool hoodie, sleep socks, extra pair hiking socks)
Two silk bandanas
Sea-to-Summit folding bucket (simply awesome!)
Exped hiking poles
Kindle
Small FAK/ankle brace
Zebra headlamp (excellent headlamp)
Spyderco Para-Mil (most used blade)
Ti trowel and TP kit…fast and light for the dirty tasks
Merrell Proterra Mid boots…perfect for me!
HPG Kit Bag for map, essentials and CCW

Thanks to Owen for the recommendation of using a small half of a plastic Gatorade bottle when using the Sawyer squeeze filter. Several water sources were small springs which made it necessary to scoop up water for the squeeze bags. Also, we modified the water bladders with a quick, direct-connect so we could fill the bladders without removing from the packs…very simple and fast to fill while on-the-go.

ROCK6
 
Hmmmm...my big four:

ENO Doublenest Hammock - Maybe not the best hammock, but works great. I will probably pass this on to one of the kids and get something better.
I have just convinced the boys to give up the tent and go all hammocks.
Hennessey Hex Fly - Nice Hex tarp, lots of coverage and makes a nice porch as well
JetBoil - Oh my, I do love my JetBoil. So fast and convenient it is awesome to cook with.
Becker Knives - I bring my BK2, BK9 and BK 14 camping and I am ready for anything.
 
My staples are,
Stove - Svea 123
Shelter - Moss Heptawing
Bag - Big Agnus Lost Ranger
Light - Brass Candle Lantern with citronella candles

All four have been going for a real long time.
 
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