Gear Selection: Old School vs. New School...

[Kankujoe]

Some great responses!

For me, it's not an issue of Old School vs. New School. I have certain criteria I follow when selecting and using gear, but it is a delicate balancing act. Here's the "prioritized factors" I follow when selecting and using gear (in no particular order)...

1.) packability
2.) versatility
3.) reliability
4.) convenience
5.) weight

I first discovered these principals from an article found here. It's a good read. Mainly geared towards paddling, but like I said you can change the order of the priorities to suit your particular hobbies and/or personal requirements. (Yes, I'm the one who contributed my picture/breakdown of my summer loadout found at the bottom of the article. My set-up is a bit different now, though.)

Thanks for posting the info & link to roguepaddler.com!!! Lots of good info that I can use for my kayaking adventures & adapt to my bicycle adventures...

[sir_n0thing]

To me, being in the woods is all about having a good time and I'm going to pack what I want to have a good time.

Amen, brother!

Any attempt to save weight for me at this point simply boils down to trying to alleviate a bit of stress on my back injury. Beyond that however, I'll take what I feel I want or need to be comfy and enjoying myself out in the woods!

sir_n0thing

[Scratch]

Like pegleg56 said

" the lighter my pack the more I enjoy hiking, the heavier my pack the more I enjoy camping".

[riverkeeper]

New School is Really Really Old School.

If you do not believe this, you haven't made contact with:
Nessmuk's Woodcraft from the 1870's-80's,
Walt Whitman's late 1800's travels,
Earl Shaffer's first thru trip in 1948, Walking With Spring,
and Grandma Gatewood of the 1950's to 60's.

Wiki and Amazon suggested.

[oldgringo]

As I sit here making a mental list of the things that are important to me...things I'm unwilling to compromise on...it's clear that I'm a poor candidate for induction into the society of gram weenies.

For instance, there's coffee, and I don't mean some pallid freeze-dried approximation of realdeal perked coffee. The pot goes with me. Always. Ditto the mug. A bit of whiskey to sweeten the brew ain't no bad thing, either.

Gotta be warm. And dry. Gotta sleep well. I love the fact that with a hammock, I'm only a couple of minutes from a nap.

OTOH, I can run for awhile w/o much in the way of food, and it doesn't seem to bother me much.

Sorry for the ramble...it's a recent thang...olde phartes will be olde phartes, doncha know?

[MacEntyre]

A one cup coffee press weighing 6.5 oz;
Several coffee doses individually wrapped in the corner of a baggie and cut off;
A cup of your choice.

These things don't weigh much. Coffee is necessary, like warm, dry, and sleep. It's an American camping tradition from the 1800s.

- MacEntyre

[Hawk-eye]

... A bit of whiskey to sweeten the brew ain't no bad thing, either.

hmmm ... I've always found that Bailey's makes a wonderful coffee creamer! I'm just saying ... one old fart to another

[TinaLouise]

now if they could just make a dehydrated version of Bailey's, I'd be set!!!

[Hawk-eye]

now if they could just make a dehydrated version of Bailey's, I'd be set!!!

But ... some things are worth a few ounces! You know ... in case of snake bite!

[gcalhoun]

One thing good about getting older, you learn to get your priorities straight.