How has your kit list changed?

[SimonM]

SWMBO has given me an overnight pass for tomorrow, so I've been in the loft and got my gear down.

As I looked at it, I thought "I'm sure I used to take more than that!", so dug out a photo from 2 years ago to compare...

Compared with tonights kit...

It would seem that as I get older I get fatter and lazier....or is it true that knowledge replaces kit?

So come on, show us how you kit has changed over the years!

Simon

 

[SOAR]

Ah but your forgetting I've seen that magic response pack of yours at middlewood if I remember right it was like the Tardis full of mugs of coffee and Muffins LOL

 

[Shewie]

I don't have any before and after photos I don't think, but I reckon it would look similar to yours now if I compared them.
I have to agree knowledge is the key, absorbing as much as you can from here and other resources has to be one of the best ways to acheive that.

My winter pack is still a full Sabre 75 but that's mainly down to having a doss bag and underblanket in there, aswell as a few extra clothes then everything else.
Summer or dry is very different and it's surprising how little you need for a night under the stars. it becomes quite obsessive after a while and you start leaving things at home one by one.

Good thread Simon, looking forward to the piccies

I`ll see if I can dig something out.

 

[SimonM]

Ah but your forgetting I've seen that magic response pack of yours at middlewood if I remember right it was like the Tardis full of mugs of coffee and Muffins LOL

The Response Pack is still there - just not as full!

Simon

 

[addo]

I Started out with less stuff
Then got into bushcraft and gained tonnes more
Spent the last few years trying to whittle out what I dont need.
All weighs a bit less and a bit more compact now, but not that much, cost a bit extra but at least its all much more usefull gear ie proper first aid kit and repair kit, and more dry space under a tarp than a tent, with a decent sleeping bag.
Plus I eat very well now and dont go thirsty!

 

[redneck]

Would it not be easier to carry a few snares rather than the rabbit itself??

 

[SimonM]

Would it not be easier to carry a few snares rather than the rabbit itself??

that rabbit is responsible for my worst "bushy" injury.

I was in the garden, minding my own business carving a spoon, when he ran up to me and jumped into the back of my knee.This is the way that he plays with the kids - he bumps into them, they run around and he follows! Bizarre I know...

Anyway, the knife slipped and I slashed the outside of my finger - badly! took ages to stop bleeding.

And yes, the rabbit still runs around the garden!

Simon

 

[andybysea]

I find i take out more now than years ago, for two reasons,
1, i didnt have as much then so i couldnt and now why buy it if im not going to use it.
2, im old i have aching bones,i feel the cold,so i take more clothes and bedding equipment so im comfy! hence my next purchase a sabre 80-130. Try as i might i just cant get it all in a 65l anymore started out with 35l which did me for a weekend, although i do also carry alot of water when out locally as its a case of water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink round here.

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

I've been doing Survival/Bushcraft around 25 years now, and my kit changes nearly every season.
It's slightly pedantic but if you make a before a trip list (of all you take...Everything!!)
and an after trip account of wht you used what was good bad etc it's more easy to figure out how to cut down on gear.

 

[Shewie]

It's slightly pedantic but if you make a before a trip list (of all you take...Everything!!)
and an after trip account of wht you used what was good bad etc it's more easy to figure out how to cut down on gear.

That`s how I worked it out int the end aswell. I got sick of rumaging past stuff to get to what I wanted, so I started writing down what they were when I packed up on the final morning.

It is a bit geeky but it works

 

[Lasse]

Over the last couple of years, my gear especially got more comfy and more specialised for certain situations. Buying better gear to do a certain job in a certain situation... Yet still be usably in as many situations as possible...
Every new piece of equipment I buy must fill in a gap and/or be a massive win in comfort, if not, I don't have enough money to buy it... Working for every cent makes one think a lot harder about buying anyting!

So my entire kit list got quite a bit longer and more suitable for the different trips I do during the year. But because of the better suited gear, and with what I learned on previous trips, I don't need to carry as much as I used to

 

[redandshane]

Thats really interesting I remember that first photograph

The idea of going through what you took on a trip is one I use and also keep notes

Any chance of a list of whats in your pack now

 

[SimonM]

Thats really interesting I remember that first photograph

The idea of going through what you took on a trip is one I use and also keep notes

Any chance of a list of whats in your pack now

I've just got back from a morning worikng with kids from school, building a willow shelter and planting trees in a park near school. Now about to go out and play in the woods, so will do it as I unpack tomorrow.

Simon

 

[Wayland]

My kit has changed in two ways.

There's a lot less plastic now and the quality of individual items has gone up a lot as I've been able to afford better kit and also as I've been able to source better stuff through BCUK and peoples knowledge here.

I think I carry a bit less but the weight of some items has gone up so it probably balances out.

 

[retrohiker]

I started out as a "kit junkie" buying up each little trinket with the justification that it was on sale or that "I'd gotten a good deal" on it. Ended up with a too heavy pack and too much stuff to keep track of. It also made camping "too easy" and I found my thoughts drifting back to work and home life with the spare time.

I've been transitioning back into a more primitive style of camping: tarp, wool blanket, coffee can billy, knife, flint and steel. Setting up camp takes up no more effort but more thought and planning. Starting a fire with flint, steel and char cloth needs more focus and attention that with a lighter. Cooking over a fire takes more attention than dropping a pan on a gas stove. All of this would seem like "extra effort" but for me it's relaxing and what makes camping an enjoyable experience.

 

[Wayland]

Snip> It also made camping "too easy" and I found my thoughts drifting back to work and home life with the spare time.

I've been transitioning back into a more primitive style of camping: tarp, wool blanket, coffee can billy, knife, flint and steel. Setting up camp takes up no more effort but more thought and planning. Starting a fire with flint, steel and char cloth needs more focus and attention that with a lighter. Cooking over a fire takes more attention than dropping a pan on a gas stove. All of this would seem like "extra effort" but for me it's relaxing and what makes camping an enjoyable experience.

I think that's the essence of it for me too.

It explains perfectly why we don't all just book into a hotel instead.

Very thought provoking post......

 

[Bogman10]

I started out as a "kit junkie" buying up each little trinket with the justification that it was on sale or that "I'd gotten a good deal" on it. Ended up with a too heavy pack and too much stuff to keep track of. It also made camping "too easy" and I found my thoughts drifting back to work and home life with the spare time.

I've been transitioning back into a more primitive style of camping: tarp, wool blanket, coffee can billy, knife, flint and steel. Setting up camp takes up no more effort but more thought and planning. Starting a fire with flint, steel and char cloth needs more focus and attention that with a lighter. Cooking over a fire takes more attention than dropping a pan on a gas stove. All of this would seem like "extra effort" but for me it's relaxing and what makes camping an enjoyable experience.

Very well said! I admit to being a gear head too, but I get the most fun out of the "primitive type gear" ( except when fishing /hunting, though I prefer Fly fishing-I also tie my own flies ) when out for more then a day. I find also, that I spend more free time in the back yard making Char cloth, practicing fire by friction, carving, personalizing my gear ( aka PLAYING ) then with any of my modern gear, so I get more relaxation out of it.

 

[rik_uk3]

Still use the same Bulldog billy can set I've had for 40 years (amongst other pans), stoves change all the time depending upon which one or two I pick for a trip. Stove technology has not changed a great deal in decades, things like the Pocket Rocket are good, but don't forget cookers like the Epigas Micron stove made about 30 years ago, just as small, just as good.

Sleeping bags have got worse for me in some respects, when a keen hillwalker many moons ago I always spent top dollar on down gear which I haven't done in recent years but this may change and I'll treat myself to something really nice for next winter (I need more warmth as I get older)

Tents; I have the Hex which is great, but I'm back using Force Ten's now, I have a Mk3 and now two Mk5's and I must say I have fallen in love with this range all over again, they are a blast from the past and bring back many happy memories for me (I'm looking for a Mk4), and I need a family sized tent before summer 2010 for the wife and grandson.

Clothing has changed, in the past when young I wore Levi's or climbing breeches and used PU Nylon rainproof trousers, these days I tend to use lightweights or M65's and gortex trousers. With jackets I started off with WW2 army para tops (wish I had them now), moved on to Ventile, then fleece and PU Nylon anoraks, these days its a mix of fleece, down, gortex. I've always liked wool jumpers of any type or make so that has remained the same.

I enjoy a better range of food now than when a youngster, back then corn beef and smash were a staple along with dried meals (yes, you could get dried meals 40 years ago), these days as I only 'base camp' I can cook whatever takes my fancy.

One massive improvement in kit for me over a 40 year period is the humble torch. LED torches are perhaps one of the best things to happen in camping ever, fantasic technology, no dead light after an hour, no need to carry masses of spare batteries either, wonderful stuff.

 

[sandbender]

I have a kit list from a trip I made back in 1993, apparently I used a Survival Aids DPM gore-tex jacket, a Buffalo sleeping bag, an Ultimate peapod tent, a Lowe Vector Commander rucksack and carried an Al Mar 'SERE' folding knife. I no longer own any of them.

I remember that the pack weighed a few kilograms when empty and that the Buffalo bag was fairly weighty too. So the biggest change over the years has been that my gear is much less heavy.

I was also obsessed with organizing all my equipment into separate bags and stuff sacks, these days I use bin liners and keep equipment in my rolled up spare clothing.

 

[SimonM]

Thats really interesting I remember that first photograph

The idea of going through what you took on a trip is one I use and also keep notes

Any chance of a list of whats in your pack now

Ok, just got back, bath is running and I stink of woodsmoke...so this is what I took last night:

Karrimore Sabre 75 containing:

• DD lightweight tarp
• Snugpak Sleeping bag
• Thermarest
• Extra tarp (groundsheet)
• Honey stove / Tatonka burner / meths (Didn't use the burner &meths)
• Food (Freeze dried expedition type food - chicken korma, apple flakes & custard / porridge with strawberries) 2 packs biscuit brown & 2 packs biscuit fruit. Sachets of 2 in 1 coffee & whitener x 4.
• 3L of water - only just enough this time cos I pigged out!
• Insulated mug / flask type thingy
• Moleskin smock (made by Andywinkk) for warmth (not used except as a pillow!)

Response pak containing:

• FAK
• Laplander saw - purpose of visit was to clear some invading rhodadendrons!
• Flint & steel + tinder pouch
• Field sharpening kit - DC3 & mini strop
• Led headlamp
• Glowstick
• Old dems tin containing various fire lighters - Hexy / inner tube strip / cotton wool / Greenheat gel & a lighter (not used)
• Notepad & pencil
• Camera & spare batteries(also fit headlamp)

Around neck:

• BG Little Whittler
• Whistle
• Single LED torch
• Long handled spork

Extras - taken to see how they behaved together, cos they are new!
Ventile poncho - rigged it as a tarp for a photo for the group buy thread & used it over my kit to keep it clean & tidy! Other than that - not needed.

Looking at it it seems a lot, but the gear I didn't use I would not like to leave out as it would mean being potentially cold and uncomfortable.
Simon