Good Stuff – Or Ideas for Christmas Gifts II

Following up on the last post are some products that have proven durable, repairable and truly lasting.

Carhartt Double Knee Loggers Pants

These britches are about as tough as they get.  The cut is a little funny, and they actually tend to run a little short in the leg, but the durability can’t be beat.  In fact it seems to take several months to a year just to break them in and soften up the cotton canvas.  My foremen when I worked on trail crews in New Mexico and the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, all wore the Carhartt bib front overalls while in the backcountry.  These guys wore the same overalls for 10-14 day stretches for the entire summer.  Carhartt pants hold up well.

MagLite 2AA Flashlights

These little aluminum bodied flashlights were first popularized when I was in elementary school.  Today they’re the standard in small (and large) personal flashlights.  The design is simple and sturdy, and the light output sufficient for most tasks.  The xenon or krypton bulbs do not last forever and I’ve recently become a fan of the LED replacement kits that swap out the original bulbs for bright, long-lasting LED’s that greatly increase the battery life.  If you’re looking for a flashlight (not a headlamp) MagLite is the only way to go, in my opinion.  I have yet to break one beyond simple repair and still have my original 2AA model from elementary school.

Victorinox Swiss Army Knife

Victorinox is the maker of the original Swiss Army Knives (I’ve never been impressed by the Wenger knives).  I have one similar to the “Climber” model that was my grandfather’s personal pocket knife for many years.  I’ve carried it on every mile I’ve hiked on the A.T. and many other hikes and days around town.  The perfect size, with just enough tools, but not too many, the Climber model is a classic pocket knife.  It is important to get a model with both the scissors and a Phillips head screw driver (which the Climber lacks, but mine has).  The scissors are handy for cutting bandaids and moleskin and a Phillips head screw driver is terribly difficult to improvise when needed.

Good Camping Stuff – or – Ideas for Christmas Gifts

Daniel shared this with me not to long ago.  It’s a list of great, durable stuff that inspires folks to brag about it.  As much as we live in a cheap / disposable society these days, it’s nice to hear about products that still seem engineered to last.

So here’s a list of some of the things that I’ve been pleased with over the years.  Granted, I don’t have a lifetime of experience to test these products against, but I have worn out, broken or destroyed more products than I would prefer.

These are listed in no particular order, simply in the order they were thought up.

Sierra Designs Clip-Flashlight Tent

This two person tent has essentially remained unchanged in design since it was first introduced in 1983.  For a backpacking tent design, that would make this model essentially a dinosaur.  I’ve hauled mine 1000 miles on the A.T.  Lived in it for a summer in New Mexico.  And backpacked with it in 13 states.  It still looks brand new.  It’s not the lightest tent.  It’s not freestanding (which is a challenge as many state parks are shifting to wooden tent platforms).

Coleman White Gas Stoves

I grew up with my family cooking on a two-burner Coleman camp stove when we went on camping trips or during extended power outages following hurricanes.  Built like tanks and easy to repair and maintain, these stoves are easy to find on Ebay or at garage sales.  The design has changed very little since they were first introduced in the 1950s (Model 425) and since then the little stoves have cooked innumerable Boy Scout pancakes since.

There’s even a collectors club.

The single-burner Peak 1 Feather was my first backpacking stove.  Based on a scaled down version of the two burner stove, this is a great little stove.  It has cooked up warm meals on some of the coldest mornings, when a canister stove wouldn’t light.

MSR Groundhog Tent Stakes

These tent stakes were given to me by one of my crews at Philmont.  The tri-corner design is bombproof and manages to grip in some of the rockiest soils.  I’ve yet to break, bend or lose one after years of use.  I can’t say that same about any other tent stake I’ve seen or used.

Gregory Palisade Internal Frame Pack

I’ve had this pack since 2000 and it has put up with all of my backpacking.  Every mile of the A.T.  It’s not even close to being an ultra light weight pack, but it is built like a tank and seems like it will last as long as I want to haul it.  I saw more than one ultra light pack split, tear and snap on the A.T.