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08/21/2024 01:42PM |
1) Enlightened Equipment rain jacket: It is so light and incredibly comfortable to wear. I don't get all damp and sweaty like with Gortex jackets and it takes up almost zero room in my pack which is especially important on my solo trips.
2) Enlightened Equipment quilt: I own 2 of them, a 30 degree and a 20 degree. They actually keep warm to much lower temps than similarly rated sleeping bags, mostly because of the incredible quality of their down and quilt construction. I don't get any gaps or cold spots, the foot area is extra plump, and it fluffs up so nicely I just want to stay cozied up all day.
3) Durston X-Mid 1 tent: I LOVE this solo tent. It has headroom and vestibule space more like a 2P tent. And unlike most 1P, there is actually room inside for me to keep a lot of my stuff due to the unique floor plan.
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08/22/2024 11:10AM |
Minnesotian: "
By far my favorite piece of equipement, and it goes on my canoe trips as well as my backpacking trips, is my Alite Monarch chair. Not a chair for everybody as it only has two legs and you provide the 3rd leg by balancing on it. But it is super light and comfortable. I can pretty much sit anywhere with it and rock back and forth a bit with it.
Alite doesn't make it anymore, but Grand Trunk took over the design ownership and is making them still. I like this chair so much I recently bought two of them as backups. https://www.grandtrunk.com/products/monarch-chair?srsltid=AfmBOopYZUmYhz4oCnL9saPfHXrldcfTVgeOsSsCzWFjjtROl2ur_pxE "
I prefer low slung chairs for the efficient size and weight. I also find the low to ground beach style sitting position both comfortable and convenient.
The Alite Mayfly chair is my favorite. It is lightweight, compact,comfortable and works well both outside and inside my tents.
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08/13/2024 10:07PM |
As I rub shoulders with other paddlers, they often have something that they love that I didn’t know existed or understood the value of, so I thought I would try to learn some more.
Right now, my favorite piece of gear is my Ray Special Fishell Paddle. The strain it takes off my shoulders and the ability for underwater recovery while paddling a glassy lake in those still mornings is phenomenal. I feel like I’m one with the lake and can explore the beauty of the morning or evening without disturbing nature. It has been a game-changer for me and has allowed me to enjoy the beauty and the Boundary of Waters even more.
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08/14/2024 12:04PM |
However, my ultimate favorite piece of gear is my Helinox chair. What a game changer! It totally beats sitting on a log or rock, even with a pad. I can fall asleep in my Helinox chair. My wife and I each have one that we take to outdoor music events and other outdoor activities. People see us unpack and set up these small, lightweight chairs and they're amazed. We get asked about them all the time. Definitely my favorite piece of gear.
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08/14/2024 01:16PM |
TrailZen: "We're also fond of our paddles--Wenonah Black Light Straights--whose weight have greatly reduced shoulder aches on long paddle days. But we have several other pieces of gear make me smile because of their low weight, their durability, or their functionality. It's hard to pick a single favorite.
TZ"
I just bought one of these for my father-in-law. I hope he likes it as much as you do.
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08/17/2024 07:58PM |
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08/19/2024 10:03PM |
Bentpushrod: "My favorite piece of gear is a simple waxed canvas/wool sitting pad. Great for kneeling on to start a fire, use as a doormat for your tent, place it on a log for a cushioned seat. Use it as a placemat for your dinner, a cushion on your canoe seat. It’s tough, light, packable, easily cleanable, and countless ways to use it. Here’s where I got mine. https://www.coloradobushcraft.com/collections/ground-cloths/products/all-natural-bushcraft-cooshun-waxed-canvas-and-wool-sitting-pad
And here’s a photo of mine in use."
I’ve never heard of these before, I love multi use equipment. I will look into these.
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08/19/2024 10:04PM |
DMan5501: "Hands down my Tentsile UNA... The 3 point configuration makes it a completely flat lay and its bomb proof in heavy rain!
"
Honestly, this post is the first time I have been tempted to consider hammocking again. I have tried several others, and I don’t know if it’s my weight and height which I don’t feel is unusual. I have slept weeks on hammocks, but they just haven’t seemed to work for me, but this one makes me curious to try again.
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08/19/2024 10:06PM |
My paddle is still my favorite piece of gear right now, but this is definitely in the top 3.
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08/22/2024 07:43AM |
By far my favorite piece of equipement, and it goes on my canoe trips as well as my backpacking trips, is my Alite Monarch chair. Not a chair for everybody as it only has two legs and you provide the 3rd leg by balancing on it. But it is super light and comfortable. I can pretty much sit anywhere with it and rock back and forth a bit with it.
Alite doesn't make it anymore, but Grand Trunk took over the design ownership and is making them still. I like this chair so much I recently bought two of them as backups. https://www.grandtrunk.com/products/monarch-chair?srsltid=AfmBOopYZUmYhz4oCnL9saPfHXrldcfTVgeOsSsCzWFjjtROl2ur_pxE
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08/14/2024 07:44AM |
TZ
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08/14/2024 01:16PM |
plmn: "It's hard to name one because there are so many things I appreciate compared to 25-40 years ago. My LuminAID solar lights, headlamps, Soto stove, Astral shoes, Wenonah carbon paddle and Flextail Zero inflator all come to mind. Tents and sleeping bags are also a lot lighter, more compact, and better designed. Permethrin isn't gear but it makes my clothing a lot better suited for being out there and Picaridin is so much more pleasant to use than DEET. Modern camp chairs are also a big improvement.
But my favorite is probably my 4" thick Thermarest NeoAir Topo Luxe mattress. As somebody who has struggled with back issues it's been a game changer and gives me the best night's rests I've ever had in a tent. "
I just go the Big Agnes UL Zoom and it is about 4 inches too and I sleep almost better on it than I don’t one my mattress at home. (Hmm…maybe I need a new mattress.)
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08/14/2024 11:45AM |
Its a pricey piece of gear, but its a game changer.
Gives the entire group a huge outdoor room that is completely bug free.
Instead of retiring to individual tents, we can all eat in there and play poker late into the night. really amazing piece of gear that transforms how we interact on a trip.
Without it, you can get eaten alive during early evening hours and into the night. We got the larger model (15x15' I think, with the 1.9 fabric).
Love it! Tarp Tent- CCS
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08/22/2024 01:36PM |
Well over 100 years old. I've had it since I was 17, about 45 years.
My kids joke it's the only thing I've ever loved more than them, which is of course untrue. I had a really good dog.
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08/14/2024 01:18PM |
Samsquatch: "My favorite piece of gear is my Gransfors Bruks Hunter's Axe. This hand axe is super sharp and is capable of cutting through saplings with one swing. It has a 19 inch, hickory handle. I've had it a little over 20 years, back when they Gransfors was affordable.
Another favorite is my Brunton/Optimus Nova stove. This piece of gear is also around 20 years old and I use it on most of my camping trips. Gaskets and o-rings have had to be replaced a couple of times, but otherwise it's bombproff. "
Where do you like to buy your replacement O-rings? I have a Brunton stove that I love too and after 16 years it is still join strong but I know I will need a new O-ring eventually.
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08/14/2024 01:20PM |
Jackfish: "I have done like most everyone who has done canoe tripping for years and slowly upgraded most of my gear as time has gone on. Kevlar canoe, nice bent shaft paddles, St. Croix fishing rods, CCS Pioneer packs and tarps, down sleeping bags, Exped sleeping pads... all wonderful upgrades over their predecessors.
However, my ultimate favorite piece of gear is my Helinox chair. What a game changer! It totally beats sitting on a log or rock, even with a pad. I can fall asleep in my Helinox chair. My wife and I each have one that we take to outdoor music events and other outdoor activities. People see us unpack and set up these small, lightweight chairs and they're amazed. We get asked about them all the time. Definitely my favorite piece of gear."
I have the same chair and love it. It was my favorite when I bought it and I still love it, its make camp life so much better.
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08/15/2024 02:11AM |
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08/14/2024 03:52PM |
CanoeViking: "Samsquatch: "My favorite piece of gear is my Gransfors Bruks Hunter's Axe. This hand axe is super sharp and is capable of cutting through saplings with one swing. It has a 19 inch, hickory handle. I've had it a little over 20 years, back when they Gransfors was affordable.
Another favorite is my Brunton/Optimus Nova stove. This piece of gear is also around 20 years old and I use it on most of my camping trips. Gaskets and o-rings have had to be replaced a couple of times, but otherwise it's bombproff. "
Where do you like to buy your replacement O-rings? I have a Brunton stove that I love too and after 16 years it is still join strong but I know I will need a new O-ring eventually."
I believe the last time I bought O-rings they came in an Optimus repair kit on Amazon. The repair kit comes with various small items which might need to be replaced and I think a small tube of lubricant. I imagine Optimus would sell the same kit on their website.
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08/15/2024 09:43AM |
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08/27/2024 09:34AM |
While it may not be a game changer for canoe country, I am more comfortable traveling with it, and I am still surprised I have it as it has disappeared twice. Once while traveling up to the BWCA and spending a night in Duluth, my truck windows were smashed in, and everything was stolen. Most of the stolen items were apparently deemed of little value and later found in a ditch by Duluth PD and somehow found their way back to me. It was lost once again while unexpectedly transferring flights, later found in a different city and returned by the airlines. It has only needed some minor repairs, but It'll be a tough day if I end up having to retire it.
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08/27/2024 10:45AM |
Bell Rob Roy for the speed, stability and versatility.
Honorable Mentions
Kelty Noah's Tarp for the ease of use and setup.
Estwing Hatchet - There are lighter hatchets out there today, but this one has been on every trip i've taken and is super comfortable in my hand.
Savage 410/22 Over Under for grouse on October trips. It's small and compact, straps right to the side of the pack.
NRS Boundary Boots - Way better than the old Chota's. Love these boots.
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08/25/2024 06:35AM |
Magic w/E6 trim -ZRE-Aqua Bound 260
Lean 1
CCS 10x14
Bush buddy stove
Helinox chair
If I have to pick 1 then it is the boat as it gets me farther/faster with little weight
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08/25/2024 09:50PM |
RTurner: "Not just my favorite piece of gear, my favorite anything.
Well over 100 years old. I've had it since I was 17, about 45 years.
My kids joke it's the only thing I've ever loved more than them, which is of course untrue. I had a really good dog.
I must say it must be pretty awesome to paddle an old canoe like that. The stories and places it has been would be fun to hear.
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09/01/2024 05:44PM |
Definitely the best value in my gear collection.
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08/15/2024 11:41PM |
For me, it's my camera (just my cell phone), as I love to capture my daughters' smiles in the wilderness. Now that the three oldest have graduated from high school and moved on, I make postcards out of past trips for weekly snail-mail text messages. :)
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08/18/2024 08:05AM |
I must like my Mountainsmith Day pack quite a bit too given that I've used it for day trips for 25 years or more and have never considered replacing it with something else.
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08/14/2024 09:25AM |
But my favorite is probably my 4" thick Thermarest NeoAir Topo Luxe mattress. As somebody who has struggled with back issues it's been a game changer and gives me the best night's rests I've ever had in a tent.
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08/14/2024 10:34AM |
Another favorite is my Brunton/Optimus Nova stove. This piece of gear is also around 20 years old and I use it on most of my camping trips. Gaskets and o-rings have had to be replaced a couple of times, but otherwise it's bombproff.
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08/14/2024 09:41AM |
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08/14/2024 10:35AM |
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08/14/2024 11:48AM |
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08/14/2024 11:44PM |
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08/15/2024 07:54AM |
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08/15/2024 09:20AM |
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08/15/2024 01:15PM |
Right now that's a cool little extendable metal gadget for blowing on the fire from a distance. Just used it Tuesdat night for the first time and I'm in love. Targeted oxygen on a fire without a faceful of smoke...what's not to love!
Long term favorites....
Sawyer MantaRay double bend paddle: so light and easy on my wrists and shoulders, good for not aggravating all my repetitive motion injuries.
Helinox Chair Zero: Light and greatly improved comfort around the fire in the evening. My back loves it and I even take it backpacking.
Northstar Magic solo canoe: a world above the old Prism. Light, responsive, less squirrely. A joy to paddle.
Granite Gear tarps: Light, pack small, bag is attached to the tarp, there's loops for a covered laundry line on the underside, and really sturdy for something made out of silnylon.
Darrell the Barrel: 60 L blue barrel with an old school Ostrom Harness. Most comfortable pack I have. Keeps the mini bears out, keeps the ursacks dry and in one place. First pack I named.
I better stop there...LOL
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08/15/2024 09:45PM |
And here’s a photo of mine in use.
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08/18/2024 10:15AM |
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08/16/2024 12:50PM |
Bentpushrod: " Here’s where I got mine. https://www.coloradobushcraft.com/collections/ground-cloths/products/all-natural-bushcraft-cooshun-waxed-canvas-and-wool-sitting-pad "
Bentpushrod... don't forget to use the Add a link to this message function when posting links.
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08/18/2024 11:21AM |
I happened to see it brand new and for sale one day in the early 90's at an Alumacraft dealer as I drove through Dassel, MN. At that point, I had only been on one BWCA trip and had fun even though the canoe we borrowed was crappy (bent frame and a broken portage pad). I wondered that if I had my own decent canoe if I'd maybe want to go again on another Boundry Waters trip or even enjoy taking it out once in awhile on lakes close to home. So I did a U-turn to go look at it closer and then decided to pull the trigger. That impulse purchase put me on this path of 30-plus years of many awesome trips to the BWCA and other canoeing adventures. Even though the lighter-weight kevlar canoes have now become "king", this same Alumacraft canoe is still my go-to and favorite on almost every trip I've ever been on.
Excluding watercraft, I'd also name my good old "Heicke Pack".
Shortly after I bought the canoe, I picked this up used at an army surplus store for about $15. The Austrian soldier this had been issued to apparently was named Heicke and that name was written on the pack, so among my gear this pack acquired that name. This thing has many versatile pockets--some of which are perfectly sized for a few of the odds and ends we like to bring on a trip and it functions well as a catch-all for things like small bungees, tackle, fuel and fire stuff, leatherman tools, flashlights, knives, etc. Sadly, the Heicke Pack is nearing the end of its life and the numerous little repairs it's needing each time before going in the field again are telling me that its days are numbered. I doubt that I will find a replacement that I will appreciate as much as I've enjoyed this little pack.
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08/19/2024 10:22AM |
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08/18/2024 07:27PM |
My other favorite is our CCS tarp. Goes on every trip with us. After our nephews 1st trip with us last year, they bought one, although they mostly hike in the mountains.
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08/19/2024 06:32AM |
#2: Klymit Static V sleeping pad (I’m a side sleeper so this is high on my list).
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08/19/2024 10:47AM |
Z4K: "I have a CCS Ridgeline stuff sack that has to be my favorite single piece of gear. I sleep in a hammock most of the time and it is just so great to be able to quickly and neatly stow or deploy the tarp overhead. No matter what I'm doing I know I can grab that bag and have a tarp, rope, stakes, tree straps all ready to go."
Last year I had a group and we had unexpected rain and we quickly tried to piece together some bit of shelter and it took forever and was OK at best.
I bought a 1.1 ounce 10 x 14 cc S tarp and Ridgeline stuff sack I will never go back, this thing is phenomenal. This year I took a group and we had rain as well and within 2 to 5 minutes tops we had shelter for the entire group.
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08/23/2024 03:54PM |
Second would be my Tarptent Rainbow 2 tent. Very light weight and roomy.
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08/24/2024 11:05PM |
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08/25/2024 09:52PM |
ubbenholdthekraut: "A few years ago we went big and purchased a Cooke Custom Sewing Tarp with bug netting down the sides. (RIP DAN).
Its a pricey piece of gear, but its a game changer.
Gives the entire group a huge outdoor room that is completely bug free.
Instead of retiring to individual tents, we can all eat in there and play poker late into the night. really amazing piece of gear that transforms how we interact on a trip.
Without it, you can get eaten alive during early evening hours and into the night. We got the larger model (15x15' I think, with the 1.9 fabric).
Love it! Tarp Tent- CCS "
I may eventually have to get one of these. More so for my family and friends than for me. I am one of those weird individuals who gets no allergic reaction to any bug bite at all. I’m not allergic to poison ivy or anything else. so I don’t think anything of mosquitoes or flies or knats unless they’re getting in my nose and ears. My family and friends on the other hand, I think would enjoy the bdub more if they had a shelter like this.
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08/25/2024 10:37PM |
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08/26/2024 09:17AM |
CanoeViking: "RTurner: "Not just my favorite piece of gear, my favorite anything.
Well over 100 years old. I've had it since I was 17, about 45 years.
My kids joke it's the only thing I've ever loved more than them, which is of course untrue. I had a really good dog.
I must say it must be pretty awesome to paddle an old canoe like that. The stories and places it has been would be fun to hear."
It had been owned by an old girls scout camp and was pretty beat up, patched with roofing tar and caulking, so I imagine some of it's stories would be horrifying, and some hysterical. It's the nicest paddling canoe I've ever been in.
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08/26/2024 01:15PM |