These are pretty basic (and generic), arranged chronologically in the order I "discovered" them:

1) Sleeping pad. I first went backpacking as a boy scout--late 70s, early 80s. My troop's approach to hiker education was sink-or-swim, and nobody told me pads were for more than comfort. I don't remember when I realized a pad was for insulation as well, but discovering that ended a lot of freezing nights.

2) Trekking poles. About 10 years ago, I started having knee problems when hiking. At first neoprene braces and a lot of ibuprofen kept me going, but a pair of trekking poles helped even more. Since going light, I've been able to ditch the braces and 3 times a day doses of ibu. I haven't had knee problems since, but still love the poles. I *do* need to get a lighter pair.

3) Lightweight/UL websites and alcohol stoves. I'm not sure which I found first. I was looking to replace my old Coleman Apex II gas stove, and had been dropping weight for a while (mostly just by leaving things out) without realizing there was a whole community dedicated to going lighter. Either I found the stove sites, and they lead me to the UL sites, or the other way around. Regardless, both were revelatory: not only could I make, for no money, a key piece of gear, but there were actually people backpacking with base weights well under 10#. Mark Jurey's penny stove site and Joe's Ultralight were two of the first I looked at.

Once I saw how someone could take a can and turn it into a stove, I was impressed. Cost nothing and almost weighed nothing. At the time I was still using a MSR white gas stove so it was a huge weight savings for me.

The first time I saw this was from Wolf lots of years ago.

Whenever I take out my Jay Rardine, people stop me on the trail and ask me how much it weighs and what it does. What it does has changed a lot over the years (and gets difficult explaining), but it's a MUST HAVE piece of gear and certainly the BEST GEAR EVER! Don't leave home without your very own Jay Rardine.

If I can find it, I have a pic of a bunch of people (about 8 or 9) on glenn pass and everyone is carrying an umbrella. There was a time when the umbrellas came out in force, LOL!

Edited by HighAltitude on 08/21/2009 11:12:33 MDT.

Hard to choose "best" gear in a way. For me, it means something that's so good it makes every trip... and has for years. For me, then:

-8-inch Easton tubular stakes
-Mil-spec jungle hat

Until I started making my own, a Western Mountaineering bag has made just about every trip for 15 years. Who knew that a sleeping bag could be so nearly a piece of art?

Ti-Tri, relatively new discovery for me, but an awesome piece of equipment. I'll admit that after a lifetime of liquid-fuel stoves and canister stoves, it takes some adjusting to get used to the slower boil times and the Peace and Quiet of alcohol. But I really like the design and efficiency.

Merino wool clothing. Phenomenal. Actually does everything synthetics are supposed to. I have a couple drawers full of stinky, high-end synthetic that have been languishing since I discovered the temperature, humidity and stench regulation of merino. Everything old is new again.

Simply put...
1) Caldera Cone - no matter how many stoves I buy, I find this thing in my pack almost everytime I'm out.

2)Trail runners - Ditching my Asolo boots for trail runners (currently Inov-8 Flyroc 310s) changed everything about hiking and backpacking for me.

3)Insulated Inflatable Sleeping Pads - As a 6'1" 220lb side sleeper these guys have added so much to my trips. For me every minute on trail is improved by a good nights sleep, or even thinking of the good nights sleep I am about to have at the end of a long day.

Almost made it: GG LT4's, Mini Bics & beer

BMW Cocoon Hoody. Why is it so warm, yet so light. It is my one staple in my pack.

Black Diamond Flick Lok Contour Poles. Best combination of durability and reliability on the market. Period.

Boozer, you made me remember... LT4s. Awesome, stupifyingly light. (And a bit of scotch and/or a bit of bourbon make it every time. Maybe that doesn't count as gear, but how 'bout the UL "flask" of re-used C.C. Club Soda water bottle I use? Any way you slice it, some of the most enjoyable--and favorite--stuff I carry!)

Edited by 4quietwoods on 08/21/2009 13:06:11 MDT.

1. Trekking poles. I wouldn't be able to backpack any more without them, due to my aging knees and ankles.

2. Lightweight hiking shoes.

3. "Beyond Backpacking". Ray Jardine's book made me realize I could go backpacking without heavy loads, thus enabling me to start backpacking again after a many-year hiatus.

4. Tarps and quilts. To keep the weight down.

5. Caldera Cone. Awesome!

Freeze-dried Jardine with a packet of excitotoxin sauce!

1. the idea that one could go lightweight. Most of my early learning came from Ray's book, websites, the the yahoo groups backpackinglight mailing list.

2. the combination of Inov-8 310 flyroc shoes and Injinji toe socks. Since I started wearing them I am blister free without any special treatments. This was such an improvement compared to when I had to constantly attend to me feet and never seems to be able to prevent blisters even with careful application of tape, pads, or lotions.

For the people who listed vibram fivefingers... how do you deal with trails that have been trod by horses? I found that the dust would go right through the mesh. Within minutes they felt like sandpaper against my skin... especially just above the heel.

3. sierra designs 3-man tent (1970). Spent many memorial nights with my dad and/or friends in this tent... especially when there were storms outside and we we comfortable inside... cozy in our sleeping bags telling stories and play cards.

I have kept a list of what I consider perfect or near gear... but most of the listed items haven't made as much of an emotional impact on me as the above.

Edited by verber on 08/21/2009 13:26:22 MDT.

1. Neo-Air: UL at 14 oz. for a large and VERY comfortable- NO DOUBT!!!!

2. IPOD:1oz and holds over 3,000 songs..Keeps me movin on
the trail and in camp with very small speakers I get
Jazz and Blues- Nice!!!

3. MLD Ark: 4200 CI at 15oz WOW!!!!!


-Jay

Edited by Creachen on 08/21/2009 13:42:08 MDT.

Lots of caveats here... I don't want to hog the thread; I'm well aware we're a UL site; but...

Marks post about the SD 'mid made me think about the gear I have the most emotional connection to. Without a doubt my WM Antelope. But the other things are from my "heavy" days... a nearly bombproof and truly beautiful Moss Little Dipper, my old Dana Astralplane, and my Dragonfly or Whisperlite. All have given years and years of essentially flawless service. Garuda Kaja ranks up there; aesthetically and in general principle it's great, but it turns out I'm not a huge fan of goretex tents.

I also have an old Evernew 1.3L Ti pot, a bit heavier than the current generation, handles and lid long ago gone missing, but still kicking strong since the early/mid 90s. I love Evernew Ti pots! Light, strong, easy to clean. My newer 0.9L Evernew pot is great, but not quite as robust as the older 1.3L one.

Ahhh, the Moss Little Dipper. I too own one of those fine little bomb shelters. A great tent in its day but since it weighs something like 10 pounds mine has not left the basement for 15 years. I really don't miss it.

Well, I'm not saying I miss it in my pack! Think it's pushing over 13 pounds, even! But man, have I sat out some heinous storms in that tent. The thing is like granite. It's now reserved for base-campish winter trips.

For me, waterproof socks.

It seems to me that the majority of gear will always get replaced at some point when something better comes along. There are a few pieces however that so perfectly refined I can't imagine a replacement.

Caldera Cone

The Pat Houdini and R1 hoody

The Tilley hat

Snowpeak/Evernew Ti cup/pot

mini Bic

ill post the rest, in a hurry now

hiking boots => trailrunners

heavy frame pack => light frameless

tent => tarptent or tarp/bivy

heavy base/insulation => merino wool/cocoons

whitegas stove => alcohol or solid fuel

complexity => simplification

Here's one I've been thinking of...the internet.

I look at the gear I'm carrying today and the base of knowledge I apply and I don't think it would have been possible without the net. The rise of web-based cottage industry has made an incredible impact and the access to opinions, knowledge and experiences is amazing, including talking with all of you. Without the internet, I don't think it would be possible.

For example, would I have ever heard about SUL, tarp techniques, or frameless packs? Would Mountain Laurel Designs even exist in a mail order world? Would inexpensive production be feasible without web connections to oversees manufacturing? How would tiny companies like Tarptent find enough customers to go on...or deal with retail markup at REI?

I've been an editor at Backpacking Light for over 6 years now. I've visited Alan Dixon in DC and he's visited me. Ryan Jordan's family joined us for a dayhike one time. I met a few other editors at an OR show. That's it- just a few days of "real" interaction with my colleagues in 6 years. How many times have I met any of you face to face? One time when Franco and Petras visited last week. My point is that this is a web-based experience for me with web-based relationships buying gear from web-based companies.

I'm not sure it would have been possible pre-web, and it's changed my outdoor experiences greatly.

After reading the interesting and thoughtful replies here and thinking for a while, I'd have to agree with Doug.

Without the internet and the commerce it has engendered, the gear I most prize (with, perhaps, the exception of my Western Mountaineering sleeping bag, my Montbell UL Thermawrap jacket and my Montrail Hardrocks) would not exist. The internet has revolutionized my shopping habits--I buy almost everything except groceries online now. Yes, I could do the groceries, too, but especially with produce I like to see what I'm getting.

Think of all the small gear producers who do their entire business on the internet. Most of my gear has come from them. And even the exceptions listed above were ordered from internet vendors like backcountrygear.com and backcountry.com, which do business almost entirely on the internet. The internet lets us compare prices and find information that wasn't around 15 years ago, or at least not readily available at our fingertips.

Being something of a luddite, I have a tendency to decry modern inventions. The personal computer and the internet, though, have revolutionized my life as they have many others. I was fortunate enough to be one of the first in my firm to learn to use some of the earliest personal computers (anyone remember the Apple II?) in the early spring of 1981, and used computers constantly for work ever since. I didn't start getting acquainted with the internet, though, until 1998 when I took a class at work. Even for work it made an enormous difference (looking up accounting statements on the AICPA website instead of searching through shelves of publications saved hours of time). I first started using the internet personally to research--and buy tickets and railpasses--for my post-retirement Europe trips in 2000 and 2001. Soon after that, I started looking for alternatives to 50-lb. packs so I could get back into backpacking, and here I am. Yes, an old dog, even one suspicious of modern technology, can learn new tricks!