Ryan's recent article on gear and innovation has got me thinking a lot. One question that it has made me ask is the following....

Question:
"If you could have only one set of gear that has no duplicate items to serve all your backpacking needs for the next 5-10 years what would it look like"

Guidelines:
"if you use a like item in your personal life, i.e. a rain jacket, the item you pick must replace it as well"

Don't limit yourself to gear only available now, if you know of an item from the past that is better than what the current market provides list it.

If you get into heavy winter stuff add a second bag if it is needed.

My List:
So here is what I am thinking for the main items....

* Pack - Golite Jam2 - big volume, reduces well, lightweight, durable
* Rain Jacket - OR Zealot
* Rain Pants - I love my reeds, but would probably go marmot precip for durability
* Jacket - Montbell Down Inner or maybe a simple fleece jacket
* Sleeping Bag - JRB Sierra Sniveler or Enlightned Revelation 2.5" reg width - hard to beat the opening up feature of these quilts for versitility
* Pad - Good old gossemer gear 3/8" thinlight
* Shelter - MLD Cricket or MLD Cuben Grace with Superlight bivy (on the fence)
* Pot - BPL 550 ti mug (assume I am still allowed to have regular pots at home)
* Stove - caldera ti-tri
* Navigation - Silva Compass - not likely to fail, no batteries needed
* Knife - swiss army classic - simple, has scissors

What would you put in your closet?

Jamie

Edited by jshortt on 01/04/2012 10:51:42 MST.

I'll play :)

pack- I'd have to say the Ohm-if I pack very frugally I can eek a week, maybe a wee more, the majority of my trips are 2-3 days and it's voluminous for those adventures- the light frame setup also allows more weight to be carried comfortably than a similar sized frameless pack. I did a trip in New Mexico where we had to load up w/ 5.5 liters of water for a long dry route- a frameless pack that would have been difficult

rain jacket- I've had my Helium now for two years and although I don't use it a lot (knock on wood :)), it appears like it is holding up extremely well- if it doesn't OR has an ironclad warranty

rain pants- don't use them :)

jacket- I don't own one (I own an ex-light and a alpine light) but I'd probably go for a WM Flash- good amount of down, hood, well constructed and still pretty darn light- kind of right between the two jackets I currently own

sleeping bag- Katabatic gear Pallisade- I sleep on the warm side and I think Katabatic is conservative on their ratings- I've spent several nights below freezing in just base layers, I'm confident I could be comfortable into the low 20's w/ a little clothing

pad- that's a tough choice, I want to say the neoair- I'm on my third season w/o any failures (I do carry a small repair kit)- a ccf pad is certainly bombproof, but a lot more volume and not nearly as comfy weight for weight- if I had to depend on it on for 5 years I might go w/ something like the Thermarest Ridge rest solar 3.5 r value and not too heavy- definitely bombproof

shelter- Duomid w/ a inner, I can ditch the inner out of bug season- it's a hardy shelter that can be used into the winter, lightweight and a palace for one (but comfy enough for my wife and I)

pot- probably a SP 700, good all around size, still light, near bombproof and nests a stove and cartridge very nicely

stove- I usually use a wood/esbit stove (four dog), but I really like the convenience of a cartridge- I haven't had a lick of trouble w/ my SP Ti Giga (I own a rebuild kit if something did go) so that's what I'd go w/

I have a Silva Ranger that is pushing 30 years and still going strong

I like SAK's and own several, but for a five year stint I'd choose my ESEE Izula

Interesting thought experiment. The odd thing is that my current gear pretty much fits as a one size fits all. There's plenty of other stuff that I would replace for SUL and such, but my current setup doubles very well for climbing trips too.

*Pack: Osprey Talon 44 (Although the HMG packs are tempting, this has served me well and has a frame suitable for climbing gear loads)
*Rain Jacket: Arc'Teryx Alpha LT (it was HUGELY discounted hehe)
*Rain Pants: None (or driducks turned into rain skirt)
*Insulation: MB Down Inner Parka
*Baselayer: IO merino hoody (love that thing)
*Legs: Arc'teryx rampart pants (light, great range of motion and survives the desert scrub like none other, but not warm enough outside of desert, for that I'd take the REI Acme pants because the nanosphere DWR is phenomenal)
*Sleeping Bag: WM Ultralite (yay Xmas!)
*Pad: Still trying to find something I like, probably a SOLite
*Shelter: Trailstar (not owned, we'll see if a MYOG hexamid turns out well for me)
*Bivy: MYOG (One day soon)
*Pot: Backcountry 700ml Titanium (If I had to get rid of my caphalons this would work, although I would seriously consider the supremely UL cast iron pan!)
*Stove: SP Gigapower (I haven't tinkered with alcohol stoves yet, but canisters are full proof)
*Navigation: basic mechanical compass
*Knife: a small swiss army
*Hygiene: Dr. Bronners (soap, shampoo, and even toothpaste)
*Socks: Darn Toughs (indestructible although I do prefer my wrightsocks)
*Shoes: Probably Vasque Blurs though they squeak (Inov-8 315s are what I use, but not really durable enough for a 5 year stint)
*Food: Goldfish (M&Ms a close second, but I can live off Goldfish for days on end and I can read all the ingredients!)

Edited by upalachango on 01/04/2012 19:09:50 MST.

I'm eventually going to get there.

Pack: ULA Circuit. Rides comfy, enough space to carry plenty of water when I hit the desert. But I just bought a HMG Windrider to possibly replace the Circuit, and I'm already thinking of buying a Zpacks Exo. My gear closet is definitely getting out of hand.

Rain Jacket: Never needed one as I've only hiked in fair weather. I'd definitely consider something eVent or Goretex if it had to pull double duty for city life.

Rain Pants: Same as above, but I'd just use my Montane Featherlite wind pants.

Jacket: Rab Microlight Alpine Down Jacket. Previous jacket was an older MontBell UL Down Jacket, but it was never warm enough. The Rab can take more of a beating and the hood is more versatile.

Baselayers: Something Merino Wool, like Rab's MeCo line.

Sleeping Bag: Katabatic Gear Chisos w/ 2 oz overfill. I've taken it down to 20* in long johns and my down jacket. I'd switch it out for a Palisade in wide with 2 oz overfill to push the shoulder seasons and to be more on the safe side.

Pad: Exped Synmat UL7. Going to pick up a NeoAir XTherm once it's released. It'll knock off an once or two and be warmer to boot.

Shelter: Just picked up a HMG Echo I tarp to what tarping's about, but I still need to pick up a bivy or net tent. I'd most likely go with something like the MLD Serenity Shelter and add a Echo I beak for a complete modular setup. DuoMid + solo inner net is tempting though.

Pot: Backcountry.com 1.3L pot + 0.3L pan. I'd switch it to a Evernew Ti UL 1.3L pot to knock off a couple ounces. I never use the pan on my current pot anyway.

Stove: I borrow my friends Snow Peak LiteMax all the time, so I'd go with something similar.

Navigation: Never used anything as my friend was always the navigator (I know, I know), but I'd probably pick up a GPS, something along the lines of an eTrex 20. Going to take a REI map and compass class one of these days.

Knife: Wenger Clipper. Knife, nail clippers, scissors, filer, tweezers, toothpick all for 1.3 oz.

* Pack - Still searching for the framed holy grail. I have an HMG Porter on order, maybe that
* Rain Jacket - Rab Pull-On. My go-to shell that's uber-breathable, sub-9oz eVent.
* Jacket - I couldn't have just one.
* Sleeping Bag - Katabatic Palisade. This won't be getting replaced anytime soon, in 5 years I'll get another 5+ out of it. Still looking for a great winter bag.
* Pad - the new NeoAir. Warmer means I might not have to supplement it in the winter.
* Shelter - Cuben duo mid + bivy for bugs or sleeping under the stars.
* Stove - Jetboil Sol Ti
* Navigation - Simple compass. I'm not finicky on brands and couldn't tell you what mine is.

I have been going through this process this past year and have slowing been whittling down my gear to one of everything. If I didn’t go out in winter I would be there, but I really enjoy the few winter trips I take and don’t want to give them up. To accommodate winter trips I have second quilt - Katabatic Sawatch , a second pad – Kookabay DAM, and a second stove – MSR Whisperlite. I picked up a Neo Air All Season that I am hoping will be comfortable to 0f and if this pans out for me I could get down to one pad. I have only slept on it one night in the backyard and it wasn’t cold enough to really test it. It is significantly warmer than my Exped UL7, not quite as comfortable in terms of rolling off the pad when you get to close to the edge, and the crinkly nature of the pad may take some getting used to, but at this point I think it will be replacing my UL7. BTW, mine is a medium nearly 75” long, and weighs 19.2oz. The only other info I have seen is Ray Estrella’s review of the large on backpackgeartest.org that was longer and a bit heavier than stated as well. My three season pad needs to be solid to the teens and my UL7 only worked for me that low if I supplemented it with a ¼” CF pad netting a R 4.1. The combined weight of the UL7 and the CF pad is 22oz, and while it offers some redundancy if I spring a leak, the NeoAir All Season is almost 3oz less and has much more robust fabric – 70d vs 20d.

Big 4
Pack - SMD Swift ’10 17.5oz - Simple, comfortable, and able to hold 12 days worth of food.
Bag - Katabatic Chisos Wide w/2oz overfill 19.1oz - I very recently purchased a wide 900 fill version and my regular with overfill has gone to my son. Worth every penny.
Pad - Neo Air All Season 19.2oz - Only one night on it but so far so good.
Shelter - SL3 ’11 24oz tarp only - This is my second one and while there are lighter options, I love the strength, space, and versatility. I have a custom solid inner for winter and a net bivy for summer. This is rarely taken as I mostly hike with a friend that brings the tent for three season use.

Insulation
SD Gnar Hoody 13oz - Light, warm and sized to fit over my down vest. This is pretty much a winter item.
FF Hyperion Vest 6.5oz - Super warm and supremely light. Rarely gets left home.
WM Flash Pants 6.5oz - Super warm and supremely light. This is pretty much a winter item.

Shell
Golite Poncho 7.5oz - Modified to a Caffin like packa.
Houdini 4oz - Where has this thing been all my life? Hands down the best windshirt IMHO. Sized to fit over the Gnar Hoody and extremely weatherproof for what it is.
Wild Things EPIC wind pants 5.5oz - Nearly “waterproof”. This is pretty much a winter item.

Kitchen/Misc
JetBoil Sol Ti 10oz - Fast, convenient, and no messing around. Yeah, I am getting lazy.
Snowpeak Ti mug and spoon 3.5oz - Not much to say…..They work and I like them.
Steripen Opti 4oz - Fast, convenient, and no messing around, waiting, or carrying excess water weight.
4Sevens Quark Mini123 flashlight 0.7oz w/o battery – Tiny powerhouse with 210 Lumens and shares batteries with the Opti. Several modes and settings. MYOG headband and total weight with battery and band is under 2oz.

That pretty much covers the items where multiple options have been eliminated or reduced to a choice for 3 seasons and a choice for winter, which for me is down to about 0f in the tent.