Gear that annoys you

[yellowcanoe]

I have had a UCO candle lantern for some 3 years.. In trying to install the candle somehow everything flew apart. I have occasionally watched You Tube videos on reassembly but getting the legs under the glass confounded me and DH.
For 3 Years!! Its been in parts.
today I got mad and said it goes... DH gave one last try with the instruction manual. With the use of three hands finally got the leg grabbers under the glass.. So it goes up and down. We wont touch that assembly again

We have NO idea what he did..

Any of you have annoying gear?

I might delete this thread...

 

[lowangle al]

Homemade burlap underwear really chafe my arse.

 

[forest runes]

Any gear that the mfg. colors to look like a tropical fish or has a logo emblazoned on it so you are their walking billboard !

 

[Mnoutdoorfunguy]

Don't have any gear that annoys me.
Have simplified, take only the essentials for safety and comfort. Many pieces of gear have changed to get what works best for me. Worn gear that is questionable in function or safety annoys me.

 

[Grandpa Paddler]

Mostly other peoples gear that annoys me! One father and son bring an 8x10 lodge tent, 3x6 folding table, queen size air mattress, big Coleman stove, 2 regular lawn chairs and small folding side tables, large ice chest and scout troop size cooking gear (just for 2 of them). When they load their 17' alum canoe it's 8"+ higher than the gunwales. But they are super guys and it's only one week=end a year so I can just chuckle and bite my tongue.

 

[Odyssey]

Wooden matches that don't light, no matter how much I swear at them.
Butane lighters that sputter and flame intermittently, no matter how often I refill them.
My ferro rod never fails.

 

[Guest]

Any of you have annoying gear?

Gear annoyances have largely been replaced or DIY improved over time. The one that remains a frequent annoyance is hoods on jackets, coats and raingear.

Annoying because I do not like having my peripheral vision obstructed. Annoying because I do not like tightening a hood closure, and without cinching up tight when I turn my head I am afforded a close up view of the inside of the hood. Annoying because I wear a wide brimmed rain hat, and if I forget to tuck the hood away end up with a bucket of water on the back of my neck. (Stupid camp trick, pull the hood on after it has been raining for a while).

Hoods are annoying because I do not like ear coverings that muffle the sounds of silence around me. Annoying because I do not like even the slight rustling noise made by my head inside a hood. Especially while paddling, when torso rotation creates an unending whoosh. . . . whoosh. . . . whoosh in close proximity to my ears.

Hood off, hat on. Oh no, it’s the neck drape sun hat that also makes a slight whoosh whoosh with every stroke. Love the hat, hate even that faint disquiet.

Actually, any unnecessary noise while tripping annoys me.

The cumulative effect of anoising gear builds up during a long trip and I’ll try to fix what I can before it drives me crazy. Thwarts that creak get repaired ASAP, sometimes in the field. Poorly designed (or badly hung) rainfly or tarps that go flap in the wind get more guylines, quick!

I bought an otherwise satisfactory pair of camp shoes. “Otherwise” because one shoe squeaked with every step. Taking a walk accompanied by squeak, pause, squeak, pause was maddening. I tried tightening the laces, loosening the laces, thicker socks, thinner socks. Guess I’ll be wearing my boots all trip and hauling those blasted noisemakers around as ballast.

In the realm other people’s gear, radios or recorded music. And people who talk all the dang time.

I am out there in part to find my one square inch of silence

http://onesquareinch.org/

Interesting thread topic, not sure why you would delete it. A little ranting is good for the soul.

 

[Seeker]

I'm pretty happy with my gear... now. Wasn't always... had to work out a lot of kinks over the years... fiddly stoves, odd flashlight switches, hard to set up tents... even had a pair of pants with weird pockets recently, that I just couldn't get used to (mostly the way the stuff laid against my leg rubbed me wrong, literally). But if it causes grief, it goes... I trip to relax, not be mad at my gear.

 

[Magnus919]

Tents and hammocks. I'm going to pain with a wide brush here.

 

[sweeper]

Wow so that limits you to tarps?

I got it right this time.

 

[Magnus919]

The worse my back gets, the more elusive a good night's sleep becomes.

 

[sweeper]

I love the sleep I get in my Warbonnet Blackbird.

 

[Alan Gage]

I didn't think I had any annoying gear. I mean, why would I keep something around I found annoying? Then it started snowing and I put on my winter hiking boots. Never have liked those things. The upper lace hooks somehow aren't protected well enough where they attach on the inside of the shoe so if you lace with any tension they poke into your feet and are very uncomfortable. To walk with comfort I need very loose laces, and I don't like loose laces.

Unfortunately the shoes show no signs of wearing out and I can't bring myself to spend the money to replace them. Oh well, just another reason to dislike winter.

Alan

 

[Iskweo]

Biolite stove. I hated that thing, mostly because I had great expectations that did not work out for me. Yes it worked but was not what I had envisioned it to be. Its gone and the new owner loves it.

 

[Guest]

even had a pair of pants with weird pockets recently, that I just couldn't get used to (mostly the way the stuff laid against my leg rubbed me wrong, literally).

Back when I had a Patagonia pro-deal I had several pair of their UV and Quick-dry pants. The materials part was great, but Patagonia somehow decided that the deeper the pocket the better. I literally could not dig my arm down deep enough to reach the bottom of the dang pockets, which made them non-functional for small items.

Off the gear annoyances I was recently reminded of a vehicle annoyance. I love most things about my Tacoma tripping truck, but the power windows freeze shut in the slightest sub-freezing moisture, so either I leave the window open a touch and drive with snow on the seat, or wait a half hour for the cab to warm so I can open a window.

I habitually drive with the window open a bit to enhance the auditory part of driving. I’m wondering if spraying silicon in the window seal would help?

 

[Abenakiregion]

Wooden matches that don't light, no matter how much I swear at them.
Butane lighters that sputter and flame intermittently, no matter how often I refill them.
My ferro rod never fails.

Ditto on the matches. Wooden strike anywhere matches loose most of that ability after about a year. Best to start with new in the spring and relegate the older ones to wood stove duty.
Dave

 

[stripperguy]

I have had a UCO candle lantern for some 3 years.. In trying to install the candle somehow everything flew apart. I have occasionally watched You Tube videos on reassembly but getting the legs under the glass confounded me and DH.
For 3 Years!! Its been in parts.
today I got mad and said it goes... DH gave one last try with the instruction manual. With the use of three hands finally got the leg grabbers under the glass.. So it goes up and down. We wont touch that assembly again

We have NO idea what he did..

Any of you have annoying gear?

I might delete this thread...

I don't think I have any gear that annoys me, I used to have some stuff that disappointed me, but we've parted ways...

Now on to the highlighted script above.

DH?? DH?? This is the first I've seen of this in your posts, Kim.
Is that your hubby's initials?
Or a form of flattery or plagiarism?

You must know I have a copyright on the term "MDB" and its derivatives.

 

[JoeO]

Stuff that breaks the first time you use it. Thats why I do not by cheap anymore but it still happens

 

[Guest]

Stuff that breaks the first time you use it. Thats why I do not by cheap anymore but it still happens

Or stuff that doesn’t work as specified.

Black Diamond battery op lantern. I bought it because I read in the tent for an hour or more every evening. The Black Diamond was spec’ed to run for 70 hours (on low). Hot dang, that should get me through a long trip on one set of batteries.

I never got more than 5 or 6 hours out of it.

I figured it must be defective, and returned it to REI for a replacement. Which brings up another gear annoyance, products that a company replaces with a same-model-name, same-price, diminished quality.

Brought the new seemingly identical Black Diamond lantern home, took it out of the blister pack and dang near broke it just putting the batteries in. Really flimsy construction on the replacement lantern, same 6 hour run time.

No more Black Diamond stuff for me.

 

[sweeper]

I initially raved about Luci Lights but they seem to die faster then a regular incandescent bulb in a Shop Light Bonnet.