the old age bent of the other stuff thread leads me into this thought path.
Now I carry
That is a wonderfully contemplative topic. I had to think long and hard about this one, and actually review the master packing list for things I carry now that I didn’t bring 15 years ago. It may have been that long since I revised that comprehensive master gear list.
Well dang, I guess I was a at least an occasional Glamper from way back. I took most of the things folks have listed above even back in the days before wife and kid comfort became important.
Those things have just become lighter, better designed or more efficient; self-inflating pad replacing an Ensolite (and an open cell foam pad, even then I liked my sleep comfort), SilNyon Tundra Tarp replacing a blue poly, blue barrel replacing a ridiculously insecure plastic box, LED light replacing the Maglight. Better tent, better water shoes, better hat, better stove, better boats and paddles.
Better everything. In reviewing that list it occurs that every item has been replaced or upgraded with something superior over the years. Sometimes more than once as technology and choices improved.
There are 70 some items on the master packing list, which includes all manner of gear from paddling to backpacking to hunting trips, to car camping, to cross country travel stuff. The a few items that were not on the list at all 15 years ago, albeit in some less efficient guise:
A chair. Watching me get up off the ground really is as awkward and painful as it looks. Even that item has seen vast improvement over the years, from low-rise folding beach chairs to the customized high-back wind throne with off-season insulation. Have a seat. . . . No, not there, that one is mine.
Hammock. Not a sleeping hammock, just a softball sized Eno for day lounging. On family trips we carry three, which is occasionally one too few. When in a treeless environ with no hammock support available I am kinda bummed; there is no better way to quietly recline and let the place and critters come to you. Cloud watching, reading and napping are also acceptable hammock uses.
Downwind sail. Well, from 15 years ago it replaces a bowman holding a golf umbrella (still on the list, and still carried), which worked surprisingly well. But I don’t paddle tandem anymore and would be bummed to have a nice steady tailwind and no way to take effortless miles advantage.
Spray covers. CCS partials, custom made to suit my peculiar design preferences, with a center “cockpit cover” for overnight camp dry boat storage use. I won’t even begin singing the praises of partial fabric decks. YMMV, mine has not.
Weather radio. I have become addicted to a daily NOAA weather forecast, and having had one along would undoubtedly have enhanced the comfort and safety of some previous radio-free trips, where the wind or weather suddenly went WTF.
UV clothing. Pants, shirt, broad brimmed hat with neck flap. And, yeah, OK, a simple rectangle of “lap blanket” UV fabric. In the boat, or even in camp, on no-shade blazing sun days, on open waters or in the desert, that baseball-size ditty bag holds the cooling and protective solution to my roasted legs. So I look like a bearded schoolmarm hiding my ankles, WTF do I care, it works.
DIY dry bags. Custom sized and shaped using heat sealable fabric. Like so:
http://www.seattlefabrics.com/dry_bag.html
Seriously dead stupid easy to make, especially for something linear-simple like a folding chair or self-inflating pad. And wayyy less expensive than tapered bow bags or custom dry bags for guitar (or, esh, banjo) case bags.
Portage cart. Not every trip, but I am not too proud to use it simply from roof racks to launch if that is a hike, especially when I can load the carted canoe with some bulky/lightweight stuff and lessen the number of trips to the water’s edge.
Fire in a can. Again, not every trip, but it is a delight when needed/used. And a really impressive show-and-tell item.
Reading glasses. I didn’t need ‘em 15 years ago. Now I carry 2 pair, the backup pair is a little folding set in a hardcase not much bigger than a butane lighter. I am always reminded of Dustin Hoffman as Louis Degas, but I store my folding glasses in a different place.
Speaking of which; windproof, waterproof piezo lighter. I carry a couple of Bic’s too, but the little Windmill Delta is bombproof. That lighter falls in yet another category; things I would not have bought for myself but would replace in a heartbeat.
High quality sunglasses fall in that category. I wore dollar store or other cheapo sunglasses for years. Once gifted a pair of Smiths I could never look back (pun intended).
Compression stuff bags. I
will sing the praises of compression bags. Over time my clothing, tarp and sleeping bag have all become lighter and more efficient, and now all pack with far less volume.
Compression bag design and technology has improved immensely over the years, to the point that I use a ditty-bag sized compression sack to segregate my off-season clothing. That cold weather insurance kit of long underwear, fleece, down vest, knit hat and gloves goes into its own grapefruit-sized compression bag. I don’t need to dig to the bottom of the general clothes compression bag, tossing stuff around the tent, ISO my vest or winter hat.
All of the cold weather “insurance” clothing goes in one bag, and goes back in that bag after use.
And it gets stashed in the same place every time; the right foot end of the tent’s entry vestibule for easy reach, beside the (not compressed) rain gear stuff bag for easy unzip grabbage. That “a place for everything and everything in its place” routine is a whole ‘nother topic. Without giving it any thought I organize camp and tent gear in the same works-for-me way every time, storing gear in the same places and put it back in the same places.
I did come across a few more items still on the master list that I once carried and now do not.
Lantern/Candle lantern. My how technology has changed illumination. Luci Light.
Pots/pans/cookware. Meals have gotten a lot simpler. Jet-boil, mug, bowl, long spoon. See also “Fuel bottle and pour spout”; still on the list but now relegated to the “Miscellaneous Camping Gear” junk box along with the candle lanterns.
French press. My how technology has changed instant coffee. Starbuck’s Via.
Rope bag/extra lines. I used to carry what now seems an inordinate amount of rope. As my tarp and other gear (and rope quality) has improved there is little need. I still carry extra para-cord, and often an extra length of painter line.
Hip waders/Clam rake. It has been years since I raked any clams. The clam rake was incredibly awkward to carry in the canoe and the hip waders not much better. Picking mussels requires no extra gear beyond a rinse/steam pot.
Spotting scope/tripod. Being color blind I was, and remain, a crappy birder, so having a scope doesn’t help when solo. On friend trips my usual companions are remarkably skilled and carry quality binoculars. I do still carry a compact monocular for spying distant camps, entrance points or wayward companions, which is something else that wasn’t on the list 15 years ago.
Bear bells, seriously, a crazy old backpacking thing that has stayed on the list. How did “Bear bells” stay on the list when I deleted Coghlan’s refillable squeeze tubes? (Actually I know why).
Thanks Kim, that was a fun trip down memory lane, contemplating each item on that list. It was interesting to note that dang near every single thing has been improved/replaced in the last ten to fifteen years. If I could only tolerate reading a Kindle I could lose much of the “Reading material” weight and volume.
I think the last time I completely revised and reorganized that list the kids were toddlers and removed the long unused “Diapers” entry. I do hope I don’t need to re-list that item anytime soon.
I have been meaning to reorganize those entries. The master list is grouped by individual storage areas, so I can cross-it-off the list via a single trip to the basement shelves, up to sleeping bag closet, down to the clubroom , out to the gear shed and racks, sequentially packing as I wandered. But some of those items have changed storage location over the years and the list is now more randomized.
