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squeezebox
10-02-2014, 09:38
I'ld be interested in hearing from some of the old folks about what it was like 30-40 yrs ago, gear, shelters, food etc.
In 1980 I did a bicycle trip in Europe with a 6-7 lb A frame tent , A lot like today's scout tents, Sierra Design flashlight came out a month or 2 before I left. A Svea stove.
Has anyone put together a history of backpacking, inc. equipment etc.

rafe
10-02-2014, 09:45
Go find a copy of "Hiking the Appalachian Trail" published by Rodale Press, edited by James Hare. It was published in 1975 and contains thru hike journals of about forty folks, including Ed Garvey, Earl Shaffer, Eric Ryback, Dorothy Parker, et. al. It's about 2000+ pages total, in two fat hardcover volumes.

http://www.amazon.com/Hiking-Appalachian-Trail-2-set/dp/0875960677

Back before the intertubes, this was about the best resource available for learning about thru hiking. I found a copy at my local library. Since then I've purchased my own copy via eB-y.

Tipi Walter
10-02-2014, 10:40
Check out
http://www.oregonphotos.com/SierraDesigns1.html

When I first started in the mid to late 1950's we had canvas Yucca packs and heavyweight rectangle sleeping bags.

In the late 70's thru the 80's we upgraded to excellent North Face tents and sleeping bags and then Marmot bags and then WM and Feathered Friends.

The best backpacking light at the time was the Mini Mag AA model which we held in our mouths most of the time, and drooled down on occasion. See---

http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/BooneYears/Pisgah-Upper-Creek/i-MGTmz6S/0/L/Johnny%20B%20gets%20to%20Pisgah%20Camp%20at%20nigh t%20and%20sets%20up%20the%20tent-L.jpg
My buddy Johnny B drooling down his Mini Mag after a nighthike in Pisgah NF.

http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2009/Green-Cove-and-the-22nd/i-wFpQKHj/0/L/TRIP%2093%20017-L.jpg
My old North Face tent (circa 1978) used these.

http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2012/7-Days-in-a-Halloween/i-hx5bkSC/0/L/TRIP%20139%20017-L.jpg
Every decent backpacker carried one of these, P-38, circa 1970.

http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/BooneYears/Pisgah-Upper-Creek/i-TzRB5QT/0/L/PISGAH-L.jpg
The backpacking boot of choice in 1982 was the Nike Ascent, as above.

http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2013-1/Tipi-Walter-Slickrock-Creek/i-cJdR5PN/0/L/TRIP%20144%20128-L.jpg
Old Lowe packs were things of beauty. And still are.

http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2006/Rob-Bush-At-Naked-Ground-Gap/i-6mbKnsk/0/L/56-9%20%20A%20Very%20Old%20Kelty%20Pack%20%20d2-L.jpg
And who can forget the old Keltys?

wookinpanub
10-02-2014, 10:55
I read the James Hare compilation by Rodale Press before my thru-hike in 1990. I also read any other book I could get on the AT from my college library. Having no hiking experience before starting on Katahdin, those journals were about all I had to go on when imagining what the trip was going to be like. Some things were completely different. In those accounts, there seemed to be much more road walking and interaction with locals. By the time 1990 rolled around, the PA roadwalk had been reduced to about 5 miles (IIRC) and that was pretty much it other than the few towns it went through. Interaction with locals seemed greatly reduced than what I read about. A few shelters still had baseball bat bunks and a couple had chicken wire bunks. I remember one having nothing but a dirt floor.
Equipment/Gear:
Kelty Expedition Tioga, external frame backpack, 6100 cubic inches, about 6-7lbs.
Eureka tent 5lbs (North Face Tadpole knock-off) sent home in Harpers Ferry, having used it 5 times in 1200 miles
Kelty 20 degree sleeping bag, ~4lbs
Mylar space blanket for nights below 20 degees
Vasque Sundowner full leather boots
Wigwam ragg wool socks with polypro liners and knee high gaiters
Dollar store clothes
Patagonia synchilla fleece jacket
Helly Hansen rain suit (used more for wamth/wind break)
Iodine tablets for water purification (switched to Timberline filter after getting giardia)
Camping Gaz Bluet canister stove (mailed canisters in mail drops)
Stainless steel pot/lid

109 day thru-hike
Ultralighters, "I fart in your general direction."

garlic08
10-02-2014, 11:14
My first trip was a bike tour, too, 1000 miles around Lake Michigan after I graduated from high school in Chicago in 1975. I borrowed a single-wall pup tent, didn't even think about a sleeping pad (never heard of such a thing), used an old synthetic boy scout bag, wore cut-off jeans and a tee shirt, had a cotton sweatshirt and some plastic rain gear and an old steel cook pot. Total load was probably under twenty pounds, all rolled up in a plastic bag on top of the book rack on the Schwinn Varsity. I didn't think much about the gear, it was all about getting out there. As I traveled more, and earned more money, I bought better gear.

Mags
10-02-2014, 11:19
The best backpacking light at the time was the Mini Mag AA model which we held in our mouths most of the time, and drooled down on occasion. See---


Before LED headlamps became popular and affordable, this little item was awesome. (http://www.swissknifeshop.com/nite-ize-headband-flashlight-holder?zmam=18093142&zmac=25&zmas=1&zmap=NINPO0301&gclid=CjwKEAjw77OhBRCJ7Onfp_HNtwYSJACZqHAWWgDbobHg qaE4JD-Q2B82lc3g-7dqjYm1BR-6RO92phoCYgbw_wcB) I later re-purposed it for my Photon II light (which has, in turn, been put on my key chain at this point).







Every decent backpacker carried one of these, P-38, circa 1970.



Don't know if I am decent or not, but I still use the bigger brother (p51) pretty often just because it is so versatile.
http://www.pmags.com/light-versatile-and-cheap-the-p38-and-p51-can-openers



And who can forget the old Keltys?

Not my buddy. $25 at the local used equipment store. Great for load hauling when doing "Daddy Duty" plus you can attach all kinds of "stuff" to the pack. The "Stuff" tends to accumulate when backpacking with a 5 and an 8 yr old. :)

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3860/14254374278_a756dfd23d.jpg

rafe
10-02-2014, 11:19
Svea and Whisperlite stoves ruled. In 1990 I'd say 2/3 of thru hikers used Whisperlites. I had a Camp Trails external frame pack, about 5 lbs. But most folks had already shifted to internal-frame packs. My tent was a Eureka Solitaire, three pound solo tent that was tiny but always kept me warm and dry. Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight was extremely popular for several years -- only a pound heavier, and big enough for two.

Heavy leather boots were the norm in the 70s, by 1990 many thru hikers had shifted to lighter footwear, but modern "trail runners" didn't quite exist. I wore a pair of Fabiano "Trionics" -- mid weight leather boots.

Nobody used hiking poles. Many thru hikers had fine, hand-crafted custom walking sticks. Cell phones hadn't been invented. Thru-hikers generally went a bit longer between town stops. If the statistics are to be believed, success rate back then (% finishers) was much lower than now. If the stats are true, I'd say it's mostly due to better and lighter gear nowadays. Many newbs showed up at Springer with 50 lb. packs, those who stuck with it had shaved that weight to 30-35 lbs. within a few weeks.

rocketsocks
10-02-2014, 11:20
Here's a picture like the one I use to have back in the 70's less the white strips, mine was all green w/the ecology symbol.
http://m0.i.pbase.com/g6/39/611339/2/70520330.G4LeFPEJ.jpg

cool web page with lots of old stuff...worth a looksey.

http://www.pbase.com/mad_monte1/_retro_outdoor_gear&page=all

rafe
10-02-2014, 12:21
That's a seriously ugly pack. Jailbird special.

rocketsocks
10-02-2014, 12:29
That's a seriously ugly pack. Jailbird special.
...ain't it, I would be caught dead at an overlook with that thing on. :D Stripes were in as I recall in the 70's, had an old pair of pants that were Red, White, and Blue heavy verticle striped...hidious.:eek: but I loved em then.

peakbagger
10-02-2014, 12:36
GO on Abe Books and look for Dan Doan's Our Last Backpack. It covers hike in the Mahoosucs by a couple of older individuals going old style and their occasional encounters with modern backpackers

lonehiker
10-02-2014, 13:00
Here's a picture like the one I use to have back in the 70's less the white strips, mine was all green w/the ecology symbol.
http://m0.i.pbase.com/g6/39/611339/2/70520330.G4LeFPEJ.jpg

cool web page with lots of old stuff...worth a looksey.

http://www.pbase.com/mad_monte1/_retro_outdoor_gear&page=all

Note the lack of hip belt. Early packs, at best, had nylon webbing just to secure the pack so it wouldn't bounce. All the weight was carried on the shoulders. On my first overnight trip 33 years ago my pack had to have been 50+ lbs. We didn't even think about weight. It just was what it was.

Tipi Walter
10-02-2014, 13:09
That's a seriously ugly pack. Jailbird special.

It's neat to know that chain gangs got to wear this pack when they worked.

rafe
10-02-2014, 13:15
FWIW, hip belts did appear on many external frame packs as well. My Camp Trails had one. (I think I see part of a hip belt in Tipi's last photo in Post #3.) It was not as effective as it might be on a modern pack, however. I was a late convert to internal-frame packs, I didn't switch till 2007. The I.F. packs I'd tried up until then never worked for me. Jansport was another popular pack brand, they had one with some kind of molded plastic or composite frame. Here's my Camp Trails upon arriving at Amicalola in 1990. Pack belt visible. Waaaay too heavy a load.

lonehiker
10-02-2014, 13:24
Ya, I replaced my pack around 1980 with a camp trails. It had a padded hip belt. I donated that pack to the scouts a few years ago. I wish that I had kept it. It was the Camp Trails Wilderness (?) that came with the kitchen sink.

Tipi Walter
10-02-2014, 13:28
Speaking of Jansport, here's an old one in action---

http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2010/16-Days-with-Wisenber-and/i-VsFsX3K/0/L/TRIP%20112%20050-L.jpg

Tipi Walter
10-02-2014, 13:29
Anyone know anything about Wilderness Experience??

http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpack-2014-Trips-152/21-Days-Yellow-Mt/i-b49SKwq/0/M/Trip%20156%20359-M.jpg

10-K
10-02-2014, 14:37
Go find a copy of "Hiking the Appalachian Trail" published by Rodale Press, edited by James Hare. It was published in 1975 and contains thru hike journals of about forty folks, including Ed Garvey, Earl Shaffer, Eric Ryback, Dorothy Parker, et. al. It's about 2000+ pages total, in two fat hardcover volumes.

http://www.amazon.com/Hiking-Appalachian-Trail-2-set/dp/0875960677

Back before the intertubes, this was about the best resource available for learning about thru hiking. I found a copy at my local library. Since then I've purchased my own copy via eB-y.

The best! I have both volumes prominently displayed. :)

Hikemor
10-03-2014, 08:49
IMO the great leap forward for backpacking gear was from the late '70s to about '90. This time period introduced Gore-Tex, polyester fleece, IF packs with improved suspensions, polypro thermals, lighter boots (Vasque Sundowners FTW), etc. The last twenty years have tweaked alot of gear but the basics remain.

I do remember being on a hike in the Whites when I was a kid in the early '70s. An AMC hut boy passed us headed up to one of the huts. He had boxes of vegetables or somesuch stacked on a wood pack frame with thick leather shoulder straps. I distinctly remember thinking how much torture that must have been. Of course I was standing there in leather construction boots carrying an e-frame pack w/o hip belt, cotton sweatshirt and cotton shell sleeping bag stuffed with god-knows-what. Little folding can opener too!

rafe
10-03-2014, 09:02
HikeMor: IMO it was Ryan Jordan et. al. that really pushed the hard core hikers to ultra-light awareness. That was somewhat later, no? I'm pretty sure average pack weights among AT thru-hikers have plummeted over the years. I only saw a handful of hard core ULers on the trail before 1990. Ward Leonard was one of them.

For sure we had polypro and Goretex and IF packs by '90. We didn't have Lekis, Sawyer mini water filters, catfood can alky stoves, cell phones, AWOL guides or TarpTents. Not too many hammock hangers either.

Hikemor
10-03-2014, 12:36
"UL awareness" is going to be hard to quantify. There have been/will be hikers at the UL end of the spectrum at any given time. Are today's typical/average thruhikers considered UL hikers? How much have average pack weights dropped over time? I don't know. I'm not expert enough to say. I will say that I believe the materials development/gear development progression was greater, say, 1975-1990 then it has been since. So the typical/average 1995 thruhiker carries significantly different gear than the 1980 thruhiker but the 2010 thruhiker does not carry as different gear than the 1995 thruhiker.

Average 1980 hiker: Kelty EF pack; Timberland/leather boots; white gas stove; wool insulation; vinyl raingear
Average 1995 hiker: Gregory IF pack; lightweight boots; canister stove; polyester fleece insulation; Gore-Tex raingear
Average 2010 hiker: Osprey IF pack; lightweight boots, maybe trailrunners; canister stove; polyester micropuff insulation; Gore-Tex raingear
& so on.

I think the most recent significant gear development has been hammock systems though I have no idea what sort of use percentage is seen among thruhikers.

Tipi Walter
10-03-2014, 13:02
Guys in 1960 were also traveling very light, see Owen Allen's kit from 1960(from a fotog by Owen F. Allen)---

http://assets.trailspace.com/assets/0/e/6/2543846/Allen-and-Gregory-1960.jpg


And here's Andrew Giger's kit from 1969 (from a photo by Andrew J. Giger)---

http://assets.trailspace.com/assets/0/f/5/2543861/Andrew-Giger-1969.jpg

The Cleaner
10-03-2014, 13:19
Anyone know anything about Wilderness Experience??

http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpack-2014-Trips-152/21-Days-Yellow-Mt/i-b49SKwq/0/M/Trip%20156%20359-M.jpg I paid over $200 for a nice WE synthetic 10* bag in 1982. Weighed about 5lbs. and took up as much space as 2 soccer balls...

The Cleaner
10-03-2014, 13:26
I still pack a P-38 can opener and not ready to be called " old folks" for a few more years...:eek:

rafe
10-03-2014, 15:22
"UL awareness" is going to be hard to quantify.

Well, let's put it in quantifiable terms: I'm fairly certain the average pack weight of successful AT thru-hikers has declined considerably since 1990. You can almost guarantee that from looking at the packs folks are using, they've gotten both smaller and lighter.

I've never thru-hiked but I have spent some time on the trail pretty much every year since the mid/late 1990s, and make a point of hanging out with and observing thru-hikers. My 2007 (and current) pack was 15-20 lbs. lighter than my 1990 pack.

For what it's worth internal frame packs aren't always or necessarily lighter than external-frame packs. I know this because I stupidly bought an expedition-grade Mountain Smith pack at REI ages ago, and it was a disaster. That was 1995 or so, long before I'd ever heard of Ryan Jordan or gave any serious thought to UL (or just "light") hiking.

rickb
10-03-2014, 15:55
Well, let's put it in quantifiable terms: I'm fairly certain the average pack weight of successful AT thru-hikers has declined considerably since 1990. You can almost guarantee that from looking at the packs folks are using, they've gotten both smaller and lighter.

.


In part because today's thru hikers go into town to resupply far more frequently, and therefor carry much less food weight.

Factor out the delta of food, filters, Spot and other electronics, hiking poles, and such and I am guessing that the difference would be less than most would think.

RockDoc
10-03-2014, 16:27
My first 1000 miles on the AT was in June-August 1974. On the day after I graduated high school in Md, I walked up the C&O canal to Weaverton and then followed the AT all the way to Maine. I turned 18 that summer (had a B-day party on the summit of Mt Layfayette in the Whites). I had done some hiking including the PA-WVA four-state hike a few times but this summer hike of course was my real hiking education. I carried 40-50 lbs, basic Boy Scout quality gear, a Kelty frame pack, heavy down bag, coated nylon tarp/poncho, and typical cotton clothes (wool sweater for warmth). Waffle Stomper hiking boots were popular in the early 70's and I even use to wear them to class to break them in. They were huge and heavy (Vasque or Raichle), and would be considered mountaineering boots by today's standards. Yes it was a little silly to use them to walk on the AT when they were made for glacier and ice climbing, but that's how it was. I got most of my stuff from Hudson Bay Outfitters in Kensington, Md. I don't think they are there anymore, moved to VA a long time ago. I also took my dog, a Norwegian Elkhound named "Moose Dog", which was actually a pain in the butt (he killed a fawn in PA, attacked a porcupine in VT, and got lost numerous times).

Hiking the AT in the early 70's was an adventure. The trail was narrow and often indistinct, and it was common to get lost. Shelters were usually pretty decrepit with leaky roofs. There were long road walks in most states. You were often looked at as an undesireable vagrant in towns that you entered to restock and do laundry. But there were great friendships with other hikers and with the very few trail angels that existed at that time. I remember a lady in Penn who invited me into her house for milk and cookies and a nice chat. I knew some pretty wild characters section hiking the trail; one boy was a shoplifter and he would arrive at camp with lots of food and wine, all of which he had stolen from the last town. One fellow had ridden a bicycle all the way from Minnesota, then decided to hike with his bicycle on the trail for many days, lugging it across the rocky bits. There were few thru hikers. The only ones I remember were a pair that included Blair Orr. They would talk about their troubles getting sick, and gear problems, etc. Blair went off the trail to receive a standing ovation at some meeting. I walked up to them at a shelter once and their greeting to me was "you are standing in the spitoon", because Blair was quite sick and hacking up stuff. Then they pointed out the front of one of their shoes and it was hammered flat "from stumbling into rocks". But these guys did finish. I remember them saying they were "walking at four miles per hour", which I tried and found doable only for short periods at that point. So yes, thru hikers were trail gods even then. Another pair that I remember called themselves the "Georgia Hill Toppers". Good name, long before trail names were widely used.

At Hanover, NH I stayed in the house of family friends, the father taught at Dartmouth. I asked the mother to take me to the grocery store to buy food for the next leg of my hike. Since they had given me money from my parents I got real carried away, buying all sorts of goodies, cheese, meat, candy, etc without thinking how much this was going to weigh. So I repacked it all and barely got it into the Kelty frame pack, with an extra bag of food to carry by hand. I remember that the father, who thought himself a bit of a hiker, asked to try on my pack at the trailhead before I left. I remember his shock at the weight, and he pronounced that it weighed "at least 100 pounds!!". I just smiled and said it wasn't far to the first shelter where I would start eating the heaviest food first (which I did with great enjoyment). They stood back and watched as I shouldered the pack and marched off with the enormous load. I remember it being heavy but not unmanageable, putting most of the weight on the hips. (this is why 17 year olds are chosen to send to war, they are way tough). After that I've always been careful about food planning...

There were a few women on the trail. I met a pair of teen sisters named Lee and Liz I believe from Baltimore at the first shelter north of the Cumberland valley after hiking 34 miles, my longest ever. They were fun. At one beautiful new shelter a few days north, they took the opportunity to wash all their clothes, and then a huge storm moved in and they could not dry their clothes for days. So there they were in their rain gear waiting for their clothes to dry. Never saw them after that, but they were well known on the trail.

This was all a great experience for a young man who had great interest in the outdoors, National Parks, wildlife, and travel. It led to three degrees in Geology and a work with the USGS, many consulting jobs, and living and working overseas. Overall the greatest thing I remember is the feeling of high fitness and the freedom. Those two things are still available. In fact, today I am leaving to finish the last 200 miles of the AT that I haven't done, Tennessee. Perhaps I will see you there! My trail name will be "40 year plan".

BillyGr
10-03-2014, 16:59
Check out
The best backpacking light at the time was the Mini Mag AA model which we held in our mouths most of the time, and drooled down on occasion. See---

http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/BooneYears/Pisgah-Upper-Creek/i-MGTmz6S/0/L/Johnny%20B%20gets%20to%20Pisgah%20Camp%20at%20nigh t%20and%20sets%20up%20the%20tent-L.jpg
My buddy Johnny B drooling down his Mini Mag after a nighthike in Pisgah NF.


Couldn't tell from the picture - I remember having an attachment made of plastic with a strap so you could wear the light around your neck and the plastic piece flattened at the back to make an easier surface to hold in your mouth.

gpburdelljr
10-03-2014, 17:32
Late 1970s:
Jansport D2 external frame backpack - they have recently started making them again-about 6 lbs
Jansport backpacking dome tent - think about 4 lbs
Browning synthetic sleeping bag - about 5 lbs
Svea stove/ Optimus cookset combo
Heavy leather boots
Denim clothes
Nalgene water bottles
Mountain House food.

Coffee
10-03-2014, 17:45
I had a Kelty External Frame that I used in the late 80s until I stopped backpacking around 1993. I donated it to Goodwill when I moved back in 2001 and still regret parting with it! Although I probably wouldn't be using it anymore there is a certain nostalgia associated with the old packs.

rocketsocks
10-04-2014, 15:50
Guys in 1960 were also traveling very light, see Owen Allen's kit from 1960(from a fotog by Owen F. Allen)---

http://assets.trailspace.com/assets/0/e/6/2543846/Allen-and-Gregory-1960.jpg


And here's Andrew Giger's kit from 1969 (from a photo by Andrew J. Giger)---

http://assets.trailspace.com/assets/0/f/5/2543861/Andrew-Giger-1969.jpg
I've yet to photograph my set ups like this, but have always wanted to ever since I got Colin Fletcher's book "The Complete Walker" way back when, thanks for posting these, enjoy seeing them.

rocketsocks
10-04-2014, 15:58
Note the lack of hip belt. Early packs, at best, had nylon webbing just to secure the pack so it wouldn't bounce. All the weight was carried on the shoulders. On my first overnight trip 33 years ago my pack had to have been 50+ lbs. We didn't even think about weight. It just was what it was....and to rest the shoulders you grab both bottom nubbins of the frame and lift a bit, play that game all day long.

Tipi Walter
10-04-2014, 19:46
...and to rest the shoulders you grab both bottom nubbins of the frame and lift a bit, play that game all day long.

As everyone probably knows (and were cited), they come from the two volume book set "Hiking The Appalachian Trail", edited by James R. Hare, 1975.

gbolt
10-05-2014, 11:29
I paid over $200 for a nice WE synthetic 10* bag in 1982. Weighed about 5lbs. and took up as much space as 2 soccer balls...

I love it! Still using an REI Wonderland Trekker External Frame from 1982. Starting weight is closer to 7 pounds but rides perfect on the hips, plenty of side pocket storage and never causes sweat on the back. However, it has served it's time and I just can't decide between a ULA Circuit or ZPacks Artic Blast so I can retire it with full honors! Old timers sometimes know the value of old time equipment.

fiddlehead
10-05-2014, 12:40
Did 1200 miles of the AT (southern half), with a $5 "Instand Tube Tent"
It worked fine.
We used clothes pins to close in the ends.
It was long enough.
Had a camptrails pack.
Down sleeping bag.
Built fires after my Svea blew up.
No one wore sneakers.
I had expensive Italian boots that hurt like hell.
There were a lot of free hostels in towns (churches and fire houses mostly)
But we had just as much fun as my future hikes in the 80's, 90's and 00's.

Feral Bill
10-05-2014, 13:18
I use my ancient Svea all the time, with Bulldog kettles from England via REI. My son uses (and prefers) my Mountain Master external pack. I suspect that the coming of wrap around padded hip belts in the late 60s triggered heavier packs, since we could carry much larger loads without killing our shoulders. At least we are not using the old British army surplus pack boards. Those were murderous.

rocketsocks
10-05-2014, 13:46
As everyone probably knows (and were cited), they come from the two volume book set "Hiking The Appalachian Trail", edited by James R. Hare, 1975.
Probably not surprising, but I've never scene or heard of those books.

greentick
10-05-2014, 18:35
Nice thread. All of my "backpacking" in the late 80s/early 90s involved OD green and "lightening up" just meant you went without...;) "Travel light, freeze at night." was the catch-phrase.

Ia wonder
10-05-2014, 22:09
Before LED headlamps became popular and affordable, this little item was awesome. (http://www.swissknifeshop.com/nite-ize-headband-flashlight-holder?zmam=18093142&zmac=25&zmas=1&zmap=NINPO0301&gclid=CjwKEAjw77OhBRCJ7Onfp_HNtwYSJACZqHAWWgDbobHg qaE4JD-Q2B82lc3g-7dqjYm1BR-6RO92phoCYgbw_wcB) I later re-purposed it for my Photon II light (which has, in turn, been put on my key chain at this point).






Don't know if I am decent or not, but I still use the bigger brother (p51) pretty often just because it is so versatile.
http://www.pmags.com/light-versatile-and-cheap-the-p38-and-p51-can-openers



Not my buddy. $25 at the local used equipment store. Great for load hauling when doing "Daddy Duty" plus you can attach all kinds of "stuff" to the pack. The "Stuff" tends to accumulate when backpacking with a 5 and an 8 yr old. :)

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3860/14254374278_a756dfd23d.jpg

Mags that is an awesome picture,it broughta smile to my face as soon as I saw it.

lemon b
10-06-2014, 14:15
Another point besides lack of trai names when I did Dawsonville to Front Royal. Not a whole lot of trail maintainers. No one was remotely concerned about like passing every white blaze. Because in many places no one had painted them, let alone know exactly where they should go. No Cell phones, plenty of dirt road walking , no GPS, with out map and compass skills and there was no way one was going to walk the AT route.. Lots more people got lost> The big issue was trying to stay dry and finding a dry place at night. Lots of nice locals, but more local AH's then todays hiker realize. The ATC has done one heck of a job.