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jrnj5k
02-12-2009, 18:04
I have my pack weight down pretty low finally and have decided that some things would be fun to have. I was wondering what luxuries and fun items you guys and gals like. I am considering a led frisbee, a birdcall, and one of those pocket saws should i want to make a big fire at a shelter one night.

http://www.batteryjunction.com/niizeflmifld3.html is the frisbee
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___87545 bird call
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___22142 saw

garlic08
02-12-2009, 18:06
Hey, this is really exciting--I carry crossword puzzles.

Jack Tarlin
02-12-2009, 18:08
I always try and bring something good to read that isn't Trail related.

And this year, maybe I'll pack a wildflower guide, and maybe a small bird one.

I'm tired of seeing things out there and not knowing exactly what they are.

Frick Frack
02-12-2009, 18:12
My wife read tons of books and I attempted to learn the jawl harp & an Irish penny whistle. Journals take up some time as I did ours every night.

Ramble~On
02-12-2009, 18:16
Luxury items for me are an iPod and a Thermrest Chair that my pad stuffs into..nice to have.

The Solemates
02-12-2009, 18:18
defnitely have to have books to read. i typically carry two: a bible and a non-fiction.

mister krabs
02-12-2009, 18:55
I carry a grundig pe300 shortwave/AM/FM radio. 4oz and voices from around the world.

Dogwood
02-12-2009, 18:56
A battery operated toothbrush. Saw someone on the trail with one of those.

Manwich
02-12-2009, 19:28
A battery operated toothbrush. Saw someone on the trail with one of those.


Jew's Harp, Harmonica, or I've got "books" on my Ipod Nano (i take reads and turn them into a TXT file.)

I'm surprised nobodys mentioned illicit drugs.

Ramble~On
02-12-2009, 19:34
I'm surprised nobodys mentioned illicit drugs.

:-? I thought this was "luxury" items...not the 10 essentials. - Though, I'd rather just have a beer

bigcranky
02-12-2009, 19:57
I will say that the pocket saw is a total waste of money and complete cr@p. I have had much better success with the saw blade on my swiss army knife. If that tells you anything.

If you need a camp fire, for winter hiking and the like, a good size folding saw is about the bare minimum.

The Frisbee thing looks cool, though.

Blissful
02-12-2009, 20:12
My luxuries were for comfort - my two cocoon travel pillows and my Thermarest seat cushion.

mtnkngxt
02-12-2009, 20:18
Harmonica, Book, Ipod. Don't always take the Ipod but I've always got the Harmonica and the Book. Earplugs also.

SGT Rock
02-12-2009, 20:18
Cigars, Bourbon, MP3 player, book, hammock.

cow_rock_camper
02-12-2009, 20:21
:-? I thought this was "luxury" items...not the 10 essentials. - Though, I'd rather just have a beer
nice response. i was thinking along those lines as well.

dmax
02-12-2009, 20:21
I've been thinking about taking a kite.

Funkmeister
02-12-2009, 20:58
100 proof bourbon, cigars, about a third of a paperback book. And a chair for my Thermarest if the trip is short. Does that count as 'entertainment'? I quit carrying a kite.

Sometimes I carry a small bit of cord to strangle harmonica players. Now that's entertainment.

fiddlehead
02-12-2009, 21:24
I think the bird-call is the best idea i see on here. (and that by the OP)
Personally, i take only one luxury item and that is my guitar.
If i didn't have that, it would be a book to learn something while out there in the woods.
But one is enough.

Tinker
02-12-2009, 21:38
My need for entertainment and luxuries are simple:

Entertainment - extra food, preferably sweets!

Luxuries - (see above). :D

Desert Reprobate
02-13-2009, 00:07
I was thinking something like this on top of Mt Washington

Desert Reprobate
02-13-2009, 00:07
Whoops http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=190284884996

SunnyWalker
02-13-2009, 00:58
Binoculars, MP3/radio, book/bible, Hey a DECK OF CARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hikes in Rain
02-13-2009, 13:09
Book, Lexan pepper grinder. No, wait, you said luxuries! Make that a little flask of
bourbon or brandy.

sly dog
02-13-2009, 13:43
I have taken a frameless pocket kite a time or two but the times I would have liked to use it (peaks) there was no wind so I stopped carrying it.

BrianLe
02-13-2009, 14:37
My favorite answer to this question ever was from PCT legend Scott Williamson who replied somewhat laconically "Extra food". Hard to argue with that.

My personal long-distance luxuries are not too unusual: primarily it's extra padding. I carry a 7 oz full-length blue ccf pad, and on top of that I put a torso-length thin inflatable by Montbell at 11 oz, plus the Montbell inflatable pillow. The other luxury is a smartphone and a separate MP3 player. Occasionally I go wild and carry a monocular. One could argue that I sometimes carry enough spare socks as to constitute a luxury. I don't believe I'll ever aspire to be in the ultralight (under 10 pound base weight) category.

RockDoc
02-15-2009, 16:18
Last year in Maine we heard beautiful Celtic flute music echoing through the woods as we approached a lean-to. Quite a good player even brought sheet music and a music stand with him! Really nice!

But please develop a certain level of skill before you bring along an instrument. Beginners need to "woodshed" for a few years.:D

MintakaCat
02-15-2009, 17:28
I carry two luxuries which are:

1. My REI Trail Stool, oh how I love having this on the trail. After carrying a heavy pack my back feels so much better sitting on this stool rather than the ground.

2. My ParaTipi with wood stove. Yes, it does weigh more than other tents, but cooking breakfast in the morning in my warm tent on a wood stove while it's windy and freezing cold outside is very comforting. (see my gallery)

Summit
02-15-2009, 19:03
Luxury items for me are an iPod and a Thermrest Chair that my pad stuffs into..nice to have.Amen . . . 2nd that! I'd rather leave my sleeping bag home (just bundle up in clothes at night) than go without my ThermaRest chair (that now gets a Big Agnes stuffed in it).

As to a saw blade, forget that. Learn ways to bust up wood with your hands and body. One great way is to find two trees (min. 4" diameter) standing about one foot to eighteen inches apart. Place your long log in between them and you get great leverage in snapping about 18" sections for your fire. You can really break down a long dead tree you've drug up very quickly this way.

The Frisbee sounds cool though. Lots of suitable fields near camping spots all up and down the AT.

buz
02-16-2009, 10:19
I will third the Trest chair kit. I want to bring it so badly, and it weighs 10 ounces that I put it on a severe diet, replacing the fiberglass struts in it with CF ones, cutting off all non needed strapping, got it to 7 ounces so it could justify carrying it all the time, lol.

JF2CBR
02-16-2009, 14:32
Frisbees are amazing for backpacking! They can be used for several different things if you use your imagination. I use mine for a cutting board, plate, toy, fan, ect!

Other things I LIKE rather than NEED include: Ipod, Hemp for when I get bored (can be used for repairs as well), cigars, and Zig-Zags w/ appropriate filling.

Comfort items are: Pillow (fleece stuff sack filled with clothes), Hammock, and of course extra food for gourmet cooking on trail!

I never really thought about taking a bird or plant field guide, that would be pretty interesting. You could carry a mushroom guide book and maybe find some edibles on the trail?!

A slingshot or blowgun might be fun too.

4eyedbuzzard
02-16-2009, 14:39
Big Agnes Cyclone SL chair (http://www.bigagnes.com/Products/Detail/Accessory/CycloneSLChairKit)-- 6 oz

zoidfu
02-16-2009, 14:58
A New England Patriots Nerf football and a small radio

Tinker
02-16-2009, 15:07
Frisbees are amazing for backpacking! They can be used for several different things if you use your imagination. I use mine for a cutting board, plate, toy, fan, ect!

Other things I LIKE rather than NEED include: Ipod, Hemp for when I get bored (can be used for repairs as well), cigars, and Zig-Zags w/ appropriate filling.

Comfort items are: Pillow (fleece stuff sack filled with clothes), Hammock, and of course extra food for gourmet cooking on trail!

I never really thought about taking a bird or plant field guide, that would be pretty interesting. You could carry a mushroom guide book and maybe find some edibles on the trail?!

A slingshot or blowgun might be fun too.

If you use shelters (even only for hanging your food bags), you can drill a small hole in the middle of a Frisbee and make a better than average mouse baffle.

JF2CBR
02-16-2009, 15:24
Good idea! I bet there are alot more too, if you get creative.

Pootz
02-16-2009, 15:41
Jim Beam Bourbon, Ounce for ounce the best item in my pack. Gave me something to look forward to on those long days, and at the end of the day a couple shots was very relaxing. It also made making friends easy and you can trade it for just about anything.

Other items included a Big Agnes Air core sleep pad (very comfortable and worth the extra few ounces). Small fleece pillow case, when filled with clothes made a nice pillow. And last but not least a cell phone, I know some of you will not like this item but I found it helped me out a lot. If I was having a bad day it was nice to able to call someone back home and helped out in many other ways. I always used it away from others. I recommend verizon for the AT, had the best coverage. A few years ago a cell phone was discouraged on the AT but now almost everyone carries one. Just leave it turned off when not in use so it does not ring around others.

This is a great thread

BrianLe
02-16-2009, 23:06
"Jim Beam Bourbon"

For a more ultra-light approach, a small (say, 4 oz plastic) container of ~pure alcohol (Everclear or similar) plus some Crystal Light powder give you a lot more kick per ounce of weight carried.

My standards for what constitutes "fine alcohol" go down a lot when on the trail (they're not that high to begin with ...). For me, about a 7:1 ratio of water to pure alcohol in a plastic pop bottle plus some crystal light "to taste" make a nice evening beverage. Definitely something I consider a "luxury", though the pure alcohol makes nice backup/extra stove fuel.

Sly
02-16-2009, 23:24
You'll probably find a saw for cutting fire wood is a waste of weight and time. Just use your foot, smack it on a rock, or feed the fire.

sloopjonboswell
02-17-2009, 02:34
small radio (you'll become aquainted with delila in the evenings in virginia) or mp3 player. (i got to resync mine with an amazing new library in hanover)

i like the extra wide/extra long sleeping pad i found in a hiker box (one man's trash..)

musical instrument

whiskey and smoke-ables.