View Full Version : Killing Time in my Cube
Double Wide
08-19-2011, 16:49
Ok, it's Friday afternoon, I've lost all motivation to work, and the clock seems to be going backwards. I've read and re-read almost all of the topics of interest here, and now I'm bored.
So I thought I'd start a discussion that is sure to stir up some colorful answers. Not only that, I'm sure it would be a good source of info.
Anyhow, the question is, What is the absolute worst piece of gear you ever bought, and what happened that made you feel like a chump for getting it?
I'll go first, since I brought it up. I'm relatively new at this whole backpacking thing, and while visions of a thru-hike dance in my head, I've been slowly pushing the car-camping gear to the back of the storage shed, and now I'm filling up the closet with new backpacking gear. I've got the basics, but the dumbest move I've made so far was buying a Eureka Backcountry 1 tent. :o
Big mistake. I was a price shopper and got it from Amazon for like $130, and all of the reviews were pretty good. But that eight-foot length was not even close to being usable length, and with the fly on, it was a damn oven. I realized that I'm a side sleeper that first night, and it was just too narrow for me. Also, it had no vestibule. I didn't think it would be a problem at all, except when I actually *used* it and realized that I had no place to put my pack or my boots. Duh.
Luckily, Amazon has a generous return policy, so after that one night, I rolled it up and shipped it back, getting a full refund. A few weeks ago, I took advantage of the sale at REI and grabbed one of their Quarterdome T2 tents, and couldn't be happier with it. In fact, I'm taking it out into the woods two, maybe three times over the course of the next month. Probably find some other piece of gear I don't like while I'm out there, too...
Mr. BuffaloMan
08-19-2011, 17:05
I, too, bought the wrong tent for my thru. It was plenty roomy, dry and warm on the cold nights. Problem was, it weighed 8 pounds. After only 2200 miles I learned my lesson.
Camptrails external pack frame with aluminum folding stool. Nice for comfort at campsite, but I didn't need the extra 1.5 to 2.0 pounds. It kept my butt dry on wet rainy days when I needed a sit break. That was a late 70's thing. I got a lot of looks on that hike. :)
Leanthree
08-19-2011, 19:12
My 125 Liter Lowe Alpine pack was a bit large. I have a 46 liter one now and it is plenty big.
For me I have to say my hammock tent. After 5 years of trying to get a good nights sleep I finally gave up and sold it. Back to the ground I go!
Blissful
08-19-2011, 20:24
An external frame pack and an Acadmey Broadway pup tent. And the MSR whisperlight stove - it never worked right and was a mechanical nightmare
My worst ever gear descision.. A pair of Raichle Montagna Full Leather boots.
They weighed 2 1/2 lbs each after i got done slathering them with snow seal goop.
I attempted to thru hike the PCT back in 1992 wearing these clod-hopper boots without even breaking them in first.
I got to mile 43, Mount Laguna, where I lost the skin from the heals and ball of both feet.
Nine out of ten toe nails swelled up so bad i had to lance them in order to put my boots back on.
It could also have been the 75 lb pack had something to do with my failure or the fact that i had not trained.
It took me 17 years before i went back to try again and you better believe i wore trail runners the second time and had a 10 lb pack!
Anyhow, when hiking through 100 degree temps in high desert scrub brush Full Norweigian welt leather boots are a bit out of their element.
Nutbrown
08-19-2011, 21:13
Boots were my worst buy. I purchased a pair of Asolo Stinger gtx. Thankfully, I found them for 1/2 price on the interwebs, but they were still $100. Tried to use them for 2 years before I faced the fact that they tore my feet up. Solomon trail runners for me now.
Chubbs4U
08-19-2011, 21:27
Bought a backpack, not sure name but was 80L or something. Took it out 1 weekend and realized my mistake. REI took it back without a hitch.
ChinMusic
08-19-2011, 21:44
I had pretty good mentors when I was starting, so I never had a piece of gear that was hidious.
I would say the biggest mistake for me was getting the Syncpack: 13633
I wanted it for holding my camera equipment for trips where I wanted to bring my heavy stuff. I never could find a pack where the Syncpack would attach comfortably. It just digs into the front of my hips too much. I think the design is interesting, and some may love theirs, but I prob should just get rid of it.
Sarcasm the elf
08-19-2011, 23:13
I was in the Boy Scouts for most of the '90's and some of the gear that we used to "backpack" were so impractical that I can't believe we ever managed to still have so much fun. I carried a High Adventure brand external frame which fit worse than a duffle bag. If we weren't cooking over an open fire then propane was the answer, I can remember taking multiple trips to haul 20lb cylinders (I'm not joking) the couple of miles from the parking lot to the base camp. We would always pack in all our water in five gallon containers, which were brought in the same way as the propane. My parents bought me a Frieds brand down sleeping bad from a sporting goods store to use on my first January campout, after that weekend I swore I would never use it again. That bag went on every trip from then until I got my Eagle and is still my three season bag to this day. I guess sometimes nostalgia wins over pack weight. That said, each and every one of those trips was still one of the best times of my life.
I was very lucky that when I got back into backpacking three years ago, the Manager of the local EMS was a veteran of the AT and PCT, and very patient. The only major mistake I made this time around was buying a Thermarest Pro-lite WITHOUT buying a patch kit. I managed to catch a thorn with it (my own dumb fault) on day three of an eight day trip. Fortunately this was in the summer so it only made things uncomfortable, I'm scared to think what would have happened if it had been a winter trip. I patched it up with the company's repair kit once I got home and it works like new, but I've been partial to my foam pad ever since. Now if I bring an inflatable pad on a trip I carry a couple of patches just in case.
Big Dawg
08-20-2011, 00:34
For my first AT section hike many years ago, I bought a Eureka K2 XT tent. 11 lbs, and took up most of the room in my very large Jansport backpack. Very funny, but VERY DUMB IDEA. I must of looked like a major newbie chump. Ahhhh, the lessons we experience!!
Sarcasm the elf
08-20-2011, 00:47
For my first AT section hike many years ago, I bought a Eureka K2 XT tent. 11 lbs, and took up most of the room in my very large Jansport backpack. Very funny, but VERY DUMB IDEA. I must of looked like a major newbie chump. Ahhhh, the lessons we experience!!
Funny you say that, Eureka has a bad name on this board but my current 2 man tent is a Eureka "something or other" model tent I bought about three years ago. The tent cost just over $100 on sale and weighs about 5lb 7oz for a two man tent that easily accommodates gear in the vestibules as well as 2+
a mid sized dog in the tent. For the Weight/size to cost ratio I've found it very competitive.
Tuckahoe
08-20-2011, 08:26
When I first went backpacking back int he 80s, my sleeping bag was a Coleman bag from the 70s that had to weigh about 7 pounds and stuffed down to about 18in by 15 inches and my tent also from the 70s also weighed about 7 pounds. The tent was actually the family tent that we used for car camping trips and our trip cross country in the VW pop-up camper and certainly had plenty of room for three kids.
On my first trip to the Smokies I did have one group leader try and convince me to shed the tent for one of the lil tiny pup tents because of the weight. But I felt vidicated as it rained every night of the trip and I remained dry every night, while the others in their little tents were soaking wet.
I never actually thought the gear or the pack were particularly heavy and even now I really cant remember how much it all weighed. I was having too much fun hiking and camping to think about gear and weight. Besides these were my first trips and I didnt know any better.
paistes5
08-20-2011, 11:05
Funny you say that, Eureka has a bad name on this board but my current 2 man tent is a Eureka "something or other" model tent I bought about three years ago. The tent cost just over $100 on sale and weighs about 5lb 7oz for a two man tent that easily accommodates gear in the vestibules as well as 2+
a mid sized dog in the tent. For the Weight/size to cost ratio I've found it very competitive.
Is it the Apex 2XT? I take it when I go with the girlfriend. Tons of room but yes a little heavy. I took it on a solo and swore I'd never carry it again. Two days later I got a BA Lynx Pass for my solos but will keep the Eureka when the girlfriend goes again.
innermountain
08-20-2011, 16:11
It wasn't me, but my brother. The piece of gear he bought is called a Lady Jane - it's a funnel that's supposed to make it so women can pee like men. He gave it to his girlfriend, and she just laughed. Never even tried it. I think the name of the thing is the funniest part!
It wasn't me, but my brother. The piece of gear he bought is called a Lady Jane - it's a funnel that's supposed to make it so women can pee like men. He gave it to his girlfriend, and she just laughed. Never even tried it. I think the name of the thing is the funniest part!
Yet I still see a lot of women using those or similar items in ultra trail runs (from a distance, of course). I hear that it beats squating down in the tick or chigger infested weeds.
RITBlake
08-21-2011, 10:10
Great thread
paistes5
08-21-2011, 11:31
Worst for me was a folding shovel that weighs a ton. The OP got it for me for my birthday, however it was on my wish list.
Only good for car camping as it weighs a ton and really has no backpacking use.
Yes, I am a dumbass for that one.
5 D cell flashlight. Interesting that you should mention the Eureka Backcountry 1. I had an older model of this tent (Called the Eureka Zephyr) for about 15 years. I liked it. I bought a Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1 about 3 years ago. It was lighter but the entrance at the short end of the tent was too small. I wanted to get a BA Emerald Mountain SL1 or a Copper Spur SL1. But at $350 I couldn't justify it. So I bought another Backcountry 1 earlier this year. At $115 vs $350 I'll take the extra 10-12 ounces of weight. If thistent was hot, why didn't you open the door vent?
Double Wide
08-22-2011, 09:09
If thistent was hot, why didn't you open the door vent?
Oh man--never thought of that!!! Wonder if it's too late to get it back from Amazon... :rolleyes:
j/k
Hot was just one of it's features I wasn't cool with. Too small as far as 'useable' space is concerned, and no vestibule, so I had no place to stash boots and pack. For only fifty bucks more, I got a much better tent.
I agree in that I do like the vestibule on the BA Seedhouse SL1. It is nice to leave your boots outside. And they do stay dry in the vestibule.
max patch
08-22-2011, 15:40
Back in the day, I (and a lot of others) bought a candle lantern. Lot of candle lanterns started at Springer, I don't think any of them make it K.
ChinMusic
08-22-2011, 16:22
Back in the day, I (and a lot of others) bought a candle lantern. Lot of candle lanterns started at Springer, I don't think any of them make it K.
The days do get longer. One hardly uses a headlamp by June.
hikerboy57
08-24-2011, 11:51
Its a tie between a pair of garmont boots that didnt last a week backpacking in the Whites, and a coffee press that seemed like a good idea, but was impossible to clean on the trail.
jaggednib
08-29-2011, 09:40
For me I have to say my hammock tent. After 5 years of trying to get a good nights sleep I finally gave up and sold it. Back to the ground I go!
I guess you didn't use a Hennessy hammock!
Actually I used the HH backpacker ultralight a-sym. Also had the maccat deluxe cat cut tarp and JRB nest and no snievler quilts. Pretty sweet setup all in all. I just could not get a full nights sleep. Not knocking hammockers at all, I was once one myself. Just not for me after many many many nights during all four seasons and during all types of weather. I hung high up on ridges, next to streams, inside shelters and in my own back yard. I personally sleep way better in my tent...I know it sounds foreign to most hammockers, but such is life.
I bought some cheap esbit. I found the cheapest esbit on the internet. I used up all my matches the first night trying to light one cube. I hiked out an extra 11 miles to a store to purchase two lighters. One lighter for each night's meal. Cheap esbit is bad esbit, apparently.
Another bad purchase was the previously-mentioned Lady J. One rule to any funnel device is that the outflow must exceed the inflow to prevent spill-over. I've since made my own device from a wishbone salad dressing bottle. The outflow is much more generous.
Ok, it's Friday afternoon, I've lost all motivation to work, and the clock seems to be going backwards. I've read and re-read almost all of the topics of interest here, and now I'm bored.
So I thought I'd start a discussion that is sure to stir up some colorful answers. Not only that, I'm sure it would be a good source of info.
Anyhow, the question is, What is the absolute worst piece of gear you ever bought, and what happened that made you feel like a chump for getting it?
I'll go first, since I brought it up. I'm relatively new at this whole backpacking thing, and while visions of a thru-hike dance in my head, I've been slowly pushing the car-camping gear to the back of the storage shed, and now I'm filling up the closet with new backpacking gear. I've got the basics, but the dumbest move I've made so far was buying a Eureka Backcountry 1 tent. :o
Big mistake. I was a price shopper and got it from Amazon for like $130, and all of the reviews were pretty good. But that eight-foot length was not even close to being usable length, and with the fly on, it was a damn oven. I realized that I'm a side sleeper that first night, and it was just too narrow for me. Also, it had no vestibule. I didn't think it would be a problem at all, except when I actually *used* it and realized that I had no place to put my pack or my boots. Duh.
Luckily, Amazon has a generous return policy, so after that one night, I rolled it up and shipped it back, getting a full refund. A few weeks ago, I took advantage of the sale at REI and grabbed one of their Quarterdome T2 tents, and couldn't be happier with it. In fact, I'm taking it out into the woods two, maybe three times over the course of the next month. Probably find some other piece of gear I don't like while I'm out there, too...Do you get PAID for sitting in that BOX?:-?People like YOU,and ALL that respond must love to ROB your boss on his time.JUST SAD.
ChinMusic
08-30-2011, 00:15
Do you get PAID for sitting in that BOX?:-?People like YOU,and ALL that respond must love to ROB your boss on his time.JUST SAD.
What a pathetic post.
Do you get PAID for sitting in that BOX?:-?People like YOU,and ALL that respond must love to ROB your boss on his time.JUST SAD.
Sounds like someone is jealous of efficient workers who finish their work early?
paistes5
08-30-2011, 09:44
Sounds like a douche more than anything.
hikerboy57
08-30-2011, 10:00
hes p****d off because he must have fired his employees after catching them on WB, then found out they're all on the AT with one state left to go.
stars in her eyes
08-30-2011, 10:00
I don't buy any 'real' gear without thoroughly researching it first, so I don't really have any gear-related horror stories. I do, however, regret my purchase of 3 pairs of Smartwool socks. They were midlength crews that practically cut off my lower calf and ankle circulation. Very unpleasant and itchy. Switched to my beloved Darn Tough socks and will never go back.
Biggest pure mistake on item bought specficly for backpacking was a Sterno Stove, years ago, smelly and messy. Longest hold out before I switched was the 9 pound external I had for over 20 years, just assumed the internals would never ride correctly on someone my age, plus I was used to the weight. Another silly hold out was packing an Airforce Survival knife, was heavy, had it's own stone. Was way over kill when a 2 inch knife will do. That was a 5 year mistake. On the Backcountry 1, I have 2, the new ones work better because the fly and door have been changed, the old ones required alot of attention staking out correctly, as in getting the fly right. Now I just loan it out as necessary. Also I've bought more then one sleeping bag that just plain sucked.
Sarcasm the elf
09-02-2011, 22:53
Is it the Apex 2XT? I take it when I go with the girlfriend. Tons of room but yes a little heavy. I took it on a solo and swore I'd never carry it again. Two days later I got a BA Lynx Pass for my solos but will keep the Eureka when the girlfriend goes again.
Sorry for the delay in responding, my Eureka is a Pinnacle Pass 2 XTA. (Don't think they make it anymore). I'm not sure if Eureka makes anything of this weight and price anymore, but it was a great deal for a two person tent and was fairly competitive with tents that cost two or three times as much.
Good choice getting the 1 person tent though, I'd never haul my Eureka around if I were hiking solo.