Staves and other semi-archaic gear

[DogPaw]

Me and my father make staves on occasion, and I always hike with my shilellagh. How well would a three foot oaken stick with some metal reinforcements hold up on the trail, or a five foot straight staff with copper wire inlays? My staff choice aside, how viable is it to hike with semi-archaic gear? I see a lot of hikers here going on about platypus bags and fancy high quality sleeping bags and stuff like that, but how far do you'd think I'd get if I relied on my staff in place of poles, a steel canteen instead of a platy, a few blankets instead of a sleeping bag, my knife, tinderbox, and a map and compass?

[Slo-go'en]

I suppose you could go as far as you wanted. Depending on how heavy all that stuff is, you may not want to go too far. It also depends on where your carrying it. If your hiking in Georgia or North Carolina after a day or two it will not be as fun as in would be in say, Florida.

The reason so many are obsessed with light weight gear is the simple fact that it is easier to carry. Therefore, you can go longer distances before you get too tired to go on and you don't have to eat as much food for the energy to carry it.

[Enic]

There is nothing wrong with your stave, blanket, tinderbox, or any of it. You'll have to deal with the fact that all the cool kids are going to make fun of you for not having new, UL gear. It's going to happen. If you hear the mocking, you might cry. If you're crying on the trail, you will probably give up. So... it could be a hike ending blow, or you can do it old school. Hell, Jesus walked a lot, and in sandles. I guess you won't claim to be the son of God, but if Jesus can do it, so can you!

[RWheeler]

If you're ok with the prospect of all that stuff being too heavy after hiking, say, 1 week, and you're ok with calling it a hike at that point, then I'd say go for it.

You don't have to set out on a thru-hike to enjoy the hike itself. And it seems that you have a much stronger affinity to gear of that style than newer/lighter stuff.

My guess is that you'd have a great time hiking Amicalola to say, Hot Springs as a section with gear like that.

Give it a shot

And remember, HYOH.

[RWheeler]

There is nothing wrong with your stave, blanket, tinderbox, or any of it. You'll have to deal with the fact that all the cool kids are going to make fun of you for not having new, UL gear. It's going to happen. If you hear the mocking, you might cry. If you're crying on the trail, you will probably give up. So... it could be a hike ending blow, or you can do it old school. Hell, Jesus walked a lot, and in sandles. I guess you won't claim to be the son of God, but if Jesus can do it, so can you!

From my personal standpoint, if I saw other people giving him a hard time for using gear like that, I'd stand up for him. Point out how awesome it is that he's a 15 year old hiking with stuff like that. And seemingly proud of it.

I really really hope he gives it a shot. I find this prospect highly inspiring.

[JAK]

One advantage of a wooden staff is that it does not have to last forever, or even to the next town, since if it does break you can make another. So they can in fact very light, and functional. What is wood? A wonderful composite material, developed over millions of years, of cellulose fibres and lignin for glue. Archaic? Is the sun archaic?

[Feral Bill]

If there are "Mountain Man" reenactors in your area, visit one of their gatherings for some good ideas.

[doritotex]

I see that you are from Florida, the biggest problem you'll have is climbing uphill all day after being used to flat land. Load your pack up with 60 lbs of rocks, (or bags of rice) and find some stadium stairs to go up and down for several hours. Then take about half the weight out and try again, you'll understand why people go ultra-light.

[DogPaw]

I'm actually a New Englander currently in exile down here for the next two years. I'm used to scrambling in Swansea and I had an old sea-cliff I'd wander about on. But I admit that the flat terrain has made me go soft. I'm going to try that, actually. Thanks for the advice.

[DogPaw]

As long as I'm asking questions, how well would my Uncle's old army satchel serve me in the place of a backpack? It's fairly large and has straps, but I'm not sure if I'd need a rig or anything.

[Rocket Jones]

It's all about what you're willing to carry. It might be horribly uncomfortable to some, but if you can deal with it, then go for it. Do test hikes. Practice with your gear. Learn what does and doesn't work for you.

[max patch]

As long as I'm asking questions, how well would my Uncle's old army satchel serve me in the place of a backpack? It's fairly large and has straps, but I'm not sure if I'd need a rig or anything.

google dufflebag tim. hope you find a picture.

[Nutbrown]

It's been done before, and you should only get respect if you hump all that on the trail. ...but there is a good reason why gear has gotten so light and durable.

[Feral Bill]

If you want a good compromise, you could outfit yourself with 1960s era gear bought off Ebay for cheap. Old school but still perfectly functional. Add some surplus wool clothing and that stave you have and you'll be all set. With some care you could even go pretty light.

[DogPaw]

Thanks, I think I'll try that. Any particular brands to look for?

[Feral Bill]

Gerry, Sierra Designs (tents, sleeping bags), Kelty, Camp Trail, Jan Sport (packs), SVEA (stove), I'll think of more.

[lunchbx]

I would think that this gear will get you just as far as it has gotten your father or anyone else who used to use it 30 years ago or more. The issue here is not function but simply weight. Personally I never mind carrying something that is "old school" and a little bulkier than the newer technology if I know it will provide me with the advantage of durability. I feel that a lot of UL gear out there is just too flimsy and not to mention overpriced for my taste.

[Bucho]

Me and my father make staves on occasion, and I always hike with my shilellagh. How well would a three foot oaken stick with some metal reinforcements hold up on the trail, or a five foot straight staff with copper wire inlays? My staff choice aside, how viable is it to hike with semi-archaic gear? I see a lot of hikers here going on about platypus bags and fancy high quality sleeping bags and stuff like that, but how far do you'd think I'd get if I relied on my staff in place of poles, a steel canteen instead of a platy, a few blankets instead of a sleeping bag, my knife, tinderbox, and a map and compass?

Well I watched someone hike the AT with trekking poles made out of steel rebar so anythings possible but you're talking about taking something that already has a really low success rate and making it harder.

[Smooth & Wasabi]

At BPL there was a discussion on the possibilites of UL with traditional gear and the consensus seemed to be that if you sourced the correct stuff and did some MYOG it would be possible to go Lightweight, certainly much lighter than many folks heading out for a thru. Wool, silk, down, light waxed cotton, wood fires, and tin pans/cups have served hikers well in the past. Google Ravenlore for a cool perspective. I personally backpack in the modern lightweight style but I think it is a cool concept.

[bigcranky]

All of that traditional old school gear still works just fine. But you end up with tradeoffs that you have to be willing to accept. For example, cooking over a fire. Collecting the wood and building the fire, then starting it with your tinder kit, takes a fair amount of time. A hiker with a stove is done eating by the time you are ready to cook, and that's on a good day. Then you have to clean up your pots, or get soot all over everything.

A good wool blanket is much heavier than a down sleeping bag, and doesn't provide anywhere near as much insulation. Sure, several blankets can keep you warm if you have a fire (even better if you rig a tarp as a reflector behind you.) That's very old school. But it takes time and effort and some skill, and you're still carrying more weight.

None of these things are a big deal on a weekend hike. The old school gear would be a lot of fun, actually. But on a thru-hike of a long trail, the efficiency of modern equipment wins out. It's lighter, warmer, more waterproof, and easier to use than old-time gear.