What small gear do you love?

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mreha
Posts: 81
Joined: July 26th, 2015, 7:51 pm
Location: Portland

What small gear do you love?

Post by mreha » June 19th, 2016, 4:42 am

So, someone gave me a $150 gift card to REI yesterday, and I'm trying to decide what to use it for. I'm happy with all the major gear I already have (backpack, tent, sleeping bag, pad, etc.) and there's nothing I really NEED, so my question is:

What are the little things that make your backcountry trips better? What gear have you fallen in love with? What's the small stuff that's been especially durable and versatile for you?

(OK, more than one question, but you get the idea...)

So far I've been thinking along the lines of cooking-related, a new knife/multi-tool, a new headlamp, or maybe even a GPS (although the Backcountry Navigator app on my phone has served me pretty well so far), or...???

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retired jerry
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Re: What small gear do you love?

Post by retired jerry » June 19th, 2016, 5:34 am

some day I'm going to switch from dedicated GPS to smartphone, I don't think it makes sense to go the other way

Leatherman Micra

Sawyer Squeeze water filter

Aimless
Posts: 1922
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:02 pm
Location: Lake Oswego

Re: What small gear do you love?

Post by Aimless » June 19th, 2016, 8:54 am

It won't really help you spend your gift card, but I love my sit pad.

It is a bit larger than one foot square and cut from a RidgeRest pad I wasn't using. It weighs only an ounce. It slips into the hydration pocket of my day pack and gives it a bit of extra rigidity and padding between my back and the contents. It cushions my butt on hard ground and protects it from wet ground. When I am backpacking I also slip it under my sleeping pad below my hips and it gives me some extra protection from grinding my hip into the ground. When I am dipping water I kneel on it. Sometimes I use it to insulate a water bottle from heat or cold. It even makes a decent makeshift fan. It is almost as multi-purpose as my cotton bandana!

mreha
Posts: 81
Joined: July 26th, 2015, 7:51 pm
Location: Portland

Re: What small gear do you love?

Post by mreha » June 19th, 2016, 9:09 am

retired jerry wrote:some day I'm going to switch from dedicated GPS to smartphone, I don't think it makes sense to go the other way
I wondered if I might be able to pick up satellites better with a dedicated GPS...Backcountry Navigator works well and it was a deal for a $10 download, but it usually takes around 10 to 15 minutes once I've opened the app to get a fix on my location. I don't leave it open usually because it drains the battery really quickly...it'll run down the battery in my phone in a day if I leave it on, but by keeping my phone in airplane mode and only opening the app a few times a day to check where I am, the battery will last 5-6 days. So I wondered if a dedicated GPS might have better equipment for picking up the signals? I've never used one so no basis for comparison...but anyway, more of a convenience thing I guess. I usually just open the app and then hike for another 15 minutes or so and then check it.

mreha
Posts: 81
Joined: July 26th, 2015, 7:51 pm
Location: Portland

Re: What small gear do you love?

Post by mreha » June 19th, 2016, 9:11 am

Aimless wrote:It won't really help you spend your gift card, but I love my sit pad.

It is a bit larger than one foot square and cut from a RidgeRest pad I wasn't using. It weighs only an ounce. It slips into the hydration pocket of my day pack and gives it a bit of extra rigidity and padding between my back and the contents. It cushions my butt on hard ground and protects it from wet ground. When I am backpacking I also slip it under my sleeping pad below my hips and it gives me some extra protection from grinding my hip into the ground. When I am dipping water I kneel on it. Sometimes I use it to insulate a water bottle from heat or cold. It even makes a decent makeshift fan. It is almost as multi-purpose as my cotton bandana!
I was thinking about one of those lightweight folding pad/chair things, along those same lines...they seem kind of bulky but they don't weigh much and my butt does get sore on multi-day trips! :lol:

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retired jerry
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Re: What small gear do you love?

Post by retired jerry » June 19th, 2016, 11:17 am

I just leave my Garmin 60CSx on all the time to take a track of the route I took. Maybe 24 hours on a set of AA NiMH batteries.

With a smartphone, I'd bring one of those USB power banks with lithium battery to charge the smartphone.

mreha
Posts: 81
Joined: July 26th, 2015, 7:51 pm
Location: Portland

Re: What small gear do you love?

Post by mreha » June 19th, 2016, 3:55 pm

I ended up upgrading my sleeping bag after all :lol:

They had one on special that was as long as my current bag (90") but was 20" wider in the shoulders, with the same temp rating, and over a pound lighter...and it was on sale until the end of the day today for almost exactly $150. I've only had my current bag for a few weeks and the only thing I disliked about it was how tight it was in the shoulders, and it's still in the window to return it for a full refund, so it seemed like a no-brainer!

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Koda
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Joined: June 5th, 2009, 7:54 am

Re: What small gear do you love?

Post by Koda » June 19th, 2016, 4:22 pm

late to the thread but....

a piezo electric pocket canister stove beats finding a lighter every meal....
lightweight, cheap, strong... pick 2

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forester
Posts: 324
Joined: March 21st, 2012, 9:03 am

Re: What small gear do you love?

Post by forester » June 23rd, 2016, 8:23 pm

I wondered if I might be able to pick up satellites better with a dedicated GPS...Backcountry Navigator works well and it was a deal for a $10 download, but it usually takes around 10 to 15 minutes once I've opened the app to get a fix on my location. I don't leave it open usually because it drains the battery really quickly...it'll run down the battery in my phone in a day if I leave it on, but by keeping my phone in airplane mode and only opening the app a few times a day to check where I am, the battery will last 5-6 days. So I wondered if a dedicated GPS might have better equipment for picking up the signals? I've never used one so no basis for comparison...but anyway, more of a convenience thing I guess. I usually just open the app and then hike for another 15 minutes or so and then check it.
I have a Garmin Oregon. No difference. I always try to remember to turn it on 5-10 minutes before I finish the drive to the parking spot. It almost always stays locked on, even during battery changes. But starting it up, it takes a bit.

Chazz
Posts: 321
Joined: May 26th, 2013, 12:53 pm

Re: What small gear do you love?

Post by Chazz » June 24th, 2016, 6:04 am

Folks on the backpackinglight.com forum have been digging Katadyn's new befree filter that fits onto many Hydropack collapsable bottles. It apparently has much better flow than the Sawyer filters and you can see into the fiber pack and know when stuff is growing on it or clogging it up.

https://www.rei.com/product/100546/kata ... ent-filter

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