Do you have gear that's out off step with your style?

Outdoorsman come from all walks of life with just as many varied approaches to their activities. REI types, Boy Scouts, gold prospectors, Ak natives, Military, off roaders, fisherman, hunters, back packers, climbers, skiers, etc. With so many of them at odds with each other I considerate it a distinct privilege to have shared the outdoors with so many of them. Beyond attitudes and skill sets they also use different gear. I have tried to choose the best from each discipline and coordinate it with each other and in some cases combine the qualities of each into the same piece of equipment. How many think like this and what kinds of gear modifications have you made along these lines. Do you paint REI gear OD green? Have a GPS in with your primitive gear bag? Tail gate camp with ultra light gear? Carry a plastic gold pan to wash in?

Yep, I like the way you think.

I have all kinds of gear, and use it across the board. I have tons of mushing gear, a fair amount of horse packing type equipment, several tons of rafting and kayaking gear, lots of primitive style/ bushcraft stuff, and an incredible assortment of hunting equipment and gear- as well as more backpacking and skiing/snowshoeing stuff than one could fathom.
Instead of buying new stuff, i am always trying to figure out how to use what I already have in a new capacity. example...making gang lines out of old climbing rope. making quick release parking breaks for mushing, out of old bull snaps and lead ropes from my horespacking equipment.
I think the ability to adapt and create are two of the most important characteristics a person can have when it comes to surviving...

I wonder where we could find someone who knows how to Pan for Gold, that would be willing to attend the the Great Alaskan Wilderness Survival Group Rendezvous in Hope, AK in early June..........I wonder........I wonder........who would be willing to put on an exibition.......I wonder who.......??????

If I can't multi-use gear then I don't need it. There are some things so specialized that you just have to have them but, for the most part, I want to use it no matter where I am.

Gear is cool, you can never have enough, like guns, trailer, tools, boats, the secret is to never have it all in one place, that way nobody know what you really have.

Seriously, a lot of it inter-changes, and I generally pack for hunting, so it kinda mission specific, with the basics as constants, carried in pockets.

Knife, fire, water ( carried or filtered, thanks Rick, the filter straw is already in the fanny pack), first aid supplies and a space blanket.

Now if its re-enacting, different gear, but basics the same.

What are you shooting for, general BOB?

I'm not into the flashy stuff. I'm utilitarian. :) But, I'll use whatever I can get my hands on. Most of my "gear" was bought at garage sales, found in the woods after having layed there for years, handed down, etc.

I prefer drab olive or black, prefer flat black over chrome, but if something pink and shiny fits or works good for my purpose I'll use it, just as long as no one's lookin.

I have a man purse and it makes a great possibilities bag. Had no idea it was a man purse till a couple buddies tried to laugh me off the trail.

I use a bit of everything as well. I was into sythetic technical gear when we lived in Colorado as I didn't have to slog through much mud and vegetation that shreds your cloths. Now I use surplus wool pants when I'm usually out in the bushes or Carharts. I also wear nice fleece and have a microfiber sleeping bag, but I use a flint bar almost exclusively and have a fur hat.
I sold my expensive internal frame pack and had plenty of money to buy a freighter frame, dry bags and lashing to make my pack very modular and also carry heavy loads like moose quarters, firewood or jerry cans of fuel if need be. My mountaineering pack from Gregory couldn't hold a candle to this setup. Sometimes there is a reason they did it that way back yonder.
I'd really like to get my hands on some real mucklucks and a seal skin parka, but I hear they are hard to come by and expensive unless you know someone.

I backpack with a couple of folks who . . well, I wouldn't call them ultralighters since that might start a fight, but one of 'em has a tendency toward being a gear snob. The best analogy I can think of for non-backpackers is to compare the geared-up fly fisherman to that guy on the bank sitting on a 5-gal bucket and putting chicken livers on a tightlined treble hook. I'm the guy sitting on the bucket. Anyhow, I take a fair amount of ribbing because my gear is a motley mix of mil. surplus and home-made. I've got a couple of pieces that I saved my pennies up and splurged on, like the jungle hammock and my 0-degree mummy bag, but mostly it is worn OD green.

Though, it doesn't take long to realize the benefit of duct tape and white or red 550 cord wrapping on your OD gear. So, there's a bit of a cross-contamination there as well. The fully camo'd OD survivalist would likely raise an eyebrow at how intentionally visible all of my gear is. Not only do I want to be able to actually find what it is I set down on the ground, but I share the woods with hunters. We get a lot of yankees and east-coaster weekend rambos during gun season and I don't want to be mistaken for one of them two-legged deer.

I remember the first time I ever went back packing, (it was actually two trips, a prep trip and then the week long big trip) No one looked over my gear, So I ended up wondering around the New Mexico back country with two 1 liter diet coke bottles. However I didn't die of thirst. For Christmas the wife bought me a little internal framed (day pack, climbers pack, hiking bag). It's only a little bigger than a book bag but has an nice maintained bag shape and great strap and rigger options. I even use the Cell phone holder for cordage. I would have never thought to buy that bag. but it works so well. So I guess use what works, and learn from your mistakes. It's not what you have with you it's if you know how to use it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LostOutrider

I want to be able to actually find what it is I set down on the ground

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At 4:00 a.m., I wandered in circles on a wooded plateau one morning for about an hour before I finally spotted the reflectors on my tent. If it weren't for that I'd probably still be looking. So, yeah, being able to find things is right handy.

I try and take only the best from all disciplines and meld it with my style. I also try and make it myself, so that it is exactly the way I want it.

Trying to find the right way to say this without sounding like a complete imbecile.

I am not going to fool myself or anyone else and will admit I am mostly a backpacker/hiker and camper and not a survival expert. I have had 3 people responsible for my outdoor knowledge and 3 completely different outlooks. One is an old miner, another an outdoor sports enthusiast, and the last a retired marine.

All three of these people approach the outdoors differently because of their life experiences, and because of this some of their ideology is different. Because of this I have asked myself more than once "Is one approach better than the other or one more right?" And then I say to myself will I be so critical when I am in need of this knowledge?

I sort of approach learning like the following quote:

Quote:

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Not to cross train cripples the martial arts, without it you can become a mechanic, but never an artist.
- E. Cates

---

And like most of you I use my gear interchangeably. I am by no means an ultralight or light backpacker, seeing as I love redundancy in my gear. I have multiple ways to light a fire, carry my own tender, have a knife, tomahawk, and occasionally a sven saw if the fiance` doesn't carry it. I use stainless steel bottles so I can boil water in case I lose my cookware.

What I am trying to say is this, if the knowledge someone is willing to part with is going to be beneficial I am not going to be too picky about the person's outdoor ideology, whether it be an ultralighter that carries less than 25# or a military minded 70# rucksacker.

my style could probably be defined by it's eclectic, juxtaposed nature.

Aww man! Nobody told me I have to have style!!

Seriously though, I just look for something that works. I'm not really particular about which "Discipline" it comes from. When I was in the Army I carried a sierra cup and Esbit stove,just so I could make a cup of something good to drink, at a moments notice. Yeah I had a canteen cup,and all that,the Trioxane tabs, etc. But when you are "Hiking" military style,and stop for only 10 minutes.... It would take 5 just taking the canteen cup out and putting it back in the canteen cover. Yeah I got some funny looks,and some ribbing, but They sure wished they had something good to drink.

I don't shop by "Categories" when I'm looking for gear, I just look for something that fits the Niche I want it to fill. Now color....THAT'S a different story. I prefer subdued and natural colors. If it's blue,I want a blue like Chicory flowers,Not the NEON blue that blows your eyes out of socket. But I always get funny looks when I say my favorite color is camouflage!:innocent:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sourdough

I wonder where we could find someone who knows how to Pan for Gold, that would be willing to attend the the Great Alaskan Wilderness Survival Group Rendezvous in Hope, AK in early June..........I wonder........I wonder........who would be willing to put on an exibition.......I wonder who.......??????

---

I actually bid one week of my vacation for that week but it was so I could float 80 miles down the Yukon from the haul road to build a deck for my sister. Got me thinking though, maybe I should bring a gold pan.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Poco

Aww man! Nobody told me I have to have style!!

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It's okay. You're right there with the rest of us. Styleless (I'm not certain that's a word) and clueless.

I mainly pre 1840 with a little USMC mixed in with it. If it's expensive, I can do without and make my own.

I mainly stay with the primitive and basics. You can keep your fancy stoves, sleeping bags, rain suits, gps units, and such in my nech of the woods.

When I venture out west, may break down and get a gps for backup.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rick

It's okay. You're right there with the rest of us. Styleless (I'm not certain that's a word) and clueless.

---

Yep that's me..... No Style,No Clue,No Class. Just plain ole poco.

Me too....(shrug)......But I'm Rick.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rick

It's okay. You're right there with the rest of us. Styleless (I'm not certain that's a word) and clueless.

---

Does having bunny slippers count as style?:innocent:
(I want some squirrel slippers, but I havn't gotten me a pair of squirrels that big, yet.):tongue_smilie:

Because some gear is so specialized, I have modules made up just for that gear. When I need it, it is all in one place to either attach to my pack of stuff in it. My basic set up is just that, it is good generally for all situations but not specific enough to be great in any situation.

I use what works for me. Some handmade, some surplus, some fancy, some not, some may even be considered primitive. I have never been concerned about what other people thing when it comes to my gear. In fact, the folks who laughed the most about some of the stuff I carried on a deployment, were folks who normally carried the same items on the next one. :cool2:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 2dumb2kwit

Does having bunny slippers count as style?:innocent:
(I want some squirrel slippers, but I havn't gotten me a pair of squirrels that big, yet.):tongue_smilie:

---

LOL,
I though style is drinking out of your alum. cup, with "pinkies up", 'course you almost have to, not enough room for many more, and you with feel the heat.

Mine a duck slippers, Gunner, the dog, chases them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rwc1969

.... I'm utilitarian. .....

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Hey! No religion! (couldn't resist)

I'm a....whatever I find cheap that might be useful to me kind of guy. Different gear for different needs, obviously. I don't take a camera or a lot of fishing gear when I'm out hunting, I don't take a high power rifle for a weekend in a park....

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