Author Topic: How hiking equipment has changed over time.  (Read 3258 times)

JerryW

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Re: How hiking equipment has changed over time.
« Reply #15 on: 08:58:01, 30/08/19 »
The way I look at it, if I were a keen golfer it would cost £000s to belong to a club, buy clubs etc..  so if I choose to spend a few hundred each year on really good walking gear, that is still a bargain :-)
I love the outdoors, and will be out there, while I can :-)

Sleepy

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Re: How hiking equipment has changed over time.
« Reply #16 on: 01:08:04, 03/09/19 »
I remember my first rucksack came from a boot sale in the early 90s and even then it was "old", it had an aluminium tube frame that dug into your hips and sides, with a "step" at the bottom, presumably for your sleeping kit to be lashed to. It di dn't have a waist strap (your shoulders were considered to be what carried the weight back then) and empty, it probably weighed half of what my weekend exped kit weighs now. At least it was the right size for a 10year old.  

 


I felt all grown up having my own, it looked like something that should be half way up Everest! I think it's still in the attic funnily enough....


Later, at around 14, we made the scout group look more like cadets as we found army surplus was excellent quality for the sort of money we/our parents could afford - the funny thing is I don't remember ever getting blisters from my £15 part worn German para boots but I've certainly had a few from properly fitted £200 goretex Gucci super dooper boots  :-\  we joked at the time but I did see the point when someone turned up with a gas mask, one lad in particular had the enviable ability to scoop up his (notably pungent) trumps in his hands and deposit them in whoever's face he chose  ;D

richardh1905

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Re: How hiking equipment has changed over time.
« Reply #17 on: 19:49:47, 11/09/19 »
I am the proud owner of a vintage Robert Saunders Jetpacker tent which weighs in at a respectable 1.5kg, bag and all. Still sound, and I would trust it in a gale.

The difference between this superb tent and a modern tent weighing the same, is the amount of space inside - it is like sleeping in a coffin, and you have to be a contortionist to even put a jacket on.
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

fernman

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Re: How hiking equipment has changed over time.
« Reply #18 on: 20:37:49, 11/09/19 »
I used the tent below from 1983 till 2013. Thirty years! I can hardly believe it myself. It cost me £69 by mail order and I nearly never saw it because it got delivered to No.6 instead of No.9.
In that time the groundsheet was replaced three times, and one of the poles after one of my sprogs fell against it. My mother-in-law sewed a new zip on the porch when that failed.
It was finally binned when not only the latest groundsheet started leaking but also the flysheet was deteriorating, so that water dripped through when it rained. The fly was also looking decidedly saggy in its last few years.
It was a bit heavy at 2.1kg, and probably more than that with different groundsheet material, but it stood up to some really rough weather (in between leaking groundsheets!) and I felt really secure in it, snug as a bug.


Slowcoach

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Re: How hiking equipment has changed over time.
« Reply #19 on: 21:05:22, 11/09/19 »
If we all used non-tech gear years ago and survived there is no reason to buy “expensive substandard” modern gear. We choose to buy it..no-one makes us. There are plenty of places still selling the kind of gear I stated out with...ex-army boots, pacamac, canvas rucksack etc etc.
It's all uphill from here.

richardh1905

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Re: How hiking equipment has changed over time.
« Reply #20 on: 22:04:56, 11/09/19 »
Tramp 1 tent

I had a tent that was very similar, called a Hobo, a 2 man (at a pinch) tent. Bit of a theme there - probably from the same manufacturer.

Lent it to a 'friend' and never saw it again.

WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

fernman

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Re: How hiking equipment has changed over time.
« Reply #21 on: 22:55:09, 11/09/19 »
If we all used non-tech gear years ago and survived there is no reason to buy “expensive substandard” modern gear. We choose to buy it..no-one makes us. There are plenty of places still selling the kind of gear I stated out with...ex-army boots, pacamac, canvas rucksack etc etc.

But all those years ago we were much younger and could stand more discomfort. I had an ex-military waterproof that barely kept me dry, and ex-police wool trousers that were itchy and weighed a ton, a heavy forces wooly-pully that was damp most of the time with a combination of mist and perspiration, while I had so much weight in my backpack that I struggled to lift it up and get my arms in the straps. I can recall too the times when I sat around shivering.
At an older age, I think we prefer our comforts more, and we are less prepared to put up with second best. My clothing is now all wicking, quick-drying, warmer, more comfortable and lightweight too, and my filled rucksack is far lighter than it used to be.

Slowcoach

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Re: How hiking equipment has changed over time.
« Reply #22 on: 07:08:44, 12/09/19 »
[size=0px]But all those years ago we were much younger and could stand more discomfort. I had an ex-military waterproof that barely kept me dry, and ex-police wool trousers that were itchy and weighed a ton, a heavy forces wooly-pully that was damp most of the time with a combination of mist and perspiration, while I had so much weight in my backpack that I struggled to lift it up and get my arms in the straps. I can recall too the times when I sat around shivering.  [size=0px][size=0px]At an older age, I think we prefer our comforts more, and we are less prepared to put up with second best. My clothing is now all wicking, quick-drying, warmer, more comfortable and lightweight too, and my filled rucksack is far lighter than it used to be.  
[size=0px]
 
[size=0px]I am not disagreeing... I too buy modern gear to suit me but it is my choice to do so.  
It's all uphill from here.

Snowman

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Re: How hiking equipment has changed over time.
« Reply #23 on: 22:00:48, 12/09/19 »
But all those years ago we were much younger and could stand more discomfort. I had an ex-military waterproof that barely kept me dry, and ex-police wool trousers that were itchy and weighed a ton, a heavy forces wooly-pully that was damp most of the time with a combination of mist and perspiration, while I had so much weight in my backpack that I struggled to lift it up and get my arms in the straps. I can recall too the times when I sat around shivering.
At an older age, I think we prefer our comforts more, and we are less prepared to put up with second best. My clothing is now all wicking, quick-drying, warmer, more comfortable and lightweight too, and my filled rucksack is far lighter than it used to be.


I quite agree.   I too had an ex WW2 US military jacket, which was quite warm but didn't really keep the rain out very well.   I had cheap boots, but expensive ones had to be worn in over several months otherwise you were in serious blister territory.   Trousers?   Just wore my jeans.   The fact is that decent modern gear does make the whole thing more enjoyable. I have to say that I have two sets of walking gear.   The serious stuff for multi day walks and LDPs, and cheaper stuff for day walks.   Cheaper has to be good enough though for my local stomping ground (Dartmoor) but if you look carefully you can find good deals.

Ridge

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Re: How hiking equipment has changed over time.
« Reply #24 on: 09:00:17, 16/09/19 »
When did we all stop sleeping on the floor of our tents and get in to carrying roll mats? I an thinking late 70s or early 80s but can't remember.

BrionyB

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Re: How hiking equipment has changed over time.
« Reply #25 on: 10:11:50, 16/09/19 »
My main memory is of there not being so much dedicated 'hiking equipment' at all, certainly not clothing - apart from boots you just wore your older/scruffier clothes, and your warmest jumper on a cold day, with the obligatory suffocating cagoule pulled awkwardly on over the top if it was really pouring with rain (wasn't considered worth bothering with for drizzle or a light shower). Mine was always a hand-me-down from one of my older brothers, so tended to be too big, and they were stiff and crinkly compared with today's waterproofs.

People seem to carry a lot more for short/day hikes now; I don't remember my parents bothering with emergency food, first-aid kits, spare clothing, survival bags, torches, or even water unless it was particularly hot weather (and then only a small amount compared with what people haul along now) - you just got thirsty and that was that, or drank from a stream or spring. No need to carry a big heavy 'sac'. Things have changed for the better in some ways, but perhaps at the cost of over-preparing now and losing some of the freedom and spontaneity of walking?

I don't remember camping without a mat, though I do recall having a roll of grey foam that was incredibly lightweight and comfier than any pricey Thermarest. Too bulky to fit in my pack, though, so it had to be tied on and dangle behind annoyingly.
« Last Edit: 10:16:09, 16/09/19 by BrionyB »

Owen

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Re: How hiking equipment has changed over time.
« Reply #26 on: 10:23:58, 16/09/19 »
When did we all stop sleeping on the floor of our tents and get in to carrying roll mats? I an thinking late 70s or early 80s but can't remember.


I think I had my first karrimat in 1968/9.

 

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