The Adventurer's Gear Thread

[Mr. Merl]

My first post

I guess now that there is a picture of me I should stop lurking. It was a blast hiking in our vintage-ish gear.

 

[Creeping Past]

My husband and I hiked our local 14er (Pikes Peak) on Saturday! We decided to see how some of our vintage inspired gear worked out.

Hope you get a kick out of our little adventure! Cheers!

I did. Thanks Mr and Mrs Merl, a really useful addition to the forum.

Wool, canvas and... are those moleskin breeches, as we call them in the UK?

Can I ask about boots? Heavy, certainly. Mountain-grade definitely. But I'm guessing not too vintage?

And no sticks, either. Impressive. I need at least one...

 

[Mrs. Merl]

Boots! Mine are modern for sure (I can't find a pair of boots that don't rip my feet apart - literally!) Mr. Merl's are new, but "old school" if you will. They are as plain as they get really - he knows more about them though.

Our breeches are surplus - German I believe. His are wool and mine are "moleskin" - although I have read on the adventure gear thread that they are not true moleskin. I really like them for hiking though!

To relate this to the topic that has been running on this thread - the clothing choices we made seemed to work just fine - admittedly heavier than what most of the people were wearing/carrying that day. However, I did not ever feel terribly uncomfortable and the wind was a bear that day for sure. And the rucksack carried really well - as well or better than my nylon ones with hip/chest belts. We summited in faster time than I expected (even passed a couple of groups!) I can't say for sure on the overall time - because the weather was so great that day - I took over a hundred pictures on the way down since we weren't in a hurry!

Thanks for looking at our pictures!

 

[Mr. Merl]

Boots

My boots were the best bang for the buck. I got Cabela's version of Danner's Mountain Light II. They are a heavy boot (but not a mountaineering boot) that took me quiet a while to break in. I replaced the round laces and put in my Sole foot beds. I love them now and had to purchase other boots so I wouldn't wear them out just walking around town.

 

[Yorker]

Interesting. Armed with Long Lee Enfields and bandoliers that hold individual cartridges (instead of pockets for five round strippers).

MLE's didn't have the capacity for charger loading as built, same as the Lee Metfords. Some were modified and designated Charger Loading Lee-Enfields, or CLLEs.

 

[Kodiak]

My boots were the best bang for the buck. I got Cabela's version of Danner's Mountain Light II. They are a heavy boot (but not a mountaineering boot) that took me quiet a while to break in. I replaced the round laces and put in my Sole foot beds. I love them now and had to purchase other boots so I wouldn't wear them out just walking around town.

The Cabela's version really is that good? How do they fit width-wise?

I've thought about purchasing a pair for a long time because they look very nice, but I'm wary about buying boots online...

 

[AlanC]

I came across this great safari shirt-jacket today from the 'real' Banana Republic. It ought to scratch my safari jacket itch:

 

[Gatsby84]

That's a nice looking safari jacket, AlanC. It looks much better than my Cabela's jacket.

-Allen

 

[Creeping Past]

My boots were the best bang for the buck. I got Cabela's version of Danner's Mountain Light II. They are a heavy boot (but not a mountaineering boot) that took me quiet a while to break in. I replaced the round laces and put in my Sole foot beds. I love them now and had to purchase other boots so I wouldn't wear them out just walking around town.

They look fairly hefty in the photo. I've checked today and Cabelas only seem to offer Danner's light hiking boot for men at the moment, although the women's Mountain Light II is still available. Perhaps they keep seasonal stock.

Great hiking style, Mr Merl!

 

[Copper]

This Fall I am going to be going on a bit of an adventure of a lifetime, and I have been working through the 'kit' questions as discussed above recently.

I too am of the opinion that safety is paramount and style is secondary or even tertiary behind non-safety related comfort. Nevertheless, I have decided on some vintage-styled kit for my travels, mixed with the modern where modern is just all-round better.

In a nutshell, what I am doing is this: Starting in Delhi, India, I shall acquire my motorcycle - a 1950's styled single cylinder bike called a Royal Enfield Bullet. I'm not riding one because of the style, incidentally: Its actually the best bike for the job due to its simplicity, adaptability and hardiness.

From Delhi, I set out North into Kashmir for three weeks and 2000 miles of some of the highest roads in the world. One of the passes lays at 18,400 feet, higher than the Everest Base Camp. Between Delhi and the high passes near Leh and Manali, I will be experiencing a temperature variation of about 40to 50 degrees Centigrade, or roughly 80-90 degrees F. There shouldn't be much rain, but there may be snow at altitude and there certainly are some deep-ish water crossing through glacial waters.

I have limited capacity for carrying extra riding gear, so what I have on my back is going to be pretty much it for the journey. After looking at Gore-tex riding gear and some of the impressive high-tech offerings, I have decided upon 1930's style waxed cotton: specifically a Belstaff Trialmaster jacket and Kakadu oilskin cargo trousers. My boots will be insulated Danner Acadias, though, with Gore-tex gaiters. I will be taking a variety of wicking poly and merino wool base layers to help me adapt to the variations in temperature, along with my trusty shemagh to keep my neck warm and seal the top of the jacket. Most of my ride will be in the cooler range of the temperature spectrum so I am biasing what I can bring towards that.

I have gotten some curiously raised eyebrows about my choice of riding gear, but ultimately I don't need much rain protection and speeds rarely exceed 60km/h/40mph so abrasion resistance is not as much an issue as at 110 km/h. My waxed cotton though, will be field-repairable with a needle and thread, and a bottle of wax. My gear was also designed for an era when motorcycle rides were done at slower sustained speed and over rougher terrain than modern touring. Because of that, I felt it was just the right gear for the job.

If anyone is interested, I can put up some photos.

 

[Creeping Past]

This Fall I am going to be going on a bit of an adventure of a lifetime, and I have been working through the 'kit' questions as discussed above recently.

I too am of the opinion that safety is paramount and style is secondary or even tertiary behind non-safety related comfort. Nevertheless, I have decided on some vintage-styled kit for my travels, mixed with the modern where modern is just all-round better.

In a nutshell, what I am doing is this: Starting in Delhi, India, I shall acquire my motorcycle - a 1950's styled single cylinder bike called a Royal Enfield Bullet. I'm not riding one because of the style, incidentally: Its actually the best bike for the job due to its simplicity, adaptability and hardiness.

From Delhi, I set out North into Kashmir for three weeks and 2000 miles of some of the highest roads in the world.

If anyone is interested, I can put up some photos.

Now that's adventure! I think we'd all love to see the photos. I like the idea of using kit that can be repaired in the field. Presumably, this will apply to the bike, too.

UK Foreign Office travel advice on Jammu and Kashmire seems to indicate it's a risky area...

 

[Kodiak]

I for one would love to see the pics!

Sounds like a great trip. If I were you, I'd probably go with more merino wool than poly layers though. The wool will seriously keep you cool in heat, if it's the right weave, while poly... I dunno...

 

[Copper]

Now that's adventure! I think we'd all love to see the photos. I like the idea of using kit that can be repaired in the field. Presumably, this will apply to the bike, too.

UK Foreign Office travel advice on Jammu and Kashmire seems to indicate it's a risky area...

I am hoping that it comes together; it should work out barring a significant political destabilzation or natural disaster.

What's the chance of that though, given that bits of Kashmir is controlled by India, Pakistan and China, all nuclear powers with a stellar track record of getting along, except for, of course, periodic combat between Pakistan and India plus a growing Kashmiri Independance insurrection in Srinigar and the Kashmiri-based Tibetan government-in-exile being a particular thorn in China's side in the lead up to the Olympics.

Oh and there have been significant earthquakes in the last decade.

Still, perhaps naively, I am hoping the best.

The Canadian government has issued similar warnings to the UK Foreign Office advisory. I think that it will not be too bad as I am staying in the Ladakh area which is specifically excepted in the advisory, and staying well away from Srinigar. I will be with a couple locals and sticking to the 'main highways' if you can call them that.

I am tolerant of some risk in travel though it has to be well mitigated. I honestly think that this is perhaps the best time to see Kashmir right now. It is supposed to be one of the most beautiful places on Earth. I am sorry to say this, but the chances of political stability significantly improving in the next decade appear slim, and the chances of it destabilizing are rather high, so I have chosen to go now. I actually think that my greatest risk exposure on the whole of the trip will be my first day of riding an unfamilar motorcycle on the other side of the road in the...ahem... extraordinary traffic of New Delhi.

Oh - and Kodiak; I will be definitely taking more wool than polypropylene. I will be taking some just for the ability to wash and dry quickly in the sink. Washing facilities will few and far between, so I hope to have some clean-able base layer items available. If you can do the same with merino wool I would be a very happy man!

I'll definitely be posting some pictures from the trip, but once I have my kit assembled -and assuming there is interest here- I might do a thread (to avoid thread hijack) on what I've chosen to take.

 

[kiltie]

My boots were the best bang for the buck. I got Cabela's version of Danner's Mountain Light II. They are a heavy boot (but not a mountaineering boot) that took me quiet a while to break in. I replaced the round laces and put in my Sole foot beds. I love them now and had to purchase other boots so I wouldn't wear them out just walking around town.

Can you post a pic of just the boots? I've been wearing the Mountainlights and Mountainlight II for about eighteen years now and they are by far my "desert island" shoes. Are they U.S. made?

 

[Mr. Merl]

my boots

Here is a picture of the Cabelas boot.

Before I purchased them I ordered both the Danner and the Cabelas and wore them around the house for a while. I have a high arch and an E width foot. I ordered the EE and I can wear a silk liner and a rag wool sock just fine. The difference I found between the two boots is the quility of leather is better in the Danner boot, but the Cabelas had a removable insole so that I could replace it with my own. This is the only pic I have at the time, but I can post more if you like.

 

[kiltie]

No thank you - that's a good pic. They are some nice boots. Are they in the current Cabella's line-up, and if they are, what are they called?
Mine:

 

[Mr. Merl]

Nice boots

My boots were made in China and I don't think Cabelas still carries them, they were called Big Sky Gor-Tex Hikers. Nice boots by the way, I am guessing that those are the original Mountainlights.

What standard items does everyone carry in their rucksack/backpack?

When I hiked the peak I didnt really pack any standard items, but here is what was included in the pack and what I wore on the hike, as I changed several times due to weather.
Clothing:

Rag wool socks w/ silk liners
REI Sock, standard merino wool hiker
Cabelas Big Sky Boots
Cheep cotton cargo pants from Target
Cotton T-shirt
Medium weight Eddie Bauer button down
Carhartt chore jacket for my wind breaker
Tilley T3
Wool stocking cap
Aviator sunglasses
Leather work gloves
Wool camping gloves
K-Bar
cheap scarf
and a few misc. items such as food, water, and sunscreen
(due to the wind I wish I would have had ear plugs)

I would like to have some standard item such as:
brass compas
map case
binoculars
canteen

What is the standard in your pack and would anyone care to post pics of their vintage (or vintage-esque) packing/camping kit?

 

[mister7]

light weight matters!

A week ago Tuesday I walked 50 miles in 22.5 hours. I wore this pair of Adidas basketball shoes. Aside from the super-bad spectator looks, they weigh less than two pounds for the pair. I don't know how many times you pick em up and put em down in 50 miles, but it adds up! Also, the court soles have an advantage when climbing friction slab kinds of things.

long road ahead, I am at the half way point. The high point on the right end of the skyline, not the isolated butte, is my start/finish

a little cayon scenery on the way

why camp when you can stay at the motel 6?

 

[Mike in Seattle]

why camp when you can stay at the motel 6?

Looks like they failed to leave the light on...

 

[Mrs. Merl]

A week ago Tuesday I walked 50 miles in 22.5 hours. I wore this pair of Adidas basketball shoes. Aside from the super-bad spectator looks, they weigh less than two pounds for the pair. I don't know how many times you pick em up and put em down in 50 miles, but it adds up! Also, the court soles have an advantage when climbing friction slab kinds of things.

Not very vintage though....

However very nice scenery on your walk! They colors are lovely too - especially since it is spring and the green is so rich with the red!

On the topic of "light weight" - I own a pair of barely a pound trail running shoes - but they are not in the spirit of the forum so I would hesitate to post them here ever. I also consider the function of the footwear for the job at hand - mountaineering boots are thick and heavy for a reason. Any day I would put up with a little weight for the protection and rigidity that heavier boots afford - given my home terrain.

Can I inquire as to why you walked such a great distance in one day? Are you training for something or was it simply for the enjoyment?