For me, it's the Vista Windlite jacket. Mine was fibre pile with a poly/cotton outer. A great cut and immensely versatile. I know there's Buffalo et al using pile but I would not be happy sitting by a fire wearing one of those! The Windlite was very hard-wearing but, even so, I did manage to wear mine to destruction only to find they'd stopped making them. Argh!
If there is one piece of kit that’s gone, you could bring back what is it ?
- Thread starter MikeLA
- Start date
Bergans Lavvo and it’s accessories…. I still have the tent, but I failed to purchase the floor and realise I made a mistake now.
Original karrimor KSB boots, had mine 20 years, so comfortable, like gloves. Wore them to Manchu pichu, Everest base camp and several other treks. These things never let me down and never a blister, the new ones, I’ll keep my comments on that to myself!!!!
No teeth left every time you ordered from them included a packet of skettles.
It has never been common ....
I miss Radar SAS smocks - a better sleeve cut than most (one I copied for my own smocks!) and a sensible price.
I miss Radar SAS smocks - a better sleeve cut than most (one I copied for my own smocks!) and a sensible price.
I’m split over this thread. Materials and designs are much more effective than they were in my youth. They are much lighter too.
On the other hand, we still hiked, climbed, camped, carved, cooked and had a great time sixty years ago. We may have been more careful of the wet tent walls and we may have had to sharpened our knives a bit more often.
But overall - Nope, sorry. Looking at my current kit and what else is available today I can’t think of a good reason to choose the older equipment, especially if I still had to carry the stuff!
(I wouldn’t swap my 80L Aqua rucksack for anything but I’m surprised the nostalgists on the site haven’t mentioned external frames)
On the other hand, we still hiked, climbed, camped, carved, cooked and had a great time sixty years ago. We may have been more careful of the wet tent walls and we may have had to sharpened our knives a bit more often.
But overall - Nope, sorry. Looking at my current kit and what else is available today I can’t think of a good reason to choose the older equipment, especially if I still had to carry the stuff!
(I wouldn’t swap my 80L Aqua rucksack for anything but I’m surprised the nostalgists on the site haven’t mentioned external frames)
Yeah, but not with Cobmaster or Karrimor Annapurna packs attached!
I have recently returned to an external framed pack and it's brilliant: light(-ish), strong and versatile. Sometimes, modern takes on old ideas can be thoroughly worthwhile; at others, the old ideas simply can't be improved.
I have recently returned to an external framed pack and it's brilliant: light(-ish), strong and versatile. Sometimes, modern takes on old ideas can be thoroughly worthwhile; at others, the old ideas simply can't be improved.
Still have my army one and still like to use it, just now on shorter journeys
I have a couple of SAS/Para Bergens lamenting their glory days in the shed.
I'm tempted to make a external frame carrying 'basket' from plastic pvc pipe and seat belt fabric just to make something 'recycled'
I thought of sorting myself a bagless external frame for collecting logs for the wood burner.
