Being the curious type i've tried most material types and still keep trying them, problem with many things like clothing materials, cooking set metals etc is that many many times our opinions come about from preconceived notions and subliminal opinions that we have heard about.
As an example i've been using a certain base layer for over 1 year now, and it's by far the best i've come across, it's comfortable, wicks well, doesn't smell and is reasonably priced.
Hearing this my mate asked if he could try one.
On handing it over i told him a bit about the material and on hearing it was man made fibres he started complaining about how he didn't like how it felt on his skin, made him sweat etc etc, still he said he'd try it.
Few weeks later he handed it back and basically replayed what he said before even wearing it, hated how it felt next to his skin, made him sweat, caused a rash etc etc.
Odd thing is i've been using this for over 1 year and none of his "experiences" made any sense.
So a few weeks later i gave him the exact same base layer but in a different colour and with a turtle neck kind of design, tis time though i lied and told him it was Merino wool.
He still has the top, wears it every time he's out walking and absolutely loves it.
He even bestows it's virtues on walks telling how natural fibres are so much better, he likes it THAT much i honestly don't have the heart to tell him
So as with any walk of life our kit choices are made up mainly of preconceived ideas, we choose many items to fail even before we try them.
I have noticed that there does seem to be a trend on here with many people going for military style clothing.
This is often a cheap way to get kitted up so should not be knocked.
It does kinda bemuse me though when i see people paying more for some used, outdated, heavy, uncomfortable exMOD kit than something far superior from say Berghaus, Mountain Equipment etc.
There is no right or wrong choices, we spend our hard earned on stuff that we want, if people keep an open mind though there are often better lighter solutions out there.
For me my kit weight and choice depends entirely on my activity.
If i'm planning on walking 20 miles in a day and wild camping then i'll pack as light as possible and make severe compromises to save as many grams as i can.
If i'm out camping with the kids then i know i need to make life a little bit more comfortable for them, plus we won't be doing anywhere near 20 miles, so my kit becomes heavier.
If our only intention is to walk far enough to wild camp then we'll go even heavier and even take stuff like fold away chairs.
If we are car camping then everything plus the kitchen sink comes along.
So kit weight for us depends entirely on the activity and how far we plan on walking.
The great thing about bushcraft for me is that instead of lugging things miles, we often have the ability to carry lighter loads because we are able to make more use of the natural materials around us.
Cheers
Mark
