There is a satisfying feeling in using kit that you have had a long time and know well. On the other hand, it is good to try out new kit.
One current fashion amongst backpackers is ultralight - eg using tarp tent, and cooking on a pepsi can stove plus titanium pot (ca 250g versus 1 kilo for the Swedish Army messkit.) Of course, a tiny pot with a side handle is not ideal with a fire.
Ultralight is nothing new - as Nessmuk said 'Go light, as light as possible' although I think some folk take it to extremes (cutting off labels and edges of maps for instance)
Of course, it depends what you are doing - if you're walking a lot, especially if uphill, you want a lighter outfit. Although I like sleeping under a basha, I often prefer a lightweight tent as sometimes I prefer to sleep in the mountains rather than the forests, and I think the tent is better suited.
It's interesting to note Rays first book listed a Coleman petrol stove and Coleman stainless cookset in his outfit - that is exactly what I used in the mid eighties. But I got fed up of the Colemans unreliability and moved to gas which served me well - until recently when the gas stove did not perform well in the snow and wind. Just now I'm trialling the Swedish military Trangia and I like it a lot. I don't know why as it is too heavy by modern standards but it is compact, 'nice to use' and as reliable as the sunrise. And it works with the fire.
It looks like RM has also dropped the 'woodlore tomahawk' (what that?) in favour of the Gransfors SFA.
Either I am getting fitter, or kit is much lighter than it used to be. I did the four day 50 mile Duke of Edinburgh trip in Cumbria 20 years ago when I was 17 or so and struggled a bit with a 66 litre sac full of kit. I can manage now with the 40 litre sabre for that kind of trip and still have room.
Sorry, this is a rambling thread. But I just wondered how others find the outfit evolves over time.
One current fashion amongst backpackers is ultralight - eg using tarp tent, and cooking on a pepsi can stove plus titanium pot (ca 250g versus 1 kilo for the Swedish Army messkit.) Of course, a tiny pot with a side handle is not ideal with a fire.
Ultralight is nothing new - as Nessmuk said 'Go light, as light as possible' although I think some folk take it to extremes (cutting off labels and edges of maps for instance)
Of course, it depends what you are doing - if you're walking a lot, especially if uphill, you want a lighter outfit. Although I like sleeping under a basha, I often prefer a lightweight tent as sometimes I prefer to sleep in the mountains rather than the forests, and I think the tent is better suited.
It's interesting to note Rays first book listed a Coleman petrol stove and Coleman stainless cookset in his outfit - that is exactly what I used in the mid eighties. But I got fed up of the Colemans unreliability and moved to gas which served me well - until recently when the gas stove did not perform well in the snow and wind. Just now I'm trialling the Swedish military Trangia and I like it a lot. I don't know why as it is too heavy by modern standards but it is compact, 'nice to use' and as reliable as the sunrise. And it works with the fire.
It looks like RM has also dropped the 'woodlore tomahawk' (what that?) in favour of the Gransfors SFA.
Either I am getting fitter, or kit is much lighter than it used to be. I did the four day 50 mile Duke of Edinburgh trip in Cumbria 20 years ago when I was 17 or so and struggled a bit with a 66 litre sac full of kit. I can manage now with the 40 litre sabre for that kind of trip and still have room.
Sorry, this is a rambling thread. But I just wondered how others find the outfit evolves over time.
Without food my pack can go pretty low, but if you do 'bushcraft' with the clothes you wear and a knife, I'd say it's on the edge to 'survival'. :roll: My 2 cents.
