I have to be honest to my readers… this whole “No Gear For 2012” is just soooo not going to happen for me! I do not want to get into whether it is a good thing or a bad thing – that is something only each of us as hikers can answer. I sort of think it is great that hikers are out there trying to commit themselves to it, but for me, it is just never going to happen.
With the exception of a few pieces of cold weather gear I could take my existing hiking gear setups and do almost any hike anywhere in the world. But the thing is, I just love checking out new gear and I so love supporting the outdoor cottage gear companies it would be hard for me. Even though I already have all the gear I could possible need, there are a few items out there that I still really want to buy. Some of them to make my hiking life better, some of them to simply try them and see if I like them enough to use, some of them to see how they perform against existing gear that I already have, and some of them because they are just down-right awesome looking.
Already Purchased Items:
I have already bought a few items this year, including:
Six Moon Designs Skyscape X (review is around 80% finished, just wanting to get some more time using it)
Goosefeet Down Pants, Cuben Fiber (might write up a review on this post winter)
Gossamer Gear Bug Canopy (for pushing my XUL setup a bit further into the bug season)
Thermarest Z Lite SOL (setting a new standard for a thru-hiker pad!)
Thermarest NeoAir X-lite (oh yeah, they nailed this one!!)
Ruta Locura Carbon Fiber Tent Stakes (mostly to see if I like them are not, not sure yet)
ZPacks Carbon Fiber Tent Poles (because I am trying to go without hiking poles in 2012)
Hydropel (not sure why I did not buy this stuff last year – probably because of the price of it per ounce)
Stove pots from Zelph (because we can always use another stove pot sitting around, eh!)
Stove stand from QiWiz (awesome little Ti stove pot stand for my 1cup pot)
Sawyer PointOne Water Filter System (read my review on it here)
Platy 2-liter bag (replacement)
Inov-8 X-Talon 212 (replacements)
Gear I Plan To Buy:
Here is the gear I plan to buy at some point this year:
Black Rock Gear Vest (the lightest down filled vest on the market with at least 2 ounces of down fill)
Montbell U.L. Super Spiral Down Hugger #1 (less than 5 ounces heavier than a WM but way more comfortable!)
Icebreaker Layer 1 and Layer 2 Clothing (oh so expensive – I wish Icebreaker would sponsor me!!)
LifeProof iPhone Case (the best iphone cover for hikers??)
Suunto MC-2 Global (possibly the finest compass for hikers)
GoLite Race Visor (it is lighter than my existing sun hat)
Rite in the Rain DuraCopy paper (for the ultimate in maps)
Sealskinz Waterproof Thin Socklet (to replace my heavier mid-calf sized ones)
ZPacks Heximid Solo w/o Beak w/Netting (because who would not want the lightest weight fully enclosed shelter in the world!)
ZPacks Zero, Size Small (I already have a zero size x-small and a blast 26, but I need something in the middle without all the extras, this is the one)
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Cuben Stuff Sack Pillow (mostly because I want to see how it compares to my existing pillow, plus it could do double-duty keeping my puffy jacket dry)
Gear I Am Considering, But Not Sure On Yet:
This is a list of products that are tempting for me to purchase, but not making my ‘for sure buying’ list:
Numa Optics Prescription Glasses (very very awesome!)
Iridium Extreme Satellite Phone (without a doubt the finest sat-phone ever made for hikers!)
Mountain Laurel Designs, Patrol Shelter (this is one of the few tarps that I have almost bought a few times – I love its design!)
Kestrel 4500NV Pocket Weather Tracker (This would just be awesome to have to be able to track high/low temps each day)
BushBuddy Ultra (in a quest to do away with carrying esbit and heet)
Evernew 900ml Ti Pot (for use with the BushBuddy)
TiGoat The Bug Bivy (this really really appeals to me, even though I swore off bivys last year)
KUIU Skeleton Caper Knife (I rarely use a knife on the trail, but this full handle one would be awesome to have)
What About You?
So if you are playing to buy some more gear this year, what is at the top of your want-list??