Favourite gear

[Burnsy]

Socks are definitely up there for me. I have a pair of merino mid-weight socks from Mountain Designs that have been going strong for a couple of years now. They've long outlasted their Icebreaker equivalents and have kept their formm much better too. Sadly they are no longer available

Strider, don't know if they are the same model but the MD's mid weight merino socks are on sale at the moment for $20

[Strider]

Socks are definitely up there for me. I have a pair of merino mid-weight socks from Mountain Designs that have been going strong for a couple of years now. They've long outlasted their Icebreaker equivalents and have kept their formm much better too. Sadly they are no longer available

Strider, don't know if they are the same model but the MD's mid weight merino socks are on sale at the moment for $20

Never mind MDs - I've discovered Darn Tough Vermont!

[Hiking Noob]

Five Ten Shoes, they aren't the most efficient shoe to walk in but they grip to everything, wet or dry.

[wallwombat]

My Kindle Paperwhite.

[Bubbalouie]

... Zebralight H600mk2 then the Zpacks Arc Blast

Plenty of other gear I like but these two never change regardless of the destination & I couldn't think that of what is replace them with if I had to (other than new units of the same model)

[Empty]

Strider, don't know if they are the same model but the MD's mid weight merino socks are on sale at the moment for $20[/quote]

I bought some of MD Camino merino recently on sale for around $13. Made in Italy and nothing wrong with them.

[perfectlydark]

Love my homemade Hammock (soon to be accompanied with homemade tarp).
As for official gear, my Berhaus pack (65+10) is amazing, most comfy pack ive owned and love the waist buckle system

[markg]

My old billy, it's blackened , deformed, but I love it. WM sleeping bag is cosy as too. Always a joy to get in when it's cold.

[tazrich]

I do love my Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer down jacket for when it is cold, but the item use almost every day are my darn tough socks.
Come to think of it,
I love my Olympus
I love my OP McMillan
I love my OP Dandelion
etc, etc !

[Ellobuddha]

Five Ten Shoes, they aren't the most efficient shoe to walk in but they grip to everything, wet or dry.

Great on the mtb bike. Nothing better.

[Hiking Noob]

Five Ten Shoes, they aren't the most efficient shoe to walk in but they grip to everything, wet or dry.

Great on the mtb bike. Nothing better.

Great everywhere, except KFC and Hungry Jack's, they leave nasty black marks on their floor for some reason.

Since I only really ride I'll throw up a mention for my Deuter Race X Air hydration pack. I bought a Camelback to replace it and the Deuter ended up sitting outside the shed for a year, I really hated the Camelback it was like a sausage strapped to your back, so I got the hedge trimmers out and cut the vines off the Deuter and it was good to go, the zips still worked and I'm still running my 12yo pack today.

[biggbird]

My Kindle Paperwhite.

+1

[stry]

My sleeping bag !!!!!!!!!

[Gadgetgeek]

My hammock. Its been the biggest change in my camping, even if I don't stick with this particular one long term, I think I'll be a hammocker for a long time.

[Empty]

I have never used a hammock but am interested in the concept. Can you sleep on your side? How much of a hassle is it to find 2 suitable trees that are safe to sleep under.

[Gadgetgeek]

Finding trees is a bit tough at times, thankfully a lot of the places I use the hammock have removed the older gums, and have better trees in place. Since its not just the hammock hangers who are at risk with them, one gum tree can take up a lot of good tent real-estate. When that is the case, I'm not the only one who's looking for a good spot. I have a few times been able to hang on slopes or other spots not suitable for a tent, leaving others more room. I'll probably need to get a tent for open places, I don't always have the choice of location.
I am mostly a back sleeper, but on the side works pretty well. different styles fit different sleepers. Mine (Hennessy expedition) is a gathered end, so it wraps me up more than a bridge style would.

[perfectlydark]

I sleep on my side in my hammock. Very comfy to sleep in but in colder months you will need an underquilt or attempt to sleep on a mat in the hammock as it can get quite cold overnight in one. Thats the only downside for me

[LandSailor]

My Kindle Paperwhite.

+1

The Kindle is great but Ive found its also worth getting an open eco-system ebook reader like the Kobo Glo. The hardware is pretty much equivalent except it will read a whole lot more ebook formats than the Kindle including the main one -> epub. I also like the fact that with the Kobo Glo, after the initial setup you can uninstall the desktop software and turn off the wifi so it no longer "phones home". You install ebooks on it like a normal USB thumbdrive (just copy the .epub file onto it). There are lots of ebooks (ummm..."offsite backups") available for download off the internet if you know where to look. Not that I would encourage such behaviour.

[Gadgetgeek]

Plus all of the gutenburg project stuff which is public domain! so even if you stick to that stuff, there is a massive free library of classics.

[wallwombat]

I can turn off the wifi on my Kindle.

My other favourite bit of gear is my Golite Quest rucksack. It might not be super light compared to those ULA packs and similar but it's ligfhter than any pack I have previously own, can still carry a decent weight and is really comfortable.

I'm also a climber so having a pack that is pretty light but still able to carry a decent load is perfect if you are carrying a weeks worth of food and a lot of climbing gear up to somewhere like Balor Hut in the Warrumbungles.

[Hiking Noob]

My health, it enables me to head out bush
My gear doesn't seem as important as it used to be, in saying that I understand it's importance and my reliance on it to stay safe and enjoy myself.

It is something you take for granted, I have been putting off going to the doctor for years about foot pain(I know the cause) and doing a trial walk has made me regret being such a lazy person. Should make the hike a bit more of a challenge I suppose, also having a pack that sits oddly because neither collarbone sits where it should isn't something I'd really thought about, makes setting the pack up in front of a mirror pointless. My new Zamberlan boots will never make my favourite gear list, should have got the Italian made ones, live and learn I guess, haha!