I appreciate a lot of these comments but I really don't want it to become a persoanl issue - I have a huge amount of respect for Cameron/TGO - my point was that both TGO/Trail have done gear reviews which I also respect, then I buy the stuff only to find the 'Best Buys/Recommended' is superceded (inevitably I suppose) by either another ethos (light is right) or a new product (ditto usually) which leaves my TGO/Trail best buy kit looking a bit old fashioned etc months after TGO/Trail recommended it
In a sense, the respected mags have a responsibility to its readers as we do take your advice and buying the 'latest' on a regular basis is simply not an option for most of us - so that reading what we do have is innappropriate at best or 'encased in leather' at the worst is rather frustrating
Andrew AAsh
PS I'm damned if I buy Terrocs as next month we will all be using stilts or something
Aash, I think if you buy a product and it works for you then that's all that matters. Best Buys are always Best Buys.
In the magazines we can only review what is supplied and say what we think at the time. Speaking for TGO I don't think the Best Buys or the ethos changes much. I've been pushing lightweight for many years. Sometimes I'm attacked because I'm still giving the same products Best Buy (as with the Akto - since 1993!). I notice that Graham at Trail sometimes gets the same criticism. Also, understandably, many readers want reviews of the latest gear, which means that we may be saying something is superb that wasn't in an earlier review.
I gave the Terrocs Best Buy last June and recommended the Inov8 Flyroc 310 a year earlier.
Nex month I hope it'll be warm enough to wear sandals :-)
fair enuff Chris and inevitably I suppose the dynamic nature of product development/technology means the 'old stuff' quickly gets out of date - but I'm sure you can understand the frustration of Joe Soap on the hill who sometimes reads with dismay that his cherished bit of kit is now a liabilty in terms of performance, endurance or safety (?)
Andrew, I don't think most stuff that works does get out of date. There may now be lighter tents than the Akto but I still think it's the best compromise between weight and space available even though the design is 13 years old. Quite a bit of the gear I use by choice (as opposed to when testing) has been around awhile. My Tilley Hat is 16 years old, my titanium pan 14 years old.
In some cases newer gear is definitely better. LED headlamps are a case in point. I haven't used an incandescent bulb light since the Petzl Tikka first appeared. That doesn't mean the old lights were no good, just that the new LED ones are better and a good choice if replacing an old one.
Modern manufacturing does mean that some products, especially clothes. have lives of six months or less but the replacement items are often no better than the originals and sometimes worse.
I've been walking sandals since 1993! & that includes a 500 mile walk in the High Sierra in California and many Munros.
I first used trail shoes in 1982 and walked 1500 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail in them. There have been some technological and fabric changes (the main one a negative in my view - the introduction of waterproof membranes into shoes) but today's trail shoes aren't that different to those of almost a quarter of a century ago.
1 day last year, HiTech Altidudes and Ultimax socks (and day sack) vs Carn Bhac = 5 blisters. Last couple of days, up and down Glen Ey, then Linn of Dee to Geldie Lodge and back (40km) with a 14kg load with SL2, superfeet and Ultimax socks = 4 blisters.
I did spend some of Saturday thinking "if I buy merino socks and Terrocs, will I be in less pain?" Of course, being overweight and underfit doesn't help. It's not me, I just need to spend more money on better gear ;-)
I'll dig out the TGO reviews to see how the sole compares with the SL2.
Sorry I've missed much of this thread – I've been away. Sorry too if I sound like I'm preaching. I certainly don't mean to sound like that so thanks for pointing it out – put it down to enthusiasm. I think Chris has made all the relevant points about lightweight gear and footwear in particular. I've mostly been a boot man and it's only in the past year that I've worn trail shoes on the hills, other than the odd day this past winter when there's been a lot of snow and ice about. I hadn't fully appreciated the difference until I wore heavy boots on those snowy occasions. That was when I fully realised how heavy and cumbersome they felt - to me. I think I made the point in one of my earlier pieces on ultralight backpacking that choosing equipment is very much a personal choice and choosing when to use various types of equipment depends on other circumstances, like the weather, the underfoot conditions, the state of the trail etc. If nothing else, ultralight backpacking makes us think about the gear we use, how it will best perform and how we use it. I believe that's quite a good thing. Others may disagree. So, I apologise again if some of you think I've been over the top in my enthusiasm - it's simply the zeal of the evangelist. After 15 years of badgering the outdoor industry to produce ultralight gear it's finally happening and I'm delighted about that. Finally, I've said it before and I'll say it again – the important thing is not the gear but being out there doing it. Its the hills and wild places that are important, the gear is only a means to an end.
Well, you got me convinced, Cameron and Chris. Laid out kit for a couple of days in the Cairngorm NP, and then thought about what I needed to take. Standing on bathroom scales wearing/carrying different kit. Difficult to get rid of the old Scout mentality, taking extra kit just in case.
Taking K out of the KFS kit; everythings in waterproof bags, so don't need packcover, etc. TGO and Chris' backpacking books have been v useful as I get into my 2nd year, remembering that I used to love hiking when I was a kid.
I certainly wouldn't leave out anything essential, but I now notice when catalogues don't mention how heavy items are, and literally weighed up options where I had optional kit. After the last couple of days, I'll be updating socks and boxers, using 2 poles instead of one, and will investigate footwear when the summer is too warm for my relatively new SLs.
Keep up the good work, I especially liked the photo-montage of Cameron's kit changes through the ages.
Thanks Duncan. I hope you feel the same after your trip to the Cairngorms. And that you get good weather. When are you going? There's still a great deal of snow high up.
Went Friday/Saturday, Chris. Came back with 4 blisters, thighs chafed and no Munros bagged (I know to avoid things like snow and rocks that I'm not experienced to go near). I still had a great time, watching the deer, chatting to people on the way, taking photos, and just enjoying myself. Great victories when I got across two rivers back from Geldie Lodge with dry feet. The daily grind rarely gives such feeling of success to me.
