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| WISH LIST | |
| This section is a bit self-indulgent, but is just what the title suggests. It is a list of items that I am curious about and may consider purchasing. Since I try to stay on top of the latest developments in camping gear, I occassionally find items that seem tempting. If/when I purchase any of the items below, I will add them to other sections of this website with information about whether or not they worked out well for me.
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| Jansport D2 Backpack
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Many of the posting on this website make reference to the Jansport D3 backpack that I have had for over 20 years and still use today. When I bought it, the only larger Jansport pack available was the D2, which hasn't been made in a long, long time. Well, Jansport just rolled out the D2 again this year, much to the delight of many like me whose vintage model external frame packs are finally starting to show some wear. I expect to purchase one of these, and that it will last me for the second half of my adult life. Just waiting for the price to come down, and to see if they will offer it in any other colors than the one shown here.
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| Handheld Global Prositioning System (GPS)
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When I was a Boy Scout, if you wanted to keep from getting lost on the trail, you learned how to use a map and a compass. These are still skills that all hikers should posess. On a recent hiking trip with my older son, however, I learned just how nice it would have been to have a GPS system in addition to my compass. About a half mile in at Colorado Bend State Park, we discovered that the trails were only marked by metal polls with faded colors on top. The map we were given made no mention of colors, and despite our best analysis of which trail to take using our compass, we wound up on the wrong trail. Thankfully it only put us a little out of our way, but it did make me think that the new GPS technology would have helped us avoid this error. Garmin has a new line of handhelds coming out in June of 2011, and I am considering the one shown to the left.
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| Snow Peak LiteMax Stove
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The "Upper main compartment" section of this website talks about how useful the JetBoil stove is for backpacking trips that generally just require boiling water for any hot meal. One thing to consider, however, is what you would do on a long hiking trip if your primary stove stops working. Freeze dried food isn't always fantastic when it it hot, much less cold. This Snow Peak Lite Max stove is one of the smallest, lightest, and most compact stoves I have ever seen, and fits into the tiny little pouch shown here. As such, I think it makes the perfect back-up stove, and would come in handy if you ever wanted to be heating two things at the same time. It is a bit pricey at about $60. The MSR Pocket Rocket is a good, less expensive, but slightly bulkier alternative at $40.
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| GSI Bugaboo Camper Cook Kit
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I'm not sure why they named this the "Bugaboo" camper, but GSI makes some of the best cooking equipment for backpacking. I have a GSI Pinnacle Dualist cook kit, which I haven't used much yet, but am very pleased with. It is light, compact, durable, well-designed, and just right for two people. The cook kit shown here is its bigger brother, designed to serve four people. Since my whole family goes camping together occasionally, this is a very tempting item. It usually sells for $100, but you can occasionally find it for about $80.
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| Equinox Ultrlight Nylon Tarp
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One of my favorite pieces of equipment when I was a Boy Scout was my 6' x 8' rectangular nylon tarp. I orginally bought it as a ground cloth to put under a tent for water protection, but soon switched to using it as a fly. We would string a rope between two trees, hang the tarp over it, and run lines down at the corners to stake it to the ground. We kept out of the rain under it, stayed in the shade under it, cooked under it, played cards under it, etc. There were even many nights when I slept under it in my camping hammock (no heavy tent necessary). It was truly one of the most useful and flexible items I ever owned. That tarp has worn out, and I am now considering this ultralight version of it as a replacement. This particular tarp weighs half as much as my old one and costs twice as much. I'm not sure it is worth the tradeoff, but at my age I'll go with lighter when I can afford to.
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| Scarpa Terra GTX Hiking Boots
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For most hiking trips, I wear a pair of Merrell "low-top" hiking shoes, and they are great. But for long trips, it is nice to have a pair of water-proof, high-top leather boots. These have Vibram soles, which are good, and have very few seams where water can try to get in. These came recommended in a recent copy of Backpacker Magazine, and I look forward to trying some on soon. I have worn out several pairs of high-top hiking boots in my life, and these looks like they would last a long time. $160 may seem like a lot for a pair of boots, but if they are comfortable to hike in and last a long time, they will be worth it.
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| SteriPen AdventurerOpti Water Purifier
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Of all of the items required for a hiking trip, water is among the heaviest. Based on my experience, it is safe to assume 4 liters of clean water per person, per day. At 2.2 pounds per liter, a couple days worth of water can add almost 20 pounds to your pack. Since it is foolish to think you can pack enough in, you will need to find water elsewhere. Water from streams and lakes may look clean enough to drink, but the illnesses that can result are not worth it. This SteriPen water purifier is highly recommended, and I look forward to owning one soon.
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| Snow Peak GigaPower Lantern - Auto
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This particular item is not what I would consider a camping essential, but it is just so cool. Nobody would ever take their Coleman dual-mantle lantern, which is a great item otherwise, on an actual hiking trip. It is too big, too bulky, too heavy, and runs on liquid fuel. But this little item, while it only has one mantle, is light, compact, and runs on the same fuel canisters as most backpacking stoves. And it comes in a nifty little case to keep the glass globe from breaking. It is avaiable with or without the auto lighting feature.
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| Cocoon Air Core Pillow
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While you can always use the stuff sack with your clothing in it for a pillow on a campout, it can be kind of lumpy and uncomfortable. I used to have a camping pillow the was filled with cushy stuffing. It was comfortable enough for a small pillow, but even crushed into its stuff sack it was pretty bulky and could have been lighter. I don't know what happened to that pillow. Anyway, I have read good reviews about this one. It has a plush top and the rest is just air. Folds up compact and light into a nice little stuff sack. Sounds good to me.
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| Lodge Logic 6-Quart Dutch Oven
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Clearly, cast iron is not the ideal material for hiking equipment, but this is prized camping gear for many Scout campers. The Lodge brand comes highly recommended, and they even make this nifty Boy Scout logo model.
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