- Joined
- Jan 28, 2006
- Messages
- 7,035
First let's throw out all of the junk gear -- whether it's light, ultralight, or just cheap and heavy.
Now, speaking of the GOOD GEAR, I don't think the U/L scene has hurt us. Part of the big jump in cost for U/L gear is materials cost. They replace a lot of steel, aluminum and even plastic with titanium -- light and costly. A lot of the new U/L fabrics are single source, as they are still under patent protection, so the company has an effective monopoly on it for several years, and they amortize their R&D costs over that time period. Now, I do believe the U/L gear is less durable than "light" gear, and especially heavy use gear.
Question is: Does what you do require additional durability? If you're a backpacker and just try to make mileage on a prepped trail, no, not really. If you're trailblazing in rough country, you probably want some more durable gear.
What I really like is the blend of high durability and reduced weight overall in relation to the past, that's found in companies making new gear for the military folks. They know a rucksack has to be bombproof, so you suck up the weight and cost of 1000D Cordura. But the stuff in the ruck doesn't have to be bombproof. So you get tents that are more durable than Sil Nylon used in UI/L gear, but WAY lighter than older designs. You can get Titanium mess gear, etc.
Then there's the traditional makers like Duluth Pack, Frost River and Alder Stream that make very tough leather and canvas gear and have come out with some innovative designs lately to appeal to those that like traditional materials with some more modern improvements.
Now, speaking of the GOOD GEAR, I don't think the U/L scene has hurt us. Part of the big jump in cost for U/L gear is materials cost. They replace a lot of steel, aluminum and even plastic with titanium -- light and costly. A lot of the new U/L fabrics are single source, as they are still under patent protection, so the company has an effective monopoly on it for several years, and they amortize their R&D costs over that time period. Now, I do believe the U/L gear is less durable than "light" gear, and especially heavy use gear.
Question is: Does what you do require additional durability? If you're a backpacker and just try to make mileage on a prepped trail, no, not really. If you're trailblazing in rough country, you probably want some more durable gear.
What I really like is the blend of high durability and reduced weight overall in relation to the past, that's found in companies making new gear for the military folks. They know a rucksack has to be bombproof, so you suck up the weight and cost of 1000D Cordura. But the stuff in the ruck doesn't have to be bombproof. So you get tents that are more durable than Sil Nylon used in UI/L gear, but WAY lighter than older designs. You can get Titanium mess gear, etc.
Then there's the traditional makers like Duluth Pack, Frost River and Alder Stream that make very tough leather and canvas gear and have come out with some innovative designs lately to appeal to those that like traditional materials with some more modern improvements.