[pct-l] Gear question?

[Bill Burge]

Many of the items preferred are outside the mainstream gear choices, but name brands are not shunned because they are named brands.

Marmot is very popular for some items
MSR is popular for the Pocket Rocket
Jetboil is a pretty "name brand" and is very popular
Thermarest is the pad of choice this past year
Big Agnes pads and tents are not uncommon
MontBell is not unheard of (just hard to size and get at times)
Patagonia is popular for those with a few extra bucks
SmartWool is VERY popular, or are they not "brand" enough?
Leki is popular

Some of the boutique items may _seem_ more prevalent to you, but that might just be that they are discussed more or that they stand out in discussion because you are unfamiliar with them.

BillB


On Sep 3, 2010, at 6:13 AM, Nicholas Fey wrote:

> This post may not sit well with a moderator, but still I wish to put it out and 
> see what the general feedback is from it. What's the situation with outdoor 
> people and their condemnation of brands, I have never heard such a strong stance 
> against name brand items until I joined the ultra-running community mail list. 
> Then here, reading the archives all the way back to 2008-nearly every gear 
> question included numerous subtle comments suggesting that anything which can be 
> identified by its brand is absurd or a poor choice. 
> 
> 
>  Which leads me to my question of: Is it just that I am misinterpreting a 
> persons reply to a gear question or is that honestly on the overall a large 
> number of people on here have personal issues with brands? 
> 
> By brands I mean like these:
> MSR - Any question about stoves lead to saying a home built alcohol stove was 
> better
> Any backpack brand other than "ULA" (who they are I don't know) is just bulky, 
> heavy, and no good
> Any tent question lead to that manufactured tents are as above bulky, heavy, and 
> no good that a tarp would serve better
> 
> Those three are of course just the most consistent items I saw during two years 
> worth of traffic. 
> 
> 
> In closing please don't take me as Trolling because I ask this in earnest, due 
> to my in no more then four years stepping away from everything, for a year to 
> hike and enjoy life as Thoreau suggest in "Walden" (I even have 2 acres which I 
> may do as he did, and build my living with my own hands).
> 
> Nick,
> 
> P.S: Great list as I said about the history I read, it certainly gave me pause 
> for consideration on numerous items which I would have most likely glossed over 
> during any stage of preparation for a thru-hike.
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