[pct-l] Re: Old Trailwise Bag--vintage gear

[Tortoise73 at charter.net (Tortoise)]

I read Colin's book back in about 1971 when I first started backpacking 
with the Sierra Club. I still use the frame of my original A-16 frame, 
although every other part of the pack has been replaced, modified, and 
somewhat lightened. I still have a Svea 123 stove as well as the 123R 
which has the nozzle cleaning wire built in. Haven't fired them for 
quite some time. Also have a set of Sigg potts (1, 2, & 3 liter) and I 
think some Sigg aluminum bottles (for fuel).

Enough gear (except for tent and clothes) to do a retro backpack. And 
back then there were people who packed much lighter than Colin 
recommended and people were using tarps instead of tents.


I don't know about the amount of  guide books and such then verses now. 
Wilderness Press published quite a few and there was also _Starr's Guide 
to the John Muir Trail_ which covered the JMT and numerous laterals, 
some probably long abandoned. Maps were generally USGS 15 minute topos 
or Forest Service.

If Monte or someone else does get a museum going, I'd be glad to donate 
some of my old gear.




Deems wrote:
> I read Colin's books 30 years ago, and sifted his wisdom into my trail
> cache. Some of us are aware that Colin is in his late 80s, and no longer
> hiking (maybe gone), but his mark upon our lives is deep. I recently found a
> signed first edition hard copy of his "The Man who Walked Thru Time", his
> Grand Canyon trek on ebay, and it is a personal treasure. Colin gave us much
> more than he received. Some of the vintage gear I used that are in my dusty
> trail cache are: A North Face Chamoix down bag ('80), Kelty Serac (1973),
> Sierra Design 60/40 Parka (1973), Sierra Design Wilderness Tent  (1974),
> Svea Stove'73, Vasque Boots 1973, Kelty Raincoat '74, Chounaird Pyramid tent
> ('87), and a TNF Westwind tent. The TNF Chamoix bag is still in trail shape
> and is my current cold trip bag, the Chounaird Pyramid goes with me locally,
> and the Westwind equals my Bibler I-tent in the worst-ever of weather. Most
> of the other gear is best for the museum, not the trail. I visited the
> Holubar store in Colorado Springs just before I did my Grand Canyon hike in
> 1974. What a great time the 1970s were for backpacking, using the best
> bombproof gear available, and exploring the wilderness with poor maps, few
> guidebooks, no internet, and not knowing any better; It was the best of
> hiking times!  I cremated my North Face Down Parka (1974) a few years ago,
> and may soon cremate my NF Superlite bag, since all that's left is a few
> feathers and a shell. In 1990 I saw a North Face Morning Glory ('75) tent
> set up at Trail Camp below Mt Whitney, and it warmed my heart! Monte Dodge
> (2me) is the curator of the dreamland vintage Backpacking Museum, and ebay
> is the store that still carrys our backpacking gear memories. Hike now, and
> on into forever.
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^
> On Sunday, Sept. 25, Mtnned wrote:
> 
> Such a fantastic and small world we live in that we should have done  the
> same thing!  My bag is blue as well and its down is thinning and  drifting
> as
> well after 31 years!  I remember before buying it, laying it on  the
> upstairs
> floor at the Ski Hut and marveling at how much loft it had.   There was no
> such
> thing as 6, 7, 800-fill down back then, yet we went everywhere  with what we
> could get.
> 
> Speaking of Fletcher, did you, after reading the first Complete Walker,
> begin sleeping at the base of your pack, propped up against a tree, or cook
> your
> meals on a Svea stove at your side?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry for the delayed response, been busy at home lately.  I think that
> Trailwise bag was filled with what would be 800-900 fill down today.  It was
> definitely one of the top of the line bags,  and it is a testament to its
> quality that it lasted more than twenty years of hard use.  I never weighed
> it, but I did notice that it felt heavier than my new REI Sub Kilo bag,
> although the Sub Kilo isn't of the same overall quality.  I never got cold
> in that old Trailwise bag even below freezing, but there were many times I
> got too hot!  You know it's been a while, but I  remember  getting in the
> Trailwise bag in the Ski Hut to try it out for size, and also marveling  at
> how puffy and warm it was.  I'm not even sure if that Ski Hut still exists.
> 
> Oh yes, after I read  Fletcher I did all that stuff and bought mostly the
> gear he recommended.  I remember buying these insanely heavy Vasque hiking
> boots that must have weighted 4 lbs a pair and bore an uncanny resemblance
> to Frankenstein boots.  Of course we would load them up with a pound of
> Sno-Seal just to make sure they were waterproof.  Remember how it was a
> badge of honor back then to have boots with Vibram soles?  I had a Svea 123
> stove that was very reliable and heavy, but sounded like an F-18 Tomcat
> taking off in full afterburner.  It usually scared away all the harmless
> wildlife within a five mile radius of your camp, while attracting the
> dangerous ones such as bears.  I bought this backpacking air mattress at Ski
> Hut that had 7-8 individual tubes of air that had to be blown up--wonderful
> for building up the lung capacity, just what you wanted to do after hiking
> 15 miles with a fifty lb. pack up a 30% grade.  And of course we all had
> heavy Kelty or Jan Sport packs back then too.  Fletcher was such a fussy
> Englishman, but he was the Dean's peanuts back then--and still is!
> 
> 
> 
> John Coyle
> 
> 
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