Who do I like? Vasque and Keen for shoes/boots. Gregory Mountain Products for backpacks. REI for backpacking tents. Columbia for pants. Wigwam for socks. MSR for stoves.
I’m all about promoting the folks who build cool gear in their garages, but there are a few corporate outfits that sell stuff worth having. Usually it’s cheaper for the usual reasons: low pay overseas. I’m pretty sure I don’t own anything from The North Face; I might have a pair of socks from Patagonia (picked up on deep discount somewhere). I’m sure I’ve covered these in bits at pieces over the years, but here’s an all-in-one-place summation:
Shoes/Boots
I had great luck with a pair of leather Vasque boots — sturdy build, good traction, nice tread life. Lately I’m walking in Keen mid-ankle hikers. They’re essentially sandals with a roof, with all the comfort features Keen built a reputation on plus decent ankle support and good traction. For awhile I was crazy about lightweight trail-running shoes from Montrail and I could go back to them when my Keens wear out. Thing about shoes is: if they feel good, buy ’em. When they die, buy more. Also, get picky about finding shoes in your foot width: New Balance has the most extra-wide models; haven’t hiked in ’em myself but I’ve near heard anybody complain about NB shoes.
Packs
I’m a big fan of Gregory Mountain Products, and not just because I interviewed the founder, Wayne Gregory, yesterday. I have a Gregory G weekend pack and Icarus daypack. Both are light and strong with a modicum of bells and whistles (and both are no longer sold). I was also one of the last fans of Dana Designs packs, but the brand has all but vanished now (Though you can still buy Dana Gleason’s packs at MysteryRanch.com)
Tents
The REI-branded tents sold by the retail giant are built to compete with all the major name brands and they hold up solidly. I have an old Quarter Dome that deserves more nights on the dirt, and had a really cool car-camping tent called the Hobitat that I had to unload after it turned out my wife was only being nice when she agreed to go camping with me. You don’t usually expect much from a store brand, but REI’s gear tends to compare well with the other big brands.
Clothing
Columbia is one of those middle-of-the-road companies that doesn’t seem too flashy, edgy, greenie, etc. I’ve had the same pair nylon hiking pants with the zip-off legs for going on five years now. There are a few tiny rips and tears but have held up remarkably well. The much flashier Ex Officio pants I own aren’t nearly as impressive.
Also, I can’t help but rave again on the staying power of Wigwam hiking socks. I still haven’t worn through the soles on the pairs I bought in 2005.
Stoves
My MSR Pocket Rocket is a solid little performer. Lights easily, gets water boiling quick. Of course those JetBoils have taken over the stove world; I still don’t own one but I might someday.
Well, that’s enough of my rambling… how about adding your faves in the comments?
Almost all my basic equipment is Columbia. Each piece works well, and I haven’t had to replace much. Also, Columbia products usually aren’t too expensive, which is a definite plus! Good luck in all your adventures!
Tom,
What a great topic. I do a lot of backpacking and consider myself a gear junkie. I do find that I gravitate towards a number of brands that I have found dependable and useful. I love Marmot clothing, especially jackets and shells. REI shirts and pants are top notch too. My favorite sleeping bags are Marmot and Mountain Hardwear. I love my Montrail Helium boots and MSR Sweetwater filter. My favorite tents are the MSR Hubba and Big Agnes Seedhouse UL Tents, although the REI tents are nice too (I have eight HalfDome tents that my Royal Rangers use for backpacking). I use a Jetboil for most cooking (boiling), but have my MSR WindPro for those extended outings. My favorite pack is a Osprey Aether 70, but I’ve been looking at the Gregory packs (don’t tell my wife).
One thing is for sure, I wouldn’t have most of this gear if it wasn’t REI and their super clearance and used gear sales. Thanks for another great column. Glad to see you back with both heels on the blog!
-dave miller
Boots = Asolo (for narrow feet like mine)
Pack = Gregory Palisade (no regrets!)
Tent = North Face, REI (I rent an REI tent for backpacking)
Clothing = Columbia, REI
Stove = I don’t like the boil-is-all-i-do stoves. I rented an MSR Windpro and almost bought one, but I decided on the Primus Eta because it came with pot, winscreen, and could simmer better than the MSR. I avoided white fuel stoves because they needed more cleaning, have fireballs, and I don’t camp in the extreme cold that makes isobutane less desirable.
Tom, this kind of question can get some hot and heavy discussions going in an Appalachian Trail shelter. I am not much of a gear head but my two cents.
I bought a Dana Glacier pack and I love it. I have carried it almost 7,000 miles now it is holding up great. They were bought by someone I cannot recall who, But in 2007 when a shoulder strap was going down i called a 1 800 number and they sent me a new strap to a Post Office on the AT.
Shoes: I like light hikers and try to find something with a Vibram sole. I prefer Merrill‘s but am not that picky. the uppers always wear out before the Vibram sole.
Tent: I have been carrying a Black Diamond betamid or beta light for those 7,000 miles but i want some bug screening. I know I am a wimp But sometimes it is hard to sleep when the bugs are bad. I am thinking about a Squal 2 from tarp tent. Will still carry my beta light when bugs are not too bad.
Stove: beer can alcohol stove. Biggest drawback: Does not get hot enough for popcorn 🙁
Heck, like you say there are plenty of companies that make good equipment. People tend to get attached to what works for them. I would be dissapointed if I had to replace my pack that I affectionately call Stinky Boy.
Hey Tom. Have you heard about the Vibram FiveFingers shoes?
Tim Ferriss, the Four-Hour Workweek author, just had a big post about them on his blog:
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/05/07/vibram-five-fingers-shoes/
They sound pretty cool, and like they can be used for hiking.
Oooh, oooh, gear. My favorite thing to talk about next to trip planning.
Shoes/Boots: I’ve frequently declared my love of Garmont footwear, the only brand that seems to fit my weird feet. However, having recently done some hiking in a new pair of Patagonia Release trail runners, I am seriously considering switching my loyalty. Nothing against Garmont, but those Patagonias fit me like a glove and I really like their design. (full disclaimer: they were given to me at the OR winter show – However, I did plan on turning down the free footwear if they didn’t fit. Luckily they do.)
Packs: Osprey, hands down. Osprey seems to have the ‘female-form’ dialed in and their women’s packs fit me really, really well.
Tents: Tarptent Tarptent Tarptent!
Clothing: When I first started hiking and was a bit overweight, Marmot was a really good fit for me. When I lost weight and clothes started fitting me differently, Patagonia and The North Face became the replacement. I grew up in a place where TNF was the wannabe brand so I felt kind of stupid buying it the first couple of times, but the great fit and design has helped me get over that. I’ve also recently bought some backcountry.com branded clothing and it seems to be top quality and has a great fit for activity. I’ll be getting more from them.
Stoves: I have no particular loyalty to any stove brand. We have an MSR, an Optimus, a Jetboil, and a Vargo. I like them all for different reasons and carry the one that is most appropriate for conditions when I’m on the trail.
I am on my second pair of Vasque Clarion boots (the exact pair in your masthead). I wore out the first pair with four years of occassional hiking and three years of almost-daily wear for work. They were excellent. I put in some cushy green insoles and it was like walking on clouds.
My new pair feel different….and somehow cheaper. I’m not as happy with them. It might have something to do with Red Wing Shoes acquiring the brand and changing up the production.
The REI Half Dome tent is awesome. It’s seen all kinds of conditions and kept me dry and warm though a late Spring snow in the Alps, and an all-night downpour just below Piute Pass. The guys that were sharing the tent with me on those two occasions ended up buying their own Half Domes.
MSR makes great stuff. I love the ability to field service their stoves and water filters. The WhisperLite and Waterworks Mini have served me very well over the last 7 years. The set of Blacklite pots is starting to go, but they’ve cooked a lot of food and taken some abuse.
I’m also never been let down by my Helly-Hanson thermals, but I’m mostly a summer Sierra and costal CA backpacker.
And let’s not forget Thermarest. I use a half-length, backpackers pad (the orange model). That thing gets so tiny when you roll it up.
Boots boots boots.
Having recently gone through the devastating experience of rapid foot size change (had a little bit to do with gaining and then losing 80 pounds on a 5’9″ frame), I’ve gone through hell trying to find shoes and boots that fit. I literally had to give away 10 pairs of shoes and boots, and try to replace most of them. Thank all the gods for New Balance. Yes, they do have many extra wide shoes. Most, in fact, no stores carry all the various combinations of styles and sizes. \
I did discover that if you can find one pair of New Balance that fit, you can go to the nbwebexpress.com site and actually find out which last was used for that particular shoe, then search for other shoes and boots built on that last. It makes a huge difference, because it’s not so much how wide a boot is, it’s where it’s wide in relation to your foot, and how much vertical room there is in the toe box. All these difference lasts have different variants of 4 basic measurements.
So I finally tried a pair of the 1201 hikers and they are wonderful. I’m not impressed by the construction (other than being made in the US), nor the materials, but they are wonderfully light weight, roomy in the toes so you can wear thicker socks, and very supportive. A good design with perhaps decent construction.
Oddly enough, Timberland boots, which also come in wide, can work for wide feet and, if you go to the outlet store in Gilroy you can sometimes get a decent pair of hiking boots/work boots for $60 to $70, with total hardcore leather uppers.
You interviewed Wayne? Cool.
Has he got anymore grand plans up his sleeve for new backpack designs?