What's the Worst Piece of Gear that You Own???

[AlpineK]

I've got got 2 sliders. If you know what I'm talking about your old school. For those of you who aren't there a type of pro. Anyway I used one of them once and then never again.

Yes I'm a sucka

[dog]

Nalgene water bottles are over rated. I filled a 37 year old nalgene full of gun powder and lit it. It melted a little hole in the side. Piece of crap.

[ScottP]

quote:

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Originally posted by Dru:

if you pour boiling water into gatorade bottles you can melt them.

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Newsflash!!!

Don't pour boiling water into gatorade water bottles.

[ScottP]

quote:

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Originally posted by philfort:

thus you can differentiate the bottle from wee of the bottle of water!

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?

[willstrickland]

I've got shit-loads of gear, but I don't know that any of it really sucks. Some is fairly specialized as far as ideal application and I don't use it much, but when you need it, you need it. Examples:

Tube chocks: I only have a #4 big bro, cams cover the rest of the sizes and you can slide a cam in front of you. I've placed the piece less than 5 times, but otherwise it would have been some scary runout offwidthing. Worth the money? Hell yes, I bought it after my first trip up Kor Ingalls where my #5 camalot didn't even come close to spanning the crack...after laybacking some unprotected old school 5.9 offwidth I said to myself "hey man, that was scary I need a damn big bro". I've used it on that route a couple of times and down in the valley a couple of times, and if I ever do the Salathe' or Excalibur, you better believe it'll be on the rack.

Platypus: I used these daily for my entire AT hike, and while working hoods in the woods. Valves eventually leak, but you know that's gonna happen, a spare's only about $4. Keep the valves grit free and replace them before they get too old, just basic maintenance really. I've only had one "disaster" event and that was because I had grit in the threads and cross threaded the top. I've still got the two I bought four years ago and the only one I've ever gotten rid of was because it was filthy.

Hexes: I almost never use hexes anymore, but in icy situations, or as a fixing piece they're better than cams. If I know I need a certain piece i.e. route description says take a #4 camalot or #11 hex, I'll take the hex. Mine are gradually disappearing and I won't likely replace them, but for certain situations they're the ticket.

Tricams: The smaller three sizes are awesome, for the horizontal crack laden sanstone of the southeast there's nothing better, unless you like putting right angle bends in your tcu cables. They're also the ticket in funky soft desert cracks, think Zion, where a regular nut will sometimes track out...the point will often alleviate that. The bigger sizes are probably the least used pieces of pro I own (placed even less than the big bro) but I like 'em for alpine rock routes...again they're usually better than a nut or cam in icy siutations.

Thermarests: I used a ultralite 3/4 every day on the AT, and a regular one while doing the hoods in the woods gig. I've slept at least 600 nights on them and had one hole...fixed in about 10 minutes. I wouldn't take one as my only pad in very cold situations, but they have their place, ESPECIALLY if you are a side-sleeper. My shoulders get wrecked sleeping on ensolite pads.

OR Seattle sombrero: Haha! You really think I'd buy one of those damn wingnut lookin hats?

One of the worst things I own are my OR regular gaitors. I never use them, I've got a short pair that work fine for keeping junk out of your boots or shoes, and the regular ones are too small to work very well with my plastics. They only see use from me when hiking in shorts through bad underbrush, and they're way too hot when that's happening. The other is my Dana daypack, it's big for a daypack, like 2200ci, but it doesn't climb well, doesn't carry heavy stuff well, is hard to get into, etc...it is pretty durable though. I've actually managed to off-load most of the gear I hated by selling it to some poor sucker.

[Dru]

i have a #0.5 rigid shafted friend dating from c. 1980, made out of titanium. i have never placed it. i got it as compensation trade for telling my buddy luc where some other booty was that i could not remove when i found it. it is probably on its 3rd owner and i doubt any of us have ever placed it much. i know i have never placed it in 5 years of owning it. im keeping it for those thin sandstone aid cracks i hope to do more of some day years from now.

[wdietsch]

Man, I knew I would catch some shit sooner or later for my Seattle Sombero but I didn't think it would be from you Will. I would admit that the "wing-nut" mode is stupid and I never use it that way but I tell you hiking, fishing, livin' on the west side of the hills it does a pretty decent job. I'll be sure to wear it just for you at the next Portland Pub Club gathering. A couple of TG's barley wines and I'll put it up in "wing-nut" mode for a table dance

I should clarify my commnet about "tube chocks" I was refering to the old fixed length units Chouinard made for a couple of years way back when not "Big Bro's"

[Smoky_Mcpot]

Well I've destroyed over 10 Gatorade bottles. So ten times a $1.29 seems like a little more than $6.00. However I hate Nalgenes too, especially those new colored ones. I prefer plastic Army One quart and two quart canteens. They were free. Plus if it's really cold out I bust out the one quart metal artic canteen. I can directly stick that sucka on the stove to heat up the water/melt the ice.

[Copperhead]

[ 12-16-2001: Message edited by: Copperhead ]

[willstrickland]

quote:

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Originally posted by Dr.E:

Come to think of it, I have a batch of booty beaners that are worthless but I can't make myself throw away. I wouldnt trust them to rap off, who knows their history? But a guy can only use so many keychains.

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Two words: Cleaner biner. Use those pups to yard out pins and heads, or as a keeper biner when pounding a pin. Just make sure you know which are which...easy for me because I ONLY use booty biners for cleaners.

[bellemontagne]

I was stupid enough to have a platypussie from day one. The valves always leak, plus the seams always come apart. You cannot beat a Nalgene bottle. I will admit that the Camelbak big mouth hydration sacks are pretty nice. I use mine for day hikes, plus I tend to stay mor ehydrated when I am using a hydration pack over a Nalgene bottle.