Like many others, I am a sucker for gear. Over the decades I have frequently been intrigued by items of clothing, cook sets, gadgetry etc that may make my hikes easier, more interesting, more efficient, lighter, blah blah blah…
Some items have been good, some excellent, some not quite right for me, in truth, very few have been truly awful. I do research, I make impulse buys, just like most others I suspect. Below are some retrospective musings (always lessons to be learnt), various gear reviews, current set-up and systems plus a little forward thinking. These links get added to on a frequent basis.
My Gear Lists: Lighterpack lists for just some of my walks in recent years, these include both starting and finishing lists for my 2018 2000+ mile walk across the UK.
- The Big Three: my shelter, sleeping and pack systems continue to evolve. Links occasionally get added to those below.
- Shelter:
- Durston Gear X-Mid 2P Solid
- MLD Duomid
- MLD Solomid XL inner
- Nigor Wiki-up 3- with Hex Peak V4 single person inner
- Pegs
- Pegs- a selection for the Z-Packs Duplex
- Fitting caps to the MSR Groundhogs
- Delta Ground Anchor pegs- the best pegs for windier conditions and sandier, looser ground.
- Retrospective glance at some of the tents used by Three Points of the Compass in previous years, there aren’t that many.
- Tent mesh repair
- Z-Packs Duplex
- Sleeping:
- FLEXTAILGEAR- A small and light electric pump option for backpackers
- Katabatic Gear: a look at my Palisade and Flex quilts
- Pad-Pal: less than 11g, the lightest electric pad inflator in the world
- Pillows for side sleepers, includes a close look at the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Pods.
- Sleeping bags and quilts, a personal retrospective
- Sleeping pads
- ‘Zote closed cell foam pads
- Pack:
- Gossamer Gear Mariposa
- Gossamer Gear G4-20
- Gossamer Gear Sit Pads and other lighter sitpads
- Gossamer Gear Bottle Rocket- what fits
- Shelter:
- Cameras on trail: Recording a walk is one of our great future joys; looking back at the visual account. Three Points of the Compass is an indifferent photographer who has enjoyed a range of cameras in the past. A personal account of some good and some very, very poor pieces of equipment.
- Camera or phone mini tripods
- Clothing:
- Arm warmers
- Gloves and Mitts
- Head gear
- Insulated jackets
- Insulated trousers
- Electronics
- My 2020 electronics
- My 2023 electronics
- Nitecore 21700 Intelligent Battery System
- Nitecore powerbanks- four lightweight options- 5k, 10k, 20k mAh (2021)
- Nitecore NB10000 Gen2 powerbank (2022) review
- Power Adapters- a look at three UK options, each with USB-C (2021)
- Quad Lock protective case and tripod adapter for the Samsung Galaxy S20+ phone
- Smaller power banks, plugs and leads (2020)
- Solar Panels
- Every Day Carry, or EDC
- An Every Day Carry– how much can YOU fit into a Vanquest EDC Slim Maximizer? This is what I carry. Not for backpacking though!
- An Urban Every Day Carry– a more practical twist on the concept of the ‘Altoids Survival Tin’, this is a collection of gear suited to the commuter and urban traveller.
- The Spyderco Bug- is this the perfect EDC knife?
- The Zebra F-701– is this the perfect EDC pen?
- First Aid:
- Footwear:
- Camp shoes– why I don’t wear them any more
- Lock Laces
- Microspikes
- Sealskinz waterproof socks
- Silverlight socks
- Skinners– waterproof sock-shoes
- Trail shoes
- Hydration:
- Hygiene on trail: ‘Embrace the funk’ or make some sort of effort at a periodic clean up? Your choice, this is what I do.
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- Nail Clippers
- Teeth- Lightweight options, plus a look at Bamboo Brushes. There really is no need to cut off the handle!
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- Kitchen:
- Lighting stoves and burners-
- GSI Infinity Backpacker Mug
- GSI sipper mug
- Orikaso fold flat tableware
- The perfect spoon
- X-mug, a collapsible silicone mug
- Knives on trail: link to a large number of my reviews, there may be exactly what you require.
- Light:
- BRS-55 Dream Candle, a gas-powered candle
- Light diffusers– small silicone shades that create a 360° spread of light
- Montbell crushable lantern shade, converts a headlamp beam to a 360° spread of light
- Nitecore ML21 magnetic lantern for attaching to Nitecore 21700 series HPi batteries
- Nitecore NU25 headlamp, 2017 version, lightening the headband
- Olight Obulb, battery-powered 360° LED globe lantern
- Primus Micron gas lantern, with steel globe, an ‘almost’ unbreakable gas light for plenty of light and heat in camp
- RovyVon Aurora A5x Red, what was probably the best handheld ‘glow-in-the-dark’ keychain light there is for backpackers, until…
- RovyVon Aurora A5R, third generation handheld ‘glow-in-the-dark’ keychain light (2022)
- Silicone light diffusers
- Sofirn BLF LR1 2.0 lantern. The best battery powered lantern available. Not for backpacking though
- Sofirn BLF LR1 Mini, smaller and lighter version of it’s big brother
- UCO Candle Lanterns, old school light and heat
- USB-A LED lantern– minimal 360° lighting in a small tent
- USB LED lights– there is nothing lighter, nothing smaller!
- Monoculars– a small optic can be extremely useful on trail, despite an inevitable weight penalty.
- Music: Three Points of the Compass has been hiking enough years that the pack used to include tape, CD or MiniDisc players. Then MP3 turned up and changed everything. Dip in to this backwards glance, sigh and be thankful.
- Navigation:
- Harvey maps
- ‘The right tools for the job‘- map, compass, map case, pacer beads
- Making a set of Pacer Beads
- Ordnance Survey (paper) maps
- Slope Cards
- Writing on maps
- Small Stuff: Beside the Big Three, clothing and kitchen etc. there are always the small items that sneak their way into a pack, this is how Three Points of the Compass defines and cope with them.
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- Pouches on trail:
- Mirrors
- Day Bag
- Ditty Bag (and 2020 updated version)
- A lightweight art kit
- Recording the trail- journals (plus my journal preference) and my 2021 journal choices. Plus lightweight pens and another look at even lighter pen options
- Making an expedition sewing kit– probably overkill for a lightweight hike, but gives a closer look at exactly what sewing materials are best for backpacking. But a great kit for round-the-world motorcyclists…
- Thermometers
- Tick removers
- Tin Openers
- Watch– my needs are simple, this is what I use
- How to use the Sun Clock on the Silva Ranger SL compass
- Whistles– what is the best emergency whistle? Includes sound comparison files
- Pouches on trail:
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- Stoves: Alcohol/Meths burners/stoves–
- Evernew Titanium alcohol stove, model EBY254- review
- Trangia Spirit Burner B25
- Toaks Titanium Siphon burner, model STV-01- review
- Make-Your-Own alcohol/meths burner
- Make-Your-Own alcohol/meths burner/stove while on trail
- Refining my ‘Make-Your-Own’ alcohol/meths burner
- Stoves: Gas, canister top-
- Alpkit Kraku canister top gas stove
- BRS 3000-T, canister top gas stove- review
- Eifel Outdoor Equipment Lithium canister top stove
- Eifel Outdoor Equipment Titanium canister top stove
- Fire Maple FMS-116 canister top gas stove- review
- Fire Maple FMS-116T Heat Core canister top gas stove- review
- Fire Maple FMS-300T Hornet/Wasp canister top gas stove- review
- Fire Maple FMS-300T, with Flat Cat Gear heat exchanger adapter
- Fire Maple Hornet II canister top stove- review
- Go Systems Fly Ti canister top stove
- Hi Gear Blaze canister top stove
- Karrimor X Lite Titanium canister top stove
- Monatauk Gnat canister top stove
- MSR Pocket Rocket 2 canister top gas stove- review
- MSR Windburner Personal Stove System
- Olicamp Kinetic Ultra Titanium canister top stove
- Olicamp Ion canister top gas stove
- Pinguin Atom Titan canister top gas stove
- Robens Fire Midge canister top gas stove
- Soto Windmaster, canister top gas stove- review
- Vango Ultralite canister top stove
- Stoves: Gas, remote canister:
- Alpkit Koro remote canister stove
- Eifel Outdoor Equipment Cobaltum remote canister stove
- Eifel Outdoor Equipment Palladium remote canister stove
- Fire Maple FMS-117T Blade remote canister gas stove- review
- Fire Maple FMS-117H Blade 2 remote canister gas stove- review
- Fire Maple FMS-118 and FMS-118A Volcano remote canister gas stoves- review
- Kovea Spider KB-1109– remote canister gas stove- review
- OEX Vulcan remote canister stove
- Olicamp Xcelerator remote canister stove
- Stoves: Dual and Multi-fuel-
- Aspen-4, a cleaner burning option for multi-fuel stoves
- Edelrid Hexon, multi-fuel stove- review
- Vargo Titanium Triad, multi-fuel stove, model T305- review
- Stoves: adapters etc.
- Adapters for gas canister lindal valves
- Adapter from butane cartridge bayonet connector to lindal valves
- G-Works Gas Saver Plus– transferring gas between lindal valve canisters
- O-rings on gas stoves
- Weighing gas canisters, before and after use
- Stoves: windshields-
- Flat Cat Gear Ocelot windshield for the Kovea Spider and MYOG option
- Lixada pot supports and windshields
- Primus clip on windshield
- Scramble windshield for Kovea Spider
- Toaks FRM-02 and FRM-03 pot supports and windshields
- Trail Designs Ti-Tri pot support and windshield
- Vesuv cone pot support and windshield
- Trekking poles:
- Waterproofs:
- What gear wears out on a long hike?– experience from a five-month hike
The manufacturers are very good at what they do, that is, convincing us that we need to buy the latest, greatest incarnation. I am very aware that a decent product can come out, simple in design and perfectly functional. Then, rather than refining it, or leaving it as it is, all sorts of extra buckles, straps, pockets, bi-functional panels, go-faster stripes et al get added in response to both customer feedback and the marketing teams. The result being that the simple little item of gear I once had, that was perfectly good at what it did, quite rightly eventually wears out and I have to go on the search for the nearest equivalent because what I had and was happy with, is no longer available. Footwear is a prime example. I spend far too many hours every year looking for what fits my feet and works, simply because what I had been using for the past few hundred miles has been replaced by what the marketing team think I now want.
Certainly I am getting better at it; refining my gear choice and buying less. I think more before I buy. As many are doing, I look to replace good with better, light with lighter, only very infrequently is it shiny being replaced by shinier. This is all just ‘stuff’ of course. It can be helpful to periodically review what is working and what is not. If it isn’t quite right, or is never used, perhaps it is time to replace with something better or lighter, or remove it entirely. I carry out this mental exercise on every long distance hike. Conversely, some items of kit are stand out performers on trail and I think very carefully before not including them on the next trail.
Five favourite items of gear in 2022: a handful of items of gear that were especially appreciated on longer trails in 2022.
Three Points of the Compass 
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