Oldest piece of hiking gear still being used!

Hi Guys

I thought it might be interesting to see which old equipment is still being used today.

I am going with my Charlote Moser hiking poles that i have been using since June 1997.

Great idea!

My oldest piece of kit still in use on overnight hikes is my Karrimor Jaguar 80l backpack purchased in early 1999. Still going strong (even though a tad thin on the hip belt and shoulder straps) more than 100 hikes, 400 days and 5500km later!

Haha, you guys things seem new!

In 1988 I used money I was given for my 21st birthday to get my own hiking kit instead of using the University Mountain Club kit as I'd done until then. Items from that year that I still use are:

Backpacker 75 l backpack, although I'm getting concerned that I'm soon going to exceed the lifetime guarantee on this.

Storm stove cookset pots (identical cooksets are still on the shelves today.)

Gaper pad blue foam mattress, although last used last year, relaced by inflatable mattress.

I also still have a no name sleeping bag bought from King's Sports in Durban, although I retired it two years ago when I got a lighter and less bulky Ice Breaker.

I replaced the storm stove spirit burner with a Gaz canister stove in about 1990, and it hasn't missed a meal since.


PS Stijn, how does the king of light and fast still fill an 80 l backpack? Maybe some rocks to even things out with the rest of your group I hope?

Haha Tony - whisky fills the gaps easily, don't you worry!

And I've got a 30l pack for those missions

I've only recently (end of last year) stopped using my Backpacker Boulder 75l which is at least 20-25 years old (my dad bought it). A few years ago I sewed a hydration bladder sleeve in it. I replaced it with a much lighter pack (Deuter ACT Lite 65+10).

Over the past little while I've replaced most things, mainly due to weight.

Possibly the oldest piece of kit I use is the burner from a Gaz Globetrotter kit. I still have the pots too, but use a different set.

My oldest item of hiking gear... Good question, my first overnight hike included exactly zero items of proper gear (aside from a rented backpack), by my second overnighter I already had a bit of gear. My oldest is probably my K-Way Bamboo Charcoal long sleeve shirt. But relative to everyone else's gear, that is still a toddler...

and for me a big stainless steel 'fire bucket' mug - army issue from the mid 1980s. Its large and really quite heavy but just the right size for the biggest cup of coffee in the cave. Its done tours of duty in the central Sahara and on every Berg trip. I fly hand luggage with it in case my checked luggage goes missing. Backpack dates to 1990 - Karrimor Hot Ice?. I've bought a new backpack (Osprey) since but that has been sitting in the cupboard learning respect from the 1990 vintage.

My CampQuip pot set from Makro that my mum bought for me (I was in matric in 1992) for the princely sum of R27.00 (I think) at Makro for my first hike in the Drakensberg. She told me to look after it...so I did!

I got my 65l backpacker in 1994 and I have used it extensively in this country, Namibia, Europe and Nepal. It has never failed me and has always been really comfortable. However, with time the side pockets got torn, so I sewed on patches, then the belt buckle went and I had to replace that. I have had to repair several spots and I realised I need a new one. The new backpackers these days are way heavier so I looked around for a long time before I got a 60l K-way weighing 1.8kg, (same as the old pack)

It has loads of stickers from all over and it has now become my "48 hour kit" bag for search and rescue. I just can't throw it away yet!

Nice going guys lets see if we can keep this thread going for a few weeks.

I can add a Backpacker Blue ear muff (you can just see it sticking out from under my red down jckt on my avitar) also from 1997.

And how could I forget my Gaz cooker top from 1992