Vintage Gear

[pstm13]

I really enjoy finding vintage gear at yard sales, thrift stores and on-line. I thought I would create a thread for those cool things they just don't make anymore or like they used to make them. To start off I had to things. 1st is a vintage REI Skier model sleeping bag with 2 1/2 -3 lbs of 550 Down fill. The average loft after 40+ years is about 10 inches. It was rated at about 15 degrees.




The second thing I found recently was a old MSR Firefly original version before they recalled them for a bad fuel line. It is well over 32 years old. I replaced the fuel line and it works great

 

[ogg]

I get a kick out of vintage gear too. Below is my old 1980ish Trailwise Goretex parka. It was expensive and I still can't believe I convinced my frugal father to buy it for me, but he did and it served me well for a long time. The Patagonia Pile jacket is probably better left to the closet of history, it was bulky, got ugly looking and pilled quickly, had absolutely no wind resistance without a shell over it, but with a shell it could be quite toasty. The elastic waist was always riding up on me. The Peak 1 stove was my Dad's, he wasn't a big backpacker but he did a sort of milestone trip into the Grand Canyon with it back in the 80's. The Optimus 99 from the same era as the others I acquired fairly recently

I packed with this old green Kelty thriftstore find for a couple of years. The Kelty s-frame design from that era was great. External frame packs have bad rep for being heavy but considering this pack barely weighs 5 lbs and can carry heavy loads quite well, its not too shabby in my book. The trusty and thrifty SVEA is actually a fairly recent but still swedish made model that is my favorite stove and my preference for longer trips.

 

[pstm13]

I just found this Eddie Bauer Karakoram Blizzard Proof expedition sleeping bag. I guess it is rated at or below -20 degrees with 8 inches of loft. I guess this is what they used on the 1953 K2 expedition sponcered by Eddie Bauer. It looks small next to the REI bag though with 10 inches of loft.
I also found an old REI tent made from Gore Tex. It looks like the old Early Winters tents.

 

[pstm13]

REI Lite House single wall tent made of 3L Gore Tex from 1980 circa.

 

[pstm13]

I found this little guy the other day. I have read about them several times but never actually used an Optimus 8R before. It is so simple and seems bullet proof. I just wish I could use the case to boil water.

 

[pstm13]

I get a kick out of vintage gear too. Below is my old 1980ish Trailwise Goretex parka. It was expensive and I still can't believe I convinced my frugal father to buy it for me, but he did and it served me well for a long time. The Patagonia Pile jacket is probably better left to the closet of history, it was bulky, got ugly looking and pilled quickly, had absolutely no wind resistance without a shell over it, but with a shell it could be quite toasty. The elastic waist was always riding up on me. The Peak 1 stove was my Dad's, he wasn't a big backpacker but he did a sort of milestone trip into the Grand Canyon with it back in the 80's. The Optimus 99 from the same era as the others I acquired fairly recently

I packed with this old green Kelty thriftstore find for a couple of years. The Kelty s-frame design from that era was great. External frame packs have bad rep for being heavy but considering this pack barely weighs 5 lbs and can carry heavy loads quite well, its not too shabby in my book. The trusty and thrifty SVEA is actually a fairly recent but still swedish made model that is my favorite stove and my preference for longer trips.

I found an Optimus 99 and used it all summer.

 

[SKLund]

This is a Banana Equipment , 1st generation Gore Tex bivy sack. I bought it in 1979 at a shop in San Diego named Adventure 16 or just "A 16". For a a low ranked enlisted man, this thing was very expensive. David Gregory, the founder of Gregory Equipment, had a small shop downstairs where he made packs. They were all custom back then. It wasn't the greatest pack but I wish I still had it. Anyway the bivy still works well. Don't use it too much anymore, but it's in my pack for epic day hikes or if I'm taking other people with me.

https://basecampvintage.com/tag/banana-equipment/
https://www.adventure16.com/info/san-diego