The 3 P’s of gear: primary, peripheral, and prepared. Choosing the right tool for the right job, and knowing when you need the tool or when you don’t.

Roy makes an excellent point on Camping Blogger about separating essentials from the non-essentials of camping gear. A lot of gear is oriented towards Extreme Backpacking, ultra-light and…commensurately expensive. When camping, keep in mind you’re unplugging from the comforts of home. Taking a shrewd look at what you can do without (peripherals), can save you a great deal of money. It can mean the difference between getting out and camping versus just “planning to”.

As a quick aside, I’m noticing more friends and associates from the techno-corporate world are enjoying camping these days. What better compliment to the confines of cube farms and elevators, than to be out enjoying the natural world? Giving a bunch of techno-geeks a whole new genre of gadgetry to collect gives rise to peripherals in my experience. A generous appetite for toys camping essentials exists among those already prone to laptops, PDAs, smart phones, and other computer-age toys productivity tools.

I completely agree with Roy, but let me tell you–I’m an admitted gadget geek. I do little to spare myself the expense. But my philosophy is not that I have to have the best or most expensive gear right away. Rather, that I carefully choose primary items carefully, with value and utility in mind. A lot of my peripherals are chosen based on the trip, so many more remain at home. An important part of my philosophy is that I may actually bring along 7 sources of making fires, but leave the grill behind. I’ve seen people bring a grill and nothing to ignite it. Which brings us to the 3rd P.

A third (and binding) philosophy of gear is simply being prepared. Check out Nutnfancy’s Snow Hike gear list. I can’t say enough good things about his videos, and if you want to talk about prepared, he personifies it. Nutnfancy may not save you any money, but he’s always ready to laugh at death in the wilderness! Preparation–knowledge, planning, and practice.

It’s been awhile, but I’ve finally got some vaguely camping-related information to update. You guessed it, I’ve been drooling over Amazon.com and dropped some coin. What’s on the menu?

Les Stroud’s “Survive!”
I love watching and learning from Les, and the few pages I’ve thumbed so far, have really enjoyed reading this book.

…shopping spree continues…click here

I picked up a few new items for the camp. I’m hoping to get a couple more outings in before it gets too bitter cold to want to attempt the overnights outdoors. I’ll work on updating the gear/packing lists, and maybe start to pick out and post thoughts on the equipment in the field as I have a chance.

First up, something basically everyone needs. The Silva 360 Lensatic Compass. Heavy-duty, illuminated, and comes highly recommended, all at a very reasonable price. I don’t expect to be lost at the local car camp, but I’ve had a little experience with Orienteering so I’m able to take this on some short explorations if I like.

Second, something of much greater utility, in the field, in the office and at home. A solid multi-tool, the Leatherman Juice CS4. I have one multi-tool which I got free, but I’ll leave that in the jump pack for computer work. This new one will be much better suited to outdoor tasks and being used every day–it’s a lot smaller, and weighs a lot less, meaning I’m more likely to have it with me.

Lastly, I’m really happy to be getting an Ontario RAT-5. This knife is the fruit of a joint effort between Randall’s Adventure and Training (RAT Cutlery) and Ontario. It’s made out of extremely tough D2 steel, and the construction and finish are superb. I have a great Cold Steel Kobun tanto knife, but by design it’s more of a lethal device, whereas the RAT-5 is purpose-built for survival and outdoor utility.