Online Store for Survival/Outdoor gear?

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Might as well post here and keep this thread going. Lots of people can give better opinions/options than just one.

Few things missing from that list as well. So maybe post what you have and we can help fill it in.
 
Grab yourself a self inflating sleeping mat instead of the foamy ones. You wont feel a thing under you while you sleep and they are super easy to use and roll up to the same size(some smaller) as a foam mat. They last long too, I've had mine for about ten years and use it several times a year. Also find they are more comfortable then the inflating beds and actually stay inflated the whole trip.

As for sleeping bags, I did some research when I was preparing for a winter camping trip and came across the U.S. military modular sleep system. Lets just say my friends had top of the line down sleeping bags rated for -30 and they almost got hypothermia the first night and had to go to the Algonquin store to get more layers for their sleeping bags. In the summer I just bring the thin layer and the gortex layer and its perfect. In the fall the thicker layer and gortex is good so you don't have to bring the full system with you and save space and weight that way.

I suggest getting a three man tent as a two man one will only fit your sleeping bag and your gear making it challenging to do much else much else.

As for knifes, you can't go wrong with a CKRT, Buck or Gerber. I like having a fixed blade for camping, cause it's just faster and easier to clean while camping.

If you are looking for a little hatchet, Buck has an awesome one.

I didn't see anything about flashlights but I end up using my headlamp over any other flashlight I bring cause it lets you have both your hands free for cooking or what ever. I have a Petzl headlamp that has three settings and have had no issues with it.

For a pot I use a MSR one, the lid is a strainer and it comes with bowls and cups that store right into it so it packs small.

For a stove I use something like this: http://europebound.com/store/product/250028/MSR-Superfly-Stove/ . Packs away and fits in the palm of your hand and the canisters are small and light.

A tarp is always good cause you never know if its going to rain the whole time and you can use it for over your cooking eating area if you put it high enough.

Don't forget a roll of duct tape, it fixes everything:)

What course are you taking that you need all this stuff. Sounds cool.
 
Mac, when do you need this stuff?
I can outfit you with the med supplies (plus a few extras that I would consider worth packing) and give you a crash course on them. I unfortunately don't have a pouch or a case to give you, but I'm sure you can come across one.
Im on leave and in Simcoe in a couple weeks, so I'm sure I could find time to get it to ya.

I have a hot core sleeping bag for winter and love it. It's warm, packs small and has lasted me a couple years of lots of use and still looks new.
 
http://www.cabelas.com/ has lots of gear too.


Self inflating mats are have and hard to pack, IMHO. I use(d) a big agnes insulated air core. Very comfy, good insulation at R4.2 and light. The valve could be bigger to inflate and deflate easier. It was great for two years then two weeks ago it left me on snow at MT Rainier. The whole seam developed a leak. Their new q-core and q-core SL(lighter) is by far the comfiest pad I tried, and I tried just about everything from BA, thermarest and exped at REI. The edges are raised to keep you on it. Heck it's better them my house mattress. R4.5 at 1 lb. 2 oz. Not sure I trust BA after the blown seam on my old pad. I read a few reviews that had pads fail the same way.

The NeoAir series from thermarest is good but the pads feel very small. The edges collapse when you move on them. I am pretty small and anything but the biggest xtherm felt small.

I am considering going back to foam pads. Most mountaineers still use them because they are fail proof. I really like the simplicty. I saw a lot of people using the Z Lite Sol and NeoAir XLite together while on the snow.

Here's a good article http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Sleeping-Pad-Reviews


I was considering the army sleeping bag a few years ago. It's quite heavy. Thanks again for the weight D23 and rmemedic.


I recommend you take a rope to get your backpack up in a tree. You really shouldn't keep anything in your tent. Even if there are no bears around it prevents the smaller animals from chewing your tent and backpack.
 
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I bought an Exped down self inflating a few years back and although it was a great pad it failed eventually and the down clogged the valves making it impossible to deflate. I think it's on a deck chair somewhere in BC. I bought another Exped (non down) Sim Comfort 10 and have been really happy with it so far. Rather large but the comfort and R-v (9.5) is the trade off for it's size. I would rather have the good sleep it gives unless I'm going minimalist and in that case I just use the Thermarest issued pad. Same idea as it's a self inflating mat but it's smaller lighter and thinner. If you do go with one of those, keep the repair kit with it. If it leaks, you might as well be sleeping on a garbage bag.

Foam pads are more reliable but I find they compress in the same areas over time and get uncomfortable. Still, you can just toss them and get another one since they are cheap.

So, the Exped Sim Comfort 7.5 or 10 is my vote for pads.

Bags, Integral designs. Hands down my favorite. I have two that I combine to make a heavy winter bag out of or use individually depending on temperature.

I would recommend a silk sleeping bag liner and a fleece liner just to give more options for temp. combinations and always use the silk to keep whatever you are using clean. Thermarest makes a good compact pillow that fluffs up quickly and feels like a real pillow.

Whatever you do, don't skimp on the sleeping gear. Waking up sore and having a ****** day sucks. Turn that into weeks and it gets worse.

Use stuff sacks to compress whatever you end up using to reduce the space. Outdoor research make good ones but that's not as important as long as they are solid enough to do the job.

My recommendation for tents are Snugpak (they also make good bags as well). You can go light with the Ionosphere without it being too claustrophobic or move up to the Scorpion II (I have this) or Scorpion III if you want a lot of room for everything. The S II fits me fine with all my gear.

Bring a siltarp or similar along with it if you want to add more covered space or just keep your gear outside out of the weather.
 
Regarding sleeping bags. Cheap low end sleeping bags ratings are worthless. Brand name ratings add at least 10F for comfortable sleep. EN ratings are the best. They give you actual tested comfort levels.

Integral designs is sweet. Are they made in canada? I am considering their micro bivy and sea to summit tarp poncho as a solo shelter and raingear. My GF is not too excited about tarps. Understandable.

+1 on OR stuff sacks. My old down bag is a monster that's very hard to compress. The OR ultralight stuff sack takes like a champ.

For winter sleeping you might want to research vapor barriers.
 
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daught said:
Mec is usually cheaper than REI. Pretty good for a canadian retailer. Their clothing variety sucks lately. They only carry their own brand and pattaguci. They dropped osprey line of backpacks.
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toshison said:
"pattaguci" - thats hilarious, so true. Rich middle-aged dudes love to wear the brand when they rough it on their way to Starbucks. I did see some patagonia jackets at Costco though some months back. Even discounted, still expensive.
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What's wrong with Patagonia? I met a chick who's really into outdoorsy stuff and seems to know what she's talking about. It's a brand that she swears by and says is worth every penny. You guys also seem to know what you're talking about, so something's gotta give. Is it just that posers tend to wear them for non-outdoorsy stuff, or is it really not functional gear?
 
knowledge said:
What's wrong with Patagonia? I met a chick who's really into outdoorsy stuff and seems to know what she's talking about. It's a brand that she swears by and says is worth every penny. You guys also seem to know what you're talking about, so something's gotta give. Is it just that posers tend to wear them for non-outdoorsy stuff, or is it really not functional gear?
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Nothing wrong with it, just teasing. I love gear but I love it even more when its good value for money. Patagonia has some decent jackets but most of their clothing is overpriced for what it is. Its hard to justify sometimes whats worth what. Arc'Teryx has evolved into a really high end brand and while they do have great quality stuff, I just can't stomach the price, especially if I am going to be rough and filthy with it. The only Arc'Teryx stuff I have is an 80lt backpack I bought 12 years ago. It proved to be a solid workhouse of a bag so I know the brand means quality.
 
rmemedic said:
Mac, when do you need this stuff?
I can outfit you with the med supplies (plus a few extras that I would consider worth packing) and give you a crash course on them. I unfortunately don't have a pouch or a case to give you, but I'm sure you can come across one.
Im on leave and in Simcoe in a couple weeks, so I'm sure I could find time to get it to ya.

I have a hot core sleeping bag for winter and love it. It's warm, packs small and has lasted me a couple years of lots of use and still looks new.
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I need it by Sept.1 when I move up to school. That would be seriously awesome if you could, thanks so much.

knowledge said:
What's wrong with Patagonia? I met a chick who's really into outdoorsy stuff and seems to know what she's talking about. It's a brand that she swears by and says is worth every penny. You guys also seem to know what you're talking about, so something's gotta give. Is it just that posers tend to wear them for non-outdoorsy stuff, or is it really not functional gear?
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Probably posers. My Moose Knuckle jacket was the warmest I ever had, I have a PJ now and it's still freakishly warm. Just overpriced and "brand name"
 
I have a thermarest (pro) self-inflating mat and its great to sleep on. I feel warmer and sleep better on them than I do on Foam. I just hate dealing with foam but thats because I have only experienced cheap foam mats and they don't keep you warm and they wear out easily. Some of the newer high end foam mats look pretty good though.

I have a down mummy bag from MEC. Its discontinued now but I imagine they have something similar in their line up. It was only rated at -3 or -7 dont remember but it is much warmer than that. I really like the sizing as my bag is a tall size one and fits perfectly with enough wiggle room around my feet to not feel to constricting.


With regards to flashlights/headlights... Get something relatively powerful, dont get a cheapo Petzl headlight with like 30 lumens or something. I can't count the number of times I have had to let people borrow my headlight at night so they could go take a shyte because theirs was too weak to walk around at night with, especially with a partially drained battery. I have a Black Diamond Spot I got 7 years ago and its only 90 lumens on fresh batteries but is really bright and usually I got the brightest light in the group. The Black Diamond Storm/Revolt are a little stronger and look like a good buy with 100 lumens. If you go for something even stronger (like 350+ lumens), you'll have to deal with the top strap and separate battery pack configuration, with those though you can get 3 to 4 times more lumens. I just find those more clumsy for daily camp life to use so I prefer the straight headband style. Headlights are just a lot more versatile than handheld torches but Sail have a Genesis Deron 750 lumen flashlight that is looking really nice to me.
 
I have the storm and my gf has the spot. The spot seems to last longer and it seems just as bright. Brightness is more than sufficient. Brighter flashlights with big battery packs are kind of clumsy. Petzl stuff is bomber. My 10 year old petzl is still going strong.
 
I have a Petzl E+ light for a mini light and Black Diamond Icon for my bump helmet. The Petzl is good for inside the tent but as said, tiny headlights don't cut it outside and thats where the Icon works best.

Can be clipped to a hat, strapped to your wrist or mounted on its headband and will angle in any direction.

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Good flashlights are Surefire and Fenix (cheaper, still good quality and I think Canadian product). Running CR123 batteries can get expensive if you go that way so buy a 12 pack of them from a cheap online store or be prepared to pay up to $10 a pack (2). I just ordered 12 from One Shot Tactical for ~ $35

A bag a glow sticks is also a good thing to have since they will give you decent light when you need it and are good for marking paths or locations. Yellow seem to glow the brightest.
 
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The Petzl is great for when you are doing stuff and need your hands free. I've never had a problem with the brightness of them for when you are doing stuff around the camp site. I do always have a better flashlight on me for when I need to see past the camp site.

This is my other flashlight :D
http://www.fenixtactical.com/fenix-tk15.html
 
for decent gear at decent prices check out Chinook. http://www.chinooktec.com/ They dont have the name brand recognition so I dont think you pay the inflated prices that go along with them. I have used a micro palm sleeping bag and some of their dry/stuff sacks for years and I have never had an issue. Also bonus points for them being Canadian. I also have REI, MEC, Northface, Sierra designs gear and honestly I think it all works pretty well. If you buy good gear from a proper outdoors store (Europe bound, MEC REI etc.) I dont think you can go wrong. If you buy crap at walmark, canadian tire etc. expect problems.
 
Bumpy bump. I am doing mount marcy this weekend. I rather not take my cooking set for one night. I saw some MREs at the army store in oakville. How are they? Is it a single meal? Do they need to be warmed up? If I leave with a full belly on saturday, will one MRE for dinner and one for breakfast the next day cut it(with some snacks)?
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