UKC

Been out in the ming of the peak district today, was testing the reproofing of some 3 year old water proofs (75% success at best) Concluded that most outdoor gear should be marked as perishable as they rarely last for years and years.

Got me thinking of any gear that I have actually used regularly/not just left it in a cupboard, from the first kit I bought 30+ years ago.  

Could only come up with a Buffalo mountain smock, a Snug pack synthetic sleeping bag, and a 75 liter Lowe Alpine rucksack built like a tank.

I know things like ice axes will last but what else can you come up with that has/can last for 30+ years and still be as good (or as bad) as it was when new.

In reply to sheffieldchris:

I had a "Snuggledown" brand sleeping bag that was bought for me at the age of 5 until my mid 30s when it was getting a bit tatty, it was only a spare by then though.

Second oldest thing I've had is that I got 20 years or so out of a Berghaus Trango Extrem jacket before it was too, er, porous.

Other than that you're getting onto proper classic heavyweight stuff, I've got a couple of classic Tilleys and Primuses which are probably 50+ years old, but that's a bit different.

In reply to sheffieldchris:

I’ve been using my grigri for 25 years, still going strong

In reply to sheffieldchris:

Probably high 20s not quite 30 years old is my 3 layer goretex which is still going strong.  Retaped a couple of seams and wash it with the stuff occasionally and gentle tumble dry, but it appears indestructible.  

In reply to Ramon Marin:

I’ve been using my stich plate for 45 years

In reply to sheffieldchris:

My Ron Hill tracksters. They have shown signs of wear, and been stitched a bit however.

In reply to sheffieldchris:

My Mountain Equipment down sleeping bag is 40 years old. It's a bit thin in a couple of places but otherwise fine.

I've a pair of Stubai crampons which are even older and which still get used occasionally.

In reply to sheffieldchris:

ME Snowline sleeping bag & Annapurna duvet, a Karrimat, a gas stove bought as an emergency buy in a French supermarket, a Mardale pile & pertex jacket, maybe more if I look

Plus a couple of ice axes, pairs of crampons etc

In reply to sheffieldchris:

Karrimor Haston Valet rucksack - 43 years (ok not as good as new but still serviceable), various Clog screwgates about the same.

In reply to sheffieldchris:

I've had my alpine adapted plastic mug for 30 years. It still works well.

In reply to sheffieldchris:

I bought my Helly Hansen fibre pile sallopettes in Joe Browns, circa 1986.  I only use them for winter climbing and, at the current rate, they'll last forever.

I bought my first Friends that year and only retired my 1 1/2 last year after receiving too much grief from one of my climbing partners ( whose rack looks much more modern). Or maybe it was the fact that i used to dissemble the cams, axle and shaft every ten years or so, to clean it?

In reply to sheffieldchris:

My 31 year old Rab sleeping bag has been used massively but is still fluffy and toasty. I wash it every couple of years.

My ME Annapurna duvet is still used lots. 

And my faithful 55l purple Haston Alpiniste rucksack c1983 went up an Alpine summit this year for the first time in ages. No 1 son had been using it for his shopping at Uni for a few years.  

In reply to sheffieldchris:

I have two Helly Hansen Polar jackets bought in 1970 for £4/19/6d each. Demoted 'em to caving wear, along with a pair of the pants, 25 years ago and they got another 15 years of hard usage. Could still get use out of them but have just about given up on the dark wet places. 50 years then. Had to sew up the zip of one of them in a Himalayan village schoolhouse in 1977 and use it as a pullover since. 

Karrimor Haston Alpiniste rucksack bought around 1980 (?) and perfectly functional still, though it only got say 25 years use before I retired in favour of lighter models. Oddly its predecessor the Whillans Alpiniste bought in the sixties didn't fair so well and literally fell off my back as we left Lower Sharpnose one day in the early eighties.

In reply to sheffieldchris:

Joe Brown rucsac - 40 yrs and still good

Helly Hanson fibrepile Salopettes 38 yrs and still good, wear them regularly in winter under a boilersuit whilst drystone walling.

Rab down sleeping bag 30 yrs and still toastie.

HH Lifa Top 30+ yrs and still used as a running base layer

And as you say, all my ice axes are more than 40 yrs old. Best is a Mountain Technology one that belonged to a friend who died being avalanched off the Black ladders. I went up when it thawed and recovered it. Think of him every time I use it.

In reply to Matt Podd:

That's a fitting tribute to your late mate. A nice story.

In reply to sheffieldchris:

Not quite 30 years however my 1997 Triple Point Ceramic jacket is still on my coat rack and used in the garden on cold or rainy days.

Wonder why they stopped making kit with this material?

In reply to sheffieldchris:

My Dad recently washed a Point 5 sleeping bag from the mid 70's and dried it in the sunshine which has come out nicely fluffy and usable again. I think down gear can 'go on forever' seemingly if the down is topped up every so often.

In reply to The Lemming:

I too have a triple point jacket, no idea how old but comes out to play during particularly harsh weather, it shrugs off beefy gusts.

Wore it in the Highlands last winter and it still beads nicely. 

In reply to The Lemming: I understand that more modern waterproofs are greener, and thanks to the new mixture of chemicals aren't as durable. I don't know enough to figure out whether this turns out to be less green in the long run, but I'm pleased to still have a couple of 'old school' Goretex XCR jackets from the per-green era, hopefully they'll last like marsbar's has. I vaguely remember something about goretex not letting companies only use their technology for selected products or most of them where applicable, being behind triple point disappearing - but I'm not 100% about that.

In reply to sheffieldchris:

I had a Snugpak sleeping bag bought in the mid-80s when I was a about 6. It was still going strong in 2016 when it was "lost" by an airline, on a climbing trip.

My mum still has a home-made down jacket. It's built like a tank - Dad and she made their own in using the school sewing room facilities in the early '70s.  It doesn't come out much any more, but it's blood warm!

In reply to Becky E:

Pleased to say that my 30+ year old Rohan trousers still fit and I still wear them out walking...

In reply to sheffieldchris:

There's a few common items here.

For me it's a Snugpak sleeping bag and my Buffalo shirt, both still got loads of life in them.

In reply to sheffieldchris:

Does hardwear count? Still regularly using 2 moacs and a clog hex from approx 67/68. Keep changing the string but the metal bits are still catching me. (I do have modern gear, but the moacs seem to fit just about everywhere!

In reply to sheffieldchris:

I've got a pod rucksack bought in about 1994 which is still fine and my main sac for big trips. 

l've got a Rab andes jacket in shelter fabric which works as well as when I bought it in 1990. It's pretty heavy and bulky compared with what they sell today but .

A hollowfill mountain equipment Cerro Torre sleeping bag which is about 35 years old and a ME down bag which is about 30 years old and still going strong.

The newer gear I've got is certainly lighter, but the older stuff feels like it was built to last.

In reply to sheffieldchris:

From '74: a Karrimor rucsac, still used weekly.

From the mid '80s, when I was buying my own gear: HH fibre pile jacket; HH polyprop baselayers; MOAC chock and Camp hexes; Karrimor Alpiniste sack - the pink one; Mountain Technology walking axe; Ron Hill tights; Berghaus hardshell and the Polartec fleece that zips into it; Dachstein mitts and my trusty Joe Brown helmet. All that stuff gets used when I'm out and about.

I get very attached to my gear and the memories that go with them. Gear rarely gets binned: usually give it away when no longer useful.

In reply to Wimlands:

Rohan's latest catalogue says they will give you a new pair if you can prove you were the original purchaser of a 30+ year old pair. (Only worth considering if they let you keep the old pair, I imagine!) 

In reply to sheffieldchris:

My legs are 51 years old.  Still working well, as is the rest of me. 

In reply to sheffieldchris:

Retired my Pod sac last year after 23 years of wear. My Metolius rope bag is also 23 years old and still going strong. 

In reply to sheffieldchris:

I have two MEC baselayer tops and a faced fleece from about '93 still in use.  Although I don't use my 40 year old Trangia anymore, the pans are still in regular use on the gas burner.  The Point5 sleeping bag has been relegated to indoor use now as the loft is non existent, but the cotton liner is so comfortable.

In reply to sheffieldchris:

Lightline sleeping bag from 1979 still works great as a summer bag. Original Friends from '82 still going strong too

In reply to Guy Maccdox:

I may have the receipt somewhere...let me go check 😀

though thinking about I must have photos from back then.

In reply to seankenny:

Hmm, my cheapy Rock Empire one must be about that age too, and also still works fine. I washed it for I believe the first time this summer! 

My shunt I bought in Orpierre in 1996. This summer I managed to track down a couple of straight gate DMM Shadow krabs to replace the last 2 or the brilliant HB hilite krabs that I think I bought in 91 or 92. But the were the bolt end krabs on my DMM Mambas, which haven't been used so much in the last decade, but what with becoming a sport climber and all that this summer, they're now back in heavy rotation on my sport rack - they are probably 26 or 27 years old (I did resling them though before anyone asks!).

In reply to MisterPiggy:

I still use my HH lifa top from 1991, in fact it's one of my cycling base layers for my commute, so at this time of year it's used most weeks. Good to know I can expect years more service from it!

Do you still climb in your JB helmet? I wouldn't trust a plastic one that old at all, but does fibreglass not become brittle with age? I had an early 90s Snowdon Mouldings Kevlar one. Someone told me that they were virtually indestructible and didn't age, but I don't really know if that's true or not. When the first super light foam helmets came out, I used one of them for rock climbing, and just used it for ice. Then when it was maybe 12 or 13 years old stopped using it all together.

In reply to sheffieldchris:

Not 30 years but I've got 2 Lowe Alpine wicking tops, one short sleeve crew neck and one long sleeve zip neck, that are over 25 years old. I have worn and continue to wear both regularly even now (not at the same time!) and believe they will comfortably go past 30 years and many more occasions of use!

In reply to sheffieldchris:

I've got a rucksack that I bought from Scottish Mountain Gear 29 years ago, and I still use it occasionally. Very robust and simple design which has stood the test of time. 

They still sell direct to the public and are a good option for repairs too. Worth googling. 

Also have a nut key, a quasar, and a rab sleeping bag  that are a similar age and in use! 

In reply to sheffieldchris:

I have a helly Hansen fibre pile jacket that I wore this week that is 30 years old. Still reasonable condition and pretty warm. 

Reading some of the replies above I see this is comparitivley modern gear.

In reply to Howard J:

Ditto, ME Dreamcatcher down sleeping bag: about 25 years so far.

Also, a Deuter rucksack I bought for commuting and day trips a few years ago (10?). I have run/cycled to and from work for years, and used it for physio by filling with weights. No other item of mine has been used daily for so long and endured such heavy use... indestructible? Well, finally it has developed a little hole, but it is still in use!

In reply to TobyA:

Yup - though I don't climb as hard as I used to. Now, late in the day, I'm beginning alpine climbing, so will invest in a new fangled - and lighter - helmet.

It seems that between my elderly Koflach Ultras - who have yet to submit to the Freezer Test - and my JB lid, my kit is wearing out faster than my muscles and joints !

The consensus from the thread seems to be that HH pile is the best investment !

A good weekend to all !

In reply to sheffieldchris:

Berghaus rucksack my dad bought when I was 10 and is still in use 30+yrs on.

In reply to sheffieldchris:

Too much! Caravan 5 seasons bag from mid 80s. Lots of crabs and gear bought since 1981 not lost or abandoned. Alpiniste sac from same era for the rare occasions I need a big rucsac. Still have the Karrimor day sac from same time, it’s only sin being that it’s unfashionable. When I started cragging  again a few years ago after a break, it was with a ragtag of old shoes not quite ready for the bin, vectors, rock masters, moccasyms. I’ve decided I like it again and can afford new shoes. There was a guy at the wall recently in original EBs

In reply to sheffieldchris:figure8, wooden shafted axe, Karrimor rucksacks.

In reply to sheffieldchris:

Buffalo 3 season sleeping bag and Karrimor Jaguar haversack, both bought in the early 1980's and still in regular use

In reply to Gustavo: My Rab Glacier down jacket from the mid 90's is still doing fine, it's fabric is heavier than my modern Rab down jacket, and my modern one might be slightly warmer (by a few degrees), but it does have a Vislon front zip as well as a press stud draught cover, which makes it more reassuring when I really need my jacket to keep me warm, with coil zips being more prone to failing.  

If/when I can afford a more modern down jacket with a Vislon front zip and a draught cover too, I'll be buying one of those, probably second hand from ebay to not add to my environmental footprint.

In reply to Wimlands:

show off

In reply to sheffieldchris:

approx 35 yrs old quite a few clog crabs, an Agungliak sleeping bag, a MOAC or two.

30 yrs old- Joe Brown 40L rucksack

In reply to sheffieldchris:

I still use the karrimat back inserts from my purple 1979 Haston Alpiniste as sit mats when having my butties on rambles. How the (not) mighty have fallen😊

In reply to Darron:

Seem to remember that came with a “lifetime guarantee “ and I’m not dead yet. 

In reply to sheffieldchris:

45 year old Cog krabs - mind you I do use them simply to carry the nuts and so forth on my harness. They're much better than modern krabs, due to being larger. Fantastic for carrying pegs and ice screws in winter too.

In reply to sheffieldchris:

I still have:-
My first set of Goretex overtrousers from when I worked in outdoor training in around 1982. I don't think they've ever been 'technically washed', - I'm not sure they've even been washed!, but are still quite durable and dry except for a couple minor holes here and there.  Some of the tape has come off and there's a small tear around the cuff.  They've been relegated to rainy day dogwalking from home.

A fleecy shirt I bought in Eire for 10 euro and used almost every winter since.

A Hot ice rucksac (Berghaus) used regularly 

I also have a pull over cagoule from 1982 which is pretty good still - and quite water repellent.

Probably best buy was a down gillet/duvet, made by the Swedish company Caravan.  Bought in a sale from what was Cleveland Mountain Sports for £7 in about 1985.  OK, it leaks bits of down, the rear pocket has been repaired a couple of times.... 

 

In reply to sheffieldchris:

A Chouinard #4 stopper from 1978. Still a permanent fixture on my rack. RPs and #3 stopper from 1982. 
An Ultimate down sleeping bag from 1979.  Odlo thermal top and legs from 1986

In reply to sheffieldchris:

Patagonia fleece jacket, found by my Dad in a soccer field (yes... it was in the US... so a soccer field) when he was coaching my brother's team. My brother was about 8 then. He's 33 now. Fleece was of unknown age when Dad rescued it.

Also, a sleeping bag I inherited from Dad that's over 40 years old. It went up Denali in the early '70s, when Dad was doing that sort of thing.  It isn't so lofty anymore, so it's an indoor or summer bag, but it's huge and comfy.

In reply to sheffieldchris:

Petzl Zoom headtorch from 1987, fully waterproof and very durable, after cleanup inside working as well as the day it was made, only brighter, better light and far longer battery life with a home constructed MES thread LED bulb, made for about £1.50 with an old bulb as a threaded carrier for resistors and a 1W COB LED element

That's what I call kit.

In reply to wercat:

One thing I have that is 50 years old, that I still regularly use, is a Silva compass. The base and the case have all broken away, so it's now just the circular compass body on its own. But I find it's really useful like that, because it fits into the smallest pocket and can be whipped out in a second - which I often do when I am out walking.

I also have a 50-year old Millet sack, which I still use for carting around climbing or camping gear. That's been around the world many times and used in almost every continent.

...and the Moac's, of course!

In reply to sheffieldchris:

My 1st compass bought in around 1964 was an ex-army 'marching' compass so was many years old when I bought it.  The shop in town I bought it from with my paper round money has long since gone.

But the compass still exists and of course is still working.   It now sits on a windowsill along with a few other bits and pieces representing my other hobbies & interests over the years.

In reply to John Stainforth:

Why would you want to throw away an old companion that has shared some adventures?

didn't someone say "It is vain to do with more that which can be done with less"?

In reply to Billhook:

I've got a perfectly useable (bright and clear though with a little distortion at the edges) pair of Barr and Stroud 6 x 30 binoculars that can still make out the Galilean moons on a good night and are good for daytime use.  I found a website that indicated the serial number dates from 1935-6, cost a fiver at the market.  I love old things!

In reply to sheffieldchris:

I have ME Cascade Gore-tex first edition long jacket and overtrousers from the late 70s/early 80s, some seam tape re-stuck but still working, used for washing the car when it's raining (saves rinsing..). Massively over-engineered and heavy/bulky for use on the hills. A Buffalo windshirt (ie no pile inside) from a similar time which replaced a sucession of Peter Storm cags, which were more use once the polyurethane coating had peeled off so they just kept the wind out. A Chouinard Alpiniste rucsack bought shop-soiled (faded) in Yosemite 45 years ago, still used to visit bouldering venues but only for things that won't fall through the split seam, and a pair of RD brown rock shoes from the 60s which will never wear out because they were never fit for purpose - rubber harder than the rock, as slippery as modern shoes are sticky, bought from a student in 1973 as a curiosity (his dad used to climb, gave up, can see why..) and only used once in anger (and terror). Helly pile pullover (still perfect but sleeves very short) and jacket (zip superglued shut) from the early 70s - gardening duties only nowadays.

In reply to sheffieldchris:

Snugpak sleeping bag from 1985 and buffalo top from the late 80's.

A trangia from 1983 too and an even older paraffin primus stove I was given from a friend in mint condition .

And a Joe Brown fibreglass helmet I think from the 70's

Lastly a moac , and I'm not sure when that dates from.