I kinda figure you likely can do without the very top of the line, but I'm not a fan of the low-end. One quote I've heard is that if you're working with a small budget, you can't afford to replace second quality gear when it breaks.

Of course, that's a nice quote and all, but you really have to take each piece into consideration. Some gear covers multiple functionality. And some gear you'll always break, regardless of price or quality. And any gear you can lose, or lend to a friend who lends it to a friend and you never see it again. I've broken and lost $450 paddles. Now I just use cheaper ones because I know any of them will break. (though that nice paddle was freakin NICE.)
J

I guess I’m a little more critical of paying a lot for a knife because I’ve forges my own, and bought far more than my share starting at age 6 with though little .49 cent jobs from 7-11.
After all is said and done the really value of a thing is not what he or she or anybody sets on it, but how much you or I think it's worth and are willing to fork over.
I once saw this really cool cross necklace (in my younger day when I wore such things) that was $40.00 I tried for two days to talk this guy down in price; he wouldn’t move; but I just had to have it.
So I give him all the money I had at the time. I wore it for two days and it turned my skin green; it seems brass will do that to you.

But isn’t that the excitement of living in the physical world, all the new things to see, taste, and feel. I don’t know about you but I should get a job being a gear tester……LOL

Yes but than I think there are very few honest reviewers out there. I always buy a "backpacker" and "outside" magazine to look at new and coming up recommended gear and realize that a lot of good stuff is being bypassed because manufacturer failed to send in a free sample to a magazine or maybe mediocre review is being given because manufacturer never invited anyone for night out or lunch. I know how much that affected our camera sales when I worked behind the counter long time ago, for a free t-shirt or a key chain I was willing to sell you junk. Also manufacturers who have a lot of petty cash available and shower reviewers with gifts and free stuff usually get the most favorable write ups. Maybe I just become cynical and an old goat over the last few years but I see it more and more especially that I use most of the gear to do real work instead of just local park walking. Also there is a lot of crappy or just average equipment out there that is being hyped out of proportion by somebody who has ?internet authority?. I guess posting on the web and writing articles does make you an expert on stuff even thou the last time you used the equipment was about 10 years ago to sharpen a pencil. But I do love the web reviews because there is always somebody like me or you writing about stuff that went good or wrong. Unless of course it doesn?t sit well with the moderator and you get banned so you just go someplace else (like me and Doxa for example <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> ). But we can do with few honest reviewers who are not affraid to write how it is without fear of being out of the job for writing the truth.

I grew up with firm belief that leather/wool/silk and surplus army gear are the way to go in any outdoor activity. I than discovered technical clothing such as fleece and Gore-Tex. I bought on sale a fleece top, vest and rain jacket from company called Lowe Pro. Never looked back on surplus stuff again. That was almost 7 years ago and I still have the items. Now if you look around in the US, Lowe Pro is not really up there when it comes to climbing/technical gear. Why? Because they made excellent gear but didn't want to stroke the reviewers. They believed in making quality gear with keeping the price low which should have earned them a proper reputation. Well they failed. A lot of other manufacturers who managed to "place" their product in proper spot by giving it away were getting a spotlight even thou their gear was average.


Ps.
I think I bought a skull ring from the guy that sold you a cross necklace. My finger had this awesome green band that would make a proper landmark for amputation.

You have some very good points; I often forget about the corruption behind the sense. I have found this site to be pretty objective http://www.backpackgeartest.org/

I plan to start writing some reviews for them when I’m done with my EMT-B class

On my EDC I’ve got.
Write in rain pad & cover which I use for a wallet
Space pen
ARC-P light
10 feet good strong line
TAD life capsule with SAS compass & PUR water treating tabs.
Fenix light AA
Blackberry
Marathon Automatic
Mini PSK
Tika head light
2007 Maryland Protocols
Boker knife
Emerson Commander knife
Palm Defender
Mini Bic
Key chain which I’m chancing around

Digital cameras are great!



Plus a Leatherman Charge Ti clipped in my pocket.

Beside the usual stuff, in our family, we all also carry foam earplugs. My wife was at work recently when the fire alarm went off. It was a false alarm but the maintenance guys were unable to reset it. It rang for over a half an hour. She was the only one in her office with hearing protection.

When we wear our Operational Dress Uniform (i.e. CG Blue BDU's w/ lots of pockets) I have:

KaBar Dozier Hunter
Large red cotton bandanna
Wallet - Mil ID, toothpicks (habit of mine), and cash
1 GB Flash drive
Rite in the Rain 3x5 notebook
space pen
pencil

- this is daily wear around the Academy. I would add my leatherman wave but cadet regs says we can't have stuff on our belts.

Basic carry when upland bird hunting back home in WV (kinda off topic, but I recently gave this subject a lot of thought):

RSK Mk1
PSP
Small FAK, equiv. to AMK .5
Photon II
Heatsheet
25' 550 cord
1L Bota wineskin

Basic contents of backpack when dayhiking (again, somewhat off topic, but I have been giving basic equipment lists a lot of thought these days for some reason)

2 1 L Nalgenes/trailfood
Katahdyn Hiker filter
RSK Mk1
DMT Mini Sharp
Petzel Tikka Plus LED
homemade PSK, basically the PSP on steroids
AMK .9
AMK heatsheet bivy
50' 550 cord
1 vial NATO matches/bic lighter
compass/map/gps

I just tried to come up with the most simple, concise list of gear that I could and still cover the basics. I can't really even go hiking or hunting right now, I was just daydreaming about gear I guess.

Matt

I am quite interested in the lack of any mention of effective defensive survival tools. Does anyone carry 15% OC spray or handguns? Are either allowed in your state?

EDC right now I carry DR PSK, Leatherman Blast, C301folding knife, Swiss Army (Survival) Knife (Victorinox), Blackberry (Nextel), Pager, EMT Shears, Ear Plugs.
I tried to post pix but couldn't figure out how

Mike <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />