cool thread(no pun intended). i remember in 1982, bringing several pairs of cotton underwear, t shirts, and socks on hikes. i would get soaked to treeline, then change into a new tshirt, and wear that next. At camp i would change into dry clothes if needed, often there would be a fire drying things out. otherwise, id change into new undies, socks, t shirt if there was no fire. you almost never see a campfire anymore. back then there was ALWAYS a campfire at night, with several groups huddled around it. i remember polpypro and fleece came out, and i could afford wool socks after college. these were revolutionary. you got to wear the same outfit all 3 days of a backpack, winter too, because they wicked moisture and dried so fast. and think of how GOOD you smelled in the same clothes for 3 days! gore tex came also and it seems your underclothes stayed much drier, and you would not be so soaked from sweat. not having to take ones soaking t shirt off just below treeline on franconia ridge in freezing weather didnt break my heart. plastic boots came out also, very warm and waterproof. in winter, the days of 3 season boots with 2 pairs of wool socks and bread bags in them were over. i remember my friends and i, in the middle of a hike, stopping to take our boots and socks off and warm our toes in our hands for 10 minutes, until we put the socks and break bags and boots back on. havent done stuff like that in ages. this thread makes it funny to remember. windproof fleece hats and gloves were nice. gore tex mitten liners took away all those hikes of having soaking wet mittens from the snow all day grabbing trees on the uphill. sherpa snowshoes came out, no longer wood, with that amazing claw. i cant imagine going up steep trails like the hancocks with wooden snowshoes with no cleats attached. i remember an older guy saying 'kick your snowshoes sideways with each step! you have to dig in!' you would be like a mouse in a treadmill going up trails in your green mountain bear paws that everyone had. you used to keep your canteen on your shoulder with the strap, it would be bouncing when you walked, and freeze in the winter. i remember banging the canteen against trees to de-ice it so you could unscrew it for a drink.. then the nalgene bottles came out, then the OR bottle insulators. everyone started attaching them to their waistpack. you used to keep another bottle wrapped in a sock in your pack in the winter, to keep it from freezing. then stuff sacks for sleeping bags. remember ROLLING UP your sleeping bag, tying thick twine around it, then tying it to your pack? that was delightful using your fingers that much in the morning when it was 15 below zero. no more of that! im probably forgetting some stuff..but the advances have made it much more comfortable and easier. lately my favorite, most indepensable piece of gear has been my new flask. EVERYONE i hike with seems to love it..amazing piece of gear.
