Reekee
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Has anyone mentioned VELCRO?
Top ten innovations of all time
- Thread starter Meo
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Blue
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My dear Watson,
The answer is duct tape.
The answer is duct tape.
Jean
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Therm-a-rest mattress.
Oooohh duct tape, I like it. As anyone who has ever watched the Red Green show knows you can do anything with duct tape.
I've seen bags made out of it so packs aren't out of the question. Its reflective to some degree right? you could certainly whip togethera sleeping/shelter system.
Clothing? Possible I seem to remember some fashion show or other that had the models dressed in duct tape and I am sure we have all seen shoes held together by duct tape.
As for food maybe a really big web of the stuff between the trees might snag a large mammal or even a Moose. Some duct tape face up in a leanto would be sure to stick up mouse. If you are familiar with Farley Mowat and his book "Never Cry Wolf" you know that mice can be quite nourishing.
The possibilities are ridiculously endless.
I've seen bags made out of it so packs aren't out of the question. Its reflective to some degree right? you could certainly whip togethera sleeping/shelter system.
Clothing? Possible I seem to remember some fashion show or other that had the models dressed in duct tape and I am sure we have all seen shoes held together by duct tape.
As for food maybe a really big web of the stuff between the trees might snag a large mammal or even a Moose. Some duct tape face up in a leanto would be sure to stick up mouse. If you are familiar with Farley Mowat and his book "Never Cry Wolf" you know that mice can be quite nourishing.
The possibilities are ridiculously endless.
Doc McPeak
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Polar fleece is nice.
With the rotten snow lately I've loved using my new hover-snowshoes. Of course they're a top secret military research project and won't be available to you civilians for another decade or two.
With the rotten snow lately I've loved using my new hover-snowshoes. Of course they're a top secret military research project and won't be available to you civilians for another decade or two.
Mark Schaefer
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DEET
Rick
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1.Hip Belts on backpacks and also Internal frame backpacks.
I still have my old 1972 Camp Trails Lake Cruiser - squeaky and wobbly (side to side) external frame. I used to use a tool belt as a packbelt for it, before I upgraded to an actual hipbelt made by Eureka.
2. Coated Nylon - did away with canvas tents and/shelters.
I still have my old 1972 Camp Trails Lake Cruiser - squeaky and wobbly (side to side) external frame. I used to use a tool belt as a packbelt for it, before I upgraded to an actual hipbelt made by Eureka.
2. Coated Nylon - did away with canvas tents and/shelters.
Mark_151
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Meo said:
Barry Sr
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Rick said:
Maybe not invented but marketed first by good old Mr. Kelty.
God rest his sole, he just passed in the last month or two.
Pete_Hickey
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Plastic
I think our answers show our age somewhat. I suspect that many of those mentioning nylon, had canvas packs & tents. But there is something else that had a similar effect.
Plastics.
Ok, they are used in all your buckles, clips, snowshoes, etc, but also in zip-lock bags, and the like. Remember how you kept things dry before plastic bags?
I think our answers show our age somewhat. I suspect that many of those mentioning nylon, had canvas packs & tents. But there is something else that had a similar effect.
Plastics.
Ok, they are used in all your buckles, clips, snowshoes, etc, but also in zip-lock bags, and the like. Remember how you kept things dry before plastic bags?
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Mark Schaefer
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Pete, I thought all the good answers were gone before I jumped in. But I was wrong. Not only has outdoor recreation been revolutionized by the stuff, but 21st century civilization is run on plastics. Just look around your house, your car, an airplane, or anything else today. Plastic is everywhere. Duct tape, nylon, XC skis, automobile and bicycle tires, Gore-Tex and every other new-age fabric. Pound for pound it is stronger than anything out there.
I still think that line from The Graduate says it all.
I still think that line from The Graduate says it all.
The main reason we should get off of burning fossil fuels is not pollution or foreign entanglements. We need to stop burning the source of all of our plastics!
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The one thing that I believe has changed the outdoors forever is the internet. You can instantly find out what the real time conditions are up in the mountains, or river levels with just a few keyboard strokes (and just think what Lewis and Clark had to go thru)...
LauraM
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This thread reminds me of a film I saw at the Banff Film Festival (maybe others out there saw it, too) -- 2 guys climbing a mountain in Switzerland with the vintage gear used in the '30s by the people who first summitted the mountain. They had hemp ropes, crampons and old style boots (hobnailed, leather) made for them. They openly discussed what wimps they were with their nylon ropes, modern boots, clothes and crampons compared to the mountaineers of the '30s!
LauraM, that's exactly the idea behind this article. My editor is also the Quebec's organizer of the Banff film festival, and the (excellent) film about Eiger's climb somewhat inspire the idea for this paper.
Good answers so far. Due to the complexity of the task, I'll probably separate the suggestions in 3 different parts:
1- General innovations and materials not specially intended for outdoors, but that "incidentally" had repercussions in the outdoorworld: plastics (lexan), velcro, duct tape, nylon, etc.
2- Gear more "directly" made for outdoors: Gore-tex, lyophilized food, nylon dynamic ropes, internal frame packs, polar fleece, freestanding tents, etc.
3- "Techniques": alpine freeclimbing, skating with skis, etc.
And also the insert about recent innovations: GPS, medias (including VFTT and the magazine I write for
), beacons, etc.
With these categories in mind, keep the suggestions coming
I'm glad this thread's popular, it gives me very good ideas! And if someone has ideas for paddling (fiberglass canoes/kayaks?), I'd be happy.
Good answers so far. Due to the complexity of the task, I'll probably separate the suggestions in 3 different parts:
1- General innovations and materials not specially intended for outdoors, but that "incidentally" had repercussions in the outdoorworld: plastics (lexan), velcro, duct tape, nylon, etc.
2- Gear more "directly" made for outdoors: Gore-tex, lyophilized food, nylon dynamic ropes, internal frame packs, polar fleece, freestanding tents, etc.
3- "Techniques": alpine freeclimbing, skating with skis, etc.
And also the insert about recent innovations: GPS, medias (including VFTT and the magazine I write for
), beacons, etc. With these categories in mind, keep the suggestions coming
I'm glad this thread's popular, it gives me very good ideas! And if someone has ideas for paddling (fiberglass canoes/kayaks?), I'd be happy.
Mike Gilhooly
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Gold Bond medicated ointment and poly underwear.
ooooooohhh ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
ooooooohhh ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
One revolutionary piece of gear that I recently discovered (that has been around for a while) is the 100 oz Camelbak. Keeps liquids cold, drink easily as you walk, what could be better? Certainly not those musty aluminum canteens of the 80's...
Oldsmores
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Wow, I have really mixed feelings about this one. Really a great innovation, but one largely driven by the fact that all the other mentioned innovations have made backcountry areas so crowded and polluted that a filter is a necessity. So I use my marvelous Pur filter and long for the days when I didn't have to...DeadFred said:
