Caribou Gear Tarp

10+ Years of Use, What Worked

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Man, this is making me realize my list of gear that has failed in the last 10 seasons is long. I can't think of much besides rifles I'm still using. Maybe I'm just hard on stuff
 
All right at the 10yr mark:
Jet boil - still works just fine
Big Agnes Q-core sleep pad - no issues
Coleman stove - enough said
Multiple Kuiu clothing items - no failures
Kuiu mountain star 2p tent - love this tent
Kuiu 15* down sleeping bag - no complaints, but will probably go another route when I replace.
Mystery Ranch Metcalf pack - now owned by @Gerald Martin. Damn I hate think how many critters have been in that pack in the last 10yrs, it's been through the wringer and even burned in a camp fire, it might not be pretty but it'll pack out anything you throw at it still today.
 
25 years out of my Cabela's -20 goose down sleeping bag. Zipper ripped out this fall on my elk hunt.
I got 10 years from my cheap Wal-Mart tent, ironically/Coincidentally the Zipper shit the bed during my elk hunt this fall, as well.
12 years out of my old bows,Diamond Marques, one was used for hunting the other for leagues and tournaments. Coincidentally, they both blew up on the same day.
10 plus years out of a couple Scott releases.
My old impact bow sight is still going strong after 20 years.
 
Ya, I used to have alot of cabals gear that would last forever and it had a lifetime warranty, now that it’s mostly made in china I’m lucky to get 3 seasons out of it.
 
Scott little bitty goose
Scott Little Goose for me. 10 years this fall.

Also noticed a handful of Kuiu Attack pants on here. I think my first pair is on year 7 and still good, but getting some nicks and cuts. Ordered a backup on their Black Friday sale to be safe.
 
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That's a joke right? I'm on like 8 in that amount of time all replaced under warranty!
Not a joke, but I'm sure the amount of days used is nothing like some out west. I'd say mine has about 14-21 days each year on it, a few years higher.
 
-MSR Simmerlite circa 2009? Great stove, mostly relegated to Winter/snowmelting duty these days.

-Black Diamond MegaMid from 2007ish. Ubiquitous lightweight shelter of dirtbags on a budget. This one gave 13 years of reliable use until I replaced it with another one in 2020.

Dana Design Astralplane. Bought this second hand in 2012 and I’ve still yet to use a more comfortable pack. Relegated to meat hauling these days.

I’ve upgraded alot of my other gear in the last 5-10 years
 
(2012) Stone Glacier 3300 ci pack (not sure if it had a name at the time, it was a pre-production sample when they had one product) I've upgraded the hipbelt, otherwise it keeps on going, has a couple holes. If I was going to do a lot more multi-day trips I'd spring for a bigger bag. As it stands I've done a handful of five day trips with a drybag on the meatshelf to up the capacity.

(2007) Mystery Ranch NICE frame and bags: (apparently gear still in use but not by us counts) I used this with a few bags from 2007-2012, sold it to a hunting partner after I got the Stone Glacier, who is still using it. I had what would now be similar to a Marshall, a Pintler, and a Crew cab (which appears may be defunct?). It was a near 10 lb setup, which made the 3ish lb setup quite the upgrade.

Pretty sure I used a Mountain Hardware Phantom 15 sleeping bag I bought off the sidewalk downtown around 2007 for 10 years before Snowy arranged an upgrade to a Brooks Range. It did well (especially for a $200 purchase) but the Brooks Range is a more luxurious bag for less weight.

May or may not have got 10 years out of my first Jetboil, it was in that range, definitely didn't get more than 18 months out of the igniter.

Various base layers have made it that long, the wear gets spread out a bit on those. My original R1 hoody is still in the mix and probably nearly 15, though only for construction use at this point. It's shredded. I think my Cap 4 hoody turns 10 next year, my knife blade jacket in two.
 
Well, the champ is my leatherman. I've been wearing it on my belt (and using it) every day since 1994.

Not far behind is my MSR Whisperlite, which still works just fine.

Tied for third are my King of the Mountain wool jacket and my Limmer boots. Both have been in use since the end of 1999. The King of the Mountain jacket was an uncharacteristic splurge for me at about $275, but it's been well used and looks like it's got at least another 24 years in it. I hear they're over $700 now...

I got my wool fanny pack from Big Woods Bucks in about 2010 I think. That's going strong.

And, I've been wearing this same thin fleece pullover from Cabelas for about the last 12 or 13 years. I seldom hunt without it. It's super light, camo and somehow manages to cut the wind pretty well, while not being too warm. It's that piece of cheap gear that has become like a well-loved security blanket..

I'm also at about 9.5 years on this LL Bean soft freighter pack that I use a bunch. It's held up really well and has packed out some deer, a couple of elk and some pronghorn, not to mention withstanding the constant onslaught of pokey branches in the woods around here. Can't complain for $99.
 
JetBoil. Purchased around 2004, used extensively to melt snow on winter snowmobile treks until I finally lost it in 2018.

Brunton compass that I can't remember the model of was purchased in the late 90's, finally developed a bubble that killed it around 2016. Can't begin to guess all the orienteering courses I used that thing on in the early years. It was also the compass that was moved between every backpack I had regardless of what time of year or activity I was going on.

Leki hiking poles. Purchased in 2009
 
I forgot to mention my Outdoor Research gaiters. Solid! I don't really know how old they are ....15 years, maybe 20.

My Ramer backcountry skis and poles. Probably never wear out.
 
Leupold BX-4 Rangefinding Binoculars

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