2010 readers’ choice awards: Gear
A roundup of your favourite outdoor gear
We asked you to pick a favourite piece of gear. You chose everything from sleeping-bag liners to bug shirts to ice tools. One person even picked his BBQ. Here’s how the different types of gear ranked.
Hiking boots/shoes 23%
Pack 16%
Tent 6%
Rain gear/jacket 6%
Canoe 5%
Knife/multitool 4%
Sleeping bag 4%
Hiking poles/walking sticks 4%
Camera 3%
Sleeping pad 3%
Other multi-vote mentions:
Kayak, Headlamp, Bike, Skis, GPS, Paddle, Purifier, Stove, Dry suit, Hammock, Rope, Compass, Hydration system, Hat
Some of your faves
My Garmont Dakota boots. They have taken me a lot of places in all sorts of conditions, on and off trail with no problems.
Poison Ivy Tree Climbing Rope is my favourite piece of gear, as it keeps me from hitting the ground while climbing 120-foot Eastern White Pines!
Gore-Tex rain pants. They are great in the rain, wind or on cool evenings. In the summer they are often the only pants you need and in the winter they are great to wear while snowshoeing into camp and over some extra layers while at camp.
My Swift Mattawa canoe. Handles beautifully as a solo canoe, but can handle long tripping too. Lightweight for long portages and takes me to the best places on the planet (the quiet lakes of Algonquin Park).
My MEC Wanderer tent. It sets up easily, has space for us and our stuff, and keeps us comfy in all kinds of weather, anywhere we set it down. Home away from home!
My favourite piece of gear would have to be my Merrell hiking boots. They have great grip and I love the fact that they are waterproof. That makes them top notch in my books.
I would have to say hands down it’s my Gransfors Bruks small forest axe. It’s a tool I can count on every time.
If I had to pick one it’d be my Arc’teryx Bora pack. It has been so many amazing places, and helps create my home away from home. It is comfortable and sturdy, and has stood the test of time.
My Vibram Five Fingers, because I’m more in touch with where I’m hiking.
The Petzl Tikka XP. I don’t leave home without it.
I would have to say my Kokatat T3 Meridian Dry Suit. Living in Canada, it extends my paddle season, adds huge safety and keeps me dry when practising my rolling.
My North Face jacket. It’s four seasons of pure goodness.
The MSR SimmerLite is an awesome stove: light, easy to use, easy to clean, easy to maintain, has never failed me even in the nastiest weather.
My Mountain Hardwear softshell jacket. It keeps all weather conditions out. I have worn it in the Rockies, Mount Rainier, Mount Whitney, plus on all my other adventures.
Salomon trail-running shoes. They’ve accompanied me on more adventures than any of my friends and have a more interesting life-history than most of the people I know.
My Garmin GPS. I feel lost (literally and figuratively) without it!
