Totally loving this mash-up of camping equipment and information design. This is from a book from National Geographic (Camping Adventure) I grew up with and these images have been part of my outdoor memories for a long time. The subject matter of now vintage gear makes this an instant favorite, as it’s both useful as a checklist and entertaining (loving that fishnet action) at the same time. It’s also a testament to the timelessness of camping and spending time outdoors.

Today’s gear may be lighter, faster, and stronger, but most outdoor-experienced baby boomers and their kids grew up with the same kind of gear pictured, which in its day was better than the equipment used by generations past. This shot is from just after the peak of the backpacking boom in 1975, where there were enough enthusiasts to foster the development of lighter weight gear and to support an industry of outdoor gear innovation and manufacturing. As more and more people have picked up on the benefits and enjoyment of being outside, the gear has kept up a pretty good pace as well.

My gear lust issues are no less fervent today than they were 15 years ago, and the bigger problem now is how to hide the receipts…

Grivel’s North American arm is done. One of my first axes was a Grivel, and with me being the sad little sentimental gearhead that I am, this news is unfortunate to hear. My current crampons are Grivel’s - I’ll be curious to see how difficult or possible it will be to get any kind of warranty/customer service work out of them from overseas…