[Closed] Outdoors gear that just refuses to die

Mountain Range(brand) gore windstopper (hood/cowl) I've had it for about 30 years and wear if most winter jaunts off camping, even sleeping in it. Wear it on the bike in winter its very versatile.

Lowe Alpine rucsacs. I've 3. Average age over 15 years...one of mid 1990's...

Patagonia fleeces.

I've just yesterday binned my Lake winter MTB boots. Bought second hand on here 12 years ago, they've communted and MTB'd through every winter. The sole wore out last year, finally this year the sole separated and the plastic heel cups disintegrated.

Just been out riding in my winter Lowe Alpine thermal base layer that I bought more than 20 years ago. No signs of it wearing out, and doesn't even stink.

North face polartec 100 mid layers from about 20 years ago. Got a lowe alpine triplepoint waterproof from 22 years ago to, although that has been relegated to campsite and other duties.
Macpac rucksacs that will probably outlive me.

Plenty of other stuff

I’ve a few 20 yr old Lifas still going strong.

Smelly Hellys - they never die except by fire.

I've also got a long sleeved Berghaus base layer with external seams that I bought for ski touring 25 years ago. It's now my go to MTB top and refuses to die. It's even tumble dryable.

Ospray rucksacks, natch.

My oldest jacket/gillet is a convertible Berhaus windproof. How long since Berhaus stopped making cycling gear? Must be close on 20 years old.

I have some bib tights that are branded Shimano Performance Gear that I had well before I was married. I would guess 25+ years old. I wore them yesterday!

I have a North Cape baselayer, says it's 85 percent chlorofibre(?), Must be almost 30 years old, can get niffy after a couple of days, but it's warm, wicks well, hasn't gone baggy, and the moths won't touch it.....it'll last longer than me.

Jack Wolfskin light fleece I paid 1 pound for it in a hospice charity shop c 5 years ago, worn it so much. I still smile when I think of the cost and use.

Keela waterproof - bought it in the late 90's to go to college in, still waterproof and still wears absolutely fine!

A karrimor windproof bought from their old factory shop in Alnwick in about 1999. Packs down tiny and is really light but warm when I put it on. The elastic cuffs are not very stretchy and the bottom of the zip is corroded so it’s over the head only now. It’s ace though.

Also some Brashers ‘test socks’ that I accidentally wore out of the shop after trying on some boots in Cotswolds in about 2003. Warm, padded and comfy and I can’t kill them.

Karrimor Hotice 30L rucksack.

The foam back thing is starting to disintegrate but as I got it in 1990 to do my chief scouts award I think that's allowed.

Lowe Alpine Dryflo t shirts. Look as good as new. Got to be nearly 30 years old.
Outdoor Research gaiters. Worn them winter climbing and mountaineering along with walking year round - they've got some scuffs from crampons but they just will NOT die.
Pod Cragsac. nearly 30 years old now. Been used for lugging climbing kit to crags all over the country, winter climbing and mountaineering, trekking, it's been through numerous airport luggage systems, thrown on and off the roof of various vehicles with absolutely no regard for it or it's contents. I think it may have one small tear on the hip belt padding. That's it. It;s been walked over by a clumsy bloke in crampons and it just doesn't care. I love that pack.
Swiss army knife. Got it when I was 17, so OVER 30 years old now - it's not had an easy life, yet still functions just fine.
Patagonia R2 fleece. Some burn marks from wearing it around campfires but other than that - looks great. Zip works like new, elasticated cuffs are unworn and it's kept its shape brilliantly.
I'm sure there are others, but these are really standout in that they have been used LOADS and still do exactly the job thy did when I purchased them and they do it just as well as that day.

Most of it is ‘classic’ small tent 1979 wouldn’t want a rainy night in it. Used it at bike fest 1 as mrs G had other tent vango beta hurricane 1987(full weight pvc ground sheet cotton inner door more of the waterproof ‘pu? Skin flakes off with each use great tent tho if anyone’s got a decent flysheet they want rid of please just say !slalom boats C1 1990 k1 about 85 I could go on but you get the picture😃

Army Base layer that keeps me warm on winter rides when it freezes, happy with them till about minus 20 degrees. Starting to get a bit smelly and one is rough around the neck now, but then used regularly and tumble dried.

Acquired some of those for free late last century. Army left overs from my uncle and his mates who used them to keep warm at check points when they served in the aftermatch of the Bosnian war(blue berets).

Berghaus ACL baselayer. Still wear it today - received a digitised photo from a mate taken 25+ years ago where I was wearing the same top..

Buffalo Special 6 going strong at 20+ years old.

I bought a Karrimor rucksack in about 1988, it came with a lifetime guarantee, still going strong.

EDIT: Now I think about it, I wonder where that young hopeful person went to. All that promise. Where did the optimism go, and what happened to his waistline?

At least his hair isn't quite so awful.

Berghaus ACL baselayer.

I've got one of those that still going, also a Lowe Alpine base layer that's still going.

Cycling wise I have a Freestyle Gore-tex cycling jacket that I still use on the road bike that I bought from Climbhigh cycles that use to be in Daventry before Leisure lakes took em over so that's a few years old.

A Phoenix Phreak tent that I bought in 81 or 82 as a student, still as good as new apart from some chew marks on one of the plastic toggles on the outer bag where a Snowdonian mouse got hungry one night. Granted it's not had much use just recently.
And a couple of North Cape base long sleeve shirts, probably much like @gallowayboy has, which must be mid '80s and are warmer than most others I've bought in the meantime. They just steadfastly refuse to die.

I bought my karrimor rucksack and Salewa crampons when I was 16. That would have been in 1983! Still in regular use.

Edit. I remember going pheasant beating every Saturday (limited employment in these rural parts) and earning £2 a day. Took a whole winter to save enough to buy the crampons.

I’ve a few 20 yr old Lifas still going strong.

Yep, same here. Also several Lowe grid fleeces.

I've got a Karrimor rucsac I still use which is so old it has Dougal Haston's name on it. Patched up a few times but still goes.
Various bits of buffalo kit some of which dates from early 90s.

Plenty of things have come and gone since, but the old stuff just keeps going.

Icebreaker long sleeve merino from about 2005 - gets some right hammer but occasionally washed with the same care I’d wash an infant. Karrimor Hot Rock (purple). And in bike land my MW80’s and Altura waterproof shorts (touch wood...).

Trangia, and its not just mine, they all last forever

Mountain Equipment Polartec fleece hooded jacket. I definitely had it in 1995 as I've photos of me wearing it during my first trip to Majorca. Certainly for most of the last twenty years it's seen near daily usage. It has one small hole in one of the pockets (due to keys) and one of the pocket zips recently came apart but it's still going strong.

Mountain equipment gore Tex jacket, purchased in about 1996. In a very 1990s yellow and black.

Still my main waterproof walking jacket.

Part of the lining has been torn for about 12 years, but otherwise I just re-proof it now and then.

Also got a Berghaus rucksack of the same vintage and a lowe alpine mountain cap from a year or so later.

Oh, and a lovely burgundy karrimor fleece which is pristine and even more 1990s.

Lowe Alpine Aleutian fleeces from c.98
Karrimor Elite saddlebag and Alpiniste(?) rucksack of similar age.

Bridgedale summit socks.. have 3 pairs I bought in 2003 and still going strong.

HH base layers, biking and walking duties for almost as long... still good.

Jeff

Cumbrian fibre pile jacket - 35+ years, Lowe Alpine rucksack, 30years and Berghaus goretex waterproof pants. The pants and rucksack only get used for pennine skiing.

Another 30yr old Karrimor Hot Ice rucksack here. Not used for a while. Got a bust zip - wonder how puzzled Sports Direct would be if I requested repair under the original (Clayton-le-Moors factory) lifetime guarantee?....

Rohan Olfio from 86, the 28" Bags are "somewhat tight now" but another 6 months of lockdown should sort that out. Got some hand me down Hot Bags that have a couple of small tears wore them during the cold snap earlier this year.
Cannondale lobster gloves bought in 96, Polaris reversible fleece smock.

MSR Whisperlight International, must have had it 25 years.

I’ve still got and wear an original Rab down gillet and Sprayway gortex jacket which I brought in the early 90’s when Outside of Llanberis used to have a sale in a field in Capel Curig on May bank holidays. Although both have now been demoted for work they still do their job very well. Also as some others above have and still wear a couple of Lifa base layers. They don’t make stuff like they used to!

Alpiniste(?) rucksack

Yes, got a purple Alpiniste in the loft. Went round the US with it in 92.

If you want a brand new one...
https://alpine-luddites.myshopify.com/collections/classic-backpacks/products/karrimor-alpiniste

Oh, whilst I remember - an ancient Swiss army knife that's metal (instead of the plastic) handled in a Criss cross square pattern. Still have my sheath knife too but as that's not seen the light of day for 25 years I don't think it counts.

And my force 10, here in use at the last twentyfour12.

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MK4 from 86?

That reminds me I've got a Mauser/swiss army pen knife that's 31 years

Same as this one.

Oh yeah I had a purple alpiniste 55l for years, my everything rucksack, cragging, cuillin traverses, an Alps summer. Absolutely indestructible, but gave it, along with a sleeping bag, to a homeless guy in hebden last summer.

Also on a couple of 20+ year old Dryflow t's from when I worked at Brighams and a NF Polartec mid layer, camp fire and artisan roll up burns and all (I may look a bit trampy in this one).

I suppose really, much of this stuff is just plastic so it's going to last isn't it!

Currently wearing a Kathmandu fleece that I bought in Wellington, NZ back in 1999. Collar has frayed a bit but apart from that its indestructable. Also got some cheap Hi-Tec walking boots that I must have bought around 2000 which I still use, although they are starting to split where they bend.

Hot Ice as above, estimate that is 27 years old or therebouts. Simple but still more comfy than modern day packs.

Karrimor S60-82, the pack with the removable side pockets. Bought for a caving trip to Turkey in 1989, bit mouldy now but functions as it should. Bought when Cotswold was called Cotswold Camping in a tiny shop in Reading. They gave me a cardboard 10% card during their opening weekend, still have that as well but I imagine blank faces if I try and present that in their modern guise!

Jaguar S65 I had since I was a teen. Doesn’t get out anymore but used to store other gear out of season and I don’t doubt I could take it backpacking for the weekend. If I went backpacking. **** it I’m going backpacking.

My most worn riding kit during the summer is a pair of Altura Mayhem shorts that I got free with my first What Mountain Bike sub, in I think 2009. They've got a wee bit of crash damage but they just keep going and going, I ended up buying a second pair and between the two they've outlasted other shorts and the other shorts that were bought to replace the other shorts/the warranty replacements for the replacements. It's kind of uncanny.

Vaude daysack from 1987. Very 80s colours- purple and emerald green. The elastic bits are knackered but it still gets used a bit. Been all over- Dolomites, Spitzbergen x 3, done several mountain marathons, which I no longer could

I have a montane featherlight smock that is about 18 years old, there's not much to fail on it but it still does its job.

I've still got my Karrimor Hot Rock sac as well, again probably nearly 30 years old, couple of buckles busted, but otherwise going strong.

I’ve a few 20 yr old Lifas still going strong.

A sleeve tore off one of mine which is probably much older. Made it into a short sleeve jobbie. It needs throwing in the bin obvs and I wouldnt normally resort to such penny pinching but at 56 I have been running in HH Lifa since I was a teenager. Watched all the new expensive fabrics come along with much higher price tags and still bought the odd HH, every 10 yrs or so. Not without fault the old ones smelled and you couldnt get the smell out but as next to skin layer in high intensity exercise then they cant be beaten.

Threw out a pair of Hoka boots that i got for my 50th and replace with a new pair. Over those 6 years left my Scarpa and Inov8 boots in the shed. Hoka the most comfortable boots I have ever had.

Phoenix Phreerunner gore-tex tent, circa 1984 vintage and a 1982 Berghaus AB65 rucksack.

i went through a few cheapy hydration packs when i was at uni. Maybe 3 or 4 over the 3 years.
When i left, on the last "uni" trip, i treated myself to a proper Camelbak Mule.

(also proceeded to then accidently drive over it when it got tucked under the back of the car in the Coed y Brenin carpark)

Still going strong, 12 ish years later.

I've got a Camlebak Blowfish from 2004. Other than a bit colour fade its still as good as new which is pretty impressive considering all the crap its carried and been dragged through over the years

I don't really have anything that old, bar a few lifas. I sell old stuff on Ebay and try new bits of kit (bit of a gear freak). For every jacket I have, I probably bought and tried 2 or 3 and sold them on, most only used once or twice.

These ancient leather Skywalk boots:

Had them for at least 20 years!

Been re-soled a couple of times and they do look pretty beaten up, but if it’s wet and muddy out I’d reach for these over modern fancy boots every time.

Full leather with the tongue sealed in all the way to the top so they are effectively ankle length leather wellies. And very very well broken in. 😃

Several pairs of Bridgedale socks that are daily wear through the winter which are a least 10 yrs old. Scarpa walking boots, 21 yrs old, still look like new ish! Lowe Alpine ruck sack 25yrs old, that both kids have used for DoE in the last few years. But my best buy ever, Rab Batura, about 14 yrs old. Granted not the oldest on here, but pound for pound my best purchase ever.From wet and windy football grounds to the winter olympics in South Korea, it has served me well.

Another question for you all, is there anything bought in the last few years you'd expect to last similar amounts of time? I know my answer.

Another question for you all, is there anything bought in the last few years you’d expect to last similar amounts of time? I know my answer.

Kit is a *lot* lighter than it used to be, which I think is a big improvement, travelling super light over the fells is really easy now. Obviously, it won't last as long - but I prefer light weight stuff. Eg I only walk in fell / approach shoes now which weight half as much as walking boots, but the soles wear through faster (softer, sticky rubber) but you get much better grip on rocks etc.

I have a pair of Mavic Alpine (XL?) shoes from around 2012/13. They've had a lot of use and I bought another pair some years ago in anticipation of them wearing out. I sold the new pair when the originals refused to wear out. Roll on another couple of years and I've inspected them - still going strong, despite looking battered. Now my feet seem to have spread, or the shoes shrunk, so I've had to buy a different replacement pair of shoes. The Mavics are still waiting there waiting for their chance to be work out in warmer days of thin socks. Great shoes, very comfy and do the business on the bike.

CamelBak Mule 3L from around 2000 which has been on all my MTB rides. This might be its last year as the rubber on the expansion pocket is starting to deteriorate, which is a shame as the rest is near perfect.

I've still got a Karrimor base layer that my parents bought me to do my D 0f E expeditions in back in 1988 ish, still going strong and still gets regular use.

Another shout for Buffalo Special Six shirt. Used every winter since about 1994. Its stood up to serious abuse. It needs to go away for a zip repair, first issue I've had with it in 26 years.

It does seem to have shrunk around the stomach area though....

It does seem to have shrunk around the stomach area though….

Yeah that happened to a lot of my gear during lockdown.

Another purple Karrimor Hot Rock here. I think I got it in 1993/4. I got a Vaude Hogan a year later and it's still going strong.

Also a mid 90s pace fleece and a 20 year old Buffalo windshirt.

Mountain equipment snowline sleeping bag from 1996. I suspect it will last for another 20 odd years too. I just need to go somewhere cold enough to use it again after a few years of not getting out that much in the mountains

Another question for you all, is there anything bought in the last few years you’d expect to last similar amounts of time? I know my answer.

Good question.

I have a 10-year-old Patagonia softshell which I wear all the time on the bike, they did a free repair when the zip failed and I hope I'll still be wearing it in 2031.

Baselayers and don't really wear out - so I expect I'll have a few of those for the rest of my life. And probably a Finisterre synthetic down vest which I wear loads and seems really durable.

That reminds me I’ve got a Mauser/swiss army pen knife that’s 31 years

Hah - I have a Victorinox one that is (almost) 31 years old too - bought in May 1990 to be used during my summer InterRailing in Europe and the Greek islands under canvas (well lightweight nylon). Still pretty well as sharp as it was when I first bought it.

I have a Gore mountain bike smock I got in a sale about 18 or 19 years ago. It's stood up to wind, rain, snow, hail and just about every other type of weather (maybe not sunshine). It's had countless encounters with rocks, trees, bushes, ice, mud etc (which sadly probably tells you a lot about my riding ability). It's only ever been reproofed once.

It still performs brilliantly. Okay it's not the most breathable jacket, but as it's mostly used between September and April in Scotland that's not a major issue. Best value bit of bike clothing I've ever owned.

Coleman stainless steel flask still keeping drinks hot after 27 years, I have a pertex/pile hat with a wired brim still warm and waterproof after 18 years -cost about £8 at the time, and an Abus padlock which is 13 years old that cost about £50 in 2008.

For me there are a few bits of kit that just seem to go on and one with little signs of the abuse I've given them.

Lowe Alpine Snow Peak 50l, around 20 years old. Still showing no significant signs of wear despite being used year in year out.

Berghaus Goretex Gaiters, bought in Perth from a wee outdoors shop on South Street. One of the rivet tips has rusted off but it's still holding strong.

Swiss Army "climber" knife bought in Tiso on Buchanan Street 25 years ago. Only issue is that the spring from the scissors has broken. Blades are still pretty sharp.

I have a load of old stuff from the 80s and 90s, none of which I actually use any more because, guess what, modern outdoors kit - like modern mountain bikes - is rather better unless your absolute priority is durability and/or you enjoy carrying excess loads around the hills while sweating a lot.

I do have some stuff I'm very fond of because it's bound up with memories of good place, times and people,

Refuses to die? My late 90s MSR XGK expedition stove which is half burner and half cockroach and my hot tip for any dystopian, post-pandemic future when your existence depends on being able to burn any sort of notionally flammable liquid syphoned from the abandoned SUVs of dead people. I don't use it much, but keep it just in case 🙂

Some more to add:

NovaCraft SP3 canoes. A proper 'savings bank of plastic' - they hold value and refuse to die. Come the zombie apocalypse, my choice of transport.

Vaude bike rucksacks, mine was binned in 2020 after being bought in 1996 and used almost daily.

Yellow Karrimor Karrimats.