Favorite piece of discontinued gear?

[Guest]

The trouble with shoe recommendations is that when someone recommends them and you do some research when you go to find them.. they are no more.

Too true. I much prefer knee high Mukluks with a stacked heel and aggressive sole and tread. Chota Nunavuts were the bomb. Discontinued. A couple years later a similar but (to my taste) improved version appeared, Chota Marsh Boots. Discontinued.

There are a few things I was truly sorry to see discontinued. My most missed item of discontinued gear would be Chota Nunavuts or their Chota replacement, Marsh Boots. “Would be”, the old and oft Aqua-Sealed Nunavuts still work, and the later model Marsh Boots have yet to show much wear.

Or maybe Spirit Sails, but I managed to nab enough of them to outfit the whole family and a friend or two, so I’m good.

What piece of gear gone from the marketplace do you most regret having been discontinued?

And, looking to the future, what piece of gear would you most regret disappearing from the marketplace?

For me, a lot of the Cooke Custom Sewing stuff would be desperately missed; Tundra Tarps and spray covers especially.

Or maybe the Purcell Trench Grill

http://www.purcelltrench.com/grills.htm

Yeah, they are spendy for a grill. But it was the last tripping grill I’ll ever need to buy and the craftsmanship and design thought is superior to anything else I have seen.

And I admire Purcell the Trench partners in design, fabrication, welding, sewing and etc. A small operation with a lot of people and small businesses involved in production. The spirit of the “About” link alone is enough to make me want one.

http://www.purcelltrench.com/about.htm

 

[Sweetfancymoses]

I never owned or used one, but I thought it was a great idea. The portage pack for the single portaging solo tripper that unbuckled into two pieces for trim. I guess Ostrom(?) discontinued them.

 

[Fitz]

A "Maine Roll-On". It was a roller that mounted onto a Thule or Yakima rack. You would put the end of the canoe on the roller and roll the canoe right up onto the SUV. It was an awesome device. I routinely took all of my big 18 and even 20 foot wood and canvas canoes solo and had no problem at all loading the boat at the end of the day. People at the landings would stand in awe.

 

[yellowcanoe]

My Ostrom Wabakimi Pack..and Ostrom Liners.. You can't get them anymore

 

[Guest]

Yeah, the Ostrom/Bell Solo Pack (separates into two duffles) seemed so pricey at the time, but I'd snap one up if available today.

 

[Gerald]

I second the old Chota Nunavuts. Best cold weather or far North boots I ever owned and still have a pair that are functional.

 

[yellowcanoe]

I second the old Chota Nunavuts. Best cold weather or far North boots I ever owned and still have a pair that are functional.

Oh yes a Third vote here!

 

[Waterdog]

Mountain Hardwear is famous for dropping or "revamping" their outerwear. I have multiple fleece layers and original Synchro jacket in a bin in the basement in case I ever wear out the current ones.

Filson whipcord pants...didn't realize they were dropping those till it was too late.

Big Agnes Emerald Mountain 3. Don't know what I'll do when that wears out. I found one new and bought it for my brother a few Christmas' ago, might have to buy it back from him.

And royalex canoes....perfect compromise for Eastern rivers.

Cheers,
Barry

 

[memaquay]

Eureka has completely lost my respect by discontinuing the Timberline Outfitter 6 person tent in Canada. This was the ultimate in durability and comfort, and had been around forever. I have three left for our club, two from the 1980's and one about ten years old. I really wanted to buy my own one two years ago, and that's when I was told they would be no more in Canada. BOOOOOOOO!

 

[Odyssey]

We had one of those Eureka Timberline 6 tents, if it was the same design I don't know. It was huge. My wife and I and four growing kids made it our October igloo on canoe trips. I donated it to a Girl Guide group where it met an ignoble end, poorly packed and mouldy in a damp basement. Poor thing.

Those Ostrom packs were my Hasselblad dream. In the late 70's I took up photography, and dreamed of someday owning my very own Hassleblad. They were the premium engineered medium format camera in their day. I coveted them and the legendary Leicaflexes through storefront windows. A mere 3/16ths of glass ( and several thousand dollars ) kept us apart. I settled for a thrifty and trusty Pentax. I've lusted after those Ostrom packs for years, but settled for more affordable options. This late in life I doubt I'll ever own my own Ostrom, much less a Hasselblad. No regrets, just unrequited love.

Speaking of love and packs, I've fallen in love with canvas. Although the Woods 200 and Special 100 were perhaps inferior cousins of the Duluths, it is still a shame they're no longer made. I'll put some miles and years on the ones I own, and hopefully pass them on to my kids. Meantime I'm admiring the looks of the Alder Stream canvas packs.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Meantime I'm admiring the looks of the Alder Stream canvas packs.

Jane is a one woman shop and Maine Guide ( canoe). I hope she is not discontinued soon... though she must be 50. She is incredibly supportive of the paddling community and local symposia.

 

[PaddlingPika]

One of my favorite discontinued items is the Lafuma Maxi Pop-up Butterfly chair. For awhile Lafuma had discontinued the aluminum frame ones and substituted a steel frame which was a little heavier. Now they don't list either of these. The pair I have are aluminum frame. Light weight, very quick set-up and take down and quite comfortable. The back is high enough that if I slouch diagonally in the sling seat one of the top corners makes a good headrest. I've bought other chairs but keep coming back to the butterfly chair. One of mine has a slightly bent frame now and both have holes in the fabric from campfire embers but I hope they will hold up for many more canoe camping trips.

 

[Guest]

Eureka has completely lost my respect by discontinuing the Timberline Outfitter 6 person tent in Canada. This was the ultimate in durability and comfort, and had been around forever.

Not as durable or long lasting as the Outfitter Timberlines, but Eureka should not have discontinued the Alpine Meadows. Those were identical to the Timberline tents, but had a clip-on single center hoop that held the walls open. It was an extra few ounces and extra couple of seconds in set up, but that center hoop helped immensely by expanding the interior walls for more room, increased windproofieness and keeping the wet nylon fly from sagging onto the tent body.

We have fifteen year old 2-man and 4-man Alpine Meadows and still use them when windblown venues make a fully sealed zip-up tent panel over screen advantageous to keep sand and dust out of the tent. I wish I had brought on last trip on the Green.

 

[memaquay]

Apparently there is still a variation of the timberline being made in the US, only it is no longer a single wall. However, the Eureka Rep said he could not bring it into Canada.

 

[BWCA66]

Interesting, I can go on the Campmor site and find the 2, 4 & the 6 man outfitter Timberline tents??

 

[memaquay]

Yes, I looked at shipping one from a US store, but with the low Canadian dollar and shipping costs, it would come to close to a thousand Canadian dollars.

 

[Alan Gage]

Yes, I looked at shipping one from a US store, but with the low Canadian dollar and shipping costs, it would come to close to a thousand Canadian dollars.

Yeah, what kind of fool would spend $1k on a tent???

Alan

 

[Odyssey]

Nope, I don't see the Eureka design we bought on their website. It was a 2 door dome but with full fly cover. Maybe it wasn't a Timberline. It was a nice tent. Back then it was about $600+ but we got it on sale. My wife says we paid around $300 but the scorch marks I still have on my arse indicate it was quite a bit more.

 

[memaquay]

Yeah, what kind of fool would spend $1k on a tent???

Ha, well, I just spent a lot more than that on a tent, but the last time I bought a Timberline, around ten years ago, I payed less than 500, so I'm going to keep my resolve up and my credit card down.

 

[Seeker]

The original GoLite brand stuff... in particular, the Gust backpack. Light, feature-free, cheap. Now brands like ULA make similar bags, but they're full of little add-ons (like belt pockets, zippers, webbing) that you really don't need, and this drives the price up. I just want a light green 20oz nylon drawstring sack with shoulder straps and a roll top, a junk pocket, and maybe a couple water bottle pockets.