[at-l] Sentimental Gear

[pmags at yahoo.com (Paul Magnanti)]

On a tangent about dinosaur gear...what piece(s) of gear do people use/have that they have a sentimental attachment to?
 
 As most of you know, some of my gear was lost in customs.  Mainly clothing..but they lost my $6 XYZMart boonie-style hat!
 This hat was with me on the PCT, who knows how many treks in Colorado and Utah. Full of sweat and salt stains, permanent dirt stains. Has survived hail, snow, rain, high altitude UV sun in Colorado and the Sierra, desert sun in Utah and California. It had character! 
 And some custom person in Rome or Paris lost it on me. Grrr...
 It was lighter than the Tilley I received as gift. I replaced my beloved $6 boonie with a military surplus boonie (also lighter than the Tilley). Looks too brand spanking new! Gotta break it in. :)  My beloved, yet missing, hat: http://gallery.backcountry.net/co04/acp
 
 My other sentimental gear:
 
 1) My daypack. Had it since 1996. Invariably,  when people see this beatup back (complete with ever present sweat stains, salt stain, and has ground in red dirt stains from canyoneering), they comment that..well..it is beat up looking. That it looks like it has been used quite a bit. Yep!
  It is now just starting to fray where the shoulder staps are attached to the pack. Have to sew a bit to reinfoce it. The bottom is starting to get holes in it. It is also what has my various trail patches. Been to the top of Mt. Washington in winter, canyoneering in Utah, and all over the Rockies.
 
 2) My AT hiking stick.  An actual wooden hiking stick! Used it the whole way on the AT. Has too much value to be used now. I have it in place of honor by the AT map on my wall.  Over 2000 miles of memories on that stick. Do not feel ANY attachment to metal hiking sticks..despite how many miles. The fact that my Dad put it together doubles the value.
 
 Anyone else?
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 The true harvest of my life is intangible.... a little stardust  caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched 
 --Thoreau http://www.magnanti.com