[pct-l] Multiuse Gear

[rmoak at sixmoondesigns.com (Ron Moak)]

Someone wants to know about the concept of multiple-use gear. So I thought
I'd toss out a few potential items and look at how they can be used for
multiple purposes. They may or may not be what you carry, but you can extend
the analogy to your own gear. Simply start looking at each item of gear and
ask yourself how can I use it in multiple ways. If you begin to discover
duplications you can find ways to reduce your gear. You may also discover
you need to change your gear over time in order take advantage of
multiple-use. For example if your tent doesn't work with a hiking pole, you
may want to upgrade to one that does.


Item -  Uses / Day Use / Night Use / Camp Use / Rest stop. / Town Use
-----------	---------------------------------------------------------------
Hiking Pole - 4 / Obvious / Tent or tarp pole / Digging Cat holes to
eliminate trowel. / Hold up pack to use as chair /
Sleeping Pad - 4 / Use as primary suspension of pack / Sleep on / Sit Pad /
Layout and rest on /
Hiking Shoes (lightweight Breathable) - / Hiking & stream crossing /
Foundation for pillow if set correctly / camp shoes /
Food bag with food - 2 / NA / Use as pillow / NA / NA / NA
Poncho - 4 / Rain Gear / Ground cloth or tarp / NA / NA / NA
Rain Gear - 3 / Rain or wind protection / Partial VB liner for cold nights /
Rain-wind / Rain-wind / worn while doing laundry
Sleeping Bag - 3 / NA / Sleeping / Pot Cozy or extra insulation layer / NA /
NA
Backpack - 4 / Carry your gear / Extra padding and insulation when using
short pads / Chair / Chair / Day pack

These are just a few brainteasers that will hopefully stimulate your
thoughts on how to make your gear more productive. You can have lots of fun
endlessly parsing your gear list to maximize your packs efficiency.

Have fun,

-- Fallingwater