Old-school or high-tech?

The gear you use is all about compromise, and figuring out the best option for your activity

In recent years, there have been gigantic technological advances in the outdoor clothing that is available for us to browse and buy.

I’m talking about apparel for all of us, including hikers, hunters, fishers, campers, canoeists, kayakers and so on.

I’d go as far as to say astronomical -- some of the stuff available nowadays is absolutely game-changing.

WINTER CAMPING

Take winter camping for instance, specifically cold tenting. This means that you are backpacking, like you would in summer, with the exception that you are wearing snowshoes and winter clothing. You will be sleeping in a tent in the woods, and the tent will have no heat source inside.

I’ve done this sort of thing quite a bit over the years and I believe it would be quite challenging without the use of super-warm lightweight sleeping bags and likewise insulated clothing.

For me at least, I would not be able to keep my pack within a manageable weight range without modernly insulated gear. I try not to have my backpack much over 50 pounds for a long winter hike on snowshoes. And the weight of stuff adds up fast.

HOT TENTING

Maybe I’m just getting too old for it, or too soft. I don’t know, but I’m leaning in the hot tenting direction nowadays.

This is an altogether different sort of adventure. Once you decide to use a wood-burning stove in your tent, it becomes impossible to carry all your gear in a pack.

Altered logistics is essential. There’s a metal stove to contend with and tents to facilitate a stove are necessarily heavier. I’m working on a solo hot tent travel kit right now and it will likely weigh in at around 100 lbs. I’ll be towing it on a sled as opposed to carrying it on my back. Stay tuned.

TRADITIONAL

Hot tenting is more forgiving in terms of its technological demands. That’s not surprising, considering that this is the mode of travel utilized over past decades by trappers, Indigenous peoples and explorers.

More traditional materials like cotton, wool, leather, canvas, and wood are used, often to significant advantage.

You could easily survive a cold night in a hot tent with just good-quality wool blankets.

People did for centuries, and, of course, cured animal hides. It is the way we once travelled the land in winter on wooden snowshoes.

WHICH KIND OF SNOWSHOES?

Every time I write about snowshoes, I hear from many who are enthusiastic advocates for traditional wooden snowshoes. Some folks think that all modern high-tech racquets are just plain junk.

So which is best? It depends, I think. In fact, I am pretty sure on this one. Simple one-liner answers to such questions are rare. There is always the grey zone.

If I were climbing Maul Tree hill early tomorrow morning, I’d definitely not use traditional wooden snowshoes. The terrain is steep, and the snow is hard-packed and crusty at best.

After a sunny day, the heat causes melting and pooling water that will freeze into solid ice overnight.

I’d be slipping and sliding all over the place on wooden racquets. I might even take a fall and break one of my old bones.

I’m not going at it. Those traditional snowshoes were never intended for climbing in mixed terrain.

METAL

But my MSR Revo Ascent plastic and metal snowshoes are just the ticket. They have heel elevators for the steep climb, and steel teeth around the edges for traction. That’s in addition to the built-in crampons under the foot area. They are lightweight and tough as nails. I wouldn’t even take them off to walk over exposed rocky areas.

MSR describes them as allterrain snowshoes and they are not lying to us -- unless there’s deep powder covering the terrain.

Then these tiny 22-inch shoes are just a bit better than nothing. They will keep you afloat on a snowmobile track, so they could serve as emergency breakdown shoes in the backcountry. You could walk back over your snowmobile route if your machine breaks down.

TRADITIONAL

You can’t beat the bigger traditional snowshoes in fresh deep powder.

I have 36-inch synthetic shoes and they still are no match for a large pair of wooden shoes after a snowstorm.

So there you go, it depends. When I go winter hot tenting, I’ll take both. Why not enjoy the best of the old and new?

HIGH-TECH CLOTHING

Expensive, high-tech clothing is never as durable as old-school traditional stuff. A down-filled lightweight jacket will not outlast a duck canvas coat.

On a month-long bushwhacking trip, you’d likely be better served by the traditional coat, despite it having a much lower warmth-to-weight ratio.

High-tech warmth isn’t of much use when it’s torn to shreds. So, your choice of clothes depends on the nature of your journey.

Once I wore an expensive hiking jacket around a campfire at night. It was on a winter camping trip. The next morning I discovered numerous burn holes in my fairly new coat.

The outer layer of hightech coats burns really well. I learned the hard way. Now I always bring along an oversized cotton work shirt to wear around the campfire. I just pull it on over the high-tech garments. I’ll also use it when gathering firewood, and cutting tent poles. It works for me.

COMPROMISE

That’s the best way to go I think, a compromise, that utilizes the best characteristics of old-school and modern technology. There’s no need to choose sides and be a fundamentalist on this issue. You can have it all. Embrace what works.

For tracking moose, why not wear a deadly silent wool coat over a modern lightweight base layer? It works perfectly. I do it all the time. Try a down-filled vest beneath a super-tough canvas jacket. That would work nicely for bushwhacking or cutting firewood. Best kind.

You know what? When you are riding your ATV on a rainy day, why not just wear a suit of good old traditional commercial fishing-style rain clothes? It’s as tough as granite rocks and will keep you bone dry. Save the Gore-tex gear for when you really need it.

If you aren’t sweating, you don’t need Gore-tex. And while riding a quad in the pouring rain, rubber clothes will absolutely outperform high tech. Been there and done it, you will get soaked after a few miles in the breathable stuff. It especially does not work well compressed under your butt.

AVAILABILITY

I was in Toronto recently and visited two very different stores. Canadian Outdoor Equipment specializes in traditional gear, the very best traditional outdoor gear. Make sure and visit if you are in the area. I loved it.

Then I went to the MEC store, Mountain Equipment Co-op. Wow, they have everything for high-tech outdoors.

I bought stuff at both stores. Like I said, it depends.

PAUL SMITH Nothing will keep you dry like rubber commercial fishing pants. Paul Smith is also wearing a much-loved sweater his mother knit him 45 years ago.

PAUL SMITH You will see plenty of wooden snowshoes and other traditional gear at Canadian Outdoor Equipment.

PAUL SMITH Rugged traditional clothing is best for this kind of rough woods work.