We've all done it at some point or another. I've been guilty of this mistake a few times. We'be all picked up something in the store that we thought would complete our next trip as far as gear goes.



The huge bowie knife. Completely stupid... never even took it out of the pack.

Reason for purchase... it looked bad ass I thought I could baton with it.

What is one thing you purchased and now you regret and why?

Nice gear lay out..i did the Big Knife thing too,when the folding Sod Buster i wore on my belt for years starting showing it's age i looked around for a replacement and ended up with a "knife too big".one trip and it stayed home and just got some use on car camps.too big on the Pike lures was another one.a hassle to pack and at the price i did not want to loose them.i over did on stoves also,not dumb as such but i got the collectors bug and now have a display case full of them.nice gear but if i used a different one on each trip i would be 80 and still have a couple still to go.while not a canoe trip stove i could not pass up a yard sale Coleman two burner suitcase stove and now have six or seven of them,a couple NIB for $5-$10--ok maybe that was dumb and now that i think about it what i'm i going to do with a WW One canvas tent,huge and weights a ton but for $10 how could i pass it up!!

A hand pump Water Filter (MSR Miniworks)... I used it once and hated the effort to get a liter of water. I use a Basecamp Gravity Filter (I have two - MSR and Katadyn) and for "On the Go" I use a 48 Ounce Nalgene Silo Bottle with a Steripen Pre-Fiter and Steripen.

Scoop ~ Swirl ~ Drink.. All over in about 3 mins.... and I have 3 times the water as a silly hand pump.

Gander Mountain Guide Series nylon pants. It felt like I was wearing a plastic bag. I will stick with my poly-cotton BDUs.

quote bojibob: "A hand pump Water Filter (MSR Miniworks)... I used it once and hated the effort to get a liter of water. I use a Basecamp Gravity Filter (I have two - MSR and Katadyn) and for "On the Go" I use a 48 Ounce Nalgene Silo Bottle with a Steripen Pre-Fiter and Steripen.


Scoop ~ Swirl ~ Drink.. All over in about 3 mins.... and I have 3 times the water as a silly hand pump."

One persons trash is another ones treasure. If I needed another Mini Works I would know where to go.

But mine is twenty years old and still going strong. It saved my life once when I ran out of water and had to drill through a bog and stick the hose through and pump. The map showed a lake mid portage. The lake had grown in.

Mine is a nine by nine Noahs Tarp. About as useful as a hankie.

The ONE thing?!?! Oh, my...

Well, there have been the various fanny packs I went through in the 80s. Replaced by GG thwart bag.

Then the liner pack systems from Duluth Pack that I see still rolled up on the shelf. Cost as much as a whole box of the contractor debris bags I use now.

A Clam ice anchor install tool that I tried to use once and promptly gave away. I got a pair of Ice Angels last spring and already put them to good use this winter.

PUR Scout hand pump water filter that was taken on 3-4 trips and went through 3-4 filter changes. My biceps thanked me, but it has sat unused for many years. 4 liter Sawyer gravity system is now my solution of choice.

I'm sure I could add more...

quote wetcanoedog: "i could not pass up a yard sale Coleman two burner suitcase stove and now have six or seven of them,a couple NIB for $5-$10"

I know a couple of guys (myself included) that have the same weakness. The up-side is that my Scout Troop has a constant supply of stoves.

Cook sets: All of them I have ever owned. Sigg Tourister, MSR alpine, GSI soloist, Snow peak Ti, REI Ti, Brunton ity bit, etc. All nice stuff but a total waste of money!! I have finally got it down to a Glaicer cup and a sierra cup for solos and I added another Glaicer cup and a Zebra 12cm pot for trips with my son. (Glaicer cups fit around the bottom of your nalegene bottle) Cook kits have so much stuff you never use. Think about how we all used to get by with some boy scout cook kit or the cup that came with the Svea stove? No need for all the SS or Ti works of art sold as cooking pots. The old GI canteen and canteen cup are actually very practical and are cheap!!

I always seem to buy knives that I don't end up using. The big knives: an original KABAR, a SOG Seal 2000, and a machete. Also some small ones: a little CRKT folder, a Leatherman Skeletool, a couple other cheaper multitools, and one of those folding knives with a light built in.

I don't know if I'm just picky or what but I don't think I've used any of those knives in over a year. I have a Kershaw folder that's always on clipped on my pocket around home and at work and I use a Gerber Flik or a Mora knife when I'm out in the wilderness.

Other than a cheap $20 set of raingear that tore down the pantleg within 20 seconds of me putting them on, I can't think of any gear purchases that I regret. And just because I might not have used something yet doesn't mean I won't.

An engagement ring.

steel fry pan non stick coating supposedly on it. Burn, baby burn, hit the recycle pile relatively quickly.

One of those mesh camp tables (like camp chairs, folding). Mesh for lightweight, cup holders, etc. It has NEVER been used - in fact I could return it to REI... maybe I will!! I thought I'd use it for car camping, but then you actually have a picnic table, so who needs a folding one? And I'd never think it was worth the weight to take to the BW. So what good is it?

quote NDCanoe: "An engagement ring."

Ouch! Imagine the gel-coated kevlar that could have purchased!

Camp cooking gear here also! Stacking pot sets (several), frypans, ovens, mugs, cups, bottles, plates. Different materials, weights and coatings.
All that and some of the best baked/fried/cooked meals are made on the fire grate with an "on the spot" oven made from aluminum foil!
On the other hand "dumb gear" is just stuff you haven't found a good use for yet!

butthead

That p.o.s. swiss gear tent I took on my first bwca trip. Thank goodness is was only one portage in and out for a basecamp. That thing had to weigh 20 lbs. Once I knew I liked it I bought something more suitable.

a giant Osagian aluminum canoe...damn that thing was heavy and slow. That was when I was really green...can't think of anything recent though.
I usually research gear very thoroughly before I pull the trigger.

A depth finder, never could get it to work, it did find one sucker, :)

20L folding sink. The kind that is held rigid by the water. I can't even hardly lift 20L of water. So, I fill it up about half way, and the sides don't hold up. I hate that thing!

Neoprene Boundary Water Knee High Boots. First timer mistake. Got wet, stayed wet. No support on the soles or ankles. Almost like walking barefoot. On the positive side they work well for floating rivers when the water is cold.

Too many to mention; I seem to have this knack for buying two or three versions of something before I finally find the right one (portage packs, water filters, sleeping mats...). But perhaps the dumbest was the Hawkeye Fishfinder for $65. Never worked right and was a pain to use.

quote HowardSprague: "Other than a cheap $20 set of raingear that tore down the pantleg within 20 seconds of me putting them on, I can't think of any gear purchases that I regret. And just because I might not have used something yet doesn't mean I won't."

Just choked on my cereal. LOL

i buy useless crap on ebay all of the time. the fact that it is cheap really sucks me in. i just bought a duluth pack for $40, the cheap one, the leather is rotted and the bottom of the pack had been painted with road tar. with some work i will have a useable pack, but it would have been cheaper to buy new.

quote NDCanoe: "An engagement ring."

My thought precisely. I've purchased four of them ... I'm a very slow learner.

I bought a cheese straightener once......... No idea why. Thought is was the right thing to do.

quote OBX2Kayak: "

quote NDCanoe: "An engagement ring."

My thought precisely. I've purchased four of them ... I'm a very slow learner."

As Larry the Cable Guy would say "Now that's funny". LMAO!

quote WindChill: "

quote wetcanoedog: "i could not pass up a yard sale Coleman two burner suitcase stove and now have six or seven of them,a couple NIB for $5-$10"

I know a couple of guys (myself included) that have the same weakness. The up-side is that my Scout Troop has a constant supply of stoves.

"

I have done the same thing several times...then they made me the scoutmaster.

quote dicecupmaker: "I bought a cheese straightener once......... No idea why. Thought is was the right thing to do."

Hey, I've been looking for one of those. Where'd you find yours?

btw, I eat oatmeal, too.

quote jwartman59: "i buy useless crap on ebay all of the time. the fact that it is cheap really sucks me in. i just bought a duluth pack for $40, the cheap one, the leather is rotted and the bottom of the pack had been painted with road tar. with some work i will have a useable pack, but it would have been cheaper to buy new."

I am usually the opposite. At my age simplifying is enjoyable and I get a kick out of disposing. Now I have four Thermarests that I want to get high on by kicking them out.

The Used Thermarest thread gave me hope. I did not think I could get that much money for them.

I tend to think on potential purchases for a while, and more so now that income is limited. I have been known to think on it too long and the sale goes poof.

I bought one of the first Coleman Canoes... Yuk!

Just bought an MSR gravity water filter at Spring Creek yesterday, I'm hoping that is a good thing.

For me it is the Littlbug stove. Just didn't get along with it that well because I found it hard to control the temperature. I can see it as a great way to boil water with very little wood but our cooking takes a bit more control. Also discovered that I hate cleaning soot off pots. I'm sure others love them but it hasn't taken a second trip with us.

A Coghlan's sierra saw. It might do a good job pruning roses or lilacs but I haven't tried that yet (and I ain't gonna).
Also a solar shower for the 2010 trip (in August) for Dory's comfort when she went with us. It ended up just being dead weight for me on the trip. Quite the dumb idea.

quote thlipsis29: "Too many to mention; I seem to have this knack for buying two or three versions of something before I finally find the right one (portage packs, water filters, sleeping mats...). But perhaps the dumbest was the Hawkeye Fishfinder for $65. Never worked right and was a pain to use. "

I bought that POS also. Lost the transducer in the water. Bought another transducer. When it arrived in the mail, it reminded me how sucky that fish finder was. Threw both the new transducer and fish finder in the trash immediately. Thanks for reminding me LOL!

An anchor bag. It's been on numerous trips, but I've never used it and probably never will.

This is a funny thread! LMAO. I can relate to most of it as I've done most of it! I especially liked the one about the rain pants. I can still see my dad (now deceased) in a pair of shredded cheap plastic rain pants as he came out of the woods after hunting one cold, rainy, windy day. The only thing left was the elastic waist band and short strings of shredded plasic blowing in the breeze....OMG! To make matters worse, I'm currently looking into portable fish finders for next years trip!!! Maybe I'll just donate the money to charity instead! Thanks for the chuckles!

What the heck is a cheese straightner? Still LMAO....it's starting to hurt!!

I can now honestly cross out the "laugh till I cry" item on my own "Bucket List"!

nothing "dumb", just a lot of impulse buys.

Wow, I always love a thread that makes me remember how gullible, and green I was (maybe still am. Here's my list

- MSR 10L dromedary bag ($40+)never used
- 25L Military Camelbak - Squadbak ($90+) never used
- Solo tent, I have to crawl to get out of ($100)
- Enamel coated plates/cups ($?)to heavy
- super light 20 degree sleeping bags (Off Brand) used one trip and froze, ended coming home early, (2x $90 ea)

the list could go on but I might start drinking heavily if I keep thinking about it.

I now research for months before I make a purchase. Much of the info found on this site for what I buy.

Bought a Bell once...










(Not really, just haven't seen much pot-stirring here lately)

The bear bells to keep the bears away? Those kind seem pretty dumb.

I don't think you could put a Bell into this category.

quote gutmon: "Bought a Bell once...











(Not really, just haven't seen much pot-stirring here lately)"

Now I'm LMAO!!!!

The sad part is, no matter how dumb it was, I still can't get rid of it. I have a gear shed full of dumb stuff.

Binoculars. I've bought atleast 3 pairs now. And given them all away. Never used any of them...

The big bowie knife I use constantly and baton with it on a regular basis. But gave my camp axe's away. They never got used.

Solo tent.....never used. Not enough room to even roll over in let alone breathe.

Dry bags to go inside my ruck... = wore out and leaked the first year. Never waste money on them again... 3 layers of lightweight garbage bags are cheap and work way better.

And yup years ago I bought a bear bell too... Think it's on my chopper now lol.(doesn't do a damn thing on there either except hang there)

The blue enamel coated cook and plate set..= burned lips from hot coffee as the cup gets too hot.. (carry a plastic coffee cup now) And the cook set is setting in storage where it's been for a dozen years untouched.

Leatherman= unused and useless. ( I love knives and have enough blades as it is without one more in my pocket. Gave it away.

Mosquito hood... Only ever used once when I decided to go up north in july......= I normally go in mid september now.. Hardly any bugs then.

light weight Camp stove = never used tossed into storage container to rot.(prefer a real fire even if it's small just enough to cook on)

When I was first gettin' started, I imagined that 4 piece fishing rods were the ultimate, went to a lot of trouble to find some. Well, at least they don't take up much space in the back of the truck.

quote maxxbhp: "When I was first gettin' started, I imagined that 4 piece fishing rods were the ultimate, went to a lot of trouble to find some. Well, at least they don't take up much space in the back of the truck."

HAHA.... I can relate to this one. I have a 5 piece fishing rod that's 5 feet long when assembled. For some reason I thought I would put it into my pack, but I just use the bungie dealie bobs to lash them onto the canoe. It's more work to take that pole apart then it is to lash the two piece rod into the boat.

Needless to say... the 5 piece pole doesn't leave the garage that often anymore.

quote Frenchy19: "An anchor bag. It's been on numerous trips, but I've never used it and probably never will. "

Wow really? Ours get used on every trip.

quote mooseplums: "a giant Osagian aluminum canoe...damn that thing was heavy and slow. That was when I was really green...can't think of anything recent though.
I usually research gear very thoroughly before I pull the trigger."

That makes me a little sad. I love my big heavy Osagian Aluminum canoe. I have put well over 100 miles on it. I didn't buy it new, and I would never buy another but I still love it. I think my wife kind of thinks about me like that sometimes. Including the slow and heavy part.

I bought a GG pack that fit under a tractor seat. I used it one trip and decided it really sucks trying to dig things out from under your seat. Some poor sucker...I mean lucky person won it on the raffle at last spring's wing night gathering.

A fiberglass canoe with tractor seats (Luckily I was able to get my money back on it, though. Phew!)

A 3-legged camp chair that lasted one trip.

A cheap telescoping fishing pole (another one-tripper)

Pants on sale from Gander Mtn. They looked like nylon, but it was my fault for not checking the label closer. They were made of polyester and were hot as blazes.

Guess you live and learn!

The things I don't use are almost always the result of impulse buys. I bought this float tube 30 years ago and it's still in the package.

quote mr.barley: "I bought a GG pack that fit under a tractor seat. I used it one trip and decided it really sucks trying to dig things out from under your seat. Some poor sucker...I mean lucky person won it on the raffle at last spring's wing night gathering."

LMAO! Just so others reading this know, I was the "poor sucker" who won it.

To be honest I've used it one 2 trips now. I put things in there that I don't use a whole lot. It's a good place for an extra set of maps and an extra compass. I also keep a mostly used roll of duct tape in there. Ohhh yeah... and from bug spray and sun screen.

But yeah... overall it's a pain to try and get anything out of it while you're paddling! I can see why you would say that.

I bought a very short Gerber hatchet that had a small fixed blade that nested in the handle of the hachet. By small I mean a handle length of about eight inches. The blade was serrated and dull and the knife flew out of the handle every swing. Not my best buy

under seat pack... yeah that one is so long ago that I forgot. We just had one for my bow paddler and it completely made portages impossible by unbalancing the canoe. I think it was stowed in a pack after a day or two.

I bought a small lightweight collapsable anchor for use with my canoe while fishing rivers. The first time I put the anchor into the water it drifted past me in the current. Might be a candidate for a raffle prize???

Will trade small lightweight collapsable canoe anchor (used once) for anchor bag.

seal skinz water proof socks

I thought these would be the ulitmate answer to wet footing. They work great until you step in where the water goes above the top of the sock. Then they become bags of water with your feet in them.


Now I just got OTB boots that drain quickly with a pair of smart wool socks.


Still have them, don't know why.

mummy bag -- straighjacket for the entire body.

I'll let you know once I get to the cabin and find out what I have in the back of the shelves that I store my camping equipment on.

quote Unas10: "Gander Mountain Guide Series nylon pants. It felt like I was wearing a plastic bag. I will stick with my poly-cotton BDUs."

Funny--I have a pair of those and I love them. They go with me on every trip.

As they say: to each their own...

quote oldnewbie: "mummy bag -- straighjacket for the entire body."

You can say that again, I got a really nice Mtn Hardware 700 ft down semi-rec 12 years ago when I worked at REI, if anything happened to that I'd be one sad panda.

NRS Workboot.
-Made me do all the work (I carried 'em 80 miles).
-Doubled as a water carrier.
-Once they got wet (immediately) they never dried and were heavy.

Took them off after the first day. Wore my beat up Salomons the rest of the trip-my regular tripping shoes. If I weren't loyal to the LNT ethic they'd still be up in Wabakimi somewhere.

The Sierra cup. You were not cool back in 1974 if you did not have one of those. Burned my lips the first time I had hot chocolate and I have been using a cheap plastic mug ever since.

I've managed to buy most of my stuff used, so I was able to sell most of it to get my cash back.

Dumbest thing I bought was a wood paddle for over a hundred bucks, should have went straight for the carbon fiber, but I did not know they existed at the time. I only have one wood paddle left for creek paddling. I managed to sell the rest and recoup a few bucks.

Only been at it a few years now and I try to research most purchases, too. But...

One year I just HAD to bring along a 2-quart Lodge camp dutch oven. Not a bad product, but not something I want to lug in and out of the BW. I have a buddy that likes to remind me about it when he gets the chance. I think he got roped into carrying it.

Last year I decided on the way to the BW that I should just man up and spend the money on a fish finder. I had my eye on one of the Hummingbird Fishin' Buddy units. Boy- what a clunky turd. On the plus side, I'm completely hacking it apart to make what I think will be a good canoe unit. It's already got a battery pack and a short transducer cable, right?

Oh- and my GSI cookware with plastic lids seemed pretty nice until the flames got a little high and I realized how easily they melt. User error? ...maybe.

?

quote jcheese: "Only been at it a few years now and I try to research most purchases, too. But...


One year I just HAD to bring along a 2-quart Lodge camp dutch oven. Not a bad product, but not something I want to lug in and out of the BW. I have a buddy that likes to remind me about it when he gets the chance. I think he got roped into carrying it.


Last year I decided on the way to the BW that I should just man up and spend the money on a fish finder. I had my eye on one of the Hummingbird Fishin' Buddy units. Boy- what a clunky turd. On the plus side, I'm completely hacking it apart to make what I think will be a good canoe unit. It's already got a battery pack and a short transducer cable, right?


Oh- and my GSI cookware with plastic lids seemed pretty nice until the flames got a little high and I realized how easily they melt. User error? ...maybe.


"

Welcome to the board jcheese. You then by doing. Ha!

Yikes!

After reading through this list, I think I may have to lay out all my gear to think long and hard about what I'll truly use and what I won't.


I picked up a nice gerber knife a few months ago, after this thread, I'm rethinking that purchase.

I bought the MSR hand pump water filter, after this thread I'm rethink that too. The other (counter) thread about the smartest gear purchases has that gravity filter listed several times.

quote NDCanoe: "An engagement ring."

At least you stopped there. I've got the wedding band which wasn't my purchase but dumb none-the-less.

We allowed one of the guys to bring a "camp wench" one time. She would not shut up, drank all the liquor, and complained on the portages. Not again!!!! Now it's wives and girlfriends ONLY!!!

quote bapabear: " ?"

I LOVE THE POPEIL'S POCKET FISHERMAN!!!

I had a laugh one day pulling one out when I went fishing with the "serious" fishermen friends. They were rolling with laughter but I caught a mess of pan fish with that baby that day!

quote luft: "

quote bapabear: " ?"

I LOVE THE POPEIL'S POCKET FISHERMAN!!!


I had a laugh one day pulling one out when I went fishing with the "serious" fishermen friends. They were rolling with laughter but I caught a mess of pan fish with that baby that day!"

Does that thing really work? My buddy was joking (mostly serious) about bringing one this year.

quote Scout64: "Does that thing really work? My buddy was joking (mostly serious) about bringing one this year."

One of the HS kids brought one on my very first BW trip in '78. He and I (with my trusty 4' fiberglass whip and Zebco 202 reel) caught enough to supplement the awful freeze-dried junk that the camp sent with us.

I too have been laughing til crying!The worst thing I ever brought?? I brought a couple green-horns with that have NEVER been camping. Disaster. But gear. Solo tent is right up there. I don't know if I have ever slept in it. Camel-back was a waste too. Who wants to carry water? Of course because I am so cheap there are a long list of "deals" type gear. 9.99 fishing real! Plastic rain gear. etc..

quote bapabear: " ?"

This brings me back to my youth. When I was around 8 years old, I or my family had one of these things. My older brothers and I used to hike into the woods to a pond and fish a lot. One day I was using the pocket fisherman with a little jig on it. I rared back like a pitcher to really cast it out there. On the forward motion the jig somehow caught the inside of my right nostril on the follow through and ran the barb right through my nose. If only I had done that now days I was apparently ahead of the trend on this nose piercing thing. Man did that hurt, I will never forget it.

I think my dumbest purchase was a French press for coffee. Used it once. I don't think they have a place in a campsite. At home in a cabinet maybe.
I usually spend some time (sometimes a lot of time) researching and learning about all the stuff I buy so that I make sure I get it right the first time. I will usually figure out beforehand if it is going to be a dumb purchase and therefore will not buy it.
I didn't think hard enough about that French press thing though.

quote bapabear: " ?"

Received one of these as a gift many many years ago. It isn't really such a bad idea. Especially for canoe tripping. I haven't done it yet but I have thought about bringing an ice fishing rod/reel instead of the full sized combo. Save on some space and maybe not have another rod break in the back of the tahoe! Maybe I'll finally give it a try this summer.