Favorite discontinued gear

The first pieces of gear that come to mind for me are the  HB El-Cap helmet and the A5 hammer.

so it goes…

Evolv Bandits

Pete Swrote:

What ever happened to wild things sewn runners and backpacks? 

They produced for US military PCU, like many others, and John apparently sold off the company and now it's only military gear.

Also he must have licensed some Japanese company because it was a brand over there with stuff you would never see come out of NH.

Steve McGeewrote:

They produced for US military PCU, like many others, and John apparently sold off the company and now it's only military gear.

Also he must have licensed some Japanese company because it was a brand over there with stuff you would never see come out of NH.

I have one of their backpacks and it came from a friend who has been in several different special forces units. He is currently Delta but that backpack came from when he was a PJ in the air force. He gave it to me full of a bunch of other climbing gear and a pair of petzl quarks,  a bunch of it was black versions of normal gear. 

I think the wild things backpack is the same as one of the cold cold world backpacks that are still made. 

And to someone above who wishes they still made plain, non anodized stoppers, either dmm or wild country still do. I can't remember which. 

Brian Rwrote:

Marmot Alpinist Climbing Jacket

Wild Country Forged Friends

Stoppers that weren't anodized different colors

A5 Bigwall Gear Sling and Belay Seat

Petzl Attaché (round stock)

Black Diamond Livewire and Big Easy (bent/straight/locking were all great...if they had a key lock version Id be all over it)

Five.Ten hightops (Guide Tennie?  I got them in 2000)

Integral Designs Salathe Bivi Sack

Hey I have an unused integral designs bivy. I'm not sure which model but it is event fabric. I would sell it if you're interested? 

This is still my fav climbing pack and it’s gotta be almost 20 years old now.  

Curt Hairewrote:

hands down the product I still go out of my way to find and acquire (nearly impossible anymore) is the Mjollnir hammer created by Forrest Mountaineering of Boulder, CO back in  the seventies.  I've owned four of these, and I do not lend the one I have now.  The previous three were mysteriously "lost" by partners who'd "borrowed" them.  

Whaaaattt??? 

Pete Swrote:

This is still my fav climbing pack and it’s gotta be almost 20 years old now.  

I just tossed mine not too long ago, it was pretty beat up, and had already been patched and straps repaired. The tubes on mine were also a PITA with any modern leashless tool with a pinky test. The tubes were just too narrow since the pack was designed well before those existed. Even if I got my tools in the tube, the hammer on my tools is too small to keep the bottom buckle from slipping off. But yes that pack lasted me a very long time.

Katakis. Luckily managed to score 3 pairs!

mammut smart belay device 

Patagonia linked pack. 

Pete Swrote:

This is still my fav climbing pack and it’s gotta be almost 20 years old now.  

Awesome! I used an Andinista for pretty much everything for years. 22-day mountaineering courses, climb/haul on long routes, bivi sack, sleeping pad, crag bag. It's lighter fabric and I had 4 total (one delaminated so John sent me a new one).

The last was yellow X fabric with a light grey interior. Sold that on eBay for more than I'd paid for it. *I didn't like the new molded foam padding. John said he agreed the original evazote flat style pads were better but everyone wanted the new tech. That's the only reason I sold it.

My only complaint was that when totally full with the lid on top my head hit the lid. But most of the time the rack and rope came out so the lid was inside. Or one zipper was compressed with the lid off. 

Just noticed yours has the x fabric, too. I borrowed an Ice Sac from someone for one course. It was ballistics, stiff, pretty nice. Too short, though.

Anyway, I loved that pack.

Apologies if I mentioned it a while back up-thread....

Patagonia stand-up shorts. Absolutely indestructible for at least a decade.

Quinn Hatfieldwrote:

5.10 Zlippers 

Circa 1997? 

A fellow Zlipper enjoyer?!

Melanie Sheawrote:

A fellow Zlipper enjoyer?!

I took a big (accidental) 10+yr break from climbing. I got back in to it when I started taking my 6yr old to the climbing gym.. at first I was just watching her- but when I decided to climb again- the Zlippers were the only shoe I still had.. 

It was funny to see the reactions from the Few Who Knew.. 

I just saw that Adidas updated the Mocasym :( I dunno why after 30 years they felt the need to change things

RIP original Mocs

Edge wrote:

I bought this pack circa 1982 from the IME North Conway bargain bin; it was one of the first two prototypes for Wild Things Freney pack that Bouchard had just dropped off. My friend bought the other one, I think they were $60 apiece?  This one’s been used consistently ever since, including use as a haul bag on SFWC.

I also have the prototype Alpinista with the full front compression zipper. Bouchard had just got back with it from Chamonix, and put it in a yard sale he was having. He was away when his wife told me I could have it for $100, but boy was he pissed at her a few minutes later when he returned.
I took it to Cham myself and used it on several big routes. It just kind of hangs out on the shop wall now collecting dust along with some other antique gear and my dignity.

Totally rad. Not sarcastic in any way.

Alpine Luddites pays tribute to good packs:

I paid $175 for my packs. I think even the last one in the early 2000's was the same price, with the X fabric and custom colors. I was a guide, but I don't think I was getting a discount.

Blancos.

Brian Rwrote:
Integral Designs Salathe Bivi Sack

I’m pretty sure I’ve got one of these laying in my bin of shit, if you want to get your hands on another one. 

Steven Nwrote:

I just saw that Adidas updated the Mocasym :( I dunno why after 30 years they felt the need to change things

RIP original Mocs

Unparallel UpMocs have taken the torch 

Pete Swrote:

This is still my fav climbing pack and it’s gotta be almost 20 years old now.  

I've got one in blue.  Also 20 years old.  Still love it.

Quinn Hatfieldwrote:

Unparallel UpMocs have taken the torch 

Not even close. While they are certainly nice shoes, they are significantly stiffer, and don't climb the same at all.