Why does nobody talk about how heavy those old canvas tents were

I used to use my dad's old canvas tent from the 80s and it weighed like 25 pounds plus it took forever to dry out. Last summer I finally switched to a Kelty 4 person tent that weighs under 8 pounds and sets up in 5 minutes. Has anyone else made the switch from heavy gear and actually noticed a difference on longer hikes?

3 comments

3 Comments

tarajenkins2mo ago

I traded my dad's old Eureka Timberline for a Sierra Designs lightweight tent a few years back. It was like night and day carrying that thing 6 miles into the backcountry. I didn't realize how much I was just tolerating the old heavy gear until I didn't have to anymore.

verafoster2mo ago

Wait, so how long did you lug that old Timberline around before you finally wised up? @tarajenkins, I think we've all been there with that one piece of gear we just tolerate because it's what we know. My first backpack was a hand-me-down external frame from the 80s that weighed more than my current fully loaded pack. After switching to a lighter setup, I honestly felt like I was cheating on the trail, but my back has never complained since.

adam_hernandez29d ago

yeah but like what made you finally do the trade? was there one specific trip where the Timberline just broke you or did you kind of just wake up one day and decide you were done with it? cause I feel like with heavy gear there's usually that one moment where you're like "nope, never again." for me it was trying to bushwhack with my old pack and basically getting clotheslined by branches every five steps. curious what your breaking point was.