Two years of buying and returning whittled this down. The rule now: an item stays only if it survived a season without me planning its replacement.
| Item | Status | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Merino short sleeve | kept ×3 | The only layer that works uphill, at camp and at the pub after. |
| Ultralight tarp tent | sold | Beautiful in calm weather, miserable in the only weather I actually go out in. |
| €15 gaiters | kept | Beat the €70 pair that unzipped at the worst possible time, twice. |
| 3-season quilt | kept | Cold feet issue solved properly with a beanie instead of sleeping bag upgrades. |
| Trail runner shoes | kept ×2 | I now buy the same model yearly and mourn each pair like a coworker. |
| Titanium everything | sold | I am not fast enough to feel the difference and poor enough to feel the price. |
A proper rain jacket with pit zips. Every cheap "waterproof" layer I owned was a windbreaker with delusions. Once you stop being damp on the inside, three other gear problems quietly disappear.