- Those small GPS (Global Positioning System) receivers have revolutionized the concept of knowing where you are and where your are going. "That technology is really only in its infancy," he said - and the price is plunging. "The first ones we carried three or four years ago, they cost $400 for the least expensive. Now they are $109 in just that four-year period."

- More outerwear is being designed for specific purposes and varying conditions. The fabrics are often light, waterproof or water-repellant and adaptable.

- Gaining in years? Need uphill or downhill support? Hiking poles or staffs seem to be making a comeback ("In Europe I don't think they ever went away," Richardson said). Some telescope for easier storage; others have angled and padded grips and shock-absorbing springs; many look high-tech, others are low-tech, varnished and woodsy.

- Flashlights are varied and powerful. He likes headlamps - lights on headbands, that allow hikers to move, work or even read in the dark.

- Cooking gear - pans and such - have gotten lighter. Stainless steel and nonstick aluminum remain popular, but "you can even buy titanium cooking gear now," Richardson said.

- Pack stoves, too, have improved, especially in the efficiency of gases available to the hiker. Propane and white gas are still standbys, but butane and propane mixes, for example, allow cooking and boiling at lower temperatures than in the past, "and prices are very reasonable," he said.

Cost can be a factor for first-time buyers and those ready for an equipment update.

Sure, Richardson said, things cost more today than they did 20 years ago. What was a $160 quality sleeping bag then might now sell for $600.

"That's a lot of money, but dollar for dollar, it's still a very good value," he said. And the price hikes aren't entirely attributable to expensive new technologies and marketing. The cost of living has gone up across the board over the years - and those intending to replace worn equipment may simply be at a time of life where they are willing to move up in quality.

"You have to remember where you are in life," he said.

Richardson said he bought his first Gore-Tex jacket for $220 years ago; within six years, the fabric began to delaminate. "The company gave me a new jacket," he said. Buying a product from a reputable manufacturer is, he believes, a form of insurance, a guarantee.

Today? "You can spend $400 for Gore-Tex really easily," he said.

Well-made outdoor equipment, even if it costs a bit more, Richardson added, is likely to last longer. Maybe 10 years. Maybe 20.

"I expect to get many more years out of these products," he said. "And technology has changed so much that you CAN get a longer life out of them."