Into the woods

As Oldsmobile might phrase it, this is not about your father's camping gear.

Over the course of a generation or so, campsite and backpacking paraphernalia have evolved to the point that what your parents used - or what you knew as a younger you - in the backcountry is not what it once was. Fortunately.The necessities and accessories may be broadly the same, but the gear is almost universally better.

"Everything has changed," says Jerry Richardson, sales manager for Utah's Kirkham's Outdoor Products, 3125 S. State.

Prepared food has improved. Packs, sleeping bags and tents are lighter, stronger and last longer. All sorts of gadgets new and old-but-refined are on the market.

Another change has been in our approach to recreational endeavors - and the time we have to devote to them.

"People don't have a week to get away," Richardson said. "Usually it's more like three or four days."

And then they want to travel lighter and go farther in a shorter time, with perhaps a few conveniences and safety measures to help make the experience more pleasurable.

What if, say, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark - outback explorers of historic note - could step into an outlet like Kirkham's today?

"They'd love it," Richardson said. "They'd think they were in a candy store."

A tour through the aisles offers an enlightening update on what has happened to the gear and equipment that make roadside overnighters and backcountry trekking a pleasant experience.

- BACKPACKS. "The backpacks have really changed," Richardson said. "They've gotten much more comfortable."

Part of the revolution has been toward light-structured internal frames; such body-hugging packs can now carry the same weight as the sturdy old external frames. "We sell more internal frames than anything," he said, "about 75 percent."

Carbon fiber and nylon rods on the inside offer lightweight framing and support. The straps and padding have shifted the suspended weight from a hiker's shoulders to his or her hips. These are engineered with different varieties of molded foams, from stiff to soft, to fit better anatomically, and loads can be adjusted or shifted with the tug of a strap. "With the old ones, we were always playing with the pack to make it comfortable," Richardson said.

Today's packs also come with options: The lid may be removable, to turn it into a daypack or a fanny pack; more pockets and belts allow better organization; holsters and mesh hold water bottles and other necessities.

The fabrics used in packs - as well as for sleeping bags - have markedly improved, he said. They have a tighter weave and are smoother, so the equipment is softer, stronger, waterproof and abrasion resistant.