Gear Editor Chris Townsend reveals the three items of gear he wishes were still in production…
GoLite Shangri-La 3 (pictured)
This pyramid tent was my favourite for winter camping for many years (it appears in The Cairngorms in Winter film), being roomy, stable and versatile when pitching on snow. GoLite went bankrupt last year though, and surprisingly no-one bought them, so the SL3 is no more. however Nigor has taken up the design with the WickiUp 3 SUL. I haven’t tried this but it looks very good.
Inov-8 Terroc 330 trail shoes
The ultralight Terroc shoes were my favourite backpacking footwear for many years. I wore them on the Pacific Northwest Trail and the Scottish Watershed and always found them excellent. Last year though Inov-8 discontinued them. I have to admit I haven’t found a perfect replacement yet but the most likely candidates are other Inov-8 shoes, the Roclite 280 and the Roclite 295.
GoLite Jam & Pinnacle packs
GoLite’s 50- and 70-litre Jam and Pinnacle were ultralight frameless packs with excellent designs that handled more weight than you’d expect. I used both regularly for many years. Now GoLite is no more there are no real equivalents. For the Jam the Mountain Laurel Designs Exodus and the Nigor Zero G come closest, while for the Pinnacle it’s probably the Gossamer Gear Mariposa, which I haven’t tried yet.
