I recently came to realize how powerful of an influence California had on backpacking gear. It’s kind of astonishing.

Hiking exploded in popularity during the 1999’s. Another explosion: California’s population. The memes about that states’ parks and wilderness areas being crowded are true. Today, there are about six (6) cities in California with populations 300k that are just a few hours from popular outdoor areas.

It’s mostly California’s climate that influenced gear. The state goes through a predictable drought/rainy season cycle. As such, the gear people use reflects this. Carrying a ccf pad (or anything, really) on the outside of a pack makes sense when it’s probably not going to rain for a few months. Canister stoves are required in areas that are wilderness tinderboxes, but the rest of the country might be served better with other options. Just the other day a coworker was talking about hiking and said “cotton kills.” Maybe this time of year, but not generally, at least where I am.