We may not camp in canvas tents that we carry with heavy, external framed packs anymore, but these vintage pieces of outdoor gear revolutionized the outdoor world. Built to last, some are still in wide circulation today.

1. Heavy, External Framed Packs

Back in the 1970s, the external framed pack ruled the trail. These packs with their thick aluminum frames had anything and everything hanging off of them. Backpackers would brag about how heavy their packs were, instead of how ultra-light they could travel. I remember carrying 50 pounds up New Hampshire’s Mount Washington with one of these bad boys strapped to my back as a teenager. Aren’t you thankful that you can slap on an ultra-light backpack today?

2. The Big, Green Coleman Stove

Everyone who camped as a child remembers these. Their rectangular shape resembles a metal briefcase. That classic hunter green exterior coating meant you were going to the woods, not the office. These two to four burner stoves last generations. In fact, I still use mine regularly for car camping. It was handed down to me by my parents, who have had it since forever as far as I can tell. Although lightweight backpacking stoves are the preferred option when you have to carry your cooking equipment, these big, bad burners still have a place in outdoor world.

3. Aluminum Framed Canvas Tents

Imagine you have about 15 aluminum poles of varying lengths, shapes and sizes and a bulky hunk of canvas that’s supposed to build a boxy structure to rest your weary head. Back in the day, tents needed a 10-page instruction manual to assemble. These insane puzzles, I mean shelters, might keep out the rain. However, they were the mountaineer’s tent of choice for several generations, so we have to lend them a little street cred. Fortunately, their ultra-lightweight cousins of today are here to stay.

4. VW EuroVan, the Original Vanlife

The all-time classic of the van world. Volkswagen’s EuroVan was the back-in-the-day dirtbag’s home of choice. Often the back would resemble a hippy paradise. Beaded wall coverings, tapestries, incense and let’s not forget the guitar. A far cry from today’s LED-laden Sprinter Vans with all the bells and whistles. Festively decorated with all of the flower power a van could offer, these vintage classics still have quite the cult following to this day.

5. The Mighty Piton

When climbing erupted in popularity in the 1960s, folks needed to find a way to push the boundaries of big wall. In order to get the protection they needed, climbers would hammer metal pins with eyelets at the end into the wall. These pins, or pitons, allowed for the first ascent of classic walls such as Yosemite’s El Capitan. Today, you can still purchase pitons, but it is not widely accepted as a sustainable climbing practice. The climbing community instead urges you to climb pre-bolted sport routes, or set your own protection using trad gear, such as wedges, nuts and cams.

6. The Original Therm-A-Rest Sleeping Pad

Therm-A-Rest revolutionized the way we sleep in the backcountry. The introduction of the open-cell foam in camping mattresses during the 1970s meant that we could now sleep with the comfort of a leak-free, memory pad. These boxy pads were the rage for decades. In fact, my first backpacking pad was a rectangular Therm-A-Rest. That pad lasted me well over 10 years. Although Therm-A-Rest traded their boxy design for something a bit more tapered, they still pave the way for sleep technology.

7. The Miracle Utensil: The Spork

Maybe you recognize this spoon-fork hybrid from your high school cafeteria. However, ultra-light enthusiasts still hold their sporks with pride. The invention of the spork dates back to 1874. Today, it’s still a coveted piece of cutlery by many. Now there’s a piece of gear that’s meant to last.

Although some of these vintage gear pieces no longer serve the modern-day outdoorsman or woman, they paved the way for today’s outdoor gear technology.