the upside of getting robbed

[Hill Ape]

so my son made deans list (very proud) and he made a deal with the mother figure he could get his own place if that happened, and move out of the dorms (i was opposed, i don't get a vote, only a bill) so now he's living in a cool old house in the city with half a dozen other kids, i can't wait to see how that goes.

anyway, on his last trip, while in transit, a couple of his big plastic storage bins were stolen. one of them contained the full kit i had passed down to him. rei flash pack, old shires virga, smelly sierra designs 600 fill bag. none of it top of the line, but all very servicable.

my dillema now, do i pass him my current kit, or buy him new gear, or buy new gear for MEEEEE? and hey, keep your eyes peeled at atlanta pawn shops for a big gray plastic tub full of gear

to top it off, that was this past weekend, yesterday i drove him to dentist, he had all his wisdom teeth extracted. watching your kid stoned out of his mind giggling.... priceless

[Kerosene]

Hands down, you give him the pick of your stuff that fits his needs, he ponies up to fill in the rest, and you use this as an opportunity to upgrade to Cuben fiber!

[4eyedbuzzard]

Oh . . . Cuben . . .

drooling-homer-simpson.jpg

[Old Grouse]

"so now he's living in a cool old house in the city with half a dozen other kids,"

Ah, yes, the "starter" hovel. I remember it well.

[Dogwood]

Uhhh, the wonders of fatherhood.

[Dogwood]

Hill Ape, tell him you're coming to his town in a couple of weeks and you were thinking about crashing with him. Eat his food, borrow his car, get drunk, embarass him in front of his friends, tell him you're broke(you've lost your wallet), and need a loan. See how that goes over. LOL. Then tell him you've been thinking about going back to school and his college campus appeals to you.

[nitewalker]

FOOL ME ONCE SHAME ON YOU, FOOL ME TWICE SHAME ON ME!!!! you can still pass it down but Hold onto it and let him use it when he needs it. this way it doesnt disappear again....

[Uneasy]

No dillema. Who paid the insurance premium and who is going to eat the deductible. Problem solved. Go enjoy building a new kit.

[Teacher & Snacktime]

What all you guys are failing to recognize is that Dad is paying all the bills, and will be the only one "ponying up" for new gear. I say buy it for yourself, as he doesn't need new yet, and dealing with poverty (ie used goods) is all part of the college experience. You, however, have worked for and earned new toys!

[Damn Yankee]

The father in me says, buy him new gear. How is a young adult go about getting his gear? Yes I know I could give him my hand-me-downs(and my greedy side says just buy new gear for my self and give him the hand-me-downs) but that's how I think, most likely I could offered getting my own gear also. I would make it a father/son day and go get yourselves new gear (but, keep his gear at your house until he needs it) and sell the old stuff to make some of the money back oooorrrrrr save it to fund a father/son trip later. Either way, win, win. Or you could just give him your used gear. Sorry I'm not better help.

[2015 Lady Thru-Hiker]

What I've learned the hard way is if the people around you will steal from you once they will do it again. So, after 3 robberies, I sold my place after living there 25 years, and got the heck out of Dodge!! (Never touched my camping gear but they stole just about everything else. If they had taken my gear I would have had to get really mad!!) Moral of the story: if you buy the new gear (or some of it) for your son keep it where you know it is safe :-)

[Mick3y]

Give him your gear, it's an upgrade to the previous kit anyway. Then buy yourself a new kit. Hand-me-downs are great, because they are free.

[imscotty]

Hill Ape, I admire your ability to see a Silver Lining in everything. Treat yourself to some new gear.

[Wise Old Owl]

I have been there,,,, wait... you don't need us to share... Serious, you already know what to do.

[CarlZ993]

Give him the hand-me-down stuff of your. Either secure it at your place or rent the smallest, cheapest storage unit near him (no guarantee that it won't be burglarized, though). You get new stuff.

FYI - It doesn't sound like he was 'robbed.' Robberies are face-to-face thefts with a threat or actual use of violence (gun, knife, etc). He was a victim of a theft, maybe a burglary (enter a building w/o consent to commit a theft or other felony).

[xalex]

sounds like you took it well. i would buy new gear and share old gear, depending on the gear.. i honestly wouldnt want a heavily used sleeping bag from anyone else, so maybe make that a new item to buy. but theres plenty you can pass on if he wants it.

[Adriana]

Second hand stuff goes to the kids...I can't tell you how much money we spent buying first quality gear for a son deployed to Iraq twice and the other doing a 26 month stint in the Peace Corps in Guatemala. How much of that expensive gear made it back? I'd say just the Ex-officios...

[atraildreamer]

... How is a young adult go about getting his gear? ...

Yard sales...

[12TH Man]

Hi Hill Ape, Cool old house in the city w/ 1/2 dozen kids (Some female I assume?) I survived the same situation your son is experiencing.
Damn good time. Grades were kept. No felony arrests. So whats the problem; give him your gear and buy yourself new.

[Drybones]

That's a tough choice...getting new gear feels pretty good but doing something for the kids feels pretty good too.