Is Buying Your Gear A Big Headache? [Archive]

Dogwood

12-31-2015, 00:07

Sarcasm the elf

12-31-2015, 00:22

Is Buying Your Gear A Big Headache?

NO! I don't let it be a headache. It's actually a very very small part about backpacking but most make it into a very very large part unnecessarily so. Actual backpacking is very much more a mental game rather than a materialistic pursuit.

Settle within yourself that you as a backpacker and your backpacking gear will evolve...likely forever.

Dogwood:

Just an observation, but when I was a kid my family encouraged my passions, despite not actually having any interest in them (mostly fishing), which meant that I got a lot more time to plan and dream than to actually participate. Figuring out the perfect set of lures from the local store or the Bass Proshop catalog was a great pastime for 10 year old me! (and I really did enjoy it)

Fast forward 20 plus years and I am fairly no nonsense about gear, I research carefully, I "consult" fellow hikers who have gear I'm curious about (usually this involves me accosting hikers that I don't know and quizzing them about pieces of gear when they bring them out. :o)

I say this because searching gear is a great placebo for not actually hiking. Many of us have very little time to really get out (For the record I envy your lifestyle in many ways, but it wouldn't work for me) but researching and buying gear does fill that void up to a point...unfortunately I have more than enough experience under my belt that I am far beyond that point... :(

Googan

12-31-2015, 00:33

All I can say is my head is spinning right now.

Sarcasm the elf

12-31-2015, 00:40

All I can say is my head is spinning right now.

Have you gotten into cottage gear yet?

http://www.ula-equipment.com/ (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ula-equipment.com%2F&h=_AQEtpZx1)

https://www.tarptent.com/ (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tarptent.com%2F&h=YAQEdu36q)

http://www.lightheartgear.com/ (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lightheartgear.com%2F&h=KAQGsADbU)

http://www.zpacks.com/ (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.zpacks.com%2F&h=4AQF4K7gg)

(just to name a few :D)

Googan

12-31-2015, 00:52

Have you gotten into cottage gear yet?

http://www.ula-equipment.com/ (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ula-equipment.com%2F&h=_AQEtpZx1)

https://www.tarptent.com/ (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tarptent.com%2F&h=YAQEdu36q)

http://www.lightheartgear.com/ (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lightheartgear.com%2F&h=KAQGsADbU)

http://www.zpacks.com/ (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.zpacks.com%2F&h=4AQF4K7gg)

(just to name a few :D)

got a tarptent notch, looking into maybe some cuben dry sacks holy canoli

Dogwood

12-31-2015, 02:19

Dogwood:

Just an observation, but when I was a kid my family encouraged my passions, despite not actually having any interest in them (mostly fishing), which meant that I got a lot more time to plan and dream than to actually participate. Figuring out the perfect set of lures from the local store or the Bass Proshop catalog was a great pastime for 10 year old me! (and I really did enjoy it)

Fast forward 20 plus years and I am fairly no nonsense about gear, I research carefully, I "consult" fellow hikers who have gear I'm curious about (usually this involves me accosting hikers that I don't know and quizzing them about pieces of gear when they bring them out. :o...

Recently, as I was literally flying above the surface of the water in a friend's $55,ooo Ranger Bass Boat strapped into my seat like an astronaut on the way to the moon with multiple $300 rod/reel set ups, electronics the U.S. Navy would be proud of, a tackle box so large that looked like I was moving to Europe, etc, and as thrilling as that day was for me, I recalled some of my most vivid fishing memories was when I was about 10 yrs old riding my bike with other neighborhood fishing pals across town to a fishing pond with a $20 Zebco spincast reel and baitcasting rod, $1 worth of hooks/split shot/bobbers, and a few dug up garden worms or crickets. Just as glorious and memorable.

...I say this because searching gear is a great placebo for not actually hiking. Many of us have very little time to really get out (For the record I envy your lifestyle in many ways, but it wouldn't work for me) but researching and buying gear does fill that void up to a point...unfortunately I have more than enough experience under my belt that I am far beyond that point... :(

Getting to 5,000 or 10,000 posts can be a distraction for reality too. ;)

Vegan Packer

12-31-2015, 03:36

I find looking for all of the right things gets me excited for the next trips. I just look at it as part of the planning stage, which means that I am one step closer to when I hit the trail.

Traveler

12-31-2015, 07:56

Coogan - you are in good company. I tend to peruse catalogues and websites (hiker porn?) a lot. Most of the time I don't get anything or use the prices to justify what I have is fine. Every once in a while after some extended consideration I get something.

As Sarcasm the Elf points out, its a legitimate part of the activity and can act as a replacement for not being able to get out.

kimbur96

12-31-2015, 09:56

I'm still in the research stages of gear collection and I find all the information and choices overwhelming. Plus there aren't any real hiking store in south Florida. I'm a bit of a fish out of water down here. Going to hook up with the local trail group in January and see what I can learn.

colorado_rob

12-31-2015, 10:45

Headache? More like pure joy! In 2011, a BIG year for us in terms of expeditions and big hikes, my wife and I spent on average for the year, $700 a month ($8500 for the year) on gear and hiking/climbing supplies (including food and fuel). 2015 was down to a third of that.... bad year!

4eyedbuzzard

12-31-2015, 11:08

...I recalled some of my most vivid fishing memories was when I was about 10 yrs old riding my bike with other neighborhood fishing pals across town to a fishing pond with a $20 Zebco spincast reel and baitcasting rod, $1 worth of hooks/split shot/bobbers, and a few dug up garden worms or crickets. Just as glorious and memorable.Made me smile.

Getting to 5,000 or 10,000 posts can be a distraction for reality too. ;)I often wonder what the average person with few or even a hundred posts thinks of some of us when they see 5000 or 10,000 posts next to our name? Wired, or weird? A bit of both? :-? :confused: :o

Jake2c

12-31-2015, 12:06

I don't think it's a headache. Compared to some of my other hobbies, if I can completely outfit around the $1k level, actually not that expensive. I like to try to keep things light but I don't obsess over it. I also ride bikes and at one time obsessed over ounces there also, at very high cost. Then I realized that Lance Armstrong could get on a beach bike and out ride the pants off me. Good gear is great, but like I suspect everyone knows, it's more about the motor. There certainly is a psychological aspect to knowing you are carrying less weight, and it does have an affect, I certainly don't deny the laws of physics, I just wouldn't get so worried about it, that it started to become a headache. If I don't finish my thru hike in 2016, it won't be because I didn't pare off another 2 or 3 pounds, who would believe that excuse anyway?

damskipi

12-31-2015, 12:23

Like others, researching and buying gear serves as a substitute for all the times I can't go hiking. So to me it's not a pain at all.

I often wonder what the average person with few or even a hundred posts thinks of some of us when they see 5000 or 10,000 posts next to our name? Wired, or weird? A bit of both? :-? :confused: :o

Not really either. I may not have a ton of posts here, but I only discovered this website a year ago and I spent half that time overseas with limited internet. Plus it's only one of several hobbies. I'm part of two other online forums where my post numbers are higher. Not thousands, but I'm young!

Vegan Packer

12-31-2015, 13:46

Plus there aren't any real hiking store in south Florida.

I've become a major stockholder of UPS and FedEx, it seems. Mail ordering is not so much fun, especially when you have to guess at sizes. I feel your pain. LOL

peakbagger

12-31-2015, 14:44

I found when I was actively sectioning that I would wait a year and then see if the latest and greatest gear of the year actually was as good as the hype was and would then buy it at a discount a year or two later as it wasn't the latest and greatest anymore. Sometimes the latest and greatest had design flaws that were either solved in later versions or the company or product went away. For the vast amount of outdoor gear year to year change is incremental so waiting a season or two doesn't impose much weight penalty. I also kept a close eye on thru hikers if I was hiking up north or when I was hiking around my home in NH on what gear they were carrying, if they still were actively carrying and using a particular piece of gear after three or four months it was usually worth looking at. There was also a local outfitter that was frequented by thru hikers that would give me heads up on what new gear was in demand and what gear he was getting a lot of returns on.

Sometimes hikers are used for R&D by manufacturers. MSR is somewhat infamous for releasing a new model of snowshoes and redesigning them after the first winters returns come in. The whites are real hard on snowshoes so local winter hikers usually figure out a flaw before MSR admits it. They came out with a new model a few years ago that was so problem prone that folks were buying up older more reliable models and it got to the point where they started reselling the old model this winter.

Five Tango

01-01-2016, 09:36

I just hope for everyone else that they don't buy the wrong thing first like I ALWAYS do and then decide to replace it with something else later.What's worse,you replace it with something "better" and then go back to what you had first.At least I think I am done buying stoves for now.....I think!

kimbur96

01-01-2016, 09:56

hobby

01-01-2016, 10:14

wife: Why does it take you months to decide on which tent to buy with many trips to the outfitters and many hours online? But you will buy a car in 30 minutes?
me: I will own the tent much longer than the car and I have to sleep in the tent--not the car!

Mags

01-01-2016, 14:19

Sometimes hikers are used for R&D by manufacturers. MSR is somewhat infamous for releasing a new model of snowshoes and redesigning them after the first winters returns come in. The whites are real hard on snowshoes so local winter hikers usually figure out a flaw before MSR admits it. They came out with a new model a few years ago that was so problem prone that folks were buying up older more reliable models and it got to the point where they started reselling the old model this winter.

Sadly, software is like this, too.

I think, be it gear, electronics, software, etc. DON'T buy the latest and greatest. Let it be used in the real world first for about a year. See how it performs. THEN buy it.

(And those unboxing videos on YouTube and blogs don't count. ;) )

me: I will own the tent much longer than the car and I have to sleep in the tent--not the car!

I am chuckling because one of the criteria for the car we bought 4 yrs ago is that we could sleep in it. :)

Heliotrope

01-01-2016, 16:08

You know you have a problem when you bypass you wife's Victoria Secret catalog for backpacker magazine.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

4eyedbuzzard

01-01-2016, 16:50

If you think researching and purchasing hiking gear is crazy, try researching and purchasing golf clubs. Manufacturers of both constantly update their products with the latest and greatest on a yearly basis.
But in the final analysis it all works out the same way. The final user's performance improves little if any due to better equipment.
Earl Shaffer would have out hiked almost all of us here - with a wooden frame pack.
Bobby Jones would beat any of us with hickory shafted golf clubs.
And so it goes.
But, it is fun getting bright new shiny things. ;)

Sarcasm the elf

01-01-2016, 17:05

I think that people make the mistake of trying to buy the "perfect" set of gear the first time, problem is there is no perfect set. When I got back into backpacking I used a mix of middle of the road gear from EMS and older/dirtbag stuff that I already had or acquired on the cheap. I got into the hobby, learned what I really wanted on the trail by trial and error, and most importantly made sure I loved the hobby before I spent big money on specialized gear.

One of the important things I realized is that the set of near-UL gear I now use for three season hiking would have been uncomfortable at best and possible dangerous at worst if I had tried to use it before I had sufficient knowledge and experience to know what I was doing on the trail. The set of conventional gear I bought originally was the right gear for me at the time, the set of specialized gear I use today is the right gear for me now.

Malto

01-01-2016, 17:18

Just wait until you discover the dark side and start modifying or making your own gear. After 5 years and much pack abuse I finally replaced my MLD Burn with another burn. before even using it once I spent many hours getting it modified to my liking. But, if this one last another five or so years then it will be worth it.

MuddyWaters

01-01-2016, 18:21

Not a problem at all when you know what you want, AND ignore cost.

Quit searching for better deals and its much simpler

Connie

01-01-2016, 18:33

I love the planning and dreaming part.

I used to love the shopping part. Now, I really get headache about the shopping part, because I want it. I want it, even though I love the gear I have.

That's cool. That's so well-made. Look at those features: see how they have improved a basic "pup tent". I hate pup tents. It's so confining. I don't even like tents. I like tarps. But look at how each pup tent problem has been overcome, except I really really do not like a pup tent.

I have to admire that design. I am so not buying that http://www.tarptent.com/whatsnew.html

But it is so well put together.. no, I have the gear I like.

This is what gear-heads like me do. Maybe there is a 12-step program for this?

It is a good thing I like the gear I have. Nevertheless, I still go thru this crazy decision-making process when I see great new gear.

JumpMaster Blaster

01-01-2016, 18:39

If you're anything like me, the gear you buy in 2016 will not be the gear you use in 2017. It's ever-evolving. For spring 2016, I'll be sporting an even lighter tent (or hammock) and a lighter pack.

I started out with cheap gear, used gear, and military gear a few years ago. I read, researched, asked questions, and (most importantly) took note of what worked great, what didn't work so great, what I needed & didn't bring, and what I didn't use at all.

Another thing to consider- you can buy gently used gear, try it out, and if it honestly doesn't work for you, someone else will buy it. There will always be a new hiker wanting to get in on a budget. If I sold all my extra gear and just kept 1 of everything I needed, I'd make a cool grand or so easily.

Buy, try, sell. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Five Tango

01-01-2016, 21:43

so what did you finally settle on for a stove?

I have more than one of most everything you care to name and numerous stoves of various descriptions BUT for the time being
I have my Zelp "goto stove" the one made from the Venom can with the slide up simmer ring.I like the flame pattern,it's easy to load the fuel,light for a simmering stove.My other tried and true mainstay is the Brasslite Turbo II D.Stoves are reasonably inexpensive compared to all the other stuff like hammocks,tarps,sleeping bags,clothes,and all the little accessories you want,not to mention packs.

Weather-man

01-01-2016, 21:52

Have you gotten into cottage gear yet?

http://www.ula-equipment.com/ (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ula-equipment.com%2F&h=_AQEtpZx1)

https://www.tarptent.com/ (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tarptent.com%2F&h=YAQEdu36q)

http://www.lightheartgear.com/ (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lightheartgear.com%2F&h=KAQGsADbU)

http://www.zpacks.com/ (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.zpacks.com%2F&h=4AQF4K7gg)

(just to name a few :D)

Here's a nice list: http://blackwoodspress.com/blog/12378/cottage-backpacking-gear-directory/

NewHeart

01-02-2016, 01:33

Now I don't feel so alone! I've been looking at gear 'till my eyes crossed! Because I decided to do this in the last few months and plan to start late April early May, I won't have the money to spend on all the UL stuff. I am doing my best to cut the fat while staying on budget. That's why I'm taking up sewing and doing a lot of DIY.

AO2134

01-02-2016, 02:40

The most annoying thing about hiking is buying and talking about gear.

capehiker

01-02-2016, 12:55

I love talking about gear. It's part of the experience for me.

sliverstorm

01-02-2016, 14:13

It's fun at first, but eventually I notice I'm trapped in a vortex where I either can't make a decision (in reality either choice will be fine) because I'm micro-analyzing, or I get trapped in what Connie talks about, where what I HAVE is fine, but something new is just a little bit better... (but not enough to really matter).

The trick has been recognizing when to say, "screw it, just buy one of them", or "forget about it, what you have is OK for now, you can come shop for these again in a year". That second one has been a big help to me- technology is always improving, so if I'm utterly torn about some new piece of gear, I say, OK let's revisit this in a year- it'll be even better then, anyway.

Goatgas

01-03-2016, 00:58

My wife and I research the bejeezus out of different gear. Then I sic her on finding the best deals.

Okie Dokie

01-03-2016, 01:30

Backpacking gear, in terms of weight and functionality, hasn't changed a great deal in, probably 50 years, and when it has it has changed only marginally and in very small increments...some equipment is a bit lighter than it used to be, but not that much lighter....

It's still about "your" enjoyment of the backpacking experience---do you enjoy using the gear you selected?
If you do, you've won....don't let someone talk you out of that...
If you decide to change gear later on, you "win" a second time....:)

rocketsocks

01-03-2016, 06:35

The toughest gear purchase I flounder over is the tooth brush...so many models to choose from.

jdavis7590

01-03-2016, 20:07

I love the gear aspect of every expedition. I love mail order too. Typically I can find great deals on most items if I invest enough time in finding said deals, not to mention I enjoy coming home from work with a package on my porch lol but thats a silly part of it. Enough sites now have plenty of genuine user reviews on items and YouTube has tons of video reviews too. My wife watches movies in the evenings and I have my headphones on watching reviews and numerous trail videos. (I have issues according to my wife).