View Full Version : Anyone ever catch themselves judging other hobby enthusiasts? =D
dcdennis
10-31-2016, 09:43
Me when walking through the non-backpacking section of REI: "Who the heck would spend this kind of money on a bicycle??!!"
Then i go buy a $40 titanium coffee mug 😂😂😂😂
DuneElliot
10-31-2016, 09:58
Before I started backpacking I watched Wild (no, that's not what got me into it) and thought "that just doesn't look like fun doing a long distance hike, I don't see the appeal". Now, a few years later and I'm contemplating the PCT...funny how things change. I always pitied the backpackers when I was riding my horse up a mountain...now I'm the one on foot.
I admit to thinking that $5000 is a lot of money for a bike!
I definitely don't judge, I have a slew of expensive hobbies and this is just one of them. I can definitely understand the allure of treating yourself to nice 'fun' things regardless of what they are.
theinfamousj
10-31-2016, 10:09
I do think there is a law of diminishing returns on bicycles and kayaks/canoes/SUPs. My other hobbies are all watersports. I have a kayak and a SUP and compete on a dragon boat team. Despite the $300+ carbon fiber paddle costs, I have sunk way more into backpacking gear.
The good news is that backpacking gear can be used to compliment my watersports. I can use it to kayak/SUP camp. I can camp near Dragon Boat race sites. And I admit that I buy my technical clothes now with not just hiking in mind.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
bigcranky
10-31-2016, 15:47
I suppose one could be into yacht racing. :)
I've got my gear dialed in to the point that I'm happy with what I've got. I could spend more on fancier and maybe a little-lighter gear but I'm not motivated to do it.
I don't judge what anyone else has but I get a chuckle out of people with 40 lb packs and little alcohol stoves.
DuneElliot
10-31-2016, 17:02
I've got my gear dialed in to the point that I'm happy with what I've got. I could spend more on fancier and maybe a little-lighter gear but I'm not motivated to do it.
I don't judge what anyone else has but I get a chuckle out of people with 40 lb packs and little alcohol stoves.
I must admit I was a little open-mouthed at the giant packs I saw some people carrying for a weekend when I started my week-long Solitude Loop hike. I am guessing they were more about the camping and the fishing than the backpacking.
I must admit I was a little open-mouthed at the giant packs I saw some people carrying for a weekend when I started my week-long Solitude Loop hike. I am guessing they were more about the camping and the fishing than the backpacking.
Their are some ginormous packs out there. I hiked through the Grayson Highlands this past weekend and I couldn't help but notice how may weekenders were out with everything and the kitchen sink. Instead of judging them I give them kudos for getting outside.
DuneElliot
10-31-2016, 17:19
Their are some ginormous packs out there. I hiked through the Grayson Highlands this past weekend and I couldn't help but notice how may weekenders were out with everything and the kitchen sink. Instead of judging them I give them kudos for getting outside.
Agreed. No judgement on those people...just shock that they weren't sweating and straining under the weight! Some of them looked badly packed and lopsided, and were fitted horribly. But they were out there and having fun...and if people aren't out there to enjoy it, they won't fight for it.
I've been known to spend over $300 on a dozen arrows and $3500 once on a mountain bike...sadly those were not typos[emoji849] I'm not judging anyone or complaining about the money I spent on a Duplex tent. Honestly, it's all money well spent but, please don't tell my wife[emoji1431]
Before I started backpacking I watched Wild (no, that's not what got me into it) and thought "that just doesn't look like fun doing a long distance hike, I don't see the appeal". Now, a few years later and I'm contemplating the PCT...funny how things change. I always pitied the backpackers when I was riding my horse up a mountain...now I'm the one on foot.
I admit to thinking that $5000 is a lot of money for a bike!
There's an incorrect assumption Cheryl Strayed accurately represents or is a good example of PCTers whether it be according to 1995 PCT standards when she hiked the PCT NOBO to the WA/OR border or currently.
swisscross
10-31-2016, 18:30
I have several expensive hobbies. Still active in some, others have petered out.
Tennis, golf, cycling (both mountain and road), scuba. Hiking seems cheap compared to others.
Most hobbies are expensive if you have the funds and willing to spend them.
All were somewhat reasonable until I introduced my hobbies to my children.
nsherry61
10-31-2016, 20:10
. . . "Who the heck would spend this kind of money on a bicycle??!!" . . .
REI doesn't stock any really good bicycles. They just sell low end beginner bikes!
I must admit I was a little open-mouthed at the giant packs I saw some people carrying for a weekend . . .
I have to admit, I saw consistently giant packs on the backs of people I ran into in the White Mountains that were hiking hut to hut, while I was carrying a pack less then half their size while backpacking the same trails totally self supported. But then, I also day hike the Whites with a good friend that is an AMC Mountain guide who knows his stuff. I rarely carry more than 1/2 the weight and volume he carries. We each have our own sensibilities. We both have vast experience. I like responsible, but light weight. He likes being prepared for every possible complication for us and anyone else we might run into. I want to survive whatever we encounter. He wants to survive with a large margin for error in reasonable comfort whatever we encounter.
Uncle Joe
10-31-2016, 20:18
REI doesn't stock any really good bicycles. They just sell low end beginner bikes!
Actually they now selling Ghost which is a pretty decent line out of Germany. And I'd say they at least never carry Huffy!
josh_ATL
10-31-2016, 20:23
I run into weekend/short section hikers withtheir 50-60lbs packs and tent to be a little judgy. They don't understand how i have EVERYTHING I need in a sub 20lbs pack.
Greenlight
10-31-2016, 20:26
As an avid cyclist, too (long bike trails), I laughed when I read this, dcdennis. I have about $3k of cycling kit in the damn garage and $2500 worth of hiking kit in the basement. I am proud, however, that I only have $500 more to spend on hiking kit to match my previous cycling expenditures. I'm that guy you read about who said, "My only fear is that when I die, my wife will sell my hiking gear (and bikes) for what I told her I paid for it!"
Me when walking through the non-backpacking section of REI: "Who the heck would spend this kind of money on a bicycle??!!"
Then i go buy a $40 titanium coffee mug
nsherry61
10-31-2016, 20:26
Actually they now selling Ghost which is a pretty decent line out of Germany. And I'd say they at least never carry Huffy!
I was mostly being flippant about bike values. Yes, REI carries some very nice bikes. BUT, they really don't carry anything that would be considered truly high end. Their selection tops out around $5000, and most of their bikes are well under $2000.
MuddyWaters
10-31-2016, 20:28
Anyone ever catch themselves judging other hobby enthusiasts?
All the time.
But thats because most other people are dumba$$es :)
My favorite, is the persons that join hunting lease, just to have a place and reason to ride their $10k atv around.
Especially when they could just walk to their stand in 10 min.
Another fav.....the people that gotta have camo everything to go outside. Belt, pants, shirt, etc. And Im not talking about going turkey hunting either. Saw some of these idiots dayhiking in SNP once with their wives ( who wore normal clothing) They equate camo with anything outdoors.
Oh yeah, I judge.
Hikingjim
10-31-2016, 20:43
I don't judge people with 50 lb packs. Been there. Some people are just busy or have other hobbies, and they just throw in a few hundred dollars and a couple hours research and get outside! My first kit cost hardly anything and was heavy... but they didn't have nearly the variety of gear and the online resources at that time. And, of course, the outdoorsy looking retail associate expertly explained the merits of a 7 lb pack and a gigantic water filter.
I do sometimes judge people that drop 2k+ on a mountain bike and are poor bikers and rarely go! And then they buy a wind surfer or something the next summer....
But not my money!
illabelle
10-31-2016, 21:10
Another fav.....the people that gotta have camo everything to go outside. Belt, pants, shirt, etc. And Im not talking about going turkey hunting either....
Oh, I know that guy! Camo 2-burner stove. Camo shirt, belt, pants. He was with a group we hiked with two weeks ago to a small waterfall in the Smokies.
About a dozen people at the falls when we got there. I saw two guys comparing knives. Yep, open that baby up, show what a shiny blade you got! A few minutes later I told my camo friend about the knife conversation. He was carrying two "special" knives: one of those SAK that's about an inch-and-a-half thick with EVERYthing on it, and a large fixed blade knife in a sheath on his belt. He was so disappointed that he didn't get to join the two guys and show his blades, and can-opener, and screwdriver, and scissors, and fingernail file, and whatever else was on that thing. :rolleyes::)
I marvel at the $50,000 Bass boats with 350 hp outboards, high end electronics, heated pedestal seats, AC(in an open boat?), with an additional $6000 assortment of lures, rods & reel, etc. to catch some freshwater fish on a part time non commercial non pro fishing basis.
Bewilders me noticing part time infrequent road bicyclists with $5000+ road bikes, $250 aerodynamic styrofoam helmets, and $600+ dedicated neon logo embossed road bike apparel(padded shorts, shirt, and, clip ins).
Best one of all are those that drop $200,000+ tricking out their dragster tractors for tractor pull contests.
Greenlight
10-31-2016, 21:17
illabelle: LOL! Can Opener. That sounds like a great trail name. Mossy Oak is another. I could go on, but I won't.
Oh, I know that guy! Camo 2-burner stove. Camo shirt, belt, pants. He was with a group we hiked with two weeks ago to a small waterfall in the Smokies.
About a dozen people at the falls when we got there. I saw two guys comparing knives. Yep, open that baby up, show what a shiny blade you got! A few minutes later I told my camo friend about the knife conversation. He was carrying two "special" knives: one of those SAK that's about an inch-and-a-half thick with EVERYthing on it, and a large fixed blade knife in a sheath on his belt. He was so disappointed that he didn't get to join the two guys and show his blades, and can-opener, and screwdriver, and scissors, and fingernail file, and whatever else was on that thing. :rolleyes::)
Greenlight
10-31-2016, 21:18
Although the trail names would be truncated to "Cano" and "Mozzy" but pfft.
Sandy of PA
10-31-2016, 21:35
But I love my Mossy Oak Real Tree everything, now you see me, now you don't!
Greenlight
10-31-2016, 21:55
Who said that? (Scanning the woodline)... ;)
But I love my Mossy Oak Real Tree everything, now you see me, now you don't!
AfterParty
10-31-2016, 22:27
I do like me some camo. That was clever gl made me laugh a good laugh.
I have several expensive hobbies. Still active in some, others have petered out.
Tennis, golf, cycling (both mountain and road), scuba. Hiking seems cheap compared to others.
Most hobbies are expensive if you have the funds and willing to spend them.
I'm with you on this. I have so much gear for so many things. What are we doing, what is the weather going to be, and what color do you want me to wear? I would have drooled over this much play stuff 20 years ago. If you buy good quality stuff it lasts.
illabelle
10-31-2016, 22:39
illabelle: LOL! Can Opener. That sounds like a great trail name. Mossy Oak is another. I could go on, but I won't.
.......... :)
jjozgrunt
11-01-2016, 05:41
Oh, I know that guy! Camo 2-burner stove. Camo shirt, belt, pants. He was with a group we hiked with two weeks ago to a small waterfall in the Smokies.
About a dozen people at the falls when we got there. I saw two guys comparing knives. Yep, open that baby up, show what a shiny blade you got! A few minutes later I told my camo friend about the knife conversation. He was carrying two "special" knives: one of those SAK that's about an inch-and-a-half thick with EVERYthing on it, and a large fixed blade knife in a sheath on his belt. He was so disappointed that he didn't get to join the two guys and show his blades, and can-opener, and screwdriver, and scissors, and fingernail file, and whatever else was on that thing. :rolleyes::)
So don't get this. Had a mate I served with that spent thousands on knives, to take on exercise or ops. Funniest thing was when he asked me once to borrow my pocket knife to cut some cord. When I looked at him and then his knives, he answered "I'm not using one of them, they are not for basic stuff like cutting some string." Cracked us up.
I've been known to spend over $300 on a dozen arrows and $3500 once on a mountain bike...sadly those were not typos[emoji849] I'm not judging anyone or complaining about the money I spent on a Duplex tent. Honestly, it's all money well spent but, please don't tell my wife[emoji1431]
I have to confess, I am guilty as charged. I had a bad experience in my younger years when backpacking on a weekend with a 60 lb. pack. Now that I've comeback to the endeavor in my retirement years, and now I can afford to throw a few bucks around, why did I spend $600 on a tent when I know my favorite charity needs it worse?
I've spent $114/oz. to save 3 ounces on a pack. The worst was spending $400 to replace a 24 ounce quilt with a 21 oz. quilt.
Call me stupid if you wish, but boy do I love my gear.
DuneElliot
11-01-2016, 08:37
Okay, I do get a little judgy on those ATVers and dirt bike riders in the backcountry. Not because they are out and enjoying themselves, but because of the noise and the smell and the intrusion into the peace and quiet and the reason I am out there. Not to mention the tires tearing up the ground when they go around mud puddles and just keep making the track wider and wider...it's a four-wheeler, it's supposed to go through mud! Many of them are fine, but there are quite a lot who just don't respect the marked trails enough and think the rules don't apply to them...and ATV tires can do a lot of damage to a damp or wet dirt track.
Okay, I do get a little judgy on those ATVers and dirt bike riders in the backcountry. Not because they are out and enjoying themselves, but because of the noise and the smell and the intrusion into the peace and quiet and the reason I am out there. Not to mention the tires tearing up the ground when they go around mud puddles and just keep making the track wider and wider...it's a four-wheeler, it's supposed to go through mud! Many of them are fine, but there are quite a lot who just don't respect the marked trails enough and think the rules don't apply to them...and ATV tires can do a lot of damage to a damp or wet dirt track.
The local snowmobile club had an ongoing feud with ATV's riding on snowmobile trails. Landowners didn't want atv's on their property because of all the damage they do. The scars lasts for decades. The landowners starting closing off accessto snowmobiling. Finally, the ATV'ers started their own club and working with landowners, too. There is now a dedicated multi-use trail system in a state park that ATV'ers can use, with connections to local businesses that support motor vehicle sports, but it was a long time coming. Education and enforcement was the key.
My brother is a member of both clubs. He has a huge, 2.5 car garage, that has never held a car, other than his jeep. Its filled with snowmobiles, atv's, snowblower, tools and storage. He and his wife went to Cabelas to buy a tent and came home with a 40 ft toy hauler that sleeps five and can haul his Can-Am around in. Can hook up to satellite tv and cable and heat hot water. He took it home with his brand new Ford F-150 and the wind was blowing it around so much, that he took his new truck and traded it in for a bigger, beefier Chevy Silverado. His tent cost him somewher close to $100k. I asked him how he was going to carry that thing to the top of Saddleback Mtn.
comparatively, a $600 cuben fiber tarp is cheap.
garlic08
11-01-2016, 09:32
I'm often secretly jealous of expensive gear, especially when I'm riding my $300, twenty-year-old bicycle. Some I ride with spent more than that on pedals. The judging may be a defense mechanism.
Puddlefish
11-01-2016, 09:35
Okay, I do get a little judgy on those ATVers and dirt bike riders in the backcountry. Not because they are out and enjoying themselves, but because of the noise and the smell and the intrusion into the peace and quiet and the reason I am out there. Not to mention the tires tearing up the ground when they go around mud puddles and just keep making the track wider and wider...it's a four-wheeler, it's supposed to go through mud! Many of them are fine, but there are quite a lot who just don't respect the marked trails enough and think the rules don't apply to them...and ATV tires can do a lot of damage to a damp or wet dirt track.
I judge these people hard. I've been looking for a new house to buy. I'll occasionally run across a relatively nice house that seems too cheap. Often enough, if you check the address on Google/Bing maps, you'll find out they're right next to property with deep trails criss crossing and carved into the landscape, eroded hills and other signs of extensive ATV/dirtbike activity. Nope!
I spent a few winters next to a low budget lake, nothing quite like being woken up at 1 am to an unmuffled high rpm sled screaming across the ice, when you need to wake up at 4:30 to work.
I don't judge people based on the price of their hobbie, I got over that envy thing a long time ago.
DuneElliot
11-01-2016, 09:36
The local snowmobile club had an ongoing feud with ATV's riding on snowmobile trails. Landowners didn't want atv's on their property because of all the damage they do. The scars lasts for decades. The landowners starting closing off accessto snowmobiling. Finally, the ATV'ers started their own club and working with landowners, too. There is now a dedicated multi-use trail system in a state park that ATV'ers can use, with connections to local businesses that support motor vehicle sports, but it was a long time coming. Education and enforcement was the key.
My brother is a member of both clubs. He has a huge, 2.5 car garage, that has never held a car, other than his jeep. Its filled with snowmobiles, atv's, snowblower, tools and storage. He and his wife went to Cabelas to buy a tent and came home with a 40 ft toy hauler that sleeps five and can haul his Can-Am around in. Can hook up to satellite tv and cable and heat hot water. He took it home with his brand new Ford F-150 and the wind was blowing it around so much, that he took his new truck and traded it in for a bigger, beefier Chevy Silverado. His tent cost him somewher close to $100k. I asked him how he was going to carry that thing to the top of Saddleback Mtn.
comparatively, a $600 cuben fiber tarp is cheap.
Wow, that's a little on the wild side. My Duplex is definitely looking cheap now!
Sarcasm the elf
11-01-2016, 10:34
I don't get judgemental of people who buy expensive toys so long as they actually use it, can afford it, and are responsible with them.
Unfortunately many (but certainly not all) motorcycle, RV or ORV owners I know bought their toys impulsively on credit and were already heavily in debt beforehand. I've known a lot of people who seem to think that the phrase "I sold it because I got tired of it" is a euphemism for "the bank reposessed it."
colorado_rob
11-01-2016, 10:38
Whenever I feel the need to judge such things, I try to remember the saying: "There is nothing so boring as another person's hobby".
I have a good friend who just spent $16,000 (yeah, 16 large) on a bike FRAME. That's right, just a frame. Custom Italian made. She can afford it and it's more than worth it to her passion for cycling.
rocketsocks
11-01-2016, 11:52
Backpacking doesn't have to be an expensive endevour...thru-hiking on the other hand does it seems....pretty simple which way to go.
DuneElliot
11-01-2016, 12:47
I don't get judgemental of people who buy expensive toys so long as they actually use it, can afford it, and are responsible with them.
Unfortunately many (but certainly not all) motorcycle, RV or ORV owners I know bought their toys impulsively on credit and were already heavily in debt beforehand. I've known a lot of people who seem to think that the phrase "I sold it because I got tired of it" is a euphemism for "the bank reposessed it."
I was very lucky in that I bought both my RV (that I will be living in next year) and my ATV with cash. Sure, they were both used but I don't like being in debt, of which I have NONE!
Sarcasm the elf
11-01-2016, 12:54
I was very lucky in that I bought both my RV (that I will be living in next year) and my ATV with cash. Sure, they were both used but I don't like being in debt, of which I have NONE!
Over the past year I have been reading a lot of the Mrmoneymustache blog about early retirement and it has changed my outlook on spending substantially. It is something that I really wish had been around when I first tot out of college.
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/02/22/getting-rich-from-zero-to-hero-in-one-blog-post/
On the downside it has made me a bit more judgemental about how people spend money, mostly as a way to remind myself that I don't need to keep up with the Jones'
I get a kick out out of my deer hunting and / or construction worker friends who buy big 4WD vehicles because they "need" them. Some of the poorest people I know have the nicest trucks.
This thread just sucked me in and now I'm judging people again. Lol
trailmercury
11-01-2016, 14:05
I don't get judgemental of people who buy expensive toys so long as they actually use it, can afford it, and are responsible with them.
Unfortunately many (but certainly not all) motorcycle, RV or ORV owners I know bought their toys impulsively on credit and were already heavily in debt beforehand. I've known a lot of people who seem to think that the phrase "I sold it because I got tired of it" is a euphemism for "the bank reposessed it."
+1 on this...Most cannot really afford it...Those are the people that I judge, and it's not particular to any hobby!
illabelle
11-01-2016, 14:05
Over the past year I have been reading a lot of the Mrmoneymustache blog about early retirement and it has changed my outlook on spending substantially. It is something that I really wish had been around when I first tot out of college.
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/02/22/getting-rich-from-zero-to-hero-in-one-blog-post/
On the downside it has made me a bit more judgemental about how people spend money, mostly as a way to remind myself that I don't need to keep up with the Jones'
Who needs the Mustache when you were raised by parents that grew up during the Great Depression? I feel like I know as much as anybody about not being sucked into the consumer mindset, and I don't have any formal training. There's a stereotype that women love to shop. Guess what, I hate shopping. I hate spending money on stuff when I could be using it to pay off our mortgage. Two more years (maybe less), and that'll be done!
Puddlefish
11-01-2016, 14:10
Who needs the Mustache when you were raised by parents that grew up during the Great Depression? I feel like I know as much as anybody about not being sucked into the consumer mindset, and I don't have any formal training. There's a stereotype that women love to shop. Guess what, I hate shopping. I hate spending money on stuff when I could be using it to pay off our mortgage. Two more years (maybe less), and that'll be done!
My father still tells the story about his rich aunt who used to give him nickels.
I don't judge anyone unless it's something I've already done. For instance, I've been riding motorcycles for years, and I never once judged the weekender yuppie suburban Harley riders decked out in skulls, new leathers, doo-rag, etc. Eventually, I was coerced into buying one by my brother since I had never owned a Harley, and that's when I started judging myself and how much I hated being looked at as part of the "club" so to speak. I just enjoy riding. Give me an old Kawasaki and I'm good to go. I sold the bike, but I have never stopped judging those types. In fact, I look at them and wonder if they realize what total posers they look like. Every single item within a 10 foot radius of them has a Harley Davidson logo on it.
I forgot to mention.. many of them cannot ride and have no clue what they are doing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57JwGSD8h-w
Na!
I race motorcycles in the LSR [Land Speed Racing] world...................if I added it all up I would SH-T! myself
I have Titanium everything on my bike's [yes, more then one] add ceramic bearings and carbon fiber as well.
Figure 3 to 5 grand per race with travel and logistics...................hiking is very inexpensive!
RUNT ''13''
I recently sold my $350 Scotty Cameron putter. I've had two bad bouts with golf fever in my life. I was a 2 handicap in my prime. So glad to be over that phase. No double-bogeys on the trail.
Odd Man Out
11-01-2016, 15:36
I sometimes feel myself being judgemental about people spending huge sums of money to "experience" the wilderness in motorized vehicles.
I also feel uncomfortable when hunters justify their hobby by saying they "just enjoy being out in nature". Then why bring a gun? NOTE: I am not anti-hunting - I am just anti-use-of-illogical-arguments.
I also wonder about people who buy and restore classic automobiles. When I see all the classic cars in the 4th of July parade I think "these people have way too much time and money on their hands".
Ultimately I feel judgemental about myself for feeling judgemental.
At various times I've indulged in hobbies much more expensive than hiking. Skiing, sailboat racing (a 16' trailerable boat), photography, and RC aircraft.
These days, as a day hiker, weekender and section hiker my main expense is just getting to and from the trail, and maybe a shuttle. As a near-retiree, I'm learning to curb my consumerism.
StubbleJumper
11-01-2016, 22:37
I get judgemental about those whose hobbies disturb other people. So, in particular, those who feel the need to drive noisy vehicles in the backcountry and those who shoot in the backcountry. What they are doing is not necessarily illegal, but is sure as hell makes a great deal of noise.
Siestita
11-02-2016, 04:58
I get a kick out out of my deer hunting and / or construction worker friends who buy big 4WD vehicles because they "need" them. Some of the poorest people I know have the nicest trucks.
This thread just sucked me in and now I'm judging people again. Lol
People, either rich or poor, often feel that they 'need' particular things to obtain self-respect, compensate for insecurities, or fill some other psychological vacuum. I try not to be judgemental, but I sometimes pity people who are caught in such traps.
Siestita
11-02-2016, 06:03
Backpacking doesn't have to be an expensive endevour...thru-hiking on the other hand does it seems....pretty simple which way to go.
I'm not sure successful thru hikers necessarily need to purchase the most expensive stuff out there. My father and brother each separately section hiked all of the AT over the course of about two years during the 1980s. They didn't do it Grandma Gatewood style, carrying just a shower curtain for shelter, but both managed to enjoy themselves on the trail without "breaking the bank" buying extraordinary gear. Dad's Kelty external frame pack, after his resupplies, typically weighed about 30 pounds, a load that was considered 'light weight" in those days. I now own the sleeping bag that Dad used on the trail. It's down, but from Slumberjack, a brand that no self-respecting gear junky would be likely to buy.
During my own 44 years of backpacking I've never done a trip, even with re-supply, lasting more than two and half weeks. And, this year I've only managed to spend 28 days backpacking, with none no single trip lasting more than four days. I do not plan to section hike or thru the AT. But, I suspect that people going out on trips of just a few days, or for week long walks, can benefit from having light loads just as much as long distance hikers do. And, compared to thru hikers,we short duration hikers often spend more money driving to and from trail when heads.
The earnings that long distance hikers forgo (unless they are retired) can be substantial, but in other respects the pursuit looks economical to me. Is spending $1,000 per month to live on the trail "expensive" when compared to what it costs to live in "the real world"?
rocketsocks
11-02-2016, 07:08
I'm not sure successful thru hikers necessarily need to purchase the most expensive stuff out there. My father and brother each separately section hiked all of the AT over the course of about two years during the 1980s. They didn't do it Grandma Gatewood style, carrying just a shower curtain for shelter, but both managed to enjoy themselves on the trail without "breaking the bank" buying extraordinary gear. Dad's Kelty external frame pack, after his resupplies, typically weighed about 30 pounds, a load that was considered 'light weight" in those days. I now own the sleeping bag that Dad used on the trail. It's down, but from Slumberjack, a brand that no self-respecting gear junky would be likely to buy.
During my own 44 years of backpacking I've never done a trip, even with re-supply, lasting more than two and half weeks. And, this year I've only managed to spend 28 days backpacking, with none no single trip lasting more than four days. I do not plan to section hike or thru the AT. But, I suspect that people going out on trips of just a few days, or for week long walks, can benefit from having light loads just as much as long distance hikers do. And, compared to thru hikers,we short duration hikers often spend more money driving to and from trail when heads.
The earnings that long distance hikers forgo (unless they are retired) can be substantial, but in other respects the pursuit looks economical to me. Is spending $1,000 per month to live on the trail "expensive" when compared to what it costs to live in "the real world"?I still gots my slumber jack tent for the '80's...still going strong but for the large peek hole in the fly that only leaks when it rains. Apparently a DIY mouse had a sleeping bag project and needed some space age material...so I donated.
Hostels and town stops seem to eat up a budget, section hikers and weekend worriers aren't generally out long enough to be in need of pampering, but for the "look at me, I've come from the hills" type that hangs around diners, bars, outfitters and the local library computer.
REI doesn't stock any really good bicycles. They just sell low end beginner bikes!
I forget when I got my Novarra hybrid bike from REI... late '90s, I think. Performed flawlessly on this year's ride of the GAP. My LeMonde road bike (much newer and more $) collects dust. It's built for speed, but I'm not.
I spent more on transportation and lodging on the GAP trip than I spent on the (REI) bike.
DuneElliot
11-02-2016, 08:19
I still gots my slumber jack tent for the '80's...still going strong but for the large peek hole in the fly that only leaks when it rains. Apparently a DIY mouse had a sleeping bag project and needed some space age material...so I donated.
Hostels and town stops seem to eat up a budget, section hikers and weekend worriers aren't generally out long enough to be in need of pampering, but for the "look at me, I've come from the hills" type that hangs around diners, bars, outfitters and the local library computer.
I have 3 Slumberjack cots and one heavy-duty duck cotton and flannel sleeping bag. They are, of course, only for base camp...but they rock!