Do people obsess about gear too much?

[DrRichardCranium]

Sometimes it seems people over do it with all the gear analysis. Does anyone else get bored with all the gear talk?

Can't you just get some reasonably light gear that's good enough, and just start hiking?

[George P Burdell]

Yes, but there are constantly new people joining this site that have no prior experience. They haven't seen the same subject posted 100 times. Plus it gives people a way to pass the time when not hiking.

[RED-DOG]

YES people stress too much about gear, some folks always got to have the latest in gear and lightest, too some folks it's an competition and yes you can just buy resonably priced gear and start hiking heck i knew a guy in 06 that completely outfitted himself at wal-mart and hiked the whole trail on wal-mart gear, i think all this gear CRAP is a WB thing.

[DrRichardCranium]

It's on other places too. Go to YouTube and search for "thru-hike " and over half the videos are a half hour of someone going over their gear piece by piece. Why not talk about the scenery or describe the plants and animals on the trail?

[Tipi Walter]

Whiteblaze is nothing when compared to BackpackingLight.com. Just check out their gear forum and you'll be amazed---

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-....html?forum=18

[bemental]

Whiteblaze is nothing when compared to BackpackingLight.com. Just check out their gear forum and you'll be amazed---

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-....html?forum=18

As soon as I saw the style of forum upon clicking that link I knew exactly what you were talking about. Many of my searches have led to that forum; full of great info when you need it but I bet it's a headache to live there.

[LoneStranger]

I'm of two minds on the subject. As a gear reviewer I'm always interested in new concepts and designs, but I definitely agree some folks go beyond avocation into the realm of pathology. I had to leave one backpacking forum because it was too depressing to read. The people seemed to have lost all joy other than shaving off one more gram.

I've found a solution for those times when it seems that people online are too obsessed with their gear. I shut off my computer and go spend a few days on trail. Some time alone in the woods always makes me much more tolerant of other people's obsessions

[Walkintom]

My gear analysis usually stops at the level of convenience where something is no longer an issue or challenge or I believe that it's not soluble without going to extraordinary means.

This means that I stop short of what a lot of people do. And I benefit from reading about their efforts and results. So while I'm not often delving into the level of detail or expressing the commitment that some people do to solve a situation, I like that they do it. If it bores me, I skip it.

[AO2134]

There is no trait I dislike more about hikers than gear "talk."

[Tuckahoe]

We are on a hiking forum where a large par of the discussion by default is of course gear, which I thoroughly enjoy. I like reading about the gear, seeing the debut of new gear and following reviews. Checking out gear is what I get to do at home when there is no trip planned. But when I am hiking gear chat never crosses my mind, and the times I have hiked with friends we have never had gear discussions.

[BirdBrain]

We are on a hiking forum where a large par of the discussion by default is of course gear, which I thoroughly enjoy. I like reading about the gear, seeing the debut of new gear and following reviews. Checking out gear is what I get to do at home when there is no trip planned. But when I am hiking gear chat never crosses my mind, and the times I have hiked with friends we have never had gear discussions.

Fully agree. Forums are the only proper place to debate and plan. It is too late to wonder about choices when on the trail. I am racking my brain trying to recall such a discussion on the trail. Similarly I never post on forums while hiking. And yes, I obsess about gear. I reject the idea that it is a bad thing

[Double Wide]

Out on the trail it's all gear talk for the first hundred miles, then the talk is all about food, beer, laundry, hot water, food, food, sex, food. In here it's gear talk and arguing about trail magic, with a few nuggets of wisdom found on occasion...

[Wyoming]

Gear talk, car talk, sports talk, politics talk, fish talk, hunting talk, girl talk (can I say that?! - lol), guy talk (better say that too huh?), gun talk, etc.

It is human nature to talk about all the details of what interests you. There is nothing unusual about hikers talking about their gear. People obsess, it's what we do.

And, of course, there is always someone who wants to complain about what others talk about. I think that is a category in the above list too. If it gets tedious just skip it for a few days.

[bigcranky]

It's like any other hobby that requires gear - some folks obsess over it. Think about music, photography, cars, fishing, whatever. Some group of guys is arguing over the best fishing lure, or the best camera lens, or the best power cord for their tube amplifier, or the best strings for their guitar. I saw a thread once on a painting forum arguing about the best paint brushes, seriously.

[daddytwosticks]

Sometimes it seems people over do it with all the gear analysis. Does anyone else get bored with all the gear talk?

Can't you just get some reasonably light gear that's good enough, and just start hiking?

One's got to have something to do between hikes.

[canoe]

It's like any other hobby that requires gear - some folks obsess over it. Think about music, photography, cars, fishing, whatever. Some group of guys is arguing over the best fishing lure, or the best camera lens, or the best power cord for their tube amplifier, or the best strings for their guitar. I saw a thread once on a painting forum arguing about the best paint brushes, seriously.

Yep thats what hikers do when they are not on the trail. Talk hiking and gear. I haven't heard to much talk about how to walk, but many folks like to talk about how they want to prepare for their hike. For many its a lot of fun to talk gear.

[WingedMonkey]

It's on other places too. Go to YouTube and search for "thru-hike " and over half the videos are a half hour of someone going over their gear piece by piece. Why not talk about the scenery or describe the plants and animals on the trail?

If I come across the posting of a video (usually when looking for something else) detailing their gear before they have even left on a first thru-hike, I just turn it off and go back to what I was looking for.

I might watch a video someone posts about gear AFTER they have successfully completed a thru-hike.

Even more so if it is about what didn't work and why it didn't work.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Sometimes it seems people over do it with all the gear analysis. Does anyone else get bored with all the gear talk?

Can't you just get some reasonably light gear that's good enough, and just start hiking?

Sure. But some want better. While I agree that it gets ridiculous at times, such as cutting the handle off a toothbrush to save 3 grams while rendering the toothbrush less effective, there is a significant advantage to many gained by paying attention to gear weights and performances. Technology in materials and engineering brings lighter gear every year. From year to year the differences are rather small, and perhaps meaningless to some. But over the course of many years they add up greatly. A typical thru-hiker today likely carries 10 to 15 lbs less gear than one did 30 to 40 years ago.

And if you think hikers obsess about gear, go to a golf forum, or camera forum or ___________ forum.

[fastfoxengineering]

Gear talk is benefecial and can be annoying at the same time. I have learned a ton by looking at other people's gear lists.

The only thing about gear talk that annoys me is when someone does a poor review on an item with minimal experience with it. "First impression" reviews are pointless.

But.. you like cars, boats, guns, musical instruments, clothes, pets, etc, etc, etc. Just add "topic" and porn.. and well with gear.. some of us like to check out gear porn.

it's good when your in winter hibernation and can't get out to hike.

but yeah.. a pissing contest about who's got the "best" gear or what's right is stupid.

However, ask a stupid question, get a stupid response.

[garlic08]

If you're bored with gear talk, just don't read those posts.

Personally I find it amusing that many of the most common gear questions here are about things I don't even pack: stoves, water filters, knives, and phones.