I am a huge fan of that lantern... but it stays at home.
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
funny thread.... getting me to think......
I've always had gadget rich hobbies. With those sorts of things, always comes a certain amount of experimentation. Especially for a gadget guy like me, one that likes to be prepared with maintenance and safety items. So often though I really feel like an idiot for wasting the money after.
like the oxygen tank set-up I bought for use when flying, that I never ended up using.
Several scuba diving timer/computers and other tools and equipment
old film camera lenses that I rarely used. All I really needed was one.
The first cheap backpack I bought that turned out to be way too heavy and, well just a plain old bad design for me.
oh, a really nice kelty baby carrier backpack that I think was used once or maybe twice.
and yeah, I've got one of those barely used candle lanterns too!
I could go on and on if I thought about it.
...and yeah, the ring. Why is it that we have a general tenancy to buy into 'suggestions' and trends... such as an engagement ring budget should be x number of months salary? I don't even remember what it was 15 years ago....but it ended up eating up almost all of my savings. I view that right on up there with all the "made by hallmark" holidays that we are obligated to buy useless cards for....
Anyway, we're still happily married...but she never really liked the ring, and when her fingers swelled to emergency levels while she was pregnant with our 3rd... I was on my way out the door to go out of town and I had to cut that thing off her finger. We intended to reset the diamonds, but she's just as happy with the fake she picked out as a temporary...so at some point we looked into just selling the stone & destroyed ring for melt value. Turns out like that it's barely worth anything. Makes me sick to see how much money was wasted on that thing....
oh, that reminds me of another one.... the wedding videos that have never been watched.
I don't buy useless gear. I just have awesome extra gear I sell on WB.
It's my GF buying that $140 bread maker, that I paid for, that sits in a kitchen cupboard after only being used twice in three yrs that's next to useless. I don't tell her that though. I'm going to trade it for some Ti tent stakes. Tell her it had a short almost causing a fire. It wasn't under warranty. I trashed it. Hun, see the new TI tent stakes I have?
I have gear that is generally useless to me now, as my current interests have turned more towards hiking than from canoe camping & backpacking -- and as I've gained experience, knowledge, and confidence.
Conversely, I have a lot of gear that is great for a variety of outdoor pursuits, be it car camping, canoe camping, cold weather camping, or backpacking. Perfectly good (often excellent) stuff with a lot of useful applications -- just not for distance hiking.
And as my daughter and son-in-law are growing more interested and developing their own outdoor "style", I'm able to help nurture that by having gear that they can use.
fortis fortuna adjuvat
Being a big guy, 6'5" and 235#, I often struggle to find a comfortable chair that is both lightweight and handles my weight capacity. With that said, a fellow backpacker, who weighs even more than I do, decided to buy one of those air bag chairs. We were about to go on a 3 day, 2 night trip so I thought I would try it. It weighs les than 2# and was $20 so I figured it was worth a try. I had him order me one. Well, it was somewhat comfortable but awkward at times and was tough to get the right amount of air in it. It was indeed better than a small foam pad but I will likely never take it on a trip again. It was also bulky to pack. So, fairly useless for me. Maybe the kids will get use out of it.
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try the carbon fiber:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/carb...50044c4df2nBRR
20-25 hits the sweet spot for reasonable shipping
Vargo Ti alchy stove. Heavier then most Ti stoves, large flame circle that needs larger diameter pots, and finicky to get it to 'bloom'. Very durable though. Never used except for test hikes.
Wood gas stove, works well but too damn heavy. Esbit stove, light but just can't provide the heat. Magnesium fire starter, yeah, for survival yes, not for a walk in the woods.
Nothing is useless.
Everything .....increases your knowledge or experience in some way.
Some way that is beneficial in future.
Chalk it up as education
Its a process
Even if only a realization of what not to do again.
Mistakes are the best teachers.
A plastic egg carrier. I never used it once. Also, a compact broom and dustpan for sweeping out my tent.
Long-distance aspirations with short-distance feet.... :jump
Titanium pots. I mostly don't cook and when I do I try to use my Trangis.
Ans oh yeah, just saw this. one of those and most eggs bigger than medium don't fit.
And one of these:
Vargo Ti alchy stove. Heavier then most Ti stoves, large flame circle that needs larger diameter pots, and finicky to get it to 'bloom'. Very durable though. Never used except for test hikes. (starchild)
Sorry didn't give the writer credit. It's up above.
I'm having a brain freeze thinking of meeting up with someone wearing a plastic thong. Ahhhhhh!!!!
Candle lantern still works, I take it with me since I've had too many times where flashlights and headlamps died.
A double hammock tops my list! I bought it when my wife and I first started backpacking thinking it would be a good way to hang together, wrong! Since I outweigh my wife by a 100 lbs. it never hung right and it was a heavy beast. As Muddy Waters said, just chalk that one up as a learning experience!