Opinions on how many miles a piece of gear will last being used by a section hiker vs a thru hiker?
I would like to use "miles used" as measurement for this. It most accurately compares the 2 options.
I just replaced my arc blast 55L pack with a Arc Haul 60L.
I got about 1500 miles out of my arc blast. Bought in 2018.
I had a non shoulder related strap break on the CDT last year, and I repaired it. This last Pinhoti hike the same mesh backing strap broke but on the other side. Performed same repair to that side.
But I figured if those strap materials are degraded, it is a possibility that other straps are deteriorating as well and with CDT2 coming up in May, I certainly do not wanna get caught out in the desert with a broken shoulder strap, so I bit the bullet and made the purchase.
So my opinion is that it is somewhat variable to the person, and for argument sake on the section hiker side of things the down time of gear in the closet could degrade materials over the years but we will put this aside and just consider items that are actively used on a consistent basis. I think that section hikers gear wears out faster than a thru hikers due to travel logistics involved in section hiking. A section hikers gear must travel the trail, as well as all of the in transit to and from trips. Airports are tough on gear.
So what are your thoughts and possible first hand experiences for those with thru hiker and section hiker applications?