A little too much obsessing?

[jdc5294]

This is something I've been guilty of in the past, and I still feel the urge to let my mind go down this path occasionally but I've found life is a lot easier when I summon the will to stomp it into submission.

Lots of threads on here are started by hikers asking questions like "this rain jacket vs. that rain jacket" or "this sleeping bag vs. that sleeping bag" or "best pair of boots" or "boots vs. trail runners". I think if you're really into hiking you have the urge to equip yourself with the best gear possible, and that drive leads us to going on outdoor supplies websites and comparing the sleeping bag with a 4.6/5 star rating with 567 reviews to the one with a 4.7/5 star rating with 334 reviews, and inevitably asking 2,000 other people which one they'd choose.

Before I get to my main point, there's no substitute for buying stuff in person. You get to look at it, not a picture of it. You get to touch it, feel how heavy it really is, and explore every inch of it. Not everyone lives near a Cabela's or EMS or Dick's, but if you're planning on something like a thru hike I honestly wouldn't see an issue with making something like a 3 hour drive to a store like that. That being said, there's only 2 items I think you really NEED to buy in person, shoes and a pack. You need to put both on your body to see how they feel. You could probably chance it with a pack that absolutely everyone screams and raves about (and those exist), but unless you've already found a brand/model of hiking shoe that you know works for you, you have to go to the shoe department and walk around in the things for a few minutes.

But I digress. Let's say for example you're torn between 3 different rain jackets. All have great ratings and reviews from plenty of people, all are comparatively priced. OHMIGOSH which one do I get??? Honestly dudes and dudetts, it really doesn't matter. They're all rain jackets that have been tested and reviewed from here to the other side of the world. They're all made by reputable companies. They're all gonna keep you dry. Choose the one that's $10 less then the other two and buy the damn thing

You can say the same thing for any other piece of gear. The best rated sleeping bags are all gonna keep you warm, I promise you. Watch the youtube videos for setting up the tents you're stuck between, choose which one looks easiest to you and go for it. If it's a good tent (which you can tell by reviews and ratings) you don't have a good chance of picking one that's mysteriously hard to use by you in person even though it looked awesome on the web.

Just my $0.02

[Spirit Walker]

A lot of new hikers are under the illusion that having the perfect gear will make for a perfect hike. It doesn't work that way. Good gear will make for a more comfortable hike, perhaps, and having awful gear means you'll be a bit more uncomfortable at times, but the quality of your hike depends on what's in your head, not what's on your back.

Still, gear is a lot easier to control than your emotions, especially before the fact. You don't know how you'll respond to non-stop rain or full shelters or long days hiking in the heat or watching your partner go home. So people focus on what they can do something about: finding the perfect socks, or shoes, or rain gear.

[Old Hiker]

I'll see your 2 cents and raise you a nickel.

I was/am one of "those" people who asked for opinions: specifically on a Marmot Precip jacket since you talked about rain jackets. Got lots of great feedback (thanks, WB - including advice on the Mica !!) Ordered both, as there is a good REI return policy. Decided to go with the Precip: has underarm vents, and "feels" better when wearing it. Never mind the several ounce difference. I'll take the weight penalty.

I will still read the opinions about gear here, especially if it pertains to gear I'm interested in buying, either now or someday. I respect those who have made the entire trek, those who have tried and not made it, even clueless weekenders. (Sorry, Kevin, don't know you, but I remember your name-tag !!) I will also give my opinions on gear I have:

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...ons&highlight=

I use the opinions like I use the reviews: go to the ones who HATE the gear and find out why, then try to make an informed decision.

3 hour drive? Let's see: even if I use my bike at 45 mpg, 3 hours is about 200 miles one way, 400 miles + 6 hours time. That's about 9 gallons of gas, there and back. At $4.10/gallon (my bike needs the 93 octane), that's about $36 added to the price of the gear IF and only IF I buy it. My car will be less mileage, more money. YMMV, of course.

[sureaboutthis]

Some people enjoy going into the minutia of gear. That's their business.

[Slo-go'en]

I always take the bad reviews with a grain of salt. A lot of times it's easy to tell the user was an idiot. Of course, if ALL the reviews are bad, then you can worry.

But the real problem is you can't really tell how well something is going to work for you until you go out and try it in the field.

[4shot]

Good gear will make for a more comfortable hike, perhaps, and having awful gear means you'll be a bit more uncomfortable at times, but the quality of your hike depends on what's in your head, not what's on your back.

+1. I will use a golf analogy. I have been playing golf for 45 years. started with a cut down set with hickory shafts. After a few years of playing with those, and caddying at the local golf course, I saved up and bought my first of clubs for $45 from the local department store. Now a dozen golf balls might cost that. One club can retail for $400-500. Over the years, I have bought several sets as my old ones wear out.

The point of this is I still shoot about what I have shot since I was about 15 (upper 70's on a good day, low to mid 80's usually). Is the gear better...oh heck yes. Has it changed anything significantly? Not really....maybe I hit the ball 40 yards farther but the gear is not the limiting factor. The parallels are about the same in the outdoor world. I used to camp in canvas tents and Coleman sleeping bags. Still enjoyed it then as I do now with my 2 lb.tarp tent and 800 fp down bags.

[Malto]

I just met Dakota Joe this morning. he is hiking with a pack that cost him $1.50 from goodwill or a similar place. Not sure a xl350rlt pack coasting him $1000 would substantially change his hike. As far as obsessing..... You will find very few very serious hikers, say multiple thru hikes or similar that obsess about gear.

[Offshore]

I just met Dakota Joe this morning. he is hiking with a pack that cost him $1.50 from goodwill or a similar place. Not sure a xl350rlt pack coasting him $1000 would substantially change his hike. As far as obsessing..... You will find very few very serious hikers, say multiple thru hikes or similar that obsess about gear.

This thread really struck a chord as someone getting back into backpacking after a long hiatus. I've spent about a year replacing old gear (what a difference 25 years makes) and have gotten a lot of good insight from this site as well as others. But sometimes the gear discussions get to be so academic that it's out of hand. Anyone frequenting these forums is really at the point of choosing from an embarrassment of riches - let's face it, we're not buying low-end gear - so it becomes a matter of personal choice. And at times the discussions here look more like holy wars. (For example, personally I realize that Gregory packs are not the lightest, but to me, they are the most comfortable - and I don't really care what a "gram weenie" has to say on the matter.) Let's remember that the important thing here is that the "best" gear is a highly personal choice and that a closet full of the "best" gear is meaningless if it sits in the closet. A backpack on the trail bought from Walmart beats a Vaporlite Super UL Cuben Magic Pack sitting on the shelf. HYOH (with your own gear).

[sureaboutthis]

I second the Gregory pack comment. Lighter ones just didn't cut it for me in comfort, durability, or loading.

It remains that some people derive enjoyment from the details. Supposedly the mantra is HYOH, but here we have people proscribing to others what is an acceptable level of interest in gear.

Sounds an awful lot like "Hike my hike."



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Drybones]

A lot of new hikers are under the illusion that having the perfect gear will make for a perfect hike. It doesn't work that way. Good gear will make for a more comfortable hike, perhaps, and having awful gear means you'll be a bit more uncomfortable at times, but the quality of your hike depends on what's in your head, not what's on your back.

Still, gear is a lot easier to control than your emotions, especially before the fact. You don't know how you'll respond to non-stop rain or full shelters or long days hiking in the heat or watching your partner go home. So people focus on what they can do something about: finding the perfect socks, or shoes, or rain gear.

The hikers I've seen having the best time did not have the best gear.

[Drybones]

The star rating thing may lead you to a bad choice. I read all the reviews and ratings when I first started hiking and was searching for a sleeping pad I could sleep on, got a Therma-rest Prolite Plus because it was rated high...hated the thing and so did my wife, neither of us could sleep on it.

[Meriadoc]

Yep. There's a little of HMHDI going on. (Link: http://www.pmags.com/hike-my-hike-damn-it-hmhdi )

There's also a lot of folks who haven't hiked a long distance yet and haven't realized that gear is not the most important part. That's where veterans come in to nicely point the way.

Gear and planning are also one of the few ways to engage with a dream that is still months away. (What Spirit Walker said.)

And for many of us talking about gear is fun. We're knowledgable about it from use and research. It's fun to share knowledge.

I'm not too worried. I'm not seeing people say "you must have this widget or your hike will fail." Folks will figure it out via experience. By mile 500, gear talk among thrus was nil. No need for it.

Edit: the consumer culture also lends itself to gear talk. Because it teaches us that we can buy things to solve our problems. That's one reason those who have deprogrammed themselves realize it isn't about the gear. Long distance hiking is one effective method of deprogramming, thus the point of view of our veteran long distance hikers!

Finally, those with lots of experience know what works for them. And they have the gear they need already. So of course there will be less obsessing. Uncertainty can lead to obsessing.

However, I want to point out that those who have pared down to lightweight loads have already done the obsessing - a very close analysis of what to bring and what to leave home. So for many the obsessing was done in the past and now it's a spectator sport and not a participatory sport. It always looks different from the outside.

[Carbo]

With anything in life, keeping your level of expectation in check will usually lead to satisfaction. Over-planning can be good if you're building a spaceship, but honestly we're just going for a long walk in the woods. If you expect to be tired, hungry, cold, wet, etc., no matter what brand of gear you have, you will not be disappointed.

[Mags]

The topic has been something on my mind for a year or so now.

How gear is the hobby:
http://www.pmags.com/gear-as-lifestyle

Too much obsession over weight:
http://www.pmags.com/backpacking-weight-mania

Or just my own take at this point in my hiking "career"
http://www.pmags.com/ultra-light-but-not-ultra-precise

But you can skip all the blathering above and here's the bullet points..or, even, better, go straight to a video that may sum it up better

Why I think people like gear discussion and/or it discussed frequently:

• If a person is new to the outdoors, it is something very much of interest. If you have never backpacked before, seeing that a seemingly authoritative sounding website or magazine endorses a specific pack is comforting. The person new to the outdoors wants to know what is the best and what to buy. Again, considering money is a finite resource, that is an understandable desire.
• Specific gear is easy to discuss. It is something tangible. You can easily describe what the water filter weighs, the price, how past it pumps water vs the competition and so on. May be more difficult to discuss why a water filter may be more appropriate vs chemical treatment.
• “Gear is fun”. Buying the gear gives some temporary happiness. And many of us like our toys. Basically, we get a thrill when discussing what new things to acquire and then acquiring it. The credit card bill at the end of the month may change that feeling, however.
• But mainly, I think, very few of us can get out as much as we'd like (myself included!). Purchasing gear, and the discussing of the gear, is a way to still be part of the outdoor lifestyle. If I was to be brutally honest about myself, part of the reason why I participate in the online discussion forums and maintain a website is for similar reasons. Cheaper than therapy in between my hikes/climbs/skis.

[bamboo bob]

My take is that it doesn't matter what gear you use because it's all the same more or less. Just get actual backpacking gear from any maker instead of say a day pack or car camping gear you will be fine. A few pounds more or less has no effect on most people.

Every year there's a piece of equipment that I call "this years what the cool kids are using" One year it was Frogg Toggs, another Cat stove"s, hammocks, last year it was those bare feet shoes (i forget the name) Always something. A brand goes in and out of favor. Montrail comes to mind.

My most common reason for replacing gear is that I lose something. A water filter or once I left a thermarest at NOC. I lost a ridge rest in the 100 mile wilderness. Rarely things actually break. A leki pole. A filter again. Of course shoes wear out. Socks wearout.

But Mags has it with his last point. If we can't hike then we gotta do something related to hiking and discussing gear fills in. It's a real work out trying to spend twelve hours a day on Whiteblaze instead of a trail.

[Mobius]

I always take the bad reviews with a grain of salt. A lot of times it's easy to tell the user was an idiot. Of course, if ALL the reviews are bad, then you can worry.

But the real problem is you can't really tell how well something is going to work for you until you go out and try it in the field.

Similarly I always take good reviews with a grain of salt. No gear is perfect.

[Malto]

Similarly I always take good reviews with a grain of salt. No gear is perfect.

I especially take good reviews with a grain if salt if the equipment hasn't been used.

[he.who.forgets]

The topic has been something on my mind for a year or so now.

How gear is the hobby:
http://www.pmags.com/gear-as-lifestyle

Too much obsession over weight:
http://www.pmags.com/backpacking-weight-mania

Or just my own take at this point in my hiking "career"
http://www.pmags.com/ultra-light-but-not-ultra-precise

But you can skip all the blathering above and here's the bullet points..or, even, better, go straight to a video that may sum it up better

Why I think people like gear discussion and/or it discussed frequently:

• If a person is new to the outdoors, it is something very much of interest. If you have never backpacked before, seeing that a seemingly authoritative sounding website or magazine endorses a specific pack is comforting. The person new to the outdoors wants to know what is the best and what to buy. Again, considering money is a finite resource, that is an understandable desire.
• Specific gear is easy to discuss. It is something tangible. You can easily describe what the water filter weighs, the price, how past it pumps water vs the competition and so on. May be more difficult to discuss why a water filter may be more appropriate vs chemical treatment.
• “Gear is fun”. Buying the gear gives some temporary happiness. And many of us like our toys. Basically, we get a thrill when discussing what new things to acquire and then acquiring it. The credit card bill at the end of the month may change that feeling, however.
• But mainly, I think, very few of us can get out as much as we'd like (myself included!). Purchasing gear, and the discussing of the gear, is a way to still be part of the outdoor lifestyle. If I was to be brutally honest about myself, part of the reason why I participate in the online discussion forums and maintain a website is for similar reasons. Cheaper than therapy in between my hikes/climbs/skis.

went straight to video and loved it

[Violent Green]

Everyone has different goals with their hobbies. I have fun hiking. I have fun talking about gear and helping others with their decisions. I have fun trying new gear. I have fun trying to improve my hikes either through increased fitness, better/more trips, or better gear. So, I'm going to do all of the above as much as I can because it's fun for me. If it's not for you, that's fine, but you need to realize that everyone's different. We can agree it's not about the gear, it's about being fulfilled. Doesn't really matter how we get there.

Ryan

[BillyGr]

Not everyone lives near a Cabela's or EMS or Dick's, but if you're planning on something like a thru hike I honestly wouldn't see an issue with making something like a 3 hour drive to a store like that.

3 hour drive? Let's see: even if I use my bike at 45 mpg, 3 hours is about 200 miles one way, 400 miles + 6 hours time. That's about 9 gallons of gas, there and back. At $4.10/gallon (my bike needs the 93 octane), that's about $36 added to the price of the gear IF and only IF I buy it. My car will be less mileage, more money. YMMV, of course.

The one time that could make much sense would be if someone was starting out and planning for a thru hike and needed much (or all) of the gear for the hike.

If they took some time to search online first to see what they might be interested in, and then took the drive (particularly if that drive would bring them to a multiple of possible stores - someone within 3 hours of Northern NJ comes to mind as a good example) to be able to actually see all the items and try them.

That way, while still a cost, it would be minimal for any item (dividing the travel cost over many gear items, plus the likelyhood of being able to save some or all of it with shopping multiple places) while still giving them the comfort of being able to try/check out the items and hopefully also save costs of repurchasing better options later.