Buy the Newest, Lightest, Shiniest Gear Or You Could Die

[Gary Dunckel]

Who cares? Oxford says one thing, Webster's another, and then there's yours. I still think Diane used the right spelling. I say we all stop worrying about what everybody else is doing and just go hike or something. In my case, right now, I'm going to bed. By the way, Conifer, CO is certainly no backwoods mountain town, and Boulder isn't all THAT cool (French isn't widely spoken here).

[Erik Dietz]

I work in a music store and we sell a pretty wide range of instruments, some beginner type of stuff and more recently a lot of high end Martins and Fenders. We get our fair share of guys who like to come in every week and talk about music/bands/instruments/gear and the fact is they can't play that well nor will we make much money off of them. However, it's their way of enjoying the music and instrument scene so I try to not let it bother me. Who are we to say that the way we participate in music or backpacking or whatever is better than anyone else? And to be honest, who really cares? If you're enjoying yourself, that's all that matters.

[David Adair]

"If I, as a semi-literate, used poseur in this case would I be a poseur?"

hmm…I think the man makes a good point. Pretty funny too.

If misspelling "poseur" irks you, the perpetual confusion about the proper use of "weighs" vs "weights" must have you pulling hair out.

[Daniel Fosse]

Ugg, I feel like I'm in middle school. I want street cred from the cool kids. Everyone knows the girls like fastpackers. Car campers are total posers. OMG, have you played Xbox Extreme Backpacking CDT Challenge?

[James holden]

if ya feel like u are ya must be ;)

nothing wrong with people with plenty of gear … as long as they know how to use it and actually use it, and dont think it makes you any "better" a climber or person … hell i got quite a bit myself

fortunately (or unfortunately) im wearing it out at quite a pace now … my last dead bird pack lasted a whole month …

[Tohru Ohnuki]

"well i actually think that "posing" is kinda dangerous for yourself and yr partner in some situations"

Exactly. I ran into a guy the other weekend on a local mountain who had a ice axe strapped to his pack. When I asked him about it he said he was going to 'do Whitney' and he heard he needed one. No training, no experience, just bought it and strapped it to his pack. He was also patching himself up from taking a spill on the easy class 2 and had broken his trekking pole in the process…

@Randy, touché, yeah appearances are deceiving. I suppose having older beat up gear implies lots of trail experience, but not the reverse (shiny new gear implies lack thereof.)

[HkNewman]

An adult should be able to wear whatever they want as long as it doesn't scare small children. More $ for outdoors companies to keep them competing to create the next wonder fabric, unique frame, etc… to get more $$. Everything mass-produced eventually goes on sale.

Add: As for the squatters at the Phoenix REI, the employees should have wondered if they were really after only gear talk or if there were ulterior motives (benign or otherwise). Spending an entire day shopping at REI … makes my head hurt.

[Anonymous]

"@Randy, touché, yeah appearances are deceiving. I suppose having older beat up gear implies lots of trail experience, but not the reverse (shiny new gear implies lack thereof.)"

There are all kinds of poseurs, posers, whatever. Some will buy old beat up gear to look experienced, just like others will buy brand new gear thinking "image is everything". It is also worth remembering that all gear was once new and shiny. I personally have no problem whatsoever with carrying a brand new, shiny piece of gear, secure in the knowledge that it won't stay that way long, and in any case has nothing to do with my experience level, or lack of it. People can think what they want to think and I could give a rat's a$$.

[Randy Nelson]

Thanks guys, looks like the Pinnacle is back in the rotation! :)

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

I thought poseur was a bike term…I didn't realize it was French. I guess you can spell something correctly and still be stupid!

[Erik Basil]

"Don't be such a hoseur, eh?"

–Doug McKenzie

:) So, I love how crusty and old my Kelty Tioga looks, because it gives me an excuse to rest and justification for the 7 gram, beryllium tent poles I paid for…

Having just recently broken down and begun buying gear to replace stuff that "hasn't even worn out", I have to admit it's fun having shiny new things and I don't mind at all when a buddy gets all "old school" on me with his Whisperlite or something. It neither whispers nor is light, right? Been there, done that, diggin' the shiny new stuff.

[Adrian MITCHELL]

I am a self acknowledged gear head. I am obsessed with gear (specifically making my own). I can honestly say, though, that I think I get (literally) three times as much pleasure out of the way I function, than if I wasn't at all concerned with gear. I get the entertainment of researching and planning, then I get the fun of designing and making, and then to crown it all off, I get the joy of using it!

Confession of an MYOGear-head!

[Worth Donaldson]

I get a kick out of comparing my gear against my friend and mentor. He has been doing the outdoors thing longer than I have, about 20 years. His stuff is old, worn, faded, dented, and sometimes heavier. He is retired and quite a bit of it is patched or homemade. Back when I was just getting started, I purchased quite a bit of new high tech stuff. Sometimes it worked well, sometimes it failed during the trip and sometimes I just did not need it. Over the years, I have develope an appreciation for his old gear and have become wiser on my needs and purchases. Even to this day, I enjoy seeing what he pulls out of his pack.

[Henk Smees]

>"I get (literally) three times as much pleasure ….. I get the entertainment of researching and planning, then I get the fun of designing and making, and then to crown it all off, I get the joy of using it!"<

+1

[Gabriel Diaz]

As a photographer, and a motorcyclist, I've seen the "gear is everything" attitude at its extremes. I find people who are too wrapped up in gear to be very boring, at least in photography. Photographs are about stories, not cameras. But everyone is in it for different reasons. Sometimes, if you learn to listen, the gearheads can teach you some neat things. Get past the differences and see what you can learn from each other, then everyone goes on their way, in their own way.

On shiny vs. worn, for whatever reason I have a very specific preference for stuff that looks well used. I mean, I buy used to save money, and prefer that it looks quite shiny and almost-new when I pull it out of the box, but I know it won't stay that way after I've had a go with it, and I don't mind that at all. I think it's the George Lucas "Star Wars" mentality, where all the hardware looks more realistic if it's got some battle scars on it. I don't know, lol. But I have a saying, I can't use what I can't abuse.

I beat up on my gear, from cameras to outdoor wares to tools for my bike. I keep my camera as decent-looking as I can because of the need to upgrade digital bodies every few years, and the bike, though mostly unwashed, stays dent-free, but for most all else it almost feels like it's not mine until there's a mudstain on it, or a little gouge here and there. You know, something that gives it… a story. My own story.

[Aaron]

Personally, I've been selling a lot of gear off here and there and stripping down to a "one size fits…most all" gear list. Obviously, my duomid isn't going to cut it in severe winter conditions at high elevation here in Colorado. But having a pack with a frame and various removable components can be used for 2-3 day trips as well as 2-3 weeks trips where I have to lug a gallon or two of water, or am bringing climbing gear. I just can't justify buying 3-4 packs for varying trips anymore.

And obviously, everyone enjoys backpacking differently. Specialization can be fun. But now that my gear list is pretty set, I'd rather not worry about choosing between two sleeping pads, 3 packs, and 4 stoves.

The concept of simplicity is key for me. And it's been something that is taking over my entire life, not just backpacking.

[Ken Thompson]

+1 Filled another box with stuff to sell this evening.

[Travis Leanna]

Yup. I've got a bunch of stuff to put on Gear Swap. A pack, Fivefingers, stove……

[Author]

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