I have a problem….

Hi Andrew

As a Kiwi I am very familiar with the vernacular, but I translated it for the majority of site members who are American ;)

Yeah, if bad people are intent on doing you harm AND gang up on you, I don't think there is much you can do about it without an automatic weapon and plenty of warning. Hitting the guy just after leaving a plane when he was very unlikely to be carrrying a ready to use weapon was extra cowardly! To do it in front of all those people was so beyond callous that it makes even a liberal like me wonder if the death penalty isn't a pretty good idea!

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Looking at David's post again makes me think of just how many of us won't even bat an eye to get the bestest and lightest! For example, for any given temp rating — how many of us actually agonized over MontBell's synthetic vs. 650fp vs. 800fp bags? Methinks many of us just went straight for the 800fp. :)

SS synthetic #3 – 40 oz – $145
UL ss #3 650 fp – 32 oz – $205 – $60 for 8 oz
UL SS #3 800 fp – 23 oz – $279 – $74 for 9 oz

So David, you are fine.

Ben.
The Gear Enabler.

I must confess, the two pieces are not the only new gear I recently purchased. But if I told everyone I would be accused of being a 'Boozer.'

(This is a homage to Jonathan, of course)

If you are going so far as to post about your gear purchases in a forum on the Internet (guilty as charged…), then yes, you do have a problem – just like the rest of us. Welcome to the club!

I also think you got a bargain in the ounces saved per dollar measure. Hey, whatever it takes to justify it, right? :)

Now that I'm reflecting on some of my recent purchases from Ben's perspective of how much I could have saved by going with slightly heavier gear… oh boy. Thanks Ben, now I realize that I have a problem (not that I didn't already know).

It will all be ok. Just accept it. Relish it. Dive in.

You can upgrade anything…

Boozer is right. So go ahead, David, tell us. :)

Dan — My first set of gear, I took the "middle way" — buying all the stuff that were "light enough" and saved a couple of hundred of bucks (eg. Kelty Lightyear 25 in lieu of MontBell, etc.). Problem was that my pack weight approached 40lbs for a weekend trip! Not all that bad considering there were plenty of people hauling 60-70lbs or even more — but still too heavy for my liking.

After my second trip, I swapped out almost everything and cut the poundage by more than half! Thank God for REI "no hassle" returns and for Ebay! I sold my lightly used bag for a buck more than what I paid for when new. :)