BPL Subscription

[Paul Davis]

I understand that this is not gear and I am posting it under The G Spot, so I apologize. I don't know where else to post this.

I'm thinking about subscribing to BPL online, but being a student and saving all the "extra" money I make for the gear for my coming trips, I wanted to get some reviews from you guys before shelling out the $25.

Two things:
1) Are the articles truly worth the $25
2) I don't know if this is exactly kosher, but alas, do any of you know of a coupon that I could use to save a buck or two?

Thanks a lot

[Travis Leanna]

1. most definately 2. not that I'm aware of.

[Brad Groves]

Seriously, $25 is chump change compared to the info you can get. Even if you ignored the members only articles, you'll save hundreds (if not more) of dollars with the information available to you on this site. $25? Eat two or three pizzas less next month. You can save a ton of money with the site, the MYOG section, and yeah, some good reviews and articles.

[Erik Danielsen]

I've been wondering the same thing lately. I've always been stymied by links to articles I can't access, but I'm curious if there's more subscription content than that?

I have to admit, $25 is more than I spend on food in the typical week (no pizzas :p ) so I don't really consider it chump change… but I'm still seriously considering subscribing when my next paycheck comes in. That'll be a couple days before my first sub-5 trip so maybe I'll pick up some extra tidbits of useful info from the member content last minute before I head out.

[todd]

Best backpacking-related $ I've spent.

[Gabe P]

The articles are worth the $25 and then some.

[Brett Peugh]

Didn't they have a deal on the lifetime around last Christmas?

[Arthur Forbes]

Lot's of great deals to be found on gear in this forum that will save you a ton of money.

[Michael B]

Given the amount of info avail on the net for free, I don't think it is such an easy call. In years past, much of the content seemed stale so I have lapsed in the past. However, there has been a fluery of new articles this past year or two that really tip the balance. Not sure I need that much info about CO2 in tents or light down jackets, but I can't argue that that content wasn't worth the money. Generally BPL articles are the very best info on the subject.

[Tony Wong]

Considering how expensive it is to end up buying the "wrong" piece of gear/clothing and having to then replace it with, spending $25 on a subscription would be a wise investment in my opinion.

For me, the best value is your 1st $25/1st year of membership because you have a wealth of articles that you can look over spanning multiple years.

So if cash was tight, join up for one year and get the bulk of the valuable information this 1st year of membership.

Then you can see if you would like to continue on later to keep yourself current on the market/trends/gears, etc.

Don't think you will regret it, plus think of all the time you will save on having to do all of your own research on gear online that, at best, is only half as good as the reviews here.

-Tony

[Bob Gross]

I realize that I may be in a minority here.

Some years ago a BPL membership was given to me as a gift. I got registered and started reading some of the articles. I found some to be mildly interesting, but surely nothing worth paying real money for. The articles were full of opinions instead of facts. I don't understand why anybody would want to buy a wrong gear item in the first place, but apparently people do. I don't.

The capper was when I started receiving spam to that email address (which was unique to BPL). That, of course, is completely unacceptable to me, so I contacted Addie and had her cancel the membership and discard that email address. The spam stopped immediately.

So, as for a BPL membership, I guess I just don't need the aggravation.

–B.G.–

[James holden]

1. most of the essential information is available for free elsewhere on the web or on these forums

2. many of the articles as stated above are opinions … you can find gear reviews on a lot of good blogging sites that are just as useful

3. buy what … a. makes sense … b. fits you … c. is affordable … don't go off ordering something online just because some site tells you its good … decide for yourself … the best tool for this is the good old MK 1 eyeballs and MK 1 brain

knowing what general gear to bring and how to use it … trumps buying some fancy name anyday …

someone who knows what they are doing could find everything they need at their local walmart/target/REI and still be light … and cheap

[Cayenne Redmonk]

Bob Gross is so near to perfect it is truly a blessing to have him on this forum ! It is a shame he can't distill his method for attaining perfection into an article we could all benefit from.

:-(

Until then, the BPL membership helps pay the bills that keep the forums running, and that is the only way we have to get any access to some of these deep pools of wisdom in the backpacking community.

:-)

If you subscribe for one year, and make your own PDF library of the content, $25 is a bargain !

[Bob Gross]

Cameron, I've published my UL articles starting more than 25 years ago. Originally, they were in print. Then it all went to the web.

I don't think that "perfection" is the right term. More like "success."

–B.G.–

[BlackHatGuy]

"I realize that I may be in a minority here."

Perhaps only partially. I read very few of the articles, truth be known (and I guess, now, it is!). I've always felt that BPL should charge some limited amount for access to the forums, as that's where I find the most value for my particular buck. If nothing else, at least charge for the gear swap forum.

To answer the IP's questions:

1. The 'site' is worth much more than $25, IMO, even though the forums are free. In my eyes, my subscription is more to support the forums than to gain access to the articles.

2. I don't think so.

Doug

[BlackHatGuy]

"I don't understand why anybody would want to buy a wrong gear item in the first place, but apparently people do. I don't."

How boring! I buy wrong gear items all the time. It's fun and exciting! Of course, I also date all the wrong women, usually give all the wrong answers on tests, wear all the wrong clothes and eat all the wrong foods.

But my dog loves me. And that's all right with me…..

[Bob Gross]

"If nothing else, at least charge for the gear swap forum."

That's all we need… another eBay! not

(Maybe gear SWAMP was correct.)

–B.G.–

[BlackHatGuy]

"If nothing else, at least charge for the gear swap forum."

That's all we need… another eBay! not"

Not sure how making the forums part of the subscription — or at least the gear swap forum part of the subscription — would make it an ebay. Perhaps we're simply looking at it differently. I don't see changing the 'community rules' of the swap forum, just don't think they should be available to anyone.

[Travis Leanna]

While I'm not about to judge anyone's finances, I will say that $25 comes to $2 a month.

There are exactly 3,451,962 ways to save $2 a month. :)

Seriously though, even if you're not too interested in how much CO2 builds up in a tent, reading the articles can give you ideas on how to think about things from different angles.

I view it as a token of appreciation for such a great site.

[Randy Nelson]

I just joined recently after using the forums for about a year and really learning a lot. I consider it a donation to help support the forums and the articles are a bonus. That $25 probably works out to $2/lb saved over what I used to carry. A bargain, for sure.

[Travis Leanna]

>I don't see changing the 'community rules' of the swap forum, just don't think they should be available to anyone.

Doug, that's a tough one. On one hand, it would keep spam and dodgy sellers/buyers out. On the other, a lot of good stuff comes through Gear Swap by non-members. However, I'd be all for it if it ever became a bit too unruly.

[BlackHatGuy]

"Doug, that's a tough one."

Well, I have been known to be wrong before…… ;-)

[Travis Leanna]

>Well, I have been known to be wrong before…… ;-)

Me too. I've even been wrong about being wrong!

[Bob Gross]

I thought that I was wrong one time, but I was mistaken.

–B.G.–

[James holden]

are determined by 4 factors

1. number of sellers and goods

2. number of buyers and their intent

3. friction

4. trust

thats a simplistic model … but thats basically all there is to any marketplace ….

anything that reduces the number of buyers or sellers is basically shooting yourself in the foot …

[Author]

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