When to admit you have GAS?

For a lot of us the gear is part of the fun. Sure, there will be the people that'll jump all over gear heads and say "it's not about the gear …" but, like you, I enjoy the gear aspect very much. Every few years, I cull the herd and put those funds towards the latest gear. No need to justify multiples to yourself: some people collect stamps, we collect outdoor gear. Having multiples can really come in handy too. I took a good friend out for a night in the backcountry last weekend, he had very little gear and we were spending the night in a snow cave. So, he didn't need to rent and I was happy to lend him everything he needed. If the quality is decent, when you're done with it, it lives another life in someone else's hands. Two examples of upgrades I made in the past year: I sold two older Therm-a-rests and put the funds towards a Neoair … and sold two older sleeping bags and bought a WM Alpinlite. Both purchases allowed me to lighten my load and offer greater performance.

In the great scheme of things, buying backpacking gear is a relatively cheap form of entertainment if you consider how much buying a sports car is.

Everyone has some sort of vice/toy/interest that they have to pass the time.

So what if you blow $1000 a year on gear….compared to blowing $45-50k on a sports car?

All things considered, backpacking is one of the cheapest vacations that you can take so if gear is your things balance that or justify that against spending a few thousand on taking a 1 to 2 week vacation.

Isn't UL/Lightweight backpacking nothing more than a form of hyper-specialization?

If so, then having multiple quilts and sleeping bags is part of that….same thing with owning multiple backpacks, etc.

Now, if you are having problems putting food on the table and paying your rent/mortgage, and utilitiy bills, then I would say that you have a problem with your financial priorities.

-Tony

Uh oh. I've got a good amount of UL gear (multiple bags, packs, shelters, stoves, water treatment, etc.) and hobby cars (sports cars and antiques) and boats (racing trimaran and classic ketch). The real problem is not enough time to spend on each interest…

Everybody knows that if you have a lot of gear then you don't like to actually go backpacking. There's no possible way to research/purchase gear and also use it. There's just not enough time for both.

UL is hyper-specializing, certainly. Since many of us (here) are concerned with the best kit, at the lightest weight, with the most functionality/comfort, it means we buy a lot of stuff. I have backpacking buddies who have 1 tent, 1 sleeping bag, 1 set of clothes, etc. that they take in the Sierra, Mojave, Coastal California, everywhere. They rarely have the "perfect" kit, but they enjoy their time outdoors and get by without obsessing over the material means.

I haven't always been a nut about hiking but the desire to purchase every "interesting" gadget fot whatever your hobby is, is a perfectly normal thing.
It's a bit like an Imelda Marcos thing with shoes.
The only solution I can think of is to spend more time out in the wilderness. While you will undoubtely return with a desire for something new that you saw someone else had, at least you can't buy it out there (and the lack of earnings may slow down your ability to buy).
Now if only we could find a way to cut down on "gas" when sharing huts…..
:-)

My yearly average dollars spent is not that high… only I never throw anything away, so my garage is full of gear ;)

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