How many packs and shelters is too many?

It's because you've been hanging around here instead of getting out more.

Seen it a hundred times here

I'm the same.

Just say no to gear lust. Before it turns to gear glutton. :-)

I won't buy a piece of gear anymore without selling something first.

My wife, dog, and I are usually out together. Occasionally I'm out with a friend or my dog and a friend. My wife and I each have a larger capacity pack (her's is a purple blaze Ohm 2.0, mine is an HMG Porter 3400) and small day/multipurpose pack. We have a GoLite Shang 3 (with inner) and an HMG 8×10 flat tarp for shelter. Each have a summer bag/quilt good to around freezing and a 0 degree bag. We each have a RidgeRest and NeoAir Xtherm. I've gone back to a simple cat can alchy stove for when I'm alone and just ordered a Kovea Spider for when we're together or with a group. I sold my JetBoil Sol Ti when I ordered the Spider. The only redundant (somewhat) gear I have left is water treatment (aqua mira – drops and tablets, gravity filter, Sawyer squeeze…), even though I find myself treating less and less.

Having less is liberating. True – I don't have the gear for an overnight with perfect weather so I can go SUL, but I found no difference in comfort between 5 and 10 lb base weights. But then I also don't have to worry about picking from a variety of items based on a variety of factors (weight being only one) found on a spreadsheet. I can just throw my stuff in my pack and go. Until my recent trip guiding/teaching with Andrew Skurka, I hadn't even made a gear list in a year or more.

"Just say no to gear lust. Before it turns to gear glutton. :-)"

Man, don't let Ben hear you say that.

"Man, don't let Ben hear you say that."

Yeah, it's blasphemy on here. I guess that makes me a "gear heretic".

Help is available

Gear Swap

Hi Jen,

I have three packs and I think I could whittle that down to two .

On the tent front I have a one and three person winter tents and one 3 season tent and a 2 person tarp, all see use through the year but probaly could get it down to 3.

So only really see an extra pack and tent on my books.

If you have more than 1 pack for every 15 days of hiking annually (day hikes included), you have too many.

If you have more than 1 shelter for every 15 nights in the BC (annually), you have too many.

Assign appropriate handicaps for kids and SOs who come along at least 1/4 of the time.

2 packs and 1 shelter per purpose (activity type).
this is the ideal number.

so if you go out there for 3 different reasons, you are allowed 6 packs.

activity types include :
1. running
2. day hiking
3. weekending
4. week long
5. thru hike
6. rock climbing
7. alpine climbing
8. snow mountainieering
9. there are others …

>> If you have more than 1 pack for every 15 days of hiking annually (day hikes included), you have too many. <<

Wow, Dave C, that's an incredibly precise and absurd formula!

+1 Art, activity dictates my gear purchases and that goes for more than just packs and shelters.

I find backpacking and the gear necessary for backpacking to be relatively inexpensive in comparison to other activities that I could do….golf, restore old cars, etc.

Based on that argument, you can never have too many packs and shelters.

The end.

We have a duty to support the UL backpacking cottage industry! Buy one more! ;)

I've trimmed the fat over the last year or two and have downsized to one single backpack and shelter (Duomid) for backpacking/bikepacking/adventuring/etc…..

It's not always ideal, but I make it work for now. Save for an attempt on Denali or something on that level which I have no intention of doing, there haven't been any limitations to my current situation and I in no way feel limited by my shelter and pack. I'm confident in what I own.

Owning a single 15F bag has proven to be a small mistake, however. I used my WM bag last weekend with lows in the upper 40s and was roasting, even opened up and barely draped over me. Ill be adding back an inexpensive warm weather quilt into the fold sometime soon.

The current SUL series refresher makes me laugh a little. In the quest to "do more with less" many here may find themselves doing less with more things that weigh less…..or something along those lines.

It's a slippery slope.

Recycle on the Gear Swap Forum. I shed a bunch of gear on the GSF this last winter and . . . bought more. It felt good to give my neglected gear a good home and help reduce the cost of my new purchases.

Backpacking is by far more affordable, even with gear lust, than most other hobbies as FamilyGuy mentions. My gf was into cars and probably has $100K sunk into her collection of various rally and sports autos. I on the other hand have sunk maybe $2k into backpacking and climbing gear (much on deep discount/used) and have enough gear to bring a friend or three on trips even if they have no gear.

Still the point remains, the more you hike the less gear you have because the geekery starts to inhibit your hiking. Should I take X stove or Y? then you have to weigh pros and cons. When you hike enough you know "Y is better, for my style" and just grab it and go.

For backpacking I've basically limited my gear choices to a winter setup, a general 3 season kit I can take anywhere, and slowly assembling a SUL/XUL kit that will be for on the spur 24-48 hour style adventures to recharge the batteries. Any extra gear is relegated to loaners for significant others or friends, but limited to 3 full kits at a maximum. Climbing/mountaineering/canyoneering gets a similar setup except loaners is kept to a minimum (one max).

I do go over board on clothing though since I find I spend more time in my clothes than I do playing with gear. I also tend to wear my backpacking clothes when I climb or in the city because it fits and looks better than other clothes. Still, I try to limit things to "if I could only have one item for…" type thinking.

It's the same game as taking too much stuff on a trip: "whatifitis". And there are those times when a real bargain comes up, but still fueled by the what-if factor.

I'm down to three packs and one is for sale. I'm down to three shelters including my car camping/2 person tent.

But the little things stick to me: water bottles, pocket knives, headlamps and flashlights, etc.

And then there are the clothing layer options. OMG! Cap1, Cap2, Cap3, R1, Power Stretch, 100w and 200w fleece, hoodies and oh yes, vests. And then there is 60g and 100g insulation and I do (horrors) actually own a down jacket— but it is one of the JCP bargain basement goodies. But wait, the rain gear, the hats, the gloves, and never forget the SOCKS. Did I mention shoes? Button down shirts? Convertible pants and shorts? Soft shell bottoms? Helllllp meeeeee!

Sunglasses?

Hiking books?

To wanna talk radios, photo gear, and oh yes binoculars?

The packs and shelters are easy :)

Forgot the sleeping pads….. Sheesh!

"My gf was into cars and probably has $100K sunk into her collection of various rally and sports autos."

That Sir, is a lady you would want to make your wife!

"My gf was into cars and probably has $100K sunk into her collection of various rally and sports autos."

Baby you can drive my car,
Yes I'm gonna be a star
And Baby I loooooove you!
Bee beep umm bee beep, yeah

Cars can pale hiking gear in a heartbeat. Just the insurance on that stable would cover all my gear and then some.

…

use what you already have … spend the money on going out

gear is USELESS unless you use it, and use it hard

dont buy anything else unless you NEED it … or it wears out … an go wear it out

its that simple ;)

Not like I'm trying to make myself feel better, but I really do use my stuff quite a bit. From march until November I go on weekend jaunts 2-3 times a month, then take 1-2 big 10-day to 2-week trips a year. This year I'm doing the JMT, ideally the PCT next. So it's not like I don't use it…

I just feel bad that I want to try out these other things. I have been pretty good lately about selling off (or giving away) my older stuff…for example, my hexamid is going away now that the cuben duomid is on it's way.

In my house right now I have a hexamid. No other tent. It is actually already sold.
I have the gorilla and the circuit. One is big and heavy, one is small and light (for me, anyway).
I have a canister stove and 2 alcohol stoves (only because I haven't given the 12-10 away just yet since I bought the modified starlyte).
I have a single water filtration system and a few different sized water bags that go with it (sawyer squeeze with sawyer bottles and some evernew)
I have three cookpots now – 2 short/wide (one big, one small) and 1 tall/skinny to go with my canister
2 quilts. One summer, one shoulder
1 pad
One set of heavy trekking poles, but I just ordered some carbon ones from REI.

So I'm not awful yet…..at least I don't think I am.

Am I??

Thats not a lot of kit at all Jen.

You need no more than 6 shelters and 5 packs, and you need to try about 25 shelters and 15 packs until you find the ones you need.

Fftt! 'Tis nothing, not even warm. One pad is almost… sinful.

If you are using it, it meets the test. There MUST be something that I have that you need ;)