It's wonderful to see so many new faces in the forums lately! No better refutation to the 'is backpacking dying' meme in the news these days. I got a few tips from old hands when I was a BPL whippersnapper, and feel like it might be time to pay it forward.
So — some helpful protocols of which you might not be aware:
In general:
• Please take a brief look over the past few days' posts using 'Recent Posts' under 'FORUMS' in the right-hand navigation to make sure there isn't already a vibrant active thread about the news item you're about to post. Several people in the community are always right on top of latest news… you might be missing out on an awesome ongoing discussion in your enthusiasm to post.
In Gearswap:
• If your item sells, please modify the ORIGINAL POST to read "sold" in the subject line and the first line of the body, rather than adding a new post to the thread saying 'sold' that bumps the entire thread to the top.
• Please don't bump your sale threads without a price drop.
• If you're selling something, please use FS: (for sale) in the post header, include a picture of your gear, the weight if possible, and a link to the mfr's spec page, if still available. A quick visit to google shopping before posting is your friend to make sure your posted price is reasonable, given the availability of sales and 20% off coupons.
• Please specify a price. It's not ebay.
Thanks, and welcome to the best damn community of crotchety ultralighters on the web.
