High Sierra Topix

This is what gets me: (UL) backpacking is still one of the least expensive hobbies one can engage.

Let's take surfing, since after 40 years it makes a good reference point for me: $500/board absolute minimum if you get a "bro deal" from a local shaper; $700 +tax retail from a surf shop. How long do they last? 1 year if you're really, really careful. But of course, you need different boards for different conditions, and let's not mention wet suits, which run $150-200 per for decent quality. (High tech versions are closer to $300-400.) Me, I've got 5 boards hanging in the garage, and 5 wetsuits hanging in the closet right now.

Travel? $200 per board, round-trip to Hawaii. Fly fishing? $400 for a modest rod/reel combo for aficionados. Boating, sailing, diving? Are you kidding me? Golf? LULZ. Let's switch gears - how about the cost of going out to the movies, dinner or an NFL game? Aye carumba!

So, you spend $1k on the newest, high tech 900FP Feathered Friends bag, a ULA dyneema pack and either a cuben tarp/tent or Fly creek tent. That equipment, right there, is going to allow you to do more, with less physical cost, than anything you had before. And after 2-3 years of use? If it hasn't been abused, you can sell it for 33-50% of your original cost.

Doctors say you don't want to know what happens when you age. It's not gradual - it accelerates. Better get going while the getting is good.

Yes, and non-UL backpacking is even less expensive! The assumption that everyone has $400-500 cash on hand to buy a tent is ignoring the reality for many people who backpack. And when you get to the Cubin gear, you get to talking near $1000. Not everyone has that kind of discretionary cash. Most of us backpack on a budget. This means that we have to set aside money for gas to get to the trailhead.

I say get out there and backpack! Forget about having the greatest gear. Just do it. If you get some condensation, deal with it. Save pennies over time and get better gear. Aim for UL, but get there slowly within your budget. There are more comfortable shelters than a bivy, but if that is what you have, use it and go into the wilderness.

Hobbes wrote:Doctors say you don't want to know what happens when you age. It's not gradual - it accelerates. Better get going while the getting is good.

Well, there's a happy thought. Yipes!

HJ