Backpacking consumerism

“I suspect that those can afford to spend the money and don't have the time or patience to shop for a deal, will happily do so.

All the more power to them and a big thanks for helping our economy!”

“I have some really cheap gear that I love,my esbit stove,20 year old army poncho (slight leaks)...I also have a bit of high end stuff. My boots were nearly $200 BUT they are 7 years old and going strong even with being worn at work. I do have gear preferences in packs. Experience has shown that my pack brand of choice is worth every cent (my last pack by them was $80 at REI Outlet.com a clearance of an old style 65% off). I do kinda look askew at folks with brand new shiny top end stuff. Not outta envy or disgust but in sheer astonishment of how much they spent. If it works and you like it, go for it. Odds are you will spend your money on somethin anyway....

BTW way I heard the same program and loved it when the guest was soundly rebuffed by a caller bringing up a historical record of brand marketing and a loooooong human history into all types of consumerism. I really grow tired of this "we are evil for buyin stuff attitude".”

“Birch that is a good point about backpacks!!

No matter what you have to find the right pack!

8)”

“Hey Birch, I didn't ever get that we were evil for buying stuff thing from this show. I did get the idea that we're, as a culture, spending money on alot of crap that we just don't need.

I think one of the reason I brought this thread up was because I know so many people who are crippliing themselves financially because they have to have the "coolest" thing. I mean, really, what is the difference between a $50.00 pair of pants from (insert yuppie clothing chain here) and a similar pair from wal-mart? It's not quality or durability, I'll tell you that.

In thinking about that, I had started thinking about some of the initial thoughts about gear I had when I started backpacking, and some posts I've seen on other message boards.

What happens to the economy if Americans start spending their money wisely all at once?


Nevermind. Won't happen.”

“I think it's worth it to spend money on good gear if you hike often and in bad weather. Especially for boots, pack and a tent.”

“gets down to $300 or so... I want one for snow camping!”

“That thing is nutz!!!!

8o”

“"What happens to the economy if Americans start spending their money wisely all at once?"

Those who make the choice to spend more wisely can usualy retire a few years earlier. Work=Money - it's a trading game for most of us.

I enjoyed reading this thread becuase we can see the many differences. Some of us do pick up some higher end gear once and a while. Some of us are proud to get by with less.”

“My two main packs I use (Kelty Tempest & Rokk Flat Iron) are less than $100. I use an Esbit stove instead of a fancy gas stove. Freeze dried food is expensive, bulky, and taste like $hit. Plus the amount of food ya get isa joke. I got my Down bag on clearence from Campmor (Campmor brand).

Screw high dollar gear.”

“Amen on the commercial freeze dried foods. Yuck.

I read an article a couple of years ago about a different kind of outdoors consumerism. There is a huge market for all things "backcountry", but people don't use them that way. High tech raingear, SUV's, boots, you name it. They have marketed the image of the rugged outdoorsperson to people who won't have a thing to do with the activities for which their "gear" is designed.”

“Gee Phaedrus, from your attitude about this "crap" that is "crippling" some "yuppie" I found it rather ironic that you had that little Freudian slip and called brand names "stigmas" since that is your apparent view.

BTW, you could have used "cachet."”

“Pathman, I do agree that many people buy outdoor equipment and never actually use it for it's purpose but I'd have to say that isn't really a bad thing. For instance I own a great pair of G-tex hiking boots and a G-tex jacket. I were to use them for their intended purpose, I would only wear them while on the trail, but I wear both all the time and I have to say that they function extremely well for just walking around campus in the slush and rain. Now I do actually use them for their intended purposes too.”

“Ohboy... Pekka, you seem an intelligent person. Do you find it unusual at all that a number of people well below the poverty line in the U.S. will go out of their way to buy $150.00 Nike sneakers, when they could get comparable shoes for $25.00 at Pay Less, or somewhere? That is the cultural phenomenon I was trying to explore, and relate to backpacking. Do you have something to add? A differing opinion?

BTW, I could have used cachet. Fewer people would have understood me, in my estimation, but I could be wrong.”

“Right, deathmarch99

I wear my hat, an Outdoor Seattle Sombrero, every day. It has gore-tek and cost $39.95 plus shipping at Campmor. Their price is now about $42.50 as I recently purchased a second one after misplacing the first.

It makes a great, waterproof backpacking hat, although a little warm in hot weather. I enhanced it with a couple of small fishing lures on one side. Not a day passes without receiving compliments on the hat from total strangers.”

“I agree with Pathman and Phaedrus with there last posts....



IMHO, it seems that people nowadays are just too wrapped up in buying things. I'm not trying to get into the "buying all of these things makes us evil", as birch had mentioned, but there are a lot fo things that people buy because they WANT them, not because they NEED them. This is a world were the Depression Era folks are dying off at a rapid rate. THEY know what it was like to struggle. These people (current population) now a days have never experianced times like those. Some come close with the slow down in the early 80's and the Oil Embargo of the 70's. Talk to one of these (Depression Era folks) folks. They will tell you that they cannot believe what has happened. I talk to my Grandmother a lot about this subject. In these conversations, I get the feeling that she feels that her childeren's generation has blown it and like she's questioning it (what they went through) has if to ask if it was worth it. I sometimes wonder about that too. We ALL are very lucky to be in this country. We do take advantage of a lot of things that other countries can only dream about.

I''m real sorry for getting off topic, but recently, I've been having a real hard time with some of the things "my fellow wo/man" are doing. I must be getting to a jaded part of my life were I think that if everyone just got serious and just made me King of All, we could cut right to the chase and go right to being "cool".... :))”

“I use a $5.99 TexSport cookset that I picked up at BigLots. Copper clad stainless, lightweight, cleans well, packs well and has seen a lot more use than I thought it would.

IMHO, value is defined by how well a product holds up to specific use. I have never noticed a "brand" label that was too functional.”

“"Pathman, I do agree that many people buy outdoor equipment and never actually use it for it's purpose but I'd have to say that isn't really a bad thing.

I don't think it is bad, just interesting and amusing. Some might consider me the same. I wear my Mountain Hardwear outergear to work when the conditions call for it. No London Fog for me, by God! But I wear the same things in the Sandia, Pecos or Gila Wilderness. Now, if I could only wear my TNF Talkeetna cordura pants to work-indestructable, but I'm stuck with at least Eddie Bauer/Dockers wear.”

“Great thread everyone!

As the years roll by and I get more experienced at backpacking, I tend to stay away from high priced name brand items. I know what works for me and that's what counts.”

“Good Call on bringing value into the equation, Chili. That's really the point of the whole thing, for me. Where's the value (other than a social construct) in buying very expensive gear, if it only works marginally better than much cheaper gear? To me - and opinions certainly differ - I'd rather buy the less expensive nylon jacket and use some waterproofing on it, than buy a Gore-Tex jacket for 5 times the price... There's more value in spending a little time modifying a piece of gear to fit your needs, from my point of view.”

“Bad purchasing decisons is a cultural problem? I disagree, it's a personal problem. A character flaw.

Nothing forces you to buy anything. It's a personal choice where you outlay your money. If the market forced us to spend in a particular manner everyone on this board would be driving a North Face edition Chevy Avalanche and wearing clothes only made by technical clothing manufacturers.

It ain't what the're selling, it's what you're buying that matters.”

“Go market, go. Go market, go. Go, market, go. Can we do a cyber "Wave"?”

“In regards to the quote in the original post: I have known several people who've come here from other countries under a wide variety of circumstances and one thing they all seem to have in common is complaining about how much more expensive everything here is than where they came from. Then they send money to their relatives to buy them things in their own country cheap and send them to them.”

“all together now!

/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/”

“Chili and Phaedrus- I concur. Why should people buy a tent that was "tested on Everest" when you're going to use it in a state park? A lot of gear, from backpacking to running to just about any sport, tends to be designed for the extreme, high end users. It may be over-designed for the average backpacker.

BTW- I love the Army-Navy store here. I could go in there and roll in that stuff all day. The best purchase I ever made in there was a pair of summer wool pants for $5.”

“I want a Jack Wolfskin pack. They look cool”

“Dang!!
My tyvek tarp isn't cool cause it wasn't tested on Everest!
Bummer.”

“HP- they probably tried to test it on Everest, but it ended up in China!”

“But on a serious note. Exactly how many people do you know with multifuel stoves have EVER used anything other than white gas in them.

Probably very few if any.”

“Hmmmm.....tyvek parasailing.
What a thought!”

“I actually put gas in mine last week! First time in 10 years!”

“Ok there's one.”

“biz- did you use white or unleaded? I've always used white gas, but have wondered about trying unleaded. I was wondering if unleaded would gunk up the jets or if there's no difference.”

“Packman, I agree that spending is a personal choice. I agree that being financially (ir)responsible is a personal choice. That said, I think that marketing has, to a large extent, replaced cultural values with consumer values in the last 20-30 years. Do I have data to back this claim up? Not really; it's an opinion that I've formed from observation.

Coke or Pepsi? Mcdonald's or Burger King? Chrysler or Ford? The differences in most cases are, almost solely, in marketing, which pushes its influence into culture just by sheer exposure. Some folks don't want to be the only guy on the block without an SUV... You know the type.

Do they just stay away from the backwoods, then?”

“I used one for about 3 years with nothing but unleaded and I never had trouble with it clogging the jets.”

“If gear works for you, it works for you. I've improved on my gear over the years by trial and error. And sometimes brand and price do make a difference, sometimes it doesn't. I do have a motto though, "never pay full price." Besides, I am married to Tight Wad Bob, who didn't get that moniker by accident;-)”

“Mine sooted like a beast.”

“Yeah, it's sooty alright. But the jets didn't clog.”

“Everyone spreads their money around differently. I might have the best gear money can buy but if you ever saw my car you would laugh. I would be lucky to get $500 for it. Friends and family have begged me to get rid of it. The truth is it has gotten me to work everyday for the past year and I would rather spend my money on other things. Also, it is kinda funny at this point.”

“:P”

“Who has the right to judge whether a person is being responsable or not with their spending?....it's personal. What's next the Purchasing Police?”

“Everybody should own an Adam Sandler car at least once in their life. It makes for some great stories.”

“It's unbelievable how much people pressure you to get the latest or the best if they perceive you can afford it. I've had people at work actually become upset that I drove my old Galaxie when I could afford a brand new SUV! "Why do you still drive that thing!?" I don't get it!”

“Hey biz, you sound like me. Right now our daughter has the newest car. It's a 1990 Honda. I'm driving em until they croak!”

“Gear slut, No one can make that judgement but you. I'm just trying to promote thought on the subject.”

“yeah, I like it that those people spending $125 for Nikes stay at the mall.

aero, nope worked fine”

“The high school parking lots around here look like new car auto dealers. They drive better cars than their parents.”

“I love buying supplies but I don't spend a lot of $$ on gear except for the basics. I bought my first tent at Target for 30 bucks and regretted it for every minute spent inside the damn thing. Especially when the zipper broke and I was covered with ants for two nights. I splurged and spent 65 bucks on last year's model Eureka apex tech soemthing or other and have gone to sleep absolutely ecstatic every night. Soemtimes you need to spend a few extra bucks. anything more than that seems frivolous to me.”

“Yeah, Aero, I'd say that High school kids are less immune to marketing than adults. Hell, they don't want to be seen as different in anything, usually.”

“I try to see the person --- not what's on their back. Everyone has their own style.

Some folks do the teflon-coated titanium thing; others are into the sackcloth and safety-pins. Most of us are somewhere in-between. What difference does it make? <G>”

“Good answer, Tilt!”