Is the Overlanding community killing itself

[SoCoRuss]

Is it me or is the overlanding community slowly killing itself with all the very overpriced gear being pushed as must? It seems everyone is told you have to have a tricked out vehicle with another $50k of "upgrades" to get it out of the driveway. First you must spend $50k for a off road capable vehicle then you are expected to immediately tear off the suspension, tires ( to get larger tires that are so big no normal people can lift or change them when you get a flat) and driveline to "upgrade them" for all the weight you will add with bumpers, winches , tire carriers and mandatory gear made for M1 tanks for another $50K. Then you need a $1k tent to sit on top with $100 each gas cans or bags and water cans. Then its $300+ refrigerators and grills. and don't forget all the lights, batteries and electrical upgrades so the ISS astronauts can see you from space.
Or if you want a little space to stretch out and get a trailer, its $30k for one the size of a fridge box or $50-80K plus for ones with some room that's not much more than a popup! The newest fad is electric vehicles, why anyone who does OLing and goes far from towns would even suggest these is beyond me. Maybe Elon is planning charge stations on mountain peaks and in the middle of the deserts or attached to the side of a pine tree 40 miles from paved roads or will be beaming electricity down from Starlink. I could go on and on but everyone see's it everyday. And god forbid you don't have all the "top of the line" gear or you will be treated like a slow witted stepchild by the community.

OK, I'm not bitching per se and some of this is a little satire (maybe) but we all see it daily. As an example,Tent camping isn't for me so I have looked at a few of the overland campers, my god you would think God came down and made these with his hands at the prices. I ran the numbers and found I can do pretty much as many trips a year as I want on any trail I want to go on. At the end of the day return to a hotel, have a shower and good meal and a good night sleep, gas up and repeat for the rest of my life for less than the camper prices to start with. Or I could just buy a "VERY" nice fully optioned class C RV and a car carrier trailer to haul my OL rig to the trailhead and still be way ahead on cost. I talk to a folks every year who say they have no interest in OLing due to the perceived cost to do it, that's a real shame. I took 2 friends to the Rky Mt OL Expo last August, after seeing the gear and the prices. they said not intereted in going again, couldnt afford it. Hell, t-shirts sold there were $35-45 each...

You see it on pretty much every OL vlogger channel now. Even Micheal , (who I think is GREAT) along with OB does it. His latest vid is for a water catchment box ( with a very small surface area in my opinion) with a few accessories for $319. I could do the same thing and get way more water with a $17 7gal Aqua-tainer from walmart and a plastic tarp rigged with para cord connected to it. I saw recently on a few other OL You Tubers,The lateset and greatest aluminum off road recovery shovels are $130 for 1 piece or $200 for a 2 piece version. I have a short Ace spade for 30 years works good still, it cost $25. The newest European name of course axe was $145, I have another Ace one for 25 years cost was $30, still going strong, god knows how many cords of wood I have cut with it. The point is if you call it a Overlanding tool it now costs 5 times more than any regular tool or item. When you add all this up, it turns regular folks off. If you are independently weathly then good for you, have fun. But for the normal working folks who want fun and relaxation on their off time, they cant afford this hobby at this rate.

The point is we need to keep the mall crawling gear queen requirements to a realistic level or this pursuit will die out. I believe we need to push very hard on more ways to enjoy the outdoors at a realistic cost for folks and find more ways to do things and have gear that's cheaper to entice more folks to join and to support/protect the community long term. Gear should be dual purpose not just for OLing like my spade and axe. I believe the gear makers need to stop trying to bleed us dry just because they can,because when we are dry, they go away also.

So is it me or not? Opinions? Be nice

 

[zgfiredude]

In general what you are saying is correct...............there are a lot of folks out there with a lot of disposable income...any hobby will cater to those funds. Hell, I have been an avid golfer since I was 6 years old.......but I don't spent $3k plus on new clubs all the time, this year it will be $200 for new grips that will likely last me another 10 years! It's America and a capitalistic society, and the internet.....all designed to cater to the 5% or less, and to pry you away from your money.

However, if you look at stuff from the perspective of "what's possible" it all becomes interesting again! Figure a different way to accomplish the same task like your tarp and Aqua-tainer...it's all good and to each his/her own. If someone WANTS to buy a $200 Gucci shovel, good for them. You and I and most others will look for the "blue light special" that will also dig a hole, LOL!

 

[Akicita]

Those are interesting points, and I am by no means contradicting them - by this - my opinion:

I am thankful we, the people in the U.S.A., live in a Free Market Capitalism society that allows the constitutional freedom of prosperity through hard work under the law of supply and demand rather than a central government, regulation of the production, labor, and the marketplace. It is everyone's freedom of choice whether they need the products, services, or supplies associated with our interests. Do I have some of these? Yes, I do. Do I need any of these? No, I don't. I procure what I want by free will and critically discern what I don't need based on my life experience. The fact that there are options to the minimalist and extreme are opportunities I am grateful to have now, having grown up with very little in creature comforts and luxuries. I commend those who prosper in this marketplace and thank God I live in this free society to choose what I want or need.

Waóhola,
Akicita

 

[RaD Overlanding]

I completely agree with you. However, all of the Utubers I watch say "if it works for you, then use it". I am by no means wealthy, but I do see the value on some of the "luxury" gear that is out there. In my opinion, a lot of the fun that I have, comes from seeing the high end gear, and telling myself that it is useful and there is value in it, now how can i use a more realistic item for a much cheaper price, but still accomplish the same thing, or possibly better.

I say, use what you have or what you can afford. If you want to go out trail riding and stop to setup camp at 2pm then do that! If that is what YOU want. Sleep in a hammock with a tarp over you, if u enjoy that.

My wife and I bought a truck bed tent last year, and we went on half a dozen trips or so. This year i am building my rig, with an awning and rtt simply because I want to cut time in setting up and tearing down camp. With the truck bed tent it would take me about 45 mins to get camp setup. I want to do more vehicle exploration this year and that is just too long to setup and tear down (for me). I am building my rack, and several other components so as to try not to break my bank.

I will continue to add and modify my setup in the future, but travelling is stressful enough, for me anyway. So the more I can be prepared when I am out there and the more convenient my gear can be, means less stress for me, which is worth either the time I put into building it, or the money I spend to purchase it.

The thing I like about Olanding, is that everyone can do it their own way. Looking at other people's setups regardless if they have built it from scrap in the garage or they emptied their retirement account on it, just gives me ideas. I guess it also helps, that I am the type of person that doesnt care at all what others think. If it works for me and i am happy with it, well then take your comments elsewhere. If you like something that i have done, then let's talk about WHY i did it.

Just my 2 cents, (really only worth 1/2 cent nowadays)

Rick

 

[OTH Overland]

I do not think there is anything different with Overlanding than there is with any other sport/hobby/interest. Take pretty much any sport such a golf, highly paid "influencers" will attempt to convince you that if you purchase their selected brands of clothes, clubs, gold plated T's than you will immediately improve your score by 50% before the club even comes out of the bag. Marketing and commercialism dominate our lives, almost impossible to escape it, perhaps if we go out into the woods to relax, no wait forgot that we now have on board Starlink to remain connected..lol I think it really comes down to self control and deciding at what level you are going to buy in at. We spent many many years car camping with wal-mart level gear or even hand me downs and still had fun. It evolved into trips that reached farther away from civilization on more difficult trails, and we have been doing it for years now, travel a lot, and feel we can justify some of the overpriced gear, not because it is cool or trendy as much as for how well it will do its job, and how much easier or comfortable will it make my trip. We only have loyalty to a couple of brands, other wise we pick what will do the best job without regard to brand. That may mean name brand tools, winches, etc because I want reliability (as much as you can get it these days), other items we are happy with generic or off brand as getting home does not depend on them. We often source gear from other industries or fabricate what we need as these can be huge cost savers. Our WJ and JK Jeeps are at opposite ends of the spectrum, Both fully DIY projects, one a very budget build which gets used for day trips and local adventuring and a daily driver the other a far more involved and costly build that we take on long trips where we will most likely be solo in all seasons and its equipped in what I consider a suitable fashion and we use it a lot. That being said I always encourage people just getting into the overlanding lifestyle, to just get out with what you have, take some day trips, go camping find out it this is something you enjoy and how much do you go. Then you will have an idea of what gear and modification you need, which ones you would like, and what you can do without, not what a salesman at the local overland shop or someone on the internet thinks you should have. We have friends with custom built rigs and some with completely stock vehicles with a tent tossed in the back, when we all get in the woods and have an adventure we are all smiling and sharing in a good time. The it does not matter what you drive founding principle of this group was the main reason I joined and the number on reason why I plan on staying, I have belonged to elitist groups where the brand, age and look of your vehicle determined whether you were in the click or not. There is enough of that in life, don't need it in the woods.

 

[Kajun Sparkle]

I do not think there is anything different with Overlanding than there is with any other sport/hobby/interest. Take pretty much any sport such a golf, highly paid "influencers" will attempt to convince you that if you purchase their selected brands of clothes, clubs, gold plated T's than you will immediately improve your score by 50% before the club even comes out of the bag. Marketing and commercialism dominate our lives, almost impossible to escape it, perhaps if we go out into the woods to relax, no wait forgot that we now have on board Starlink to remain connected..lol I think it really comes down to self control and deciding at what level you are going to buy in at. We spent many many years car camping with wal-mart level gear or even hand me downs and still had fun. It evolved into trips that reached farther away from civilization on more difficult trails, and we have been doing it for years now, travel a lot, and feel we can justify some of the overpriced gear, not because it is cool or trendy as much as for how well it will do its job, and how much easier or comfortable will it make my trip. We only have loyalty to a couple of brands, other wise we pick what will do the best job without regard to brand. That may mean name brand tools, winches, etc because I want reliability (as much as you can get it these days), other items we are happy with generic or off brand as getting home does not depend on them. We often source gear from other industries or fabricate what we need as these can be huge cost savers. Our WJ and JK Jeeps are at opposite ends of the spectrum, Both fully DIY projects, one a very budget build which gets used for day trips and local adventuring and a daily driver the other a far more involved and costly build that we take on long trips where we will most likely be solo in all seasons and its equipped in what I consider a suitable fashion and we use it a lot. That being said I always encourage people just getting into the overlanding lifestyle, to just get out with what you have, take some day trips, go camping find out it this is something you enjoy and how much do you go. Then you will have an idea of what gear and modification you need, which ones you would like, and what you can do without, not what a salesman at the local overland shop or someone on the internet thinks you should have. We have friends with custom built rigs and some with completely stock vehicles with a tent tossed in the back, when we all get in the woods and have an adventure we are all smiling and sharing in a good time. The it does not matter what you drive founding principle of this group was the main reason I joined and the number on reason why I plan on staying, I have belonged to elitist groups where the brand, age and look of your vehicle determined whether you were in the click or not. There is enough of that in life, don't need it in the woods.

Right on! I am transitioning from full on state park camping to off “primitive” camping with a legit 32x16 Davis canvas tent to scaling way back and getting back to basics with a few exceptions. At some point it was a chore to load up and an even larger chore unloading after the trip. I have been wanting to simplify for some years now. I am finally able to do just that. It’s good to hear others with the same mindset! I am a hear junky myself so I enjoy all that but I also remember the simple hiss of the old Coleman lantern and the chug chug of the Coleman gas stoves while staring at the campfire for hours at camp!

 

[OTH Overland]

Right on! I am transitioning from full on state park camping to off “primitive” camping with a legit 32x16 Davis canvas tent to scaling way back and getting back to basics with a few exceptions. At some point it was a chore to load up and an even larger chore unloading after the trip. I have been wanting to simplify for some years now. I am finally able to do just that. It’s good to hear others with the same mindset! I am a hear junky myself so I enjoy all that but I also remember the simple hiss of the old Coleman lantern and the chug chug of the Coleman gas stoves while staring at the campfire for hours at camp!

Lol, I love my old Coleman lantern, I remember when the fancy one came out that ran on three different fuels. Still have a couple of the old white gas stoves too, they work as good as new, and the folding oven was awesome. I grew up hiking back when if you wanted food you carried with the water still in it, not that some of the new tech isn't cool too, I think my new pack with all the lightweight gear in it weighs less than just the old army pack frame from my younger years did, which my back and knees appreciate.

 

[Kajun Sparkle]

Right on! I am transitioning from full on state park camping to off “primitive” camping with a legit 32x16 Davis canvas tent to scaling way back and getting back to basics with a few exceptions. At some point it was a chore to load up and an even larger chore unloading after the trip. I have been wanting to simplify for some years now. I am finally able to do just that. It’s good to hear others with the same mindset! I am a hear junky myself so I enjoy all that but I also remember the simple hiss of the old Coleman lantern and the chug chug of the Coleman gas stoves while staring at the campfire for hours at camp!

Lol, I love my old Coleman lantern, I remember when the fancy one came out that ran on three different fuels. Still have a couple of the old white gas stoves too, they work as good as new, and the folding oven was awesome. I grew up hiking back when if you wanted food you carried with the water still in it, not that some of the new tech isn't cool too, I think my new pack with all the lightweight gear in it weighs less than just the old army pack frame from my younger years did, which my back and knees appreciate.

I just refinished an old stove and plan to convert it to propane. I plan on refinishing my steel Coleman oven next!

 

[Sparksalot]

I do not think there is anything different with Overlanding than there is with any other sport/hobby/interest. Take pretty much any sport such a golf, highly paid "influencers" will attempt to convince you that if you purchase their selected brands of clothes, clubs, gold plated T's than you will immediately improve your score by 50% before the club even comes out of the bag. Marketing and commercialism dominate our lives, almost impossible to escape it, perhaps if we go out into the woods to relax, no wait forgot that we now have on board Starlink to remain connected..lol I think it really comes down to self control and deciding at what level you are going to buy in at. We spent many many years car camping with wal-mart level gear or even hand me downs and still had fun. It evolved into trips that reached farther away from civilization on more difficult trails, and we have been doing it for years now, travel a lot, and feel we can justify some of the overpriced gear, not because it is cool or trendy as much as for how well it will do its job, and how much easier or comfortable will it make my trip. We only have loyalty to a couple of brands, other wise we pick what will do the best job without regard to brand. That may mean name brand tools, winches, etc because I want reliability (as much as you can get it these days), other items we are happy with generic or off brand as getting home does not depend on them. We often source gear from other industries or fabricate what we need as these can be huge cost savers. Our WJ and JK Jeeps are at opposite ends of the spectrum, Both fully DIY projects, one a very budget build which gets used for day trips and local adventuring and a daily driver the other a far more involved and costly build that we take on long trips where we will most likely be solo in all seasons and its equipped in what I consider a suitable fashion and we use it a lot. That being said I always encourage people just getting into the overlanding lifestyle, to just get out with what you have, take some day trips, go camping find out it this is something you enjoy and how much do you go. Then you will have an idea of what gear and modification you need, which ones you would like, and what you can do without, not what a salesman at the local overland shop or someone on the internet thinks you should have. We have friends with custom built rigs and some with completely stock vehicles with a tent tossed in the back, when we all get in the woods and have an adventure we are all smiling and sharing in a good time. The it does not matter what you drive founding principle of this group was the main reason I joined and the number on reason why I plan on staying, I have belonged to elitist groups where the brand, age and look of your vehicle determined whether you were in the click or not. There is enough of that in life, don't need it in the woods.

I watched a lot of this with new backpackers in the late nineties. Fortunately I had started in the seventies and knew better. I apply that mindset here. I also had the benefit of growing up in the woods, driving forest roads that were actively used for logging, so have a much better appreciation of what a basic low slung 2wd vehicle can realistically do to get you out there camping and exploring.

 

[grubworm]

It seems everyone is told you have to have a tricked out vehicle with another $50k of "upgrades" to get it out of the driveway. First you must spend $50k for a off road capable vehicle then you are expected to immediately tear off the suspension, tires ( to get larger tires that are so big no normal people can lift or change them when you get a flat) and driveline to "upgrade them" for all the weight you will add with bumpers, winches , tire carriers and mandatory gear made for M1 tanks for another $50K. Then you need a $1k tent to sit on top with $100 each gas cans or bags and water cans. Then its $300+ refrigerators and grills. and don't forget all the lights, batteries and electrical upgrades so the ISS astronauts can see you from space.
Or if you want a little space to stretch out and get a trailer, its $30k for one the size of a fridge box or $50-80K plus for ones with some room that's not much more than a popup!

sounds a bit dramatic to me.
i dont know who is imposing such things on you, but you do have the free will to resist...or watch a different youtube channel

 

[Red_Leaf_Overland]

It's all marketing. It has it's up sides and down sides.

I agree that basically anything to do with "overlanding" is priced out the roof and that's only because people are willing tonpay for it because it's popular. Like most hobbies these days it's less about actually doing it and more about telling people you don't and posting pictures on Facebook and Instagram about it ( I'll admit from time to time I am victim of this myself).
The up side to the hobby having more attention placed on it is that there are more companies making more products available for the hobby. Some good, some bad, some cheaper, some outrageously priced. Some of these products leave me scratching my head asking "who buys this crap?" Other products make setting up camp easier, faster, and more comfortable which is nice when you like out of your vehicle for any longer than a week.
The down side to all the attention on the hobby is that it can draw the wrong crowd. The kind of people that dive in head first, buy a bunch of gear they don't need and tear up public land and post pictures showing how "cool" they are. The kind of people that get trails closed and then just move on to the next popular thing.
I've seen a ton of this over my years in the offroad community and some people just don't learn.
Also there is a bit of elitism in the Overland community (as well as any offroad community) and most that have a heavily built vehicle look down on a nearly stock vehicle assuming that they are new into the hobby and that they must not know what they are doing, however there are some that have been doing it for longer than the term "overland" has been thrown around that look at the heavily built vehicles and see them as mall crawlers even though they may have been building the vehicle to suit their needs for years.
So basically.... I'm not really sure if the trend is dying, or if maybe it's "resetting" because like everything it has its ups and downs and the Overland thing has been "up" for quite a while now.

 

[Dave K]

I for one LOVE the trend. Trendiness attracts people that are into a new thing today and on to a new one tomorrow. A good number of those people sell off their lightly used gear to fund their newest pursuit. Between that and a bit wonky economy, I have come up on a good piece of gear or two. Cash is king and I will on occasion do the king's bidding!

 

[FishinCrzy]

Technology and all the new fabrics, composites, lighter, smaller, more powerful batteries, gear, etc., has made things exponentially more comfortable, safe, efficient, allowing more time to explore, relax, FISH!

The good old days as a kid when a heavy, smelly army surplus tent and sleeping on the ground with no padding in a $15 Kmart bag was great! Because we didn't know any better because there wasn't much better. If it wasn't in Sears & Roebuck who knew? Since Al Gore invented the interwebs ideas have assploded on how things are marketed worldwide and what is possible now wasn't even thought of a couple of decades ago. I have noticed that many of the stoves, heaters, plumbing, solar, navigation used in overlanding has evolved from the sailing/boating community because they demanded more compact, reliable equipment.

Yes, things could get expensive but it doesn't have to be prohibitively so. Strat small and simple. Figure it out as you go. I promise, the more you do it the easiest way will prevail. I can look in my storage and see my evolution in equipment from the old gas stoves and lanterns, cheap aluminum mess kits, up through backpacking gear, water filters, headlights, etc. Now it's RTT, lithium battery, 4WD truck to get me far into the places I always dreamed of for extended trips. I worked long and hard to acquire what I have and by gawd I'm going to enjoy it if it kills me!

 

[Moment4Life]

Estate sales I find all sorts of good ol’ Coleman and the like at a fair price, my Ikamper 2.0 Craigslist , found some great sleeping bags older at thrift stores, camp kitchen made out of plywood found in a construction site dumpster, found an ammo can at a surplus store made a fire box with propane. For me personally half the fun is making and sourcing what I can on the cheap and then test it sometimes to its limits. Now some things yup gonna pay up like my uptop rack over a thousand and worth every penny in my opinion as I don’t like the thought of roof tent sailing down the road less traveled, midland radio I didn’t need 50 watts so I have a mxt 275 it works just fine. I’m glad there are people out there making a living with products they have to offer , less people going hungry. This overlanding is only limited by what one cannot imagine.

 

[Murphy Slaw]

The guy living in his van down by the river doesn't have a phone.

Whoops, he's gone.

 

[AggieOE]

I like all the hoopla. Do I buy it all? no. Does it all have a place and a market? Yes.
The excitement drives innovation and technology development which, as in most markets, drives a higher bang for your lower buck (relatively speaking of course). I don't hate on companies charging a premium for their R&D (i.e. MaxTrax, AEV, ARB & OME, Warn, Toyota, Jeep, CVT Tents, GooseGear, etc.). As an R&D Engineer, creativity, design, analyses, and testing cost a lot of money!

 

[AggieOE]

What? You do to want to spend a couple thousand dollars on China paper thing tent, back pack and carbon fiber / titanium gear that requires you bring duct tape to patch the holes and leaks and cracks during every outing? Just to repurchase it after a few seasons because well it‘s covered in duct tape so now weighs more the the Colman gear it replaced.

This sounds like someone is using something outside its design parameters. Most runners I know spend $150+ on long-distance running shoes that they'll wear out in 6-mos. I don't run so I don't spend that much on shoes. I would be using those kind of shoes outside their design focus as a walker.

What you see on YouTube can be 100% capitalism and there isn't anything wrong with someone talking highly about a product that someone pays them to talk about. Its advertisement. Unless you come from money, I don't know how someone can spend the time and effort it takes to film, edit, and produce a YouTube channel without being sponsored.

Although a Kia could get me a lot of the places I go, I enjoy my SUVs for their purpose-built exploration function.

 

[Sparksalot]

What? You do to want to spend a couple thousand dollars on China paper thing tent, back pack and carbon fiber / titanium gear that requires you bring duct tape to patch the holes and leaks and cracks during every outing? Just to repurchase it after a few seasons because well it‘s covered in duct tape so now weighs more the the Colman gear it replaced.

YUp.

I'm still using the gear I purchased for backpacking many moons ago. The newest piece is a Sierra Designs tent I bought in 1997.

 

[Kent R]

Is it me or is the overlanding community slowly killing itself with all the very overpriced gear being pushed as must? It seems everyone is told you have to have a tricked out vehicle with another $50k of "upgrades" to get it out of the driveway. First you must spend $50k for a off road capable vehicle then you are expected to immediately tear off the suspension, tires ( to get larger tires that are so big no normal people can lift or change them when you get a flat) and driveline to "upgrade them" for all the weight you will add with bumpers, winches , tire carriers and mandatory gear made for M1 tanks for another $50K. Then you need a $1k tent to sit on top with $100 each gas cans or bags and water cans. Then its $300+ refrigerators and grills. and don't forget all the lights, batteries and electrical upgrades so the ISS astronauts can see you from space.
Or if you want a little space to stretch out and get a trailer, its $30k for one the size of a fridge box or $50-80K plus for ones with some room that's not much more than a popup! The newest fad is electric vehicles, why anyone who does OLing and goes far from towns would even suggest these is beyond me. Maybe Elon is planning charge stations on mountain peaks and in the middle of the deserts or attached to the side of a pine tree 40 miles from paved roads or will be beaming electricity down from Starlink. I could go on and on but everyone see's it everyday. And god forbid you don't have all the "top of the line" gear or you will be treated like a slow witted stepchild by the community.

OK, I'm not bitching per se and some of this is a little satire (maybe) but we all see it daily. As an example,Tent camping isn't for me so I have looked at a few of the overland campers, my god you would think God came down and made these with his hands at the prices. I ran the numbers and found I can do pretty much as many trips a year as I want on any trail I want to go on. At the end of the day return to a hotel, have a shower and good meal and a good night sleep, gas up and repeat for the rest of my life for less than the camper prices to start with. Or I could just buy a "VERY" nice fully optioned class C RV and a car carrier trailer to haul my OL rig to the trailhead and still be way ahead on cost. I talk to a folks every year who say they have no interest in OLing due to the perceived cost to do it, that's a real shame. I took 2 friends to the Rky Mt OL Expo last August, after seeing the gear and the prices. they said not intereted in going again, couldnt afford it. Hell, t-shirts sold there were $35-45 each...

You see it on pretty much every OL vlogger channel now. Even Micheal , (who I think is GREAT) along with OB does it. His latest vid is for a water catchment box ( with a very small surface area in my opinion) with a few accessories for $319. I could do the same thing and get way more water with a $17 7gal Aqua-tainer from walmart and a plastic tarp rigged with para cord connected to it. I saw recently on a few other OL You Tubers,The lateset and greatest aluminum off road recovery shovels are $130 for 1 piece or $200 for a 2 piece version. I have a short Ace spade for 30 years works good still, it cost $25. The newest European name of course axe was $145, I have another Ace one for 25 years cost was $30, still going strong, god knows how many cords of wood I have cut with it. The point is if you call it a Overlanding tool it now costs 5 times more than any regular tool or item. When you add all this up, it turns regular folks off. If you are independently weathly then good for you, have fun. But for the normal working folks who want fun and relaxation on their off time, they cant afford this hobby at this rate.

The point is we need to keep the mall crawling gear queen requirements to a realistic level or this pursuit will die out. I believe we need to push very hard on more ways to enjoy the outdoors at a realistic cost for folks and find more ways to do things and have gear that's cheaper to entice more folks to join and to support/protect the community long term. Gear should be dual purpose not just for OLing like my spade and axe. I believe the gear makers need to stop trying to bleed us dry just because they can,because when we are dry, they go away also.

So is it me or not? Opinions? Be nice

Thank you for the post. I agree with most of this so ill keep my reply short, other members have done a great job replying.

The most important thing about all of this, is to "do your own thing". Use the info received from all the so called influencer experts on YouTube and digest it so it works for your decision, by no means is this sport the worst when it comes to excessive marketing. Just use the info to your advantage and if you see the cool shovel with forks on the front, just know that product started with shovel at Home Depot and it was marketed as the best thing ever with a cool name.
One last thing, I love the remark about the $145 axe, they are really cool looking with a beautiful wood handle and very good steal, but what you really need to think about is "does all that make it that much better or must have". I would say no, on our rig we cary a standard 6lb fiberglass handle axe that wont break when used for more than chopping. The flip to that is sometimes you need to pay more for quality that will last a long time. We tend to be a throw away society and just get rid of the old and get what we are told is the best.

Good luck with all your gear, rig and trip decisions, the best thing to do is your homework and get out and explore let the trail will tell you what you need.

Back in the seventies we opted for the used aluminum topper rather than spending huge money on an Alaskan Camper, it worked for us at the time not sure thats the case now, we are more into affordable comfort ;-)

Just my 10 cents (and that doesn't go very far anymore)

 

[Ragman]

So many valid points here that I am not sure there is much more to be said but that sure won't stop me!

I think, overall, the trend is good as there are a lot of very creative minds working on products that fill a gap or attempt to improve on existing options and that is a good thing. Having said that not all of the new products hit the mark and nothing fits everyone in the market. There are some things I spend $$ on and some that I spend $ on depending on the value I attach to each but I normally base my decisions on durability, utility, trusted reviews and my needs. Others want to have the latest and greatest, hang it all on the truck so people can see and admire (or at least that is the hope) their street cred while others take great pride in hanging in there using gear that they have used for years (I still have my boy scout hatchet and Coleman white gas).

To each their own, buy it if you want but don't if not. I will caveat though and say don't buy cheap crap that will leave you in a lurch when it inevitably fails. I am a true believer that there is a minimum level of quality that you need if you are out and away from help, this doesn't mean it has to be the most expensive by any means, but some things are just too damn cheap to even consider.

The real danger of the trend and all the social media is that it has the potential of creating the image in the minds of folks wanting to start out that it is all necessary in order to get off the couch and out in the woods. Sadly there are very few high sub count minimalist overland YouTube channels that offer an alternative view, especially if you want to trek beyond State Parks and there are a lot of folks who are happy living vicariously through some of the channels who have no intent on learning how to set of a rig since it is just entertainment to them. We try to bring that to our channel and seek out more budget friendly gear when we can (two recent Firebox product reviews) but also carry alu-boxes/Zarges.