I'm glad this thread exists. When I got married, I inherited 3 stepchildren to add to my own 2. If we were going to hit a trail, there was simply no way we could afford the high-end gear for all those kids. Especially knowing they'd soon outgrow any interest in things to do with parents...
So off to Wal-Mart we went. All the gear we bought stood up to the abuse teenagers can throw at it, at a price point that I could live with.
As I've mentioned before, in my second 'career', I trade in (mostly) military surplus outdoor gear. I've had a lot of kit pass through the shop in the past 8 years. Most of it is really high-end stuff designed for severe abuse. Much of it with totally insane price tags (I'm talking to YOU, Snugpak).
Since I backpacked exclusively until recently, I've had some ultralight gear pass through. Had friends with sil-nylon and cuben fiber rucks. Crazy expensive and usually good for about one season of hard use. For the kind of money some of this gear costs, I expect it to be bulletproof.
On this site and others, I've seen gear junkies exclaim that you simply CANNOT leave the pavement/hit the trail without [insert favorite gear set here]! You'll never survive!
When I announced my thru-hike of the AT for the 2015 season there were many who chuffed and beat their chests and swore I'd never make it out of Georgia if there was even a single military surplus item in my packing list. "Those Bates boots you've got won't make it to Fontana Dam!" Why not? They carried me through Kunar Province without a hitch. "That ILBE is just too damn heavy for serious trail work!" I know, but it's a damn sight lighter than the one I've been humping till now.
The further north I got, the more naysayers fell by the wayside. Now, I'm not gonna lie, once I'd summited Katahdin, I was ready to go home and STAY there. But I know there were a good many people much younger, with much better gear, who were in the same boat.
Point is, buy the best gear you can afford and enjoy the hell out of it. If you can afford a $2000 rooftop tent, buy it. If you're on a strict budget, buy an OT ground tent. They both keep the rain off your head. I'd rather be in the great outdoors enjoying whatever time the Almighty sees fit to give me than sitting at home trying to figure out how to afford the next end-all be-all piece of gear before venturing out of the neighborhood.
#Endofrant
So off to Wal-Mart we went. All the gear we bought stood up to the abuse teenagers can throw at it, at a price point that I could live with.
As I've mentioned before, in my second 'career', I trade in (mostly) military surplus outdoor gear. I've had a lot of kit pass through the shop in the past 8 years. Most of it is really high-end stuff designed for severe abuse. Much of it with totally insane price tags (I'm talking to YOU, Snugpak).
Since I backpacked exclusively until recently, I've had some ultralight gear pass through. Had friends with sil-nylon and cuben fiber rucks. Crazy expensive and usually good for about one season of hard use. For the kind of money some of this gear costs, I expect it to be bulletproof.
On this site and others, I've seen gear junkies exclaim that you simply CANNOT leave the pavement/hit the trail without [insert favorite gear set here]! You'll never survive!
When I announced my thru-hike of the AT for the 2015 season there were many who chuffed and beat their chests and swore I'd never make it out of Georgia if there was even a single military surplus item in my packing list. "Those Bates boots you've got won't make it to Fontana Dam!" Why not? They carried me through Kunar Province without a hitch. "That ILBE is just too damn heavy for serious trail work!" I know, but it's a damn sight lighter than the one I've been humping till now.
The further north I got, the more naysayers fell by the wayside. Now, I'm not gonna lie, once I'd summited Katahdin, I was ready to go home and STAY there. But I know there were a good many people much younger, with much better gear, who were in the same boat.
Point is, buy the best gear you can afford and enjoy the hell out of it. If you can afford a $2000 rooftop tent, buy it. If you're on a strict budget, buy an OT ground tent. They both keep the rain off your head. I'd rather be in the great outdoors enjoying whatever time the Almighty sees fit to give me than sitting at home trying to figure out how to afford the next end-all be-all piece of gear before venturing out of the neighborhood.
#Endofrant
