I've got G.A.S.

[fear_and_greed]

Gear Aquisition Syndrome that is.

My gear closet is a virtual time capsule of materials and specializtion.

Goretex gave way to soft shell which gave way to e-event. Enough jackets, pants, mitts to outfit a small army. They all worked well enough in their time, except for GoreTex which contrary to marketing hype does not breathe.

Synthetic parks, down parkas. Synthetic sleeping bags, down sleeping bags. Bivy sacs and tents, different materials and sizes.Sleeping pads of all description.

And how many frikking ice axes does one need? Long, short , straight, curved, leash less or not.

I found that I still had my original 3 piece steel fork, knife,spoon camper utensil set. Of course I also have a lexan and Titanium set.

Trail runners, light hikers, plastics, high altitude boots would have one believe that I run a second hand boot shop as a sideline.

I won't even touch on my quiver of skis...

It may be hard to believe but I am actually quite anti- consumerism and only upgrade stuff if it does a better job or is lighter.

Is there a cure for G.A.S.?

Edited April 7, 2008 by fear_and_greed

[KaskadskyjKozak]

Gear Aquisition Syndrome that is.

My gear closet is a virtual time capsule of materials and specializtion.

Goretex gave way to soft shell which gave way to e-event. Enough jackets, pants, mitts to outfit a small army. They all worked well enough in their time, except for GoreTex which contary to marketing hype does not breathe.

Synthetic parks, down parkas. Synthetic sleeeping bags, down sleeping bags. Bivy sacs and tents, different materials and sizes.Sleeping pads of all description.

And how many frikking ice axes does one need? Long, short , straight, curved, leash less or not.

I found that I still had my original 3 piece steel fork, knife,spoon camper utensil set. Of course I also have a lexan and Titanium set.

Trail runners, light hikers, plastics, high altitude boots would have one believe that I run a second hand boot shop as a sideline.

I won't even touch on my quiver of skis...

It may be hard to believe but I am actually quite anti- consumerism and only upgrade stuff if it does a better job or is lighter.

Is there a cure for G.A.S.?

 

You are a true American.

[pink]

chew your food up, and stay away from spicy foods

[underworld]

"only upgrade stuff if it does a better job or is lighter"

 

how is that anticonsumerism?

[ivan]

Is there a cure for G.A.S.?

yes

 

abject poverty

[JayB]

I suppose I'm having the opposite problem. Some of the stuff that I bought ten years ago still works so well that I just can't justify replacing it. Then there's the stuff that will never wear out, like ice tools, but I just don't see myself reaching a point where the tools are the limiting factor for me, so buying a new pair just doesn't make sense unless the ones I have break, or they stop making picks that fit them. My wife even started *prompting* me to consider replacing a couple of pieces of gear this year...

 

In my case, gearing up for another major hobby has been the key motivator for making do with the stuff that I have, so that I can spend the money on new gear that's not yet in the inventory.

 

When it comes to big ticket items, I generally try to buy the best stuff that I can afford, and use them 10 years or until they break. Seems to work out pretty well most of the time - even better when I sail past the 10 year boundary and the stuff still does the job.

[Hugh Conway]

"only upgrade stuff if it does a better job or is lighter"

 

how is that anticonsumerism?

 

Indeed, it's the core of consumerism.

[rbw1966]

Patriotism at its finest

[G-spotter]

Prove how anti-consumerist you are. Give away your old stuff when you get new stuff.