Originally Posted By Glenn
Can good equipment replace skill? No. .....But let the weather turn, and I start seeing the low-end stuff abandoned in campsites or beside the trail, thoroughly trashed.


These statements seem to be at odds. If it was only a matter of skill, then the high end stuff would be along the trail with the low end stuff.

The reality is, is it takes more skill to make poor equipment work. Skill can make up for poor equipment... that necessitates that equipment can make up for a lack of skill.