Bill, certainly not my intent to make anyone look stupid. That's too much like work.

However, I can tell you that getting deals takes a lot of time looking and not everyone wants to make that tradeoff. I only mention my deals because often money is the barrier to someone getting better gear or any gear at all and I want them to know that this is not necessarily an expensive sport/hobby/activity. I've been out with people using gear that costs far less than what I have and they have had just as good a time as I did. I've got a stove that retails for around $150 and one that cost me about a buck to make (a soda can alcohol stove). Both will heat water and cook a meal.

Another thing you will notice about my posts is that I mention the same stuff over and over. That's because I don't own a lot of stuff and some of it I have owned for a long time. I have 3 sleeping bags, but two are more than 20 years old and I bought both of them new. Two of my stoves, I got more than 20 years ago. I don't get out all that much, so I don't wear stuff out as quickly as others do, so that helps.

Back in the day, long before the Internet, eBay and Craigslist, used gear wasn't all that easy to find and stores like STP didn't exist or if they did, they were brick and mortar and you had to know how to find them. Now, a click of a mouse and you're looking at dozens, if not hundreds of places to buy. I spend a lot of time online for work; I know how to use search engines really effectively and that translates into finding bargains, but it's a skill anyone can learn. Is it worth it for small items? Not really, I'd rather just walk into REI. But for big ticket items that I otherwise couldn't justify buying, for me it is.

Some things are just luck. I remember when I bought my parka (the one in my avatar). I was at a Christmas party the night the bidding closed on eBay and I kept checking on it on my friend's computer. The auction closed around 11 or so and I was the only bidder.