I think Tarbubble and PIka have said what it is I am feeling the best. Though perhaps Trabubble's post was ment more as a pun/funny than anything else. I had to laugh at some of these posts. And as far as the number of post creating a "I know better than you account" is not what was intended. I was throwing back into the person a retort for con-screwing my thoughts and calling me an elitist jerk. Now then, onwards. It is not that I fear change, or that I think we are a special breed (ok maybe a little) and yes I have tons of pics, and have seen tons of old school packers, (which gives me a smug smile every time) but I am just as quick to talk with them and try and convert them, or offer some simple advise, hell I have even stopped people on the trail and re-adjusted their packs for them because it was completly off balance and sideways and you could see the discomfort in their faces.
And for those that have decrease their pack weight via the knowledged gained through a book which resulted in purchasing and supporting a cottage industry, great. I more or less did the same thing just via internet forums. I used Ryans book to go form UL to SUL. But my fear is this increasing mass market UL gear will create a flux of people out in the back country that will not be healthy. I know finding a remotes pot is my resposibility, and alot of my ghiking is off-trail, but that is just it, I want the assuridness that it will be remote when I get there. I will agree that those that want to go light or even out into the back country will, and those that don't won't. But I prefer to keep it a lwo ratio and not try and give the mass population an angle to entertain the thought.
The reson I get so pissed when I see a gazillion NF jackets oroud town and on campus is becuase now it is every body and their mother is weraing them and by weraing them they seem to feel that they are a part of the outdoors and that they bought it just because it is a NF, whne in reality they are YUPPY *&%$$# who don't have a clue. (I am sure I just started another fight with that one)
Now then, I am a bike commuter, and when I can't ride my bike I ride the bus, my car is only used for when we as a family have to get some where ,or we are going on a trip, so I don't feel that I am a large partaker of the mass metals used or what ever it was that the person said. I buy my groceries froma loca store, I buy my coffe from local roaster, I buy my car parts froma local parts store, I keep everything as local as I can.
So then to those that took offense to my "putting' you down because of your post count that was not the intent (save for one, and you know who you are) To the rest thank you for the posts, and letting me vent, this is something I just had to get out into the open. My thoughts and opions have not changed much, but I am glad you guys (that is an all inclusive term) have showed me some different points of view on the subject which makes for a more well rounded concept and one can better formulate and idea from. I apreciate all you posts, even the not so "nice" ones then again mine was not that nice to begin with was it. But it is the way I feel/felt maybe I am being a little fanitical here, but it is a thin line between wanting to share it with the world and yet a part of me wants it to be small and clandetine. Who knows. Hey at least the forum saw some action for a while.