Curious, when do you update?

In the never ending efforts of Gear mfg's making items lighter and lighter with each years new models how many of you replace a great piece of gear in good condition for no other reason than saving weight on the new model.

For example I have an older EMS 800 fill down sweater at 12oz that has been well cared for and looks and performs like new. It was actually a "super lightweight" in its day but @ 12 oz seems like a boat anchor in comparison to some super light weight down pieces.

Although I don't want the discussion to be all about money, personally without having unlimited funds I am reserved to accept that my piece of gear may be a bit antiquated but I can live with it. On the other hand, in an effort to go lite I recently replaced our tent, sleep pads and bags because they were grossly outdated by their weight alone. These were all considerable weight savings and almost necessary to the enjoyment of BPing for us.

Wondering where you all draw the line?

jimmyb

To probably oversimplify, one of these scenarios:

• Failure/wears out/lost--the most obvious category and doesn't actually happen that often, except for clothing, especially trail sneakers. Failure can also mean a piece of gear runs up against a scenario it can't handle, most commonly a shelter that gets me wet or collapses in the wind.
  
• Opportunism--Running into a deal I simply CAN'T say no to. This is how I came to own my WM bags. Helps to always have an aspirational gear list in your head. Keep up on innovation.
• The Paradigm Shift--Can you ever be too comfortable at night, can a pack ever handle a load too well, or can a filter be too easy to use? When a NeoAir comes along and is better than virtually everything that preceded it, I get a NeoAir. Who carries an incandescent flashlight? And, because every backpack eventually becomes uncomfortable when the load is sufficiently heavy or the day cruelly long, I can't not wonder when a better, lighter one is coming along.

Honestly, I need nothing and have certainly slowed down my acquisitions, but there will always be another NeoAir.

Cheers,

Very well said, I too am an opportunist.

Let's see, what is today?...Hi, I'm Glenn and I'm a gearaholic. It's been two weeks since my last purchase...

I've upgraded a lot more than necessary, but it's because I've enjoyed trying out new gear as kind of a small "sub-hobby." I'm not sure those really count as upgrades, since they were driven by something other than need.

Over the years, as I think about it, I tended to replace gear when it's needed - that is, when the thing it replaces has worn out, broken, or stopped working the way it should.

I've also replaced gear as my techniques changed: For example, when I discovered that I could cook in the bag the freeze-dried, I replaced the two-pot cookset, bowl, mug, and spoon I had been using with a single, mug-shaped pot; I also replaced the great-simmering white gas stove with an blowtorch-or-off canister stove. (In both cases, the final replacement was a Jetboil Sol system.)

I've also replaced gear to achieve a better balance of weight, comfort, and convenience. Another example: I once carried an 8-pound two-person tent, because it was absolutely bombproof. Then I switched to a 3-pound tarp and bivy combination that provided the same comfort and convenience at substantially less weight. When two-pound solo tents came along, I switched again. (Trying 3 such tents before settling on the one I have now falls into the sub-hobby part.)

I've replaced gear as budgets allowed, too - the entire shift to Western Mountaineering sleeping bags and clothing was driven by no more tuition or mortgage payments.

Finally, I've replaced gear when something better came along: My first Thermarest was a no-brainer replacement for closed-cell foam. The NeoAir (and subsequent other insulated air mattresses) was a quantum improvement over the Thermarest.

So, there are lots of things that determine when gear gets replaced. And, frequently, "replacement" has been a multi-step process: I bought model X, thinking it would work; it didn't, so I tried Product Y, and so on until I found the one that really worked well for me.

Of course, I probably screwed up when I chose the local gear shop owner as my twelve-step sponsor...

If you are bored at work or upset with someone and need a quick fix, then that is a good time to upgrade.
Sooner or later you will come up with a rational explanation for having spent $200 to save 3 oz.
By you I mean "one"....

The dollars per ounces of weight saved is a calculation that may curb some impulse purchases. Not all of them! I excitedly bought a NeoAir when it first came out and returned it to REI (couldn't get comfortable on it--every time I turned over it "bucked me off") 5 months later. Lately I've been avoiding gear purchases. If, as I plan, I continue with Civil War reenacting, I may need to get a replica of an 1860's canvas tent (definitely not lightweight!).

I still haven't decided if I want to keep my latest expen$$ive purchase, a ZPacks Hexamid Twin cuben fiber tent. It is almost a pound lighter than my Gossamer Gear/Tarptent Squall Classic, but its main problem is that it's rather transparent so I have no privacy inside if someone else is camped close by! When I calculated the price per ounce saved, I was assuming that I'd sell the Squall Classic, but I still haven't decided if I want to do that. I really need to sell one of them--hopefully I'll have made up my mind by next fall!

OM, as re-enactment troops strive for authenticity here is a DIY for you. Interesting explanation of some variations in tent progression.

http://lazyjackmess.com/shelter.htm
http://lazyjackmess.com/dogtent.htm

jimmyb

Thanks, jimmyb, those articles are interesting! I don't think I'm going to sew my own, though. My machine isn't stout enough to handle the heavy canvas (yes, they used machine sewing back then, just no fancy stitches--they had only the straight stitch).

Since I'm a civilian re-enactor, and our group has a separate civilian camp that is more like a town but under canvas, I have more latitude in what type of tent I get--I don't have to stick to the "dog tent" that the enlisted soldiers used, or to the officers' wall tent which is too heavy for me even to drag.

Our events include a modern camp (mostly for the RV crowd, but with space for modern tents) hidden away from the military action, so I may just camp there with my 21st century gear (as I did this past summer). I do need to get a candle lantern for going back and forth from the "period" camp to the modern camp, though; a 21st century headlamp is just too "farby." (Re-enactor slang for anachronistic.) It's kind of a shame to have to leave the group, though, just when the evening fun is in full swing! And if I develop a "persona" I'll need space for exhibits.

If I get a new 1860's repro tent, it would be about $200 for a 6' x 6' x 6' A tent with treated canvas. Since I can always stick with modern gear, I'm hoping to find a used tent!

Back to the original topic--it's really hard to resist the new stuff that comes out (Z Packs has just in the last week added a new cuben fiber tent, the Duplex, a true 2-person tent with a sewn-in floor and double doors, and Tarptent has added several interesting new models in the past few years, most recently the Moment DW and the Cloudburst 3). It isn't just weight savings that are important; weather-resistance, comfort and many other factors are important, too! If all the factors you want are significantly improved, it may be worth investing. It helps if you can (or are willing to) sell the old stuff to help finance the new!

I'm a fairly good example of why you need to factor in other items than weight! Focusing on weight savings alone can be costly (see my previous post here on my "adventure" with the NeoAir).

I'm still relatively new to backpacking. I've only been backpacking for about 3 years so I'm still using all the gears I first acquired. The only upgrade I've done was the water filter. Otherwise my acquisitions aren't upgrades, merely adding new gears to the lineup.

Yes, OM, I heartily agree that the gear must suit our needs and something more practical may weigh a few more ounces. When deciding to get back into the sport this fall we needed a tent upgrade so we went with a Kelty Salida 2 for $122. A four pounder split 2 ways at that price was practical in that if for what ever reason we did not like BPacking as we once did it would not be such a hit in the wallet. Turns out we are having MORE fun than before and continued to invest in lighter gear after the tent purchase. NEO air xlight, sawyer filter, ect. So far we have been lucky in that all the gear has suited our purposes and fits us well weight and comfort wise.

Our clothing has always been fairly in line with lightweight practices but again we updated our antiquated footwear with much lighter. Clothing is very multipurpose and the old footwear was in need of replacement so that is not such an unexpected purchase.

Now that we are once again geared up we can relax and enjoy our investment in the sport. I do look forward to someday lightening our shelter considerably. Here we go again.

jimmyb

WE've used the same gear for years now. IT seems to work, and there is something very relaxing about knowing that all of your gear works...and has worked for you many times in the past.

That said, M was sporting a nice new down jacket on our last trip in mid-September, and darn happy about it !

Updating gear has never been an obsession for me but when I do it's generally because I've stumbled upon or learned something new. I'll use gear until it dies if it's working for me.

Most of my gear has come in the form of gifts, Christmas and Birthday presents. A lot of it sits on my gear shelf when I backpack, and a lot of it was well used and loved, but heavy.

I used to be able to claim that "I backpack on the cheap" but two out of the last three of my biggest updates, pack and sleeping pad, were given to me, and it was quite a surprise that they were. Each of those products taught me a lot. They were both a lot better than I'd have ever thought just by looking at them or hearing about them, and I would have never purchased either of them myself. Once they were mine, and I could use them as I would any other gear that's mine, it was easy to realize I had underestimated their worthiness by quite a bit. When they wear out I will purchase similar items and pay the price. They're worth it.

I updated my sleeping bag last year, but my old bag had seen a lot of years of hard use and it was always big, heavy, and not at all warm, and I really needed a down bag in order to be able to use the pack that was given to me. I don't see updating that again until the current one wears out and that will likely take years.

My tent is experimental (and cheap). I made it myself and I'm still learning about it's strengths and weaknesses, but I sold two tents right after I made it because I knew I'd never use them again. When it wears out, which will probably be by the end of this season at best, I'll decide if I want to make another or buy one. Right now, there isn't one on the market I'd be excited to buy. I've come to really love that simple old "Baker's Tent" design and there isn't one made for lightweight backpacking that I know of. So, in the case of my tent, I'll probably update it when it fails and leaves me miserable, or I have a flash of inspiration for the next one and make it, or at the end of this season, whichever comes first.

The SuperCat stove is so light, and easy, and cheap, that I don't see any reason to carry anything else. I might, someday, update my water treatment. What I use works great, and is very light, so I'm not compelled at the moment, but that could change. Those seem to be getting a lot of attention and new technologies might be right around the corner, so I'll keep my options open on those and buy one when compelled.

I've always drawn the line far below anywhere that leaves my family and close friends wanting instead. I can always backpack on the cheap, and never really need new gear. As I've gotten older it's been easier for me to spend some money on gear, but I still can't justify going "High End". I can spend $100-$150 now and then on a piece of gear, but I can't spend more than that. I've got family that would come before that and always will. It's a big family I'm in.

Thanks everyone for the great responses to this question. I think if will be helpful for newcomers to balance all the issues involved in acquiring, keeping, upgrading and letting go of particular pieces of gear. I know even after years of the gear dance in many outdoor sporting hobbies it has helped me to realize I'm no different. Now if I were to hit the lottery...

jimmyb

I think "balance" is the key. We all keep balancing and re-balancing four factors: comfort in camp, comfort on the trail, convenience (functionality), and cost. The ideal balance is unique for each of us.

On the opposite side of the coin, the small "cottage industries" that make most of the truly innovative gear probably couldn't survive without the "gear nerds" who absolutely must have the latest and greatest. Another beneficial fallout is that those folks generally sell their last year's stuff to finance their new purchases--which can be big financial help for those of us who don't mind being a year or two behind! Plus we rely on their experience with the new stuff to determine if we really want it.

I usually set aside some money each year for upgrades. If I spend it, then I wait until the next year when even lighter gear hits the market!

www.backpackingengineer.com

I figure if I wait long enough, I'll be able to go out with a 5 lb. pack, which is probably about all I'll be able to carry in another 10 years, if I'm still here!