This was great fun reading all these posts. As a very expereinced and gear savvy person I have gone thru a late in season mind/body/gear/ change of heart. After 35 years of climbing mountains all over the place, I gave up that pursuit, and have begun enjoying the walk instead of the climb. Its been fun to try new gear, without the emphasis on having something that my life depends on in extreme conditions. I don't need an additional 30lbs of climbing gear, so every step of the way gets rethunk! I'm finding that lots and lots of UL gear is very well designed, very simple, and very affordable. I am also pleased to see that its very durable as long as its treated with the intent it was intended for. The bottom line is that still the most important piece of gear we use is the one between our ears. Matching the tool to the job will always reap the biggest rewards. None of us who have been down the trail for a few years have the same kit we "started" with. To provide beginners with some sage advice that they will is IMO not very helpful. Better to tell them to go try everything in sight, borrow from all their friends, buy stuff on sale, on ebay, craigslist, and from thrift stores. Then a season or two from now, you will have a box full of junk you laugh at and tell stories about, and a pack full of stuff you enjoy using.... Just remember, get out on the trail and try it out all the time! Gear testing is such a great excuse for a trip!
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I dare you to move, like today never happened...
-Switchfoot-