I take care of everything I have like it cost a million dollars. This probably came from my time in the army, where an unserviceable piece of gear could mean anything from frostbite to death by chemical agents. I always told my troops that the duffel bag full of gear they had was the end product of thousands of years of men going off to war and finding out what they needed to stay alive long enough to get killed, so keep your %$*& clean & serviceable! LOL I still have GI sleeping bags and other gear that are over 15 years old, and I just recently sold my large ALICE pack that I'd had for at least 25 years. It had a couple small holes and a broken snap, but it had probably spent close to 2000 days out of my 12.5 years strapped to the top of tracked vehicles, being thrown in & out of trucks, getting covered with mud, etc. I'd replaced straps and frames, but the bag itself was still in maybe 85-90% condition overall. If whoever bought it takes care of it like I did, he'll have it for another 25 years.

I figure I work too hard for my money to not take care of what I buy. The longer I can keep a piece of gear that still does what it's supposed to, the more money I have to spend on other things or set aside.