In hiking circles, the acronym HYOH (Hike Your Own Hike) is used over and over again to remind people that the decisions other people make may or may not be the decisions you make on your hike. HYOH means that you should decide your own distance, pace, and style. HYOH means you should also get to decide your own gear, including its weight and comfort, though certain hiking forums might seem to indicate that unless you buy the latest/greatest/lightest that you're doing it wrong.
Gear for me is about compromises between weight, comfort, and money, and those things are always in tension. I thoroughly enjoy researching my way through that tension and seeing which compromises result (really... since my first long bicycle tour, gear research has been a hobby). On the money side of things, I'm just going out for a few weeks, so I don't want to devote huge sums of money to buying the latest/greatest/lightest gear. If I were doing a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail for something like 6 months, I'd probably spend a little more to get my pack weighing a little less. For this trip, though, I'm shelling out the most money for things I didn't have (like a 1-person tent) and selectively upgrading a few things. On the weight side of things, I like taking advantage of newer materials and technologies that result in UL (Ultralight) gear, and some of the UL stuff is just so damn cool! I'll take some UL things with me, but I'm not willing to spend a bunch of money to save an ounce here and there when I still have a lot of extra body weight to take care of. I'm also aware that I'll carry more than is absolutely necessary because I'm traveling alone and believe in being able to get myself out of most pickles by myself. There's also another hiking saying that the more you know, the less you have to carry. I'm no survivalist, and when I hit the trail, I'll still have some backup gear that other hikers wouldn't carry because they have more knowledge and have made different compromises.
Comfort is the last big factor and the one where HYOH is most relevant. To some extent, backpacking is about deprivation. As an admirer of minimalism, that appeals to me. Backpacking consists largely of 3 things: walking, sleeping, and eating. Minimizing pack weight makes walking more comfortable but may make sleeping and eating less so since you might not carry a cushy sleep set-up (or a pillow) or a stove when you're trying to minimize weight.
I know from my bicycle touring that I am willing to carry a bit more than some people in the name of comfort. I'm sure my husband will attest to the fact that I can get a bit grumpy if I don't have good sleep, so I carry a warmer (slightly heavier) sleeping bag, an air mattress, and a small pillow (I've tried every fake-pillow known to campers--including dirty clothes, a jacket, a blown up water bladder, etc.--and none of them work well for me). I know this is a good set-up for me, and while I could get the weight down by buying new versions of what I have, what I have is good enough. I'm also a bit grumpy when I'm too cold for too long, so I err on the side of warmth and may take an extra layer or so that someone else might not (see rain pants below). I also find great pleasure in eating, so I'm taking my stove. I cannot live on pop-tarts alone.
Anyway...
All this means is that my gear should not be your gear. This blog is no ultimate gear list or best gear list or any other kind of gear list to emulate. There are thousands of other gear lists online, and some of them do purport to be definitive. My gear will keep evolving as the tension among those three big factors shifts. Future trips will probably see less and lighter gear as I keep upgrading things when necessary or when I get good deals. I know some of my stuff is a little on the heavy side, but so am I. The gear won't determine my success or failure on the trail, but it's certainly fun for me to research it!
No comments:
Post a Comment