Lately I've gotten to thinking... I've got way too much stuff. I don't just mean the usual house and furniture stuff that makes me restless. I've got too much of the stuff I love to have around. I mean gear of course. Since being out of the nest, I seem to have accumulated gear for just about every pursuit I do, and in some cases, a lot of it. There are some hobbies I'll never give up on, and won't get rid of related gear no matter what. Other things seem to have been a passing fancy that I don't do much anymore. So what to do? Keep the gear, or get rid of it? If I keep it, I can always pick it up later if I feel so inclined. If I get rid of it, I'll have to shell out a bunch of money if I ever decide to give it another go. If I do the latter, I'll probably take up another hobby to fill the void, so this is probably pointless in terms of reducing my gear pile. Some feedback on the following gear would be much appreciated. Or just writing this out might be enough thinking about it to make up my own mind. We'll see...
Bike stuff - Two working bikes, a couple frames and projects, a boatload of parts, tires, etc. Not to mention a repair stand, a trainer, and enough tools to operate my own bike shop. Not getting rid of the tools, trainer, repair stand, or working bikes. What about the rest of it? Much of it is parts for bikes I'll probably never be able to afford to build...
Caving stuff - This gear is limited, so it's a no brainer. However, I haven't gotten to do much caving lately, so why am I hanging onto it. I have some custom made coveralls that fit only me. I've worn them once. Other than that, I've got a helmet and a bunch of lights, but these have other applications, so I'll hang onto it.
Canoes - I currently have two. A Mad River Explorer all around sort of tandem boat. Good for lakes, fishing, and even some moderate whitewater. Don't think I'll get rid of this since I got such a good deal on it, and I use it ALL the time in the summer. However, I also have a bad-ass whitewater canoe. I think this is one of the things I can get rid of. I had high hopes of getting into whitewater paddling, since there is some to do around here. I don't know why I chose a canoe, since I've always been a kayaker. I guess I wanted to try something different. I took it on a few floats down the Winooski and spent a bunch of time last winter learning to roll it in a pool. I haven't done any real whitewater with it. For one, it's not wise or practical to go alone. Secondly, I don't know what I'm doing.
Fishing Gear - This is sort of a revived passion for me. I loved fishing when I was a kid, and I've rediscovered it the past couple years. So far, this rediscovered activity has seen me acquire 4 different rods (2 spin rods, 1 baitcasting, and a flyrod) and a meager amount of tackle. This is relatively inexpensive and doesn't take up much space, so I'll hang onto it. I just have to keep from accumulating too much! More gear does not equal more fish.
Camping/backpacking stuff - I've accumulated quite a bit of this stuff over the years. It all gets used though. Well, a pack or two doesn't get used, my beloved tent has a broken pole, and my old sleeping bag is shot. But I'm still happy with it.
XC ski stuff - I still have the original hand-me-down broken ass skis I learned to XC ski on at UMaine. Why? I have better boots now and I haven't touched the skis in years. The skis I have now are fine (though they desperately need to be waxed) and my boots are holding up well too. Keep breaking poles though...
I guess it's not that bad. Just seems like a lot of stuff to me. I ought to go through all my bike junk and give away what I can, then take the rest to the local recycle cycle sort of place.
That was pretty pointless. Hmph.
4 comments:
I bet the ww canoe would go fast on craiglist or boatertalk.com. We have the same excess gear problem. I think we have 4 tents. 2 pairs of downhill skis that haven't been used in 10 years, an odd collection of day packs, and more water bottles than I can count. We actually sold a tent at a yard sale last year. When you figure out what to do with the stuff, let me know.
I worked with a dude out in Minnesota who is hot for the boat, so when I go back out there in the Spring, I'm hoping he'll take it off my hands. I used to have tons of water bottles too. I had 8 nalgenes at one point, all but one of which I found. Now I'm the one losing them. I only have 2 tents (and a tarp) the pole is broken on my old one, and it's getting a bit mildewy, so I'm not doing too bad there. The newer one is a big car-camping sort of tent. Don't have a solo tent anymore, just the tarp... Anywho, trying to avoid the temptation to get a fancy camera, a rifle, a snow bike, new skis, etc. Having to save up for a wedding it putting a halt on all that stuff. Oh man is it...
We had a mess of nalgenes too, all acquired before stuff was BPA-free. We put the nalgenes and other waterbottles in a "free" box at a yard sale. Someone picked out the nalgenes, she told us she used for food items like dry pasta & cereal when camping. I thought that was a good idea.
Yeah, I never really used them for much. I used a camelback and an old gatorade bottle on the AT. Gatorade bottle is super light, and quite rugged. And they're way cheaper and come with a drink! Win, win, win, win!
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