[at-l] gear

[jball65@home.com (Jason Ball)]

Amen,
And I thought Dennis Miller could RANT! <vbbg> Someone grab that girl some
oxygen before she passes out. Shore up the soapbox Kahley and let'em have
it.
Jakealoo
----- Original Message -----
From: "kahley" <kahley7@ptd.net>
To: <DaRedhead@aol.com>; <at-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Friday, August 31, 2001 6:07 AM
Subject: Re: [at-l] gear


> At 02:28 AM 8/31/01 -0400, DaRedhead@aol.com wrote:
>
> OK...I'll agree that the fit of a pack should be preeminent.  I'm just
> trying to
> plant a seed to fight off the input she is likely to get in the stores.
Over
> the summer, I visited three gear stores where I am not well known.......
> yes there are such places <g>.  Each time, I said I was interested in a
pack
> and that I did three to five day hikes which is basically what a thru hike
> is in
> most cases and probably defines the hikes that most people do.  They
showed
> me  huge packs..6000 cu in even, weighing 6-7 pounds!  IMHO and YMMV,
> that's just nutz!  To carry more weight as pack than you do for food ?  I
acted
> dumb and said the packs looked awfully big.  They said I'd need that much
room
> to carry all the stuff I'd need!!!!  Bullshit...I might need that much
pack
> to carry
> what they tried to sell me but I know I can fit my gear in half that much
> space!
> And I have everything that i 'need' plus a few things I just 'want!' !!!
>
> I just dusted off my external..yes I will probably carry it in the
upcoming
> months,
> even though it weighs in at 5lbs, but only because I can't find any of the
> lighter
> external packs in the stores to try out!!!
>
> Even a search of http://www.gearfinder.com/ss.asp?FAM=Packs
> for external frame packs shows 3 under 3 pounds, and 10 under 5 pounds.
yet
> I can't find them in the stores.  There are over 150 packs under 5lbs !!!
But
> where are they?  Try and find them in the stores!!  IMHO, the stores are
> the weakest link here...
> (BTW....this site does NOT contain all the gear companies...there are
more!)
>
> Manufacturer's lurk in newgroups and e-lists and see the enthusiasm for
lighter
> gear which is usually being made by small firms like GVP, Go-Lite and
> Wanderlust.
> They recognize the future loss of market share, considering demographics,
> in that the
> baby boomers and getting tichy knees and backs, they are coming
> around.  Dana Gleason
> is thinking out of the box with his new company Mystery Ranch, but just
try
> and find
> one to try on!!!!  The gear stores seem to be lagging....................
>
> I had a heart to heart with my fav gear store....telling them why they
> don't see much
> of my money.  I told them straight out that they don't serve my needs.  I
> want lighter
> stuff and i know it's out there.  He countered with saying that they had
> titanium pots
> and the petzl teki.   I pointed out that they were out of the teka and
> maybe should
> order more <g>.  I asked to try a Kelty Flight....he said they were out of
> them.  I
> said that maybe they out to order more <g>.  I asked to try a Camp Trails
> Adjustable.
> He said they were out of them and...well....you can guess what I said.  I
> asked about
> a GVP or a Wild Thing ...never heard of them.  If I didn't know that these
> lighter options
> existed, I wouldn't know to be dissatisfied with their selection.
>
> No Zephyr..No Zoids.No Wild Things..No Snow Peak Giga Stoves.  No
> Sitarps.  No Bivies.
> No Ultralite Thermies.  Yet if I went in there as a newbee, they'd get me
> all set up with all
> the gear...except it might/would weigh twice what is necessary.   7lb
packs
> and 7 pound tents.
> and 3 lb bags and 2 lbs for stove and pot  and bingo!  You are suddenly
> carrying as
> much for those few items as I do in TOTAL with FOOD for a warm weather 3
day.
>
> Some of you may say that it's impossible for them to know about all these
> products and
> I say why?  I do....why shouldn't they?  If they are committed to serving
> their customers
> they should know but they don't cause they are lazy and just want to sell
> the same old same
> old.  and they get away with it because not enough people say with
> conviction that
> they only want to see packs under five pounds.  Only when enough people do
> that will
> these hide bound people do their homework and see what's going on in their
> industry.
>
> I know you are happy with your pack Red.  I just bet you could be happy
> with one
> of the 160 other packs that weigh less than yours if you could find them
> in the gear stores and have a chance to check them out.  <VVVBG>  I just
want
> people who are just starting out to be aware of their choices from the
> lighter side
> of gear, and if they don't find them locally, demand a better selection!
> Heck, even Mara, who loved her 6lb Dana for her thru has seen the "lite"
> and pared
> her pack.  Come over to the liteside Red Skywalker....leave the darkside
> .LOL!!!
>
> >the incredible hip belt, I have found that I can carry at least 15 lbs
more
> >comfortably than others wearing "lighter" packs.
>
> And why would you want to carry an extra 15 pounds????
> Hikers of the world revolt!!!  Demand lighter gear!  Turn up your nose at
7
> pound packs
> and 3 pound bags....Sigh...ok...off soapbox mode before someone comes
after me
> with a tranq gun <g>.......
>
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