Wait! Do You Really NEED New Gear?

My friend Mike has a good post over at ChossMonkey.com today. He’s launching a new column about how to get the most out of the gear you already have, versus just buying the newest gadgets and gizmo’s because they are 3.5 oz lighter with recycled vegan parts that will bring about world peace if we all buy one in each color. I completely agree with the gist of what he is saying.

So much of the outdoor industry pretends to be green while at the same time their very existence is founded upon the notion that you need to buy more new stuff. Now granted, there are times when you do need new gear, and I think that is ok. But the big joke about this whole “green” movement is that people think you can save the world by buying more stuff. The Black Diamond Icon I reviewed yesterday has a rechargeable battery that lasts a long time. I don’t suggest you go out and buy one of these to replace your already working and still good headlamp. But if you are in the market for a new headlamp, it’s one to consider.

Mike states he doesn’t want to do gear reviews because it contributes to the whole consumer driven bullshit society we live in. And I do agree to a point, but I will continue to post gear reviews on here because I like to promote things that work well and hold up to abuse, which in turn means you wont have to keep buying new things to replace it. So much of what we buy ends up in the trash, it’s nice to know what gear you can buy that will last for years (like all my Patagonia clothes, bomber!)

In today’s post, he’s talking about using rechargeable batteries for all the electronic goodies that we all use. This is a great idea, and if you couple it with the use of a solar panel, you can power all your small stuff straight from the sun, and stop sucking energy from the grid. Very cool.

Of course, the truth of the matter is that all of us recreationalists impact the environment quite a lot, from driving places to the gear we buy (you think those fancy metals just pop out of the ground?) But this also allows us to interact with the planet up close and personal, and in turn gives us a great respect for it. As long as we are all striving to do what we can to minimize our impact, I think that’s the best anyone can hope for.