The Gear Manual

I love me some good gear.

Buying new gear is one of the biggest money sinks I have. The desire never stops. The purpose of this manual is to help me navigate my gear addiction.

Philosophy

• Gear can’t replace skills. Skills can often replace gear.
• A piece of gear is valuable if it helps you achieve a goal.
• You can’t buy an experience through gear. But gear may help you seek out the experiences you want.
• Great gear is awesome!

New gear rules

• Note down the date and what you want. You may consider buying if you still want it 14 days later.
• You can at most have one want at a time.
• If there is a way you can try out the experience before investing in gear, do that first.
• Remember, there is always more gear to buy. Pace yourself and enjoy what you already have.
• Answer these questions before buying anything.

New gear wishes

The following is an account of my gear wishes and decisions (starting April 2025).

• 12 April: A lightweight quilt. Probably something like Revelation.
  • I want to reduce my pack weight when hiking. This is the biggest impact I can make and it has very few downsides (money being the biggest).
  • A lighter and smaller sleeping system will help on almost all hiking/camping/adventure trips I do.
  • 20 April: I already have a perfectly fine down sleeping bag.