A guy at a campsite in the Blue Ridge Mountains showed me his old canvas tent.

He said he'd been using it since the 80s and it just needed a fresh coat of waterproofing every few years. It made me think about how much simpler gear used to be before everything became high-tech and expensive. Anyone else still using some old-school gear that just won't quit?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_ben10d ago

That point about gear being simpler back then is so true, but I'd say it was often more expensive too, adjusting for inflation. My dad's old external frame pack from the 70s cost a fortune then. The real shift is that decent basic gear is way more affordable now. You can get a solid tent at a big box store for less than that canvas one probably cost. The high-tech stuff is just one option on the shelf now.

victor_nelson10d ago

Yeah, that's a solid point about basic gear being cheaper now. @the_ben, when you say decent basic gear is more affordable, do you think that's made the outdoors more welcoming or just created a flood of cheap junk? I wonder if the real cost has shifted from the gear to accessing the places to use it, like permits and gas.

fionanguyen10d ago

Honestly that canvas tent story hits home. My grandpa had this ancient Coleman stove that sounded like a jet engine firing up, but it worked every single time for decades. @the_ben is right about basic stuff being cheaper now, but I swear that old gear had a different kind of toughness built in. It's like they overbuilt everything back then, so now it just won't die even if you want an upgrade. My dad still uses that stove and refuses to switch.