Sunday 3 October 2010

On the outfit


There are people on this planet – and I know this, because I’ve met some of them – who can genuinely live (not survive, live) comfortably outdoors with no outfit other than a knife and perhaps a pot.

There are also rather more people who claim they can do this. I’ve met some of them too. Usually it’s rather easy to tell the difference. They fool themselves better than they fool others.

Although I subscribe to the ‘know more, carry less’ ideal, my own skills and experience put me firmly into the ‘know a bit, carry a bit’ camp. So, over the years I’ve accumulated a modest but decent outfit – rucksack, tent, sleeping bag, cooking gear, etc, that works well, weighs little, and most importantly, is familiar. Familiarity with your kit counts for a lot when both country and weather are wild. Some people change their gear so often they never venture outdoors with a familiar outfit.

And this is a trap that outdoorsmen are particularly vulnerable to. Kit is only a means to an end, not an end in itself. The latest shiny gear – what soldiers call ‘Gucci kit’ – has a surprising allure, and indeed it does bring a temporary feeling of happiness and satisfaction.

Research by psychologists shows that from the happiness point of view, you are far better off spending your hard-earned on experiences rather than things. This seems counter-intuitive, as the week paddling in the Quetico canoe country is gone in…well, a week, whereas the fancy Damascus steel outdoorsman’s knife will last long enough to become an heirloom. But it’s not as simple as that.

Time changes things. The latest fashionable kit becomes old and unfashionable, and the attraction wears off all too quickly – we become satiated. But time also affects our memories of experiences – we forget the physical discomfort, insect bites and drudgery, but remember the incandescent sunsets, the monster pike, the joyous elation of sheer freedom, and the campfires. Not for nothing did Sigurd Olson recall his campfire memories as beads on a chain, which spring to flickering, then roaring life when he thought of them.

Materialism is not a good thing. Research shows that people who are materialistic are very often self-centred, and that is a sure recipe for unhappiness. We would be better off buying a good but inexpensive outfit, and using the money saved to get to the jumping-off point. After that, your journey is free. And so are you.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Peter,i,ve just read what you've posted and i,m liking your observations,and looking forward to reading more in the future.

    Cheers Stuart

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  2. Thanks for that, Stuart - it's a welcome comment, especially from someone as skilled as you are.

    The blog seems to be getting a lot of hits. I just need to watch that it doesn't erode into my time outdoors.

    ReplyDelete