this post was submitted on 25 Oct 2023
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Always seemed weird to me how people get into hiking (or cycling or whatever) to push themselves and exercise, and then spend thousands on gear to make it as easy as possible.
Edit: I think I offended some hikers.
Some people are more in it for the journey than the exercise
Personally I'm in it for both so at this point I've started optimizing my gear less to get some challenge back in it for me
My buddies were definitely surprised when I busted out my 8 inch cast iron on the first night of a multi day backpacking trip though
If turning your exercise into a hobby makes it more fun, I don't see the harm. At the end of the day that just makes it entertainment that's good for you
Like im doing downhill king mountains tht justify the 9k $ bike that i own
Good exercise > bad exercise.
With hikes, it's fun and interesting to go far.
It's not too complicated.
Cause my knees and hips are shit.
Eh... Because the point isn't to workout like you would lifting iron in a gym? People who do rucking do it so it's hard, people who do hiking do it to reach stuff they want to see.
I'm used to the army, when I'm packing for field stuff, I know that no matter how much I pack for luxury my kit and equipment will still be 80% of the load minimum. Would I rather hump 80 lbs 20 miles and have a miserable night, or hump 85 lbs and have hot coffee and a single person tent I can jerk off comfortably in? Easy choice for me.
When I go hiking with my family I pretty much just carry emergency supplies and the liquor stash, knowing we'll be back to the tents by nightfall.
Long and short, you remove weapons armor and ammo from the picture and it's a lot more impactful to play with the weight. Shaving 5 lbs off a 20 lbs load can let you go 5 more miles when it's for leisure.
We often do a mixture of both. I train all summer on a grueling unmaintained trail carrying jugs of water, just so that I can go on amazing backpacking trips without them being hard. When I'm at peak fitness, a hard rated trail is easy, and that's the way I like it.
More than the actual message, I have a different issue with this comment.
It's how it's one of the most incredibly Uncool things to do to make fun of someone caring too much for their hobbies when you're an outsider. The moment it implied that this user is not an hiker, it instantly corrupted everything about it. That edit carries malice.
There's a word for it, and I refuse to do anything but downvote those people on sight.
I hike, and I've notice the "ultralight" crowd has more than it's fair share of gatekeepers and snobs.
Lighter gear is fantastic, but people take it well past the point of diminishing returns. There are a lot of vocal hikers that spend absurd amounts of money on less practical, ridiculously expensive "ultralight" gear and think anything else is "wrong".
I used to walk over mountains with bottom barrel gear, canned food, and old Army boots. My entire setup probably weighed 80 pounds. But I'm a middle aged man now, with a lifetime of injuries, and a desk job. I'm definitely going for all the UL gear I can get my hands on. My big 3 are only 6 pounds now. My full pack weight without food and water is under 10 pounds, and I love it.
I agree. The only thing I wouldn't be cheap about in hiking is footwear and safety equipment. Only a casual hiker though so I don't need much to take a 3 mile trail.
That's nothing, come to the ADV motorcycle world, where a 135 kilogram man will spend $150 for a set of brake and clutch levers for his 270 kg 1250GSA because they're 30 grams lighter.
Hiking for me isn't for exercise. When I'm exercising, I put 20# pound plates in a rucksack and walk the neighborhood. When I'm hiking (like the 1000 miles I did last year) I'm out there to enjoy nature and have an adventure, not be miserable every night with cramping feet.
Not only that, but there's plenty of evidence that extra weight brings a greater chance of injury when hiking every day. Being able to do 1000 miles over 3 months means you have be able to perform consistently and without injuries building up.
I think it's simply that these activities are more enjoyable with less weight. Hewhen hiking it matters a lot, carrying heavy load on your back sucks. In cycling people definitely obsess a bit too much because most people aren't competing, but climbing is definitely easier on a lightweight bike. And people are apparently willing to spend a lot of money on this stuff, so companies gladly make carbon everything to save 5% weight at 500% the price.
I spend a fair bit for multi-day stuff, but most of that is bedding, shelter, and first aid/emergency devices—shit that matters. Much else is dependent on bushcraft and resources around me so I don't have to carry gear like some numpty with no clue. Flint, a good knife, and a container get you really far if you know how to use nature around you and are the kind of person that doesn't have to have a fork to eat food.
It’s absolutely hilarious that you think you offended hikers while it was nothing more than you missing that everyone in the world uses available tools to make their lives easier.
What’s a hobby of yours? I bet you’re using modern tech on it instead of just banging a rock on it.
Pick up a light dumbbell and see how long you can hold it. Take a rest and pick a heavier dumbbell and see if you can hold it for as long as you could with the lighter dumbbell.
You can also try and see how far you can walk while holding either the lighter or the heavier dumbbell.