Gear

I'll admit it. I love gear. For me, gear is that all-encompassing term that, when it all comes down to it, toys. Some think of big boy toys as trucks, motorcycles and such. For me, big boy toys are the things that allow me to flourish in the outdoors. Knives. Yeah! Backpacks. Got a few. Stoves. Check! Tents. How many do I need? Sleeping bags and pads, lanterns, fly rods, float tubes, pots and pans, water bottles... the list goes on. Totally contradictory to my desire of a simpler life, uncluttered by "stuff." And yet, piece by piece, my collection grows and never seems to shrink. Without digging in my boxes in the garage I know I have at least three tents, three sleeping bags, two multi day packs, two messenger-type bags, two stoves, three lanterns. Redundancy is good, and I feel good having enough stuff to allow others to join me, but at what point is it too much?

This summer I want to thin the heard, streamline the quiver, cull the unused. It will be a challenge. I don' like to get rid of my fun stuff. I like my knives, and what if I need this or that? But the point is, I can only USE one knife at a time. I can only USE one tent at a time... one fly rod, one float tube, one multi-tool.

Maybe I can sell some of the stuff. Use the money for a new longbow. Now, a fella can't have to many bows.....