[pct-l] how much money to save an ounce

[Timothy Nye]

The cost also reduces the chances of injury.  Cumulative injuries accrue
proportionate to the weight carried.

On Tue, Jun 1, 2010 at 6:33 PM, Tortoise <Tortoise73 at charter.net> wrote:

> Well the cost per mile is relevant when considering how much more to spend
> to lighten your load.
> Obviously if one only does a couple hundred or so miles a year, the cost
> per mile goes up which may change one's decision on which to buy.
>
> Obviously there are other ways to reduce one's pack weight -- the easiest
> and cheapest is simply to not take unneeded stuff, to do without so much
> stuff.
>
> When I buy something I consider not only the initial cost but how much I
> will use the item, how long it will last and how much per use. One needs
> also to consider the consequences if the purchase fails  -- mail be
> trivial, the candy taste bad and you toss it; or your vehicle fails miles
> from anywhere, or your tent fails in a raging blizzard. One has to
> guesstimate based on knowledge of one's self. But the cheapest to buy is
> not necessarily the cheapest to use.
>
> Tortoise
>
> <> Because truth matters! <>
>
> On 06/01/10 14:54, Lawrence Pelo wrote:
> > Tortoise wrote: I am comparing silnylon vs. cuben fibre stuff sacks over
> > on the ZPacks.com website. I'm also a (retired) accountant and sometimes
> > love to analyze. So I did a little spreadsheet to compare the cost to
> > save an ounce or a pound or a gram or a kilogram for the various sizes
> > I'm interested in.
> >
> > Results - to save: 1 ounce                 $  28 1 pound
>   $448
> >
> > 1 gram                        $  1 1 kilogram         $991
> >
> > dollar amounts are rounded.
> >
> > the costs to save weight seem high until one considers carrying the
> > weight on a thruhike of the PCT. then the costs to save a pound per mile
> > hiked are less than $0.17 per mile. Would you carry a pound for a mile
> > for $0.17? More info to consider in your gear planning.
> >
> > **************
> >
> > I love the cost-per-ounce-saved ratio. I've been using it extensively to
> > lighten my own pack (I spent $3.46/oz to lighten my pack, shelter, and
> > sleeping bag). But I doubt the utility of the
> > (cost-per-ounce-saved)-per-mile ratio. It sounds like the sort of thing
> > an oily car salesman would say:
> >
> > "Now, Mr. Tortoise, the luxury model does cost $10,000 more than the
> > basic model. But it will last 200,000 miles, so you are really only
> > paying 5 cents extra per mile! Wouldn't you pay 5 cents per mile to
> > drive this fine luxury automobile?"
> >
> > But $10,000 is a lot of money. You should be considering (a) whether you
> > can afford the extra cost as a whole, and (b) whether the upgrade is
> > worth that extra cost. The extra cost divvied up over some arbitrary
> > unit (Miles driven? Hours of driving? Days of service?) is misleading.
> >
> > If you can afford to spend $448 to cut a pound off your pack, then go
> > for it. But for me it would be a bad financial decision, no matter how
> > you slice it.
> >
> > -Lawrence
> >
> >
> >
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