[pct-l] Frogg Toggs - new products - create the consumer

[Daniel Zellman]

While I agree with much of what Jeffrey says about the pitfalls of rampant
consumerism, I do have to take issue with his statement about Giardia: "Why
do we use water filters in the Sierra - it's not because there is a giardia
problem - it's because manufacturers saw a niche and then created a
consumer for that niche - us...".

Giardia is found worldwide, including along the entire length of the PCT.
People who choose not to treat their water are not only endangering
themselves, but are, in fact, putting other hikers at risk as well. Also,
it doesn't matter how "clean" and clear the water source looks -- if there
are or have been cattle, beavers, sheep, deer, or any number of other
animals in the area (i.e., anywhere along the entire length of the PCT).
Keep in mind, too, that it's possible to be a carrier without actually
becoming sick oneself, so even if you think you dodged the bullet, so to
speak, you may be spreading this nasty little bug to others every time you
poop or share food or shake hands, etc. So ... protect yourself -- and do
your fellow hikers a solid -- by treating your water. It is, in my view,
the only ethical choice.



On Wed, Mar 12, 2014 at 3:28 PM, Jeffrey Olson <jjolson60 at centurylink.net>wrote:

> Get a copy of Colin Fletcher's first edition (1968) of "The Complete
> Walker".  He goes into depth about how to put together a system for
> backpacking.  Then read Ray Jardine's 1996 "Pacific Crest Trail Hikers
> Handbook" where the "system" is refined.
>
> Neither Fletcher or Jardine focused on brands of gear.  Jardine rails
> against marketing hype.  Just because goretex boots and shoes exist
> doesn't mean they're appropriate to hike in.  Why do we use water
> filters in the Sierra - it's not because there is a giardia problem -
> it's because manufacturers saw a niche and then created a consumer for
> that niche - us...
>
> Just because cuben fiber is the rage doesn't mean you should go out and
> get a rain jacket made out of it.  Whether you wear a rain jacket, a
> poncho or cagoule doesn't matter as long as it fits into your system.
>
> There's lots of wisdom here on the list - Eric's statement below is an
> example.
>
> Every hiker that stays out longer than five or six weeks learns about
> her "system" - what it is, and what works in it.  The reason people have
> sub-10-12 pound base weight packs is because they don't carry anything
> that isn't used.  Experience replaces fear as the major determinant of
> what we carry.  What's "used" is different for everyone.
>
> We all have learned to be consumers and look for "deals."  We want to
> make informed choices in our "consumer identities."  It's really hard to
> unlearn that part of our identity and make decisions based in experience
> and the wisdom derived from it.
>
> I think one of the reasons adjusting to the life in the world after life
> on the trail is often difficult is because the values of modernity are
> no longer ours...  We'll never be that unconscious again - ever...
>
> Jeffrey Olson
> Rapid City, SD
>
> On 3/12/2014 12:57 PM, Eric Lee wrote:
> > Yup.  If you're hiking in all-day rain, especially in Oregon/Washington,
> you
> > had better get used to the idea that you're going to be wet.  The goal is
> > not to stay dry, the goal is to stay warm.  "Dry" is an impossibility -
> the
> > best you can hope for is "moderately damp".  It's much easier to stay
> warm
> > if you're not totally drenched by cold rain directly to your skin, which
> is
> > why rain gear is essential.  But you're going to be wet-ish, either from
> the
> > outside or the inside via sweat.  "Waterproof/breathable" only works when
> > you're not exercising strenuously.
> >
> >
> >
>
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-- 
Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.
    --Buddhist proverb