[pct-l] new resource for home-made equipment (was: REI past&present)

[Paul.C.Griffith at bankofamerica.com (Griffith, Paul C)]

While I agree with Ron's general drift, and know his contributions to hiking and gear development, I gotta defend REI and even Ray Jardine.  I shopped at the Seattle REI yesterday, buying a sub-2oz titanium cup that may replace my 3.5oz cup as my cook pot.  While there I DID see a 7 oz SilNylon tarp (in fact, I bought that one three years ago to start going ultra-lite).  Also saw 1/3oz plastic tent stakes, a 21oz down sleeping bag, 11oz Epic bivy bag, 4.3oz RainShield jacket, and the world's lightest water filter (the Exstream Cyst Filter replacement cartridge at .4oz).  REI should not be grouped with Eddie Bauer or LL Bean which left the outfitting business to sell casual clothes and home furnishings.  Almost everything in REI is for outdoor activities - if a lot is worn around town, so what?  It is not REI's fault that the vast majority of backpackers still want feature-laden bullet-proof gear.  And for most weekend short-haul trips, it is probably the BEST gear.  As ultra-lite grows, they'll stock more stuff.  They even give seminars in ultra-light.  Between the wonderful cottage industry/internet sources and the REI's, we need more great local small stores like Jim Nelson's www.promountainsports.com in Seattle or Nomad Ventures in Idyllwild, to spread the gospel.  As for Ray - his book took forty pounds off my back and then twenty off my beer belly.  Click on over to www.rayjardine.com - he's become completely weightless!  And, like Jenny in that photo, "we stand on the shoulders of giants".

-----Original Message-----
From: Ronald Moak [mailto:rmoak@fallingwater.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2003 8:59 PM
To: 'Brett'; pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
Subject: RE: [pct-l] new resource for home-made equipment (was: REI past
&present)



>> For more and more of us, the ultimate solution to the problems of
capitalism-gone-awry at the backcountry outfitters is to dispense with the
outfitters altogether. <<

Brett, on this matter I'm afraid we disagree. Capitalism, for good or bad,
is functioning quite healthily in the outdoor industry. In fact it's
probably better than ever. 

Many moan the changes in REI, Eddie Baur, LL Bean or EMS, but so what! Just
like the rest of us they've grown older and changed. Most here bemuse the
fact that they are no longer on the cutting edge of outdoor gear. I doubt
you could find a silicone nylon tarp in REI, let alone tent or other cutting
edge item of gear. Still I can't travel far or browse many Internet sites to
find anything I need. 

I was in Damascus, VA a couple of weeks ago at Trail Days. It's the first
time since I passed through on a thru-hike 26 years. Then there was a single
backpacking store on the entire AT. Today there are three stores in Damascus
alone. More stores than in the entire metropolitan area of Richmond, VA 26
years ago. 

Capitalism thrives, it's growing by leaps and bounds every day. New
ultralight tents, packs, stoves, clothes and other gear are popping out of
unexpected quarters at an astonishing speed. 

For years, many of us had to make our own gear. I've been doing so for over
25 years. In part because I couldn't afford it at first and later because
the gear I wanted simply didn't exist. Today that's no longer the case.
While making your own gear can be fun, challenging and rewarding, it should
be a require for going light weight. 

As fast as the outdoor industry is changing, so is the nature of ultralight
hiking. While just a short time ago, many of Ray's original ideas on gear
sounded raw and exciting, today they're sounding old and constricting. I
would even go so far as to say, that while Ray put forth some interesting
ideas on ultralight hiking, even he failed to fully understand the
underlying foundation upon which he was deriving his principals from. This
is very evident in both what he's said and in the gear he produced. 

Fortunately a lot of gear is coming along to fill in the void. For without
the recent advances, both in gear and the ability to acquire it easily and
affordably, the ultralight revolution would quickly fizzle.

Fallingwater 
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