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Guy at the REI in Boulder showed me his 12 year old stove and it changed how I shop for gear
I was about to drop $180 on a new backpacking stove last month when a guy in his 60s at the Boulder REI asked why. I said mine was 3 years old and scratched up, and he pulled out this beat up PocketRocket he bought in 2012, told me he's cooked on it over 400 nights and only ever replaced the o-ring. He said most gear reviews push you toward new stuff because that's what gets clicks, not because your old stuff stopped working. I kept my stove and spent the money on a better sleeping pad instead. Has anyone else had a random stranger talk them out of a gear purchase like that?
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kimfisher8d ago
Noticed the same thing at the bike shop last year. Guy behind the counter told me my 15 year old ride was fine and just needed a $20 tune up, then pointed at the wall of new bikes and said "that's where the money is." Made me realize how much of what we buy is just boredom and ads working on us. Same deal with phones, kitchen stuff, even cars now. Stuff is built to last way longer than we use it. We just get talked into upgrading by people who profit from it. That REI guy basically handed you free money.
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