3 P’s of Gear – Primary, Peripheral and Prepared
The 3 P’s of gear: primary, peripheral, and prepared. Choosing the right tool for the right job, and knowing when you need the tool or when you don’t.
Roy makes an excellent point on Camping Blogger about separating essentials from the non-essentials of camping gear. A lot of gear is oriented towards Extreme Backpacking, ultra-light and…commensurately expensive. When camping, keep in mind you’re unplugging from the comforts of home. Taking a shrewd look at what you can do without (peripherals), can save you a great deal of money. It can mean the difference between getting out and camping versus just “planning to”.
As a quick aside, I’m noticing more friends and associates from the techno-corporate world are enjoying camping these days. What better compliment to the confines of cube farms and elevators, than to be out enjoying the natural world? Giving a bunch of techno-geeks a whole new genre of gadgetry to collect gives rise to peripherals in my experience. A generous appetite for toys camping essentials exists among those already prone to laptops, PDAs, smart phones, and other computer-age toys productivity tools.
I completely agree with Roy, but let me tell you–I’m an admitted gadget geek. I do little to spare myself the expense. But my philosophy is not that I have to have the best or most expensive gear right away. Rather, that I carefully choose primary items carefully, with value and utility in mind. A lot of my peripherals are chosen based on the trip, so many more remain at home. An important part of my philosophy is that I may actually bring along 7 sources of making fires, but leave the grill behind. I’ve seen people bring a grill and nothing to ignite it. Which brings us to the 3rd P.
A third (and binding) philosophy of gear is simply being prepared. Check out Nutnfancy’s Snow Hike gear list. I can’t say enough good things about his videos, and if you want to talk about prepared, he personifies it. Nutnfancy may not save you any money, but he’s always ready to laugh at death in the wilderness! Preparation–knowledge, planning, and practice.
