July 14, 2015

You see it on glossy magazine covers. You see it in online stores. You see it on advertisements and in storefronts. Zero blemishes. Zero imperfections. Impossible proportions, impossibly arranged. Images of perfection, seemingly placed there just to make you feel inadequate.

Society has a serious problem. I’m talking, of course, about the problem of gear shaming. It’s time to acknowledge that the outdoor industry is giving society impossible expectations about what one’s equipment should look like. Gear companies are teaching our children that it’s possible to hike half the Appalachian Trail and look like you just put on clean clothes after a shower. It’s irresponsible, and it’s wrong. Right now, I’m staring at a photograph of an Eddie Bauer running shoe in a print ad that, despite literally being in a muddy puddle, is completely dry. Definitely airbrushed. Heartless. Almost every photograph of a campsite in Outside magazine or Backpacker looks more like it’s ready for inspection at Fort Bragg than an actual space that real people utilize. You either need to have a ton of disposable income or be a sponsored athlete to dress like somebody in a Patagonia ad.

However, this is not the most insidious form of gear shaming. What really gets me is the glorification of ultralight packing, revealing ever more insane ways to shave weight off your pack. From bringing a just a tarp for shelter to only eating peanut butter and nuts, outdoor publications promote unhealthy pack weights. My son came to me today crying because he thought his puffy was five grams too heavy. It broke my heart. I can understand why. When Madison Avenue shows models with ten pound pack weights, it sets an unrealistic standard for others to follow. I don’t want to live in a culture where our kids are taught that it’s normal or healthy to skip backcountry beers. Do you know why my pack load is 65 pounds? It’s because I packed twelve beers and I’m pretty sure my pack’s frame is made of lead and recycled battleship anchors. Guess what? My pack is just as beautiful as any ultralight pack that costs $200 at REI.

Just because I don’t have the latest $175 propane stove and a matching Patagonia outfit doesn’t make me any less of an outdoorsperson. I have a $30 dollar camping stove that cooks just fine. I run AT bindings on park skis that have so many scars from filled in core shots that their ski surface looks like a decomposing zebra. My coat has a hole burned through the cuff and permanent dirt stains. It still keeps me perfectly warm. My gear doesn’t look like a magazine cover or a gloosy advertisement. It looks like crap. I love my gear. It’s time to #stopgearshaming.

#muddyisbeautiful

#stopgearshaming