Always seemed weird to me how people get into hiking (or cycling or whatever) to push themselves and exercise, and then spend thousands on gear to make it as easy as possible.
Eh… Because the point isn’t to workout like you would lifting iron in a gym? People who do rucking do it so it’s hard, people who do hiking do it to reach stuff they want to see.
I’m used to the army, when I’m packing for field stuff, I know that no matter how much I pack for luxury my kit and equipment will still be 80% of the load minimum. Would I rather hump 80 lbs 20 miles and have a miserable night, or hump 85 lbs and have hot coffee and a single person tent I can jerk off comfortably in? Easy choice for me.
When I go hiking with my family I pretty much just carry emergency supplies and the liquor stash, knowing we’ll be back to the tents by nightfall.
Long and short, you remove weapons armor and ammo from the picture and it’s a lot more impactful to play with the weight. Shaving 5 lbs off a 20 lbs load can let you go 5 more miles when it’s for leisure.
If turning your exercise into a hobby makes it more fun, I don’t see the harm. At the end of the day that just makes it entertainment that’s good for you
Always seemed weird to me how people get into hiking (or cycling or whatever) to push themselves and exercise, and then spend thousands on gear to make it as easy as possible.
Edit: I think I offended some hikers.
Eh… Because the point isn’t to workout like you would lifting iron in a gym? People who do rucking do it so it’s hard, people who do hiking do it to reach stuff they want to see.
I’m used to the army, when I’m packing for field stuff, I know that no matter how much I pack for luxury my kit and equipment will still be 80% of the load minimum. Would I rather hump 80 lbs 20 miles and have a miserable night, or hump 85 lbs and have hot coffee and a single person tent I can jerk off comfortably in? Easy choice for me.
When I go hiking with my family I pretty much just carry emergency supplies and the liquor stash, knowing we’ll be back to the tents by nightfall.
Long and short, you remove weapons armor and ammo from the picture and it’s a lot more impactful to play with the weight. Shaving 5 lbs off a 20 lbs load can let you go 5 more miles when it’s for leisure.
Some people are more in it for the journey than the exercise
Personally I’m in it for both so at this point I’ve started optimizing my gear less to get some challenge back in it for me
My buddies were definitely surprised when I busted out my 8 inch cast iron on the first night of a multi day backpacking trip though
If turning your exercise into a hobby makes it more fun, I don’t see the harm. At the end of the day that just makes it entertainment that’s good for you
I’m into it to go far, and get away from people, and get to places less people go.
So optimizing weight (and my fitness) allows me to out range day trippers faster.