To All The Gear I Loved Before

To my Youth Large unbranded rain jacket,

Cinched at the hips, you were anything but flattering

I wore you on misty mornings on Lake Temagami and through downpours on Georgian Bay

You did your best to keep me dry, but each time I raised my arms for another paddle stroke

The rain got in my sleeves, chilling my forearms

You may not have been the best, but you punched above your weight

To the A-frame tents I loved to hate,

I still think about your iconic design, yet poor construction each time I doodle a tent in my notebook

Was there ever a time you were waterproof?

Under the weight of a summer drizzle, your walls caved in bringing water to the perimeter of the tent floor

At fifteen I cursed you for giving our 4-person tent the dry, liveable area of a 2-person

But in hindsight, I recall those nights fondly, huddled against my friends, laughing at the absurdity of willingly putting ourselves through our first camping trip

To all the gear I loved before

Before Gore-Tex and the technical fleece

Before “best-in-class” and “latest technology”

Thank you for showing me that there’s nothing wrong with a little discomfort

And the outdoors can be for everyone

Dropping temperatures do not discriminate

Thunderstorms do not choose their path based on race, religion or financial standing

That is the doing of the outdoor elitists

The people who turn their nose up at “good enough”

The people who judge outdoor worthiness by the brand stitched onto your chest

Or the athleticism of your figure

Or your knowledge of knots, portage techniques or Leave No Trace principles

The gear I loved before

Knows good enough is enough if it gets people outside

That one fewer digit on the price tag doesn’t negate its effectiveness

That its purpose is not in its form, but in its function

To get people outside

Now I have a Gore-Tex raincoat

And my tent is an expansive dome tent, a palace of nylon

But my hiking boots are still the first I ever purchased

My favourite tripping shirt is from a high school track and field meet, once white but now brown from over 100 nights on trip

I have a Patagonia fleece and, admittedly, it’s excellent

But I also have a second hand fleece from the Salvation Army

And I like that one just as much

Gear companies advertise the latest rain jacket or base layer

With improvements so small only the experts can distinguish

And unknowingly make people who can’t afford it

Feel their own gear is inadequate

Remember many of the best gear companies still bow their heads to shareholders

They want you upgrading your gear for their quarterly earnings

And I’ll admit, my Gore-Tex raincoat is much better than that no-name one from years ago

But if I had waited until I could afford Gore-Tex to get outside, I’d have missed out on some incredible trips

To the gear I loved before

Thank you for protecting me when the harsh rains fell

Thank you for keeping me warm while the strong winds blew

I know more expensive gear could have done it better

Could have kept me a few degrees warmer, or been more packable, had a nicer fit or better pockets

But you rose to the challenge

You’re the one that got me on the trail and in the canoe when I didn’t have any other options

Thank you for getting me outside

Because that’s all that ever mattered

I hope you enjoyed this little poem I wrote about all my good-enough gear. But, this being the internet, I thought I should add a little disclaimer.

High-quality gear does have a purpose and when gear companies release a new-and-improved product, say better merino base layers, they aren’t trying to pull the wool over your eyes (pun intended).

For expert adventurers, better gear can make a huge difference. I just don’t want amateur adventurers feeling a barrier to getting outside is their gear. I also don’t want you to think you can go into the wilderness totally unprepared with inadequate gear. Garbage bags aren’t a substitute for rain jackets; please don’t wear flip-flops on a hiking trail. The wilderness is unforgiving and unkind to the ill-prepared.

Choose adventures that match your skill levels, and choose gear that matches your adventures. Okay, that’s all from me.