[fastfredracing]

Spent last weekend canoeing , and hiking with my boy. End of summer ritual for us .
We had an awesome time. Total cost for a day on the river was $39.00 for canoe rental, and maybe $15.00 for ice, water, some fruit, and drinks for the day.
What amazed me was the amount of people in new kayaks, decked out with wet suits, camelbacks, water shoes, team jerseys , and Subaru's with racks to hold their kayaks.
Got the same vibe on our hike. My son and I , in comfy shorts, t shirts, and regular work type/hiker boots.
Half the hikers on the trail, looked like an advertisement for the LL bean catalog.
We ride bikes also. Not hardcore, but enjoy a trip around the block on the weekends. Used to mountain bike a lot. Cargo shorts, t shirts, and tennis shoes are just fine . ( I had clip ins when I mountain biked ) Most everybody else, other than children are on $2500.00 bikes, and full race team gear , and so freakin serious, like it is the tour de france .
Im not really making fun of it, just something I notice whenever we are out.
None of those kayak guys looked like they were high level athletes, nor , were they were not setting a pace any faster than us, and I would argue that we enjoyed our experience every bit as much, or even more than they did.
I get it, I like cool stuff also, and if you really get into an activity, and take it next level, good gear makes sense. I am doubting most people fall into this category.
I started to feel like I was inferior to these people at one point, then I had to remind myself, that I was just trying to enjoy a weekend in the woods, and it is not a competition .
Seems to raise the entry price into nearly every outdoor activity there is .
I'm still camping in a tent that I bought at Wal mart 15 years ago. Works just fine. Im also not setting up base camp on everest.