Gear. Gear. Gear! You have it, or you don't. The word itself is so subjective - It can be valued at $5 or $5,000, depending on where you shop and what your budget is. Good gear and outdoor adventures seem to go hand in hand nowadays in the outdoor community. I always knew that I wanted to be a part of a community of adventurers. I want to wake up at the crack of dawn to climb to a peak to see the sunrise. I want to romp around in the forest and find a lake to jump into. I want to be surrounded by people who also get excited about seeing how far they can push their bodies, and people who find joy in the simpleness of being outdoors.
Entering the space of the outdoor industry, specifically in an affluent town such as Jackson, Wyoming, has given the words "outdoor industry" so much more nuance. Driving into town, excitement coursed through my body. I couldn't drive five minutes without seeing some type of outdoor outfitters store, each appealing strategically to any want-to-be John Muir or Cheryl Strayed. It also didn't hurt that behind each store towered a white snow-capped mountain that stood as an example of where to use all your gear you bought in town. Finally, I've found a community of adventurers! I thought to myself. With a town this filled with outdoor stores, there must be a community of hardcore wilderness enthusiasts, right?
I started my Wilderness EMT course through NOLS in Jackson, Wyoming. Meeting everyone for the first time was a little intimidating, and a lot inspiring. Everyone was a gleaming version of some niche in the outdoor industry. We had, of course, a solo Appalachian trail thru-hiker with tips on the best ways to purify water in any situation, a seasoned snow patrol dude that talked of the unbeatable high of skiing down a mountain in the dead of night after a long shift, a white-water raft guide with eyes that would sparkle when he talked about his close brushes with death, and a badass female firefighter who would be doing squats at the back of the classroom between every break... because why not. Every person seemed to be the epitome of hardcore, and each a walking resume of impressive feats they'd accomplished in the wilderness. Although everyone was pretty outstanding, even the most seasoned adventurer looked to someone else's past with wonder and want. When I talked about my past adventurers, I felt like an imposter by comparison, yet still they gave me the kind of rapt attention and pressing interest that I gave to them.
An REI opened mid-course, and everyone suddenly became kids in a candy shop. We all flocked to the store, checking out the cozy base layers, newest low-weight backpacking stoves, colorful patterned buffs, organic dehydrated potatoes, and shiny new carabiners. The store was like an all you can eat buffet with everything an outdoors person could ever want or need, yet at prices someone actually trying to make a living in the industry often fools themselves into thinking they can afford. The REI, and the many outdoors stores in Jackson and all over, can either be thought of as simply a place to get your gear, or it could be extremely well marketed brands that know just how to appeal to one's desire to be the next Bear Grylls.
It's not that these stores are evil by any means. They have some great things, things that I myself rely on in my adventures. However the key word here is things. Outdoor stores not only provide helpful gear, but also material objects that people can attach to their self-image as a wilderness explorer - I'm imagining a more rugged Dora.
Most of us subconsciously and consciously craft our image through our material possessions. Just as a hiker may buy a mug with some mountains etched onto it, a skateboarder might wear checkered van shoes, a lawyer may wear a fancy watch, a fitness guru may wear brand name leggings with a matching branded tote bag, and a bookworm may have a t-shirt with their favorite quote on it. It makes sense for people to accumulate possessions that mirror what they like, and also what image they want to convey. It's not wrong to do this, but it's important to keep in mind that brands count on this material expression to market their products extremely effectively. During my EMT course, talk of outdoor gear brands was a major topic - And it makes sense that people want to know what's good. However, it's hard to deny that a major portion of accumulating any name brand object also comes with the status it brings and/or the image it feeds.
Let's consider Grandma Gatewood and her minimal approach to hiking. She was the first female to thruhike the AT, and completed the feat in 1955 at 67 years old. On her hike she wore a simple pair of Keds sneakers, and carried nothing but a blanket, a raincoat, and a plastic sheet inside of a homemade denim bag. This extremely minimalist way of hiking would be seen as absurd if someone today did this, which I don't doubt some still do. Yes, the invention of things like Gore-Tex (waterproofing gear) and lightweight backpacking bags make long hikes so much more bearable. All I'm pointing out is that people can make due with much less. There can be a balance between the extremes over overpacking and under packing. I think it's incredibly interesting to examine past hikers who got by with so little because it's so counterintuitive to how many of us venture out today. The whole concept of being completely decked out in hiking gear seems to be a generally new idea, becoming the norm as huge outfitter stores/brands like REI, Patagonia, North Face, Shiels, and Bass Pro Shops started entering every major city and affluent town. The issue really isn't stemming from the amount of gear people use, more-so what motivates our consumerism.
We live in a world where there are hundreds of brands to choose from if you want to buy a backpack. The fact that there are so many companies trying to market their items is not an inherently bad thing. It is fantastic that people are creating, especially when it comes to making products that are more sustainable for the environment and better quality and usability for the consumer. With that being said, it is important to keep in mind on a personal level one's relationship with what they are consuming, and whether one's consumption is fueled by the urge to craft an image from material possessions. There is nothing wrong with buying a journal to motivate yourself to write more - It is true that what and who you surround yourself with can heavily influence the type of person you become, just by mere correlation. However, in a world where companies profit off of creating a feeling of lacking and desire in the consumer, we must be aware of this and remember to do the work to change our thoughts, ideas, and actions to mirror what we want to be rather than building an arsenal of material props to personally curate our identities.
The outdoor industry appears to be incredibly glamorous when you walk into a store like REI. One's whole outdoor experience is picturesque, and the lure of becoming a better adventurer by buying the newest gear is so temping. I am still going to visit many REIs in my future days, while also keeping in mind my anti-materialism ideas as much as possible to avoid overconsumption in pursuit of an image. With the expert marketing skills of our modern society, it can be so easy to slip back into a consumerism driven mindset - The best we can do is give ourself frequent reminders of who we are when all of our gadgets and gear are gone. In my pursuits working in the outdoor industry and my growing identity of an adventurer as a byproduct, I am going to do my best and try to focus on the nonmaterial such as connecting with other adventurers, finding the simple pleasures of everyday life, and of course - the hike itself.