Set it straight, don't be that guy

Recently I've seen one argument after another regarding everything from knives and axes to bushpots and shelter halves. I'll say it again, I avoid these measuring contests like a two day dead skunk in July because they are pointless, serve no purpose of any kind, not for the supporter of high end high speed low drag nor anymore so for the minimalist and his Mora.

Get real people.

It doesn't matter.

What you buy has no bearing on who you are, no matter how much some people would like to believe otherwise, and this goes both ways. It is as much true for the guy dropping serious coin as it is for the guy who believes he is better because he isn't dropping serious coin. Get a grip folks, it doesn't matter.

Some folks like GB and others like Wettererlings, still others like Husky and more still no name at all. Does it matter? No. Twice in the past week I've seen reference to folks linking knives to manhood. Are you kidding me? Is this really seriously an actual thought or merely a means to insult someone because they like something you don't? How 'bout it? A little honesty is needed.

What someone chooses to use is their damn business,  it's their prerogative and it belongs to them, not me and not you nor anyone other than that person. It's juvenile to attempt to insult someone else because of their choices and preferences just because they do not align with yours, grow up. More often than not these asinine arguments are beyond childish in nature and lead no where and serve no purpose at all.

Don't be that guy, if you want to share your experiences then by all means do so, that is the point. If you want to demean someone else because their choices don't align with yours, well you've got special problems that require special attention. Put your damn ego away. Mentor, coach, share, inspire, in the end the decision belongs to the individual, to insult because their view isn't yours puts you in a camp of egocentric chairborn commandos with more a word to how rather than any actual real experience.

Some folks decide on a piece of kit for more reasons than just so and so said it was good. Some of them are perhaps tight in the budget and know they'll likely not be able to make multiple purchases of this particular type if gear. So they buy overbuilt or extreme or rugged and can take anything. Maybe it has nothing to do with ego or manhood or overcompensation, just maybe they are trying to ensure longevity in that particular piece of kit?

For a very very long time my finances were tight to say the least. Just about everything went into the family, the house, the bills and so on. I save money for certain things, extensive conversations with my wife about the benefits or attributes of this or that. All of which was completely uninteresting to her, and no harm on her account, some folks just don't share an interest, is what it is. One of the things I clearly remember though was how long will it last? Is it durable? Not because I was "what iff'ing" an apocalypse or because I was "adding excitement of I might die if I don't have this", nope, nothing like that at all. It was nearly entirely centered around not knowing when and if I'd have the money to make another purchase. Instead of buying the cheapest thing I could find, I bought items I know would last many years. Would cheaper alternatives have sufficed? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe what I did buy will find its way into the hands of my sons, complete with many years of stories and adventures.

Just maybe that is worth more than $12.50 and massaging some minimalist's ego.