Paralysis by Analysis

There’s a point in every gear search where research stops being useful and starts feeling like a modern version of Sisyphus. Instead of rolling a boulder uphill, you’re rolling through yet another “Top 10 Clickbait” site, and then another one, each promising the answer, each offering even more dubious advice than the last.

You know the routine: fifteen tabs open, each with a slightly different tent, stove, or trail runner, and you’ve convinced yourself that, if you just dig a little deeper, the perfect piece of gear will rise from the digital abyss like the Holy Grail.

Instead, you end up in full paralysis-by-analysis mode: scrolling through reviews at 1 a.m., comparing specs like a NASA engineer, watching one more YouTube video, checking a “famous” hiker’s LighterPack, reading a sponsored review disguised as gospel, and somehow, you’re no closer to getting off the pot.

Meanwhile, the mountains are calling, and you’re still wondering if you’re ready to go.

Here’s the dirty little secret: there is no perfect gear. The internet makes it feel like one wrong purchase will ruin your trip, but the truth is you’ll make it work.

So my advice?

Do some research, but read some resources that give you the solid basics first. (Shameless plug: My book is not a bad place to start.)

Want to go lighter? Mike Clelland’s classic is still the gold standard with no fluff and a lot of distilled trail wisdom presented engagingly..

As for specific pieces of gear?

I find it easier to get started with the Halfway Anywhere survey for the PCT (Western) or The Trek’s Appalachian Trail survey (Eastern), as the surveys show gear that’s not the bleeding edge of ultralight, and the thru-hikers on these trails have outdoor skills within the realm of most outdoor users, even when starting out. As you get more experience and know your style, you can tweak even more. Your old gear can help others, get resold, or be repurposed for trips that need different gear.

From there, ask about a specific piece of gear at outdoors stores, forums such as those found on Reddit, or even trusted outdoor friends.

But don’t get bogged down too much.

Please give yourself a deadline, buy something good enough, and go use it. You’ll learn more about what works for you in one weekend on the trail than in a month of forum debates.

My first mistake-prone trips weren’t PERFECT, but nearly thirty years later, I don’t quite remember the tent, shoes, or pad I used.

A photo from my first solo trip back in 1996. Probably with a KMart special external frame pack. I remember this sunset more, too.

But I do remember that Franconia Ridge sunset, the sound of the wind through the krumholz, and the joy of being in a wild place that lives wth me to this day.

The enemy of good enough is perfect. 

In other words, don’t let getting the “perfect” piece of gear stop you from backpacking.

Research, ask follow-up questions, commit, pack a bag, and go!

Or, simply put:

Better to walk with “good enough” gear than to sit at home with “perfect” gear still in your online cart.

Edit – Looks like I posted something similar nine years ago as well. Ha! Guess it needs repeating?