The last straw will be $99 to "Beartooth Mountain Press".

Maybe I can buy a couple discount coffee table books at the mall and pretend that I paid full price.

Holiday shopping after talking about "Let's not go crazy this year":
BD Mega Light
12 yards silnylon for Mega floor & stuff.
3 Headlamps for wife & kids
2 Pair snowshoes for wife & daughter
Icebreaker shirt for me.
SMD Starlight pack for wife.
Golite Jam pack for daughter.
REI Sub-Kilo sleeping bag for daughter
Neos overshoes for me
Mini-axe for me
10 yards Polartec fabric to make kid gear.
Patagonia 1 jacket for wife
Patagonia down sweater vest for wife
Marmot hooded windshirt for wife
Ground fleece vest for me.

So much other stuff I can't even remember.

I probably paid an average of less than half of list for all this stuff, but still it's a giant hole in the budget.

My only defense will be that my wife hates campground camping but likes backpacking. In the 6 years since my son was born we've spent over 250 days at campgrounds but ony two short backpack trips. Hopefully we can balance that ratio better in the near future.

Last summer at the end of our trip she finally agreed that lightweight gear would be nice. Her new pack and jackets will cut 7 pounds from her base weight. The new tent will cut about 3 pounds from our family base, daughter's new pack and sleeping bag will cut 2 pounds.

How about you? What excesses will you fess up to?

EDIT- add in headlamps for wife & kids, fleece fabric to make baselayers...

Edited by jimqpublic on 12/21/2009 08:17:35 MST.

I've bought Nada....so far.

I've been debating for a while if it is possible to hide $99 for BPL...

Paying alimony to save a bit on magazine subscription -- smart move, eh? :)

Make her project before she sees that bill!

This month has been PAINFUL to my pocket book.

I've bought a dirt road expedition touring bike. Each part chosen, and will be built in the next few weeks by myself. Hot dang, that stuff is expensive! I'm at the point where I just have to close my eyes and not think about the cost of each item. I've also bought each and every accessory that I'll need for touring in the third world. All told, it's been at least two dozen separate purchases.

I've bought 9 pairs of smartwool socks and a smartwool hat. They're for the CDT.

I've bought a new pack, an Osprey Exos 58.

I've bought a SPOT 2.

I've bought an Arcteryx waterproof Anorak.

I've bought a new pair of trail runners.

I've bought a nice high visibility walking jacket for a present.

I still have to buy a new GPS and endless other stuff for the CDT. But I'm going to try to not replace any more gear, just get maps and books and the like.

I was pretty good until the last 6 months...

two Jam 2s - one for me and one for my son
Tarptent Contrail - great deal on BPL
Montbell SS #2 - my son get's my old bag - insn't that saving money?!
6 pairs of Smartwool socks

Well, seeing how most of those purchases were for her and the kids, shouldn't be too much of a problem. Now what you should have done was just discuss the equipment... not the purchase. If you could have made it HER idea, you would have unlimited permission, up to your credit limit :)

Edited by ngatel on 12/20/2009 17:08:29 MST.

Let's see, I forget sometimes, but what I can recall:

Duomid-(used, from a BPLer)
RAB vapor rise pants-(used, from a BPLer)
Montbell down UL inner jacket-(used, from a BPLer)
Montbell Thermawrap parka, jacket, pants-(used, from a BPLer or two)
Patagonia Micropuff jacket hooded-(used, from a BPLer)
Spinntex Trailstar-(used, from a BPLer)
Inov-8 Roclite 288 GTX boots
some Icebreaker stuff (200 beanie, socks, liners-both glove and sock)
Mtn. Hardwear Epic gloves
MLD Soul bivy side zip-eVent top/sil bottom (on sale)
MLD Soul bivy side zip-regular top/70d bottom (on sale)
MLD eVent rain mitts/850 ml Ti pot (on sale)
End Footwear 10 oz trail runners

And a few other odds and ends, knicks and knacks. And I'm not married, so it's all for me!

Just stared my UL journey/spending habit with a:

gatewood cape
jam2
golite ultra 20

definitly doesnt seem to be an uncommon start.
i need a montbell thermawrap parka now right?

Jim, that is a pretty good list, pretty balanced IMO! You have some DIY materials thrown in there (hey that's economical!) and a good amount of gear setting up your family for years of fun hopefully. I think the return on your holiday investments will outweigh the current blow to your budget in the very near future. When you all three are lightweight backpacking in the Sierras in June, your holiday spending spree will be but dust in the wind.

I've managed to chill out on the backpacking purchases this season, but a few of my relatives are getting some nice goodies.

In my case, I'm the wife and I'm the gear head.
We both quit smoking about 15 years ago and we put the money that we would have spent killing ourselves into our own accounts. I spend mine on gear (which he shares) and he spends his on some of his own hobbies (which I don't share). Why should he buy gear? I buy plenty for both of us!

I've acquired 3 more tents, 1 more stove, and various lightweight accessories (carabiners, fuel bottles) in the last month.

If I were younger, and in better health, I'd pop for the lifetime membership, too. ;-)

What tents?

I got a BA Seedhouse SL2, an SMD Gatewood Cape with Serenity Net, and a TT sublite Sil.

What fun!

"I got a BA Seedhouse SL2, an SMD Gatewood Cape with Serenity Net, and a TT sublite Sil."

Holy.....!

Yeah, it's a habit that has gripped me hard, BUT I am having so much fun trying them all out! I am doing the PCT (section-hiking) with some female friends and relatives and I will (evidently) be providing all the tents. No one wants to share so I'm buying solo tents lately. I have done all but the Washington section (go figure--I'm born and raised in WA) so I am really stoked to get it done!
Just to put it out there to you younger hikers who figure that you have all the time in the world.........
It catches up with you eventually. I have over 5,000 bag nights but I still have things left undone that I always thought I'd have time for. Well, I'm 57 and who knows how many hiking days my knees have left.
I'll just keep hiking until I can't...............

5,000 nights! That's a TON!! Awesome : D

5,000 nights is 13.7 years. If you are 57, 24% of your life you have been in a bag.

I am not, and never will be worthy. My hat is off to you.

"Just to put it out there to you younger hikers who figure that you have all the time in the world.........

+100