In addition to making this website more informative the following sub-pages are lists, descriptions, and reviews that I have created to function as a valuable resource for anyone who is interested in the following activities: camping, bicycle touring(credit card, supported, and self sustained), bicycle commuting, and even just travel in general.
I have spent hundreds of hours researching, testing, talking to experts, and shopping for the gear that I am using on this trip. One of the main reasons I have put so much effort into getting the right gear is because I purchased it during a three month stretch of unemployment. Having plenty of free time and limited funds I slogged through an ocean of products, frills, reviews, and forums to find the best value for my money.
Responsible consumerism is extremely important in this day and age. We not only have an obligation to support the honest, hard working small businesses that are now few and far in between, but we have a responsibility to protect our environment. Making wise decisions when we buy things can accomplish this, and sometimes both at the same time!
We all know people with money to burn that go out and buy the latest and greatest to be fashionable or hip. Then there are the friends who love to boast about how little they spent on their janky piece of shit they bought at the Good Will like they want feel smarter than you for having spent less. I have had plenty of experience with both of these types of people and have walked in both pairs of shoes(without the boasting of course:). Frugality is important, but taken too far it can be dangerous to your health and more commonly the environment, and creates a niche in the market place for shit products and waste resources. Buying the most popular this or that can be economically damaging to the honest hardworking folks, and again fills the barons of industries’ already overstuffed wallets.
Athough I have worked hard to create this comprehensive list of equipment and reviews based on my experiences and research it should not be used as substitute for your own personal research, but merely an asset to it. Your needs will invariably differ from my own. I’d say the most important thing all this has taught me is that there is no one right product out there(in most all cases). In part this is because in a competitive market place with high demand companies have to be able to compete with each other to survive. Also adding to the fray is the variance of individual needs and tastes. This creates a surplus of products of varying quality out there and makes shopping for the right product difficult and time consuming.
The outdoor adventuring market is like a lot of other ones out there today. There are some quality products that are over priced due to the name they have stamped on them, there are quality products that are made by smaller honest companies that give you a deal by limiting their profit margin, and then there are the cheap garbage products that seem like a good deal but end up ripping you off in the long run.
The positive side of all of this market saturation is that it makes it more probably that there is a product out there that will specifically meet your needs. The trick then is being able to filter through all the frills and bullshit.
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