Re: [Paddlewise] [PaddleWise] The High Cost of Kayaking

I did a lot of backpacking in the 1960's and early 1970's. With a pack and
boots and a down sleeping bag and then later a Svea stove (and later a few
other stoves) and a few tents. I suppose walking or running might have been
cheaper but gas to get to and from the trailhead was likely my biggest expense
from backpacking. Macaroni and cheese, or a grocery store rice dish was a lot
cheaper than freeze dried food too.



I became a river kayaker in 1975 or 1976 for $50 (for used kayak, paddle, pfd,
and hockey helmet). Next I got a used wetsuit top and cut of (worn out knees)
wetsuit bottoms from a dive shop for $15. Later I spent $25 more for a farmer
johns wetsuit on sale new. Since the wesuit top interfered with my paddling
motions I'd usually shed it and just use the farmer johns once I warmed up
enough that my hands weren't freezing even though I'd often paddle in the
Pacific NW's mild winters too. After a year or two (1977) I bought a super
tough Kevlar WW kayak new (an Outrage II that I still have) for $425. I bought
several other old WW kayaks at the annual WA Kayak Club Boat Bazar for around
$50 each. At one time I had six in my basement. With that fleet I could take
out several friends or fellow workers and show them the joys of kayaking. Many
years later I bought my last WW kayak at a closeout sale. A new Perception
Dancer XT for under $300. Let's see, there was an Iliad paddle in there too,
probably around $60 new (but cheaper because it was left feathered--but also
what I wanted) . Other than the price of driving to and from the local rivers
and $15 a year in WKC dues that was pretty much all my expenses for many years
of enjoying WW kayaking.



I've probably downhill skied more for less money per ski trip than anyone in
America (at least anyone who wasn't employed in the field, skied for free, and
was also nearly as cheap as me). This includes breaking something over 25 pair
of skis in my 60 plus years of skiing and having owned at least 75 pair of
skis in my life. The vast majority I paid less than $10 for including bindings
at thrift stores or garage sales. I have about 25 pair of shaped skis at
present. All but two pair I bought for less than $25.01.  Most for $10 or
less. (Unlike sea kayaks, skis depreciate incredibly fast). I try out all the
new skis I could potentially be interested in, during free demo days, but
don't buy any at the time. I do know which ones I might be willing to pay a
few hundred dollars for though if, I later run across a used pair. Most of the
time the new demos aren't as nice as the $10 skis that are the favorites in my
used collection though. Because I break skis with some regularity I need to
have my next favorites purchased and picked out in advance. My imitation
Goretex ski suit cost me $15 at a thrift store (I have a few real Goretex
suits from thrift stores too but they won't fit over the thrift store hockey
hip and shoulder pads I now wear skiing). Recently a guy in the ticket line
told me he once had the exact same suit. I asked what it had cost new. He said
$300. While I ski when and where I can keep my lift ticket costs reasonably
cheap lift tickets are still probably my biggest expense from skiing. Gas to
get there is most likely the next biggest expense. In the 1970's I skied at
many ski areas in WA, OR, CA, ID, MT, & UT but I drove there in my VW bus and
always slept in it rather than paying for lodging, many times in the ski area
parking lot. I used a neoprene ski suit I got for free (for being used on the
cover of my Freestyle Skiing book's, second edition) back in the mid-1970's
for 29 years until I cut a big gash in it with my ski edge (and also in my
knee). It was getting a little breezy at the crotch though so I'd probably
been replacing it in a few years anyhow (and already had a replacement suit
from a thrift store waiting). I love the concept of "fashion" because it means
that lots of good, but no longer the latest in fashion, items are on the
market at a tiny fraction of their original fashionable price.



I bought my first "sea kayak" at the WKC boat bazar in the late 1970's from
the Werner Furrer family for $150 and became a sea kayaker. My brother and I
put $2500 into the next sea kayak but got a mold out of that process as well
so that was more an investment that became a business that many years later
paid for our retirement. If someone gets a good price on a used sea kayak the
odds are that they will be able to sell it for as much or more than they paid
for it originally after enjoying it for many years. Even with a new kayaks the
value of the dollar seems to have fallen faster than that of a sea kayak (over
periods of ten years or longer anyhow). Most of our customers who later sold,
got more for their kayak than they paid new (in "dollar" terms anyhow). If you
live near good paddling like I do, gas isn't so bad as with skiing or hiking
and once you have your equipment there are few other expenses (launch,
parking, or ferry fees) that you can't avoid with a little effort and
planning.



If I need something these days I often put my trust in what I call The Thrift
Store & Garage Sale Gods, visit some thrift stores or garage sales and keep an
eye out for it. Much of the time it just magically appears. I use the library
for those must read real soon books (I just finished The Big Short). I do like
to own the good books I've read but often can pick up the ones I read from the
library a few years later from a Thrift store for a couple of bucks. Most of
the many books, records, tapes, and CD's I have came from garage sales or
thrift stores.



The top of the line Mt. Bike I bought on sale in 1987 for $675 still works
fine but I did make a few changes to it later that cost a few hundred more
(Rock Shox and handle bars) and later I bought a used titanium frame mt. bike
for around $1200 but didn't really need to since that first bike still works
very well (and seems to hold up a lot better to hard use than my skis).



I've been a photographer since buying my first backpacking size slide camera
at a pawn shop in 1965 for $45. I've got a few other newer small slide cameras
and lenses at pawn shops later. Film costs kept me from going really crazy
with photography, but now with digital cameras I can go really crazy. I've
taken over 60,000 digital images so far. Nearly 30,000 so far with a $300 6X
compact Canon camera I take with me nearly everywhere I go. If I had the
latest top of the line digital camera it would be too big to carry all the
time and I'd constantly have to worry about it getting ripped off when
travelling. I might get a few marginally sharper photos as a result of a
little better lens and higher pixel count, etc., but would have a whole lot
less pictures to choose from.
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