Ultralight Bigotry

[wwcdtwins09]

I feel sorry for our children's generation that we are raising a society of political correctness. You know the one where everyone gets a metal and no one's feeling are hurt (I call it the pussification of America). And then we set them loose in society and they think everyone owes them something. Guess what? Life's not fair. Get over it and be truthful. I laugh at the ultralight people here but it's because I feel differently about how I camp. I'm called a car camper for a reason and it doesn't bother me in the least. There are others like you that worry about weight...cool for you. That's awesome. But posting about it like its the only way to camp is as silly as those that constantly ride the jock of the cottage vendors as if they are doing something extraordinary. They make great products but so do the commercial vendors. Yet anytime there's a sniff of ENO talk here, it's followed by "heavy" or some other derogatory term. Like I care what the ultralight world cares about how heavy the ENO gear is when I drive to camp. So can we please stop whining? Or at least let's have some productive debates.

[apsilon]

I'm with those that don't think they're terms that are meant to be derogatory. Sure you could intend them that way but I don't assume that's the case. I lighten my gear every chance I get and wouldn't be offended by being called a gram weenie or whatever unless the intent was to offend and even then, I really couldn't care less about some random person I'll never meet on the internet trying to offend me, they won't.

On the topic of people, ultralighters or not, going unprepared intentionally, it's never happened to me mostly because I go solo but it's not my concern if someone has to go without because they didn't carry their own. I generally only carry enough for myself so if someone were to ask to borrow/share something then they'd be declined unless it were truly life threatening. I do agree that assuming a gram weenie is automatically unprepared is also a mistake. As we all know that's an experience thing and/or a conscious decision and isn't related to favouring a light pack.

You have raised a point that perhaps needs attention. Perhaps a term is required for those that refuse to reduce gear weight and prefer to carry heavy loads. Perhaps we can come up with some suggestions? Pound Packer comes to mind.

[Carrico]

These dang micro aggressions are getting hard to handle. I thought hammock forums was a safe space?
Now, we're are my rubber boots at.... you do know what bigotry means right?

[goobie]

I feel sorry for our children's generation that we are raising a society of political correctness. You know the one where everyone gets a metal and no one's feeling are hurt (I call it the pussification of America). And then we set them loose in society and they think everyone owes them something. Guess what? Life's not fair. Get over it and be truthful. I laugh at the ultralight people here but it's because I feel differently about how I camp. I'm called a car camper for a reason and it doesn't bother me in the least. There are others like you that worry about weight...cool for you. That's awesome. But posting about it like its the only way to camp is as silly as those that constantly ride the jock of the cottage vendors as if they are doing something extraordinary. They make great products but so do the commercial vendors. Yet anytime there's a sniff of ENO talk here, it's followed by "heavy" or some other derogatory term. Like I care what the ultralight world cares about how heavy the ENO gear is when I drive to camp. So can we please stop whining? Or at least let's have some productive debates.

I couldn't agree more (except for that eno stuff)!!!

Sounds to me like the OP might be "the pot calling the kettle black" so to speak.

[TallPaul]

I'd be happy if OutandBack called me a gram weenie. Who knows, maybe if he invited me to a hang he'd change his mind about us weight liberated folks . I just hope he cooks me some peach cobbler on that Dutch oven while we sit around the fire he's made with that fancy saw. Oh and don't forget the marshmallows O&B!

[oldfatguy]

First of all, I agree with Shug's response. Follow Shug....Shug is the master...Shug is wise...

I have encountered "weenies" of some sort or another is just about every hobby in which I participate: running weenies, biking weenies, geocaching weenies, computer weenies, knife weeneies and so on. To me, there always seems to be a certain group that is so focused on doing whatever it is "better" that they take it to a bit of an extreme. I have learned to just laugh it off, maybe pick up a tidbit of info here and there that I can use and let them do what it is that they think they are doing. Personally, I don't try to take anything to an extreme, (I don't cut my toothbrush in half to save weight...) because for me, taking a broader view of things seems to work better than a tightly focused approach. But then again, extreme is a relative term. Everything in moderation....even moderation.

[wwcdtwins09]

I couldn't agree more (except for that eno stuff)!!!

Sounds to me like the OP might be "the pot calling the kettle black" so to speak.

Touche...I guess my point is that I could care less if there are nicknames like "Pound Packers" for those of us who could care less about weight. Just like I don't care that every time ENO/Kammock is brought up someone says the gear is too short, too heavy, blah, blah, blah. It's only that way for them which is what I wish they would just say. My fear though is that too many newbies or "Noobs" as we like to call them (hope that doesn't offend) toss aside perfectly good gear or make unnecessary changes because of what they read here. I'm all for anyone telling me that their experiences with a particular brand have not been ideal. That's what makes us feel good about a buying decision. But just to randomly spew out garbage because of a bias is unfortunate. And it leads to people here thinking there's only one way to do this hammock camping thing...and everyone has their own preferences whether it's to pack ultralight, pack heavy, whoopies, daisy chains, whatever. That's the way it should be. I've gone to the BWCA and still packed heavy...why? Because I wanted to be comfortable and would rather pack in extra then be stuck in the muck miserable when/if weather rolls in. Does that mean I would tell someone to pack heavy? No...because it's only the way I like to pack. ****...I got sidetracked again. Anyway....

Lets at least stop worrying about feelings here...if I wanted that, I'd get out the old turntable and throw on Mom and Dads Carpenter Vinyl's.

[Otter1]

Ya know, O&B specifically mentioned a specific group of folks that caused him to make the choices he made.

We all get offended sometimes. Hard to find a better group than this one, IMO, even with our imperfections.

[Campdavid]

wwcdtwins09 for the win! I like the way you think. Excellent post.


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[Red Wing]

Just like I don't care that every time ENO/Kammock is brought up someone says the gear is too short, too heavy, blah, blah, blah. It's only that way for them which is what I wish they would just say. My fear though is that too many newbies or "Noobs" as we like to call them (hope that doesn't offend) toss aside perfectly good gear or make unnecessary changes because of what they read here

Completely agree there.

Its hard to gauge people when reading, sometimed it sounds different because of the way things are phrased. Nature of the beast. Sometimes youre just javing one of those days. Human beings and all. But as a general rule, id rather handle anything to do specifically with another person with that person first. Ive been guilty of it myself and im sure others as well, sometimes that person didnt mean it at all the way you took it.

But doing these things privately, on top of being a classier way to conduct your rhetorical self, usually makes people feel less defensive and more geared towards actual communication and resolution even if its agree to disagree.

Grandstanding is rarely benefitial.

Mano a mano.