When old is better than new

   In my hobbies, the newest, latest gear is usually much better than stuff even a few years old. Gear made for backpacking for example is lighter and smaller each successive year. Two man tents are consistently less than four pounds. My stove weighs about three ounces.

   New fishing reels hit the market every year. Manufacturers discontinue favorite reels only to bring them back with more ball bearings, a different shape, and usually a higher price tag. The advertising for the new improved model makes a customer feel like their old reel is a piece of crap even if it’s only two years old. New lures come out every year. Some make it in the world of retail and some only last a year or two.

   With all the new technologies, there is no doubt that some things really are new, improved and just better. Companies like EMS, Marmot and Columbia Sportswear are always researching lighter breathable materials. When backpacking the difference of carrying a couple pounds less for ten miles can change an unbearable hike to an enjoyable one. Some of the new fishing lures are extremely lifelike. There is a reason the Sebile Swimmer costs $25, it works. Everyone at the Cape Cod Canal herring run has one tied on or in their bag.

   But what about older gear? Should we feel like we are carrying crap just because it’s older or a little beat up? Of course not! Old used gear has been tested by time. It has been tested by weather, it has been tested by rough teenagers and it has been tested by (let’s face it) abuse.

   My bike is about 12 years old. I love my bike. It is a 21 speed mountain bike. This year I put some money into it. I got the chain greased, bought a new cushioned seat, and bought a handle bar extension so I could ride more upright.  Despite all of this, it looks beat up. She has survived taking corners too fast where she was scraped up as bad as me, but I healed within a week. The bike has been on many journeys in the rain and has some rust spots to prove it. The first week I bought it, I went to Gilbert Hills State Forest. I slid down a hill and scratched it. Literally on its first ride it no longer looked new. I wasn’t upset at all. Who wants a shiny bike that looks like it’s never been ridden. The answer…not me. For crying out loud, it’s a mountain bike not a piece of fine China, it should look a little roughed up.

   I have an old (at least ten years maybe longer) battery operated Coleman lantern. It takes four AA batteries.  When I am on vacation I use the batteries at night in the lantern then I charge them in the car when I get up. I’ll use them in my camera during the day then start the process over again in the evening. The lantern looks old. It has been dropped a few times. It sits in my camping gear box usually with other gear piled on top of it. Sometimes it doesn’t want to come on right away when I put the batteries in. Eventually within a minute of adjusting, it always works. This lantern has been to Yellowstone and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. When I go to New Hampshire for weekend getaways I read Jack London with it by my side. If I ever win Powerball I will buy a bass boat, an ocean boat and a 4 wheel drive truck to pull them. However, that fifteen dollar lantern stays as long as it continues to light up my tent.

   My ice fishing tilts were given to me when I was 12 years old by my dad’s 70 year old friend Jimmy Doyle. They are made of wood and the flag is a red square of cloth. They are at a minimum fifty years old. I did not touch them for twenty five years until I fell in love with ice fishing last year. He gave me about a dozen. I use the four that were in the best condition and easiest to clean up. Even after cleaning they still look old and ratty. The other day I was in Dick’s, ice fishing gear was 25% off so I decided to buy a new tilt. You know what? Ice fishing technology wasn’t changed in fifty years. The flag is held down and pops up the same with my old tilts as the new. Why would I go out and buy all new tilts even at $6 a piece if they do the exact thing.

   Also I feel by using these old tilts I honor the men before me that used them. I will never know the stories of what was caught on them. I won’t know how many fish were caught on their trips near Nash Stream Forest in New Hampshire. But the memories that were made with these tilts even though I will never know them are priceless.

    There is no doubt I buy and own a lot of gear. I have twenty fishing combos. I have lures that will still be in boxes when I die. I have all the essentials for car camping and backpacking.  I didn’t buy this stuff all at once of course but like a handyman with power tools it was picked up a little at a time.  I have a bad habit of over buying fishing gear when it is on sale. Last year Rebel and Bomber saltwater lures went on sale at Walmart for $2.50. I bought bags of them. It was a good price and I figured I’d never have to buy them again. I do the same thing with soft plastics, jig heads and carp hooks.

One thing I do not do is throw something away because it is old. If something like my bike or lantern is in fine working order I would never upgrade. To the contrary those scratches give those items character. They remind me of memories I made with them. If anything I appreciate my old gear that stood the test of time more than my new gear.