I fucking hate my choice of hobbies.
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while now you know I love spending time outside doing various outdoor activities on a regular basis. Perhaps I’ve never mentioned this before but these outdoor activities can get rather expensive. To participate in these activities you need very specific gear. What kind of activities you asked? Well, for examples, rock climbing, hiking/scrambling/mountaineering, skiing….
For rock climbing you need to have your own harness, climbing shoes, and a few locking carabiners to get started. That probably would set you back about $100. Not too bad right? Think again. If you don’t want to rely on other people, you’d need a rope which would run you anywhere from $100 to $300. To build your own anchor system so you can climb you need slings & more carabiners, so that’d set you back for about $70 or more. You will eventually learn how to lead, so you’ll need your own quick draws which cost ~$15-20 each and you usually need at least 8 of them. And if you really get into the sport and start doing traditional climbs (build your own protection as you climb), you have to buy nuts, cams, tri-cams, etc. A full set of “protection” can cost you up to $1000 and you usually need more.
For hiking/scrambling/mountaineering, to begin with you obviously need a backpack so you can carry all your crap. This could cost ya anywhere from $80 to $500. Next you’d need clothes, a sleeping bag, a thermalrest, a tent, a pair of durable hiking boots, and probably some hiking poles, this could cost you a few loonies (or for you Americans, a few Benjamins). If you start getting more technical you’d need to buy a helmet, an ice axe, a pair of crampons, some pulley systems, and possibly some half ropes. At $100-$200 a pop on most of these items, needless to say the cost adds up fast!
For skiing, you’d need a pair skis and ski boots to begin with. That will set you back probably around $1000 or more. Hopefully you already have skiing suitable clothing from hiking/scrambling/mountaineering, if not that’d set you back a few more Loons (for you Americans, that’s the animal on the Canadian dollar coin). Then there are the lift tickets if you go to ski resorts (~$40-80 per day) and if you choose to venture out to the backcountry there are all the avalanche safety gear such as transceiver (~$300 at least), probe, shovel, a saw, etc etc.
Wow gee, smart guy, you really should pick a cheaper hobby there, you said…
That’s a good statement, which also begs the question as why I picked up photography as another hobby of mine…
“But photography isn’t all that expensive, I have a P&S camera and it only cost me $300.”
Yes you can take awesome photos with a P&S camera but when you want to get into more creative photography you’ll definitely need a DSLR. It’s as simple as that. That’s like trying to hike with a pair of running shoes. Sure you can do it but it’s probably not the correct tool to use for an extended hike.
Since gotten my DSLR over a year ago I’ve spent a bit of money on this hobby I nicknamed the blackhole. I got a new laptop, a new lens, an external flash, purchased some editing software, signed up for classes, and recently I purchased more RAM so I could run photo editing software more smoothly. Am I done here? Hell no! I need to get a tripod because the $15 el cheapo I had from years ago can no longer hold the weight of the DSLR & flash. Did I mention I need to get an external HD so I could backup my files, and a few new lenses that cover different focal lengths so I could expand my DLSR “eyesight?” By the time I purchased all these I’m pretty certain my laptop and my DSLR body are probably too old and need to be upgraded. Ever wonder why I nicknamed this hobby the blackhole?
Did I mention fucking hate expensive hobbies?
(Ok I’m kidding, without hobbies we’d all just be zombies! Certainly don’t want to be a zombie would you? I love hobbies, but my bank account hates them).
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Talking about photography, it’s time for WWC again. This week’s words were K and Metal.
Metal Ducks (I was playing around with my external flash setup this past weekend)
Metallic Reflection
The Missing Door Knob
The words for next week are T & Not What They Seem.
Very cool. I really liked the ducks and the missing knob. The reflection was inspired. Well done.
I want to be a zombie…
hobbies are expensive
For me Photography:
Camera Body ~$1000
Lens Costs: $75, $2300
Lens I want Costs: $1800, $5000, $6000
Camera body I want: $~2000
I have 2 camera packs, I have a basic, crappy tripod which I would love to replace with something carbon fiber..Oh yea.. you buy a tripod, you still have to buy the ~$300 head for it!! so that’s another $500-600 or so
I recently updated my computer. I need to invest in some sort of NAS device to backup my photos.
And that’s JUST for my photography
There is still Snowboard (gear, season passes, travel etc). Hiking, and various other outdoor activities. My Computer hobby of course.. and all the other things I enjoy doing!
I need more money! heheh
If you truly love your hobby though, the expense is just a temporary roadblock.
Great pictures this week. I love your reflection in the metal and where in the world did you find those ducks?
now you need to protect all your gear…
have you looked into your insurance against theft and inquire if you could replace everything if it were to disappear?
yeah. that is a fun inquiry to do.
golf isn’t cheap either…but it takes a bit longer to have the desire to upgrade clubs and buy new shoes.
Why??? So that you stimulate the economy and so that when you are married you’ve got an excuse to do something else…
Triathlon’s a pretty pricey sport too.. Suits, bikes, wet suits, and running shoes… ARGH!
HAHAHA WOW. This post sings to me Tawcan.
Haha, you know how I feel about expensive hobbies.
Surfing, snowboarding, photography, golf… it never ends! Seriously!
Rock climbing is not something I’m interested in, but it sure sounds like you need a lot of gear for that! I would think your backcountry trips also require a TON of gear.
*sigh*
And it’s not just what you NEED… it’s all about getting the NEWEST stuff, the BEST stuff.
Ugh, I think you and I are going to go broke
It’s the Loon on the Loonie!
Fixed that. Thanks Cheapass.
Enjoy them while you can, for when you’re married and have kids, things will change drastically
I guess you could say that traveling is more my hobby, even though I haven’t done nearly as much as I’d liked to…as I’d rather spend all that gear money on trips. I think we all have our cash sucked in by one thing or another.
I know this post is almost a year old, but I found it because I’ve been wondering the same thing. I went out looking for waterproof pants and everything I could find cost at least 80 USD (North Face, Columbia, LLBean…) for the thinnest pair of pants, and those pants won’t even keep you warm! Most of the similar gear from similar companies costs as much, and it seems overkill. It’s like there is a special tax on being active and having a hobby, a certain “people who enjoy this activity have money to spend, so we can charge them more” philosophy/conspiracy. A wool t-shirt from Timberland goes for 70 USD – a T-SHIRT! Granted, the quality of most of this gear is pretty amazing, but still! Why can I get good-quality PFDs for $30 at a sports store but the same type (but different brand) of a PFD costs $90+ at an outfitter store? Why do whitewater kayaking helmets cost $60+ while skateboarding helmets can be found for $30 (and they seem to be designed to withstand the same impacts).