TIL my old canvas tent from 2015 is basically a museum piece now

I was cleaning out my garage last week and found my old 4-person canvas tent from a trip to the Smokies in 2015. It's heavy, smells like mildew, and the poles are that old, stiff fiberglass. I took it on a quick overnight trip last month just for old times' sake, and man, the difference is crazy. My buddy brought his new single-wall trekking pole tent that weighs like 2 pounds and sets up in 5 minutes. I was still wrestling with the rain fly and steel stakes. It got me thinking, three years ago I would have said that tent was solid gear. Now it feels like camping with a brick. Anyone else have an old piece of gear they still use even though it's totally outdated?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_richard1d ago

Remember that old gear forces you to slow down and actually camp. Your buddy's tent is for moving fast, but wrestling with that canvas means you're stuck in one place, noticing things. Isn't that the whole point we keep forgetting? We traded the experience for convenience and called it an upgrade. That mildew smell is a time machine, not a flaw.

stella3071d ago

Read a blog post last week about how heavy canvas tents change your breathing patterns. The writer said you take deeper breaths inside them because the air feels thicker and moves slower. Makes you sit still and actually listen to the rain instead of just waiting for it to stop. Ever notice that?