Stop Overcomplicating the Outdoors, You Don’t Need $800 in Gear to Touch Grass

There’s something weird happening in the outdoor world lately. Somewhere along the trail, between flexing $400 hiking boots and $600 titanium cook sets, we forgot that the whole point of the outdoors… is to get outside.

Seriously—when did walking in the woods start feeling like showing up to a high school reunion unprepared? All of a sudden, there’s this pressure to have a full-on starter pack just to go on a nature walk.

Let’s get one thing straight:
You don’t need to drop your paycheck to enjoy the outdoors!
You don’t need a color-coordinated tech fleece. You don’t need a solar-powered espresso machine. And you sure as heck don’t need to feel judged for not having gear that looks like it was issued by NASA.

I hiked Mt. Timpanogos throughout the night with as low as 40 degree weather in September of 2024 and did it wearing a pair of Columbia hiking boots, cotton cargo pants and long sleeve with a super thin windbreaker and whoa I'm still alive! knowing more about hiking now than when I did that hike I would have put on a moisture wicking shirt as a base layer and had a quarter zip fleece everything else was okay, there was no rain weather forecasted and if there was i would have brought a rain jacket.

The outdoor industry has done a great job at making people think they’re unprepared. And guess what? It’s not a coincidence. If you feel like you’re not “legit” unless your jacket could handle Everest, that’s not your gut talking, it’s marketing.

This kind of overcomplication pushes people away. Some folks don’t even want to go hiking anymore because they feel like they’ll get side-eyed for bringing a backpack from Target instead of a $280+ Osprey ultralight model with sixteen zippers and a water bladder that moonlights as a survival tool.

The outdoor industry didn’t mean to scare people off. Some brands are just trying to push innovation, create lighter gear, more performance… and yeah, higher prices. But somewhere along the way, we forgot to include the newcomers, the casual explorers, the people who just want to get out of town and breathe for a while.

So what’s actually required to enjoy the outdoors?

some outdoor sports/activities can cost more than others because of what they entail. If you plan to go outdoors its always best to research how to be prepared doing that specific activity.

Example: Overlanding can be very expensive because you need a SUV/Truck that needs, Good tires, suspension, recovery.. Etc., but even with that there are still ways you can save.

Let’s break it down with the minimums.

---

The Gear Trap: Why People Get Stuck

We’re not saying gear is bad. Good gear helps better support, comfort, weather protection, safety. But too many brands act like every piece is life or death. Suddenly a $19 hat becomes a $79 “thermal head climate shield.”

That’s marketing. Not necessity.

It leads to decision paralysis. You start thinking:
“Maybe I’m not ready to go out yet… I need more gear.”
So you wait. You feel behind.
And you never go.

For example if you're going on a hike in the Grand Canyon in the summer months, you're going to need moisture wicking apparel, proper water, electrolytes and shoes and socks with breathability because extreme conditions call for that level of preparedness.  However if you're just going on a brisk hike in the mountains that's 3 miles long you can go in your gym apparel or a cotton tee, it's not a death sentence.

As an Industry we need to go back to the routes of sustainable influence, like we preach here the outdoors is not a one size fits all, It's for everyone and not everyone enjoys it the same way.