I haven’t bought any gear in like three years, other than consumables and clothes that end up making into my wardrobe somehow.
>>1825933You’d benefit from better gear. It would be more comfortable for you and you could hike just as far with less effort (or further with the same amount of effort). It’s not about being strong or being weak, it’s about enjoying your time outside.
I’ve completed the Long Trail, the Pinhoti (well most of it), several hundred miles in GSMNP, sections of the Florida Trail, a few trips around Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens (I travel to Portland for work), a Grand Canyon rim-to-rim hike, and a crap ton of smaller hikes in between with the same 2014 Osprey Exos. It’s got to have a few thousand miles on it, and the only issue was the hip belt pocket zippers getting some corrosion on them which was easily solved.