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Rant: A guy at the REI in Denver told me my old sleeping bag was 'dangerous' to use
He said my 15-year-old down bag had lost too much loft and I'd freeze, but I've used it comfortably down to 30 degrees in the Rockies for a decade. Has anyone else had a store employee overreact to well-loved gear?
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troyh557mo ago
Ever notice how gear that's actually been used gets judged by people who haven't? Like @skyler800 said, that jacket is part of your skin. My old pack's straps are frayed and the color's faded, but it fits my back perfectly. Some kid in a store sees that and thinks it's trash, but it's just molded to me. That's way better than some stiff new thing off the shelf.
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skyler8007mo ago
Got a similar lecture about my old rain jacket last year, the guy acted like it was gonna dissolve in a light drizzle. Meanwhile I've stayed dry through three Pacific Northwest winters with it. Some employees just see worn gear and assume it's dead, but they don't get that broken-in stuff has already proven itself. My jacket is basically part of my skin at this point, lol. Unless the down is literally falling out in clumps, your bag probably knows the mountains better than that clerk does.
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willow_reed7mo ago
Oh man, that's so true. I used to be the person who'd replace gear the second it looked a bit rough. Reading this makes me realize worn-out gear isn't broken, it's just broken in. That jacket is clearly still doing its job.
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