There is always an elitist level to almost anything. Play an instrument? Pretty sure there's a guy out there who is trotting around with one of Prince's guitars that he bought at an auction. Do you play hoop? I bet there's a guy at your gym with the Barcelona Jordan's, the compression tights and 3 pairs of socks on each foot. I remember after buying my first boat, a 1984 leaky fiberglass OMC for 2500 bucks, I pulled up to the launch and right there was a rich kid plunking down a 20' Duckworth with all the fixins.
I've since saved my pennies and bought a brand new boat, and after a lifetime of buying old used vehicles and fixing them up to get them out on the road and in the dirt, I finally bought my first brand new vehicle and I spared no expense.
I by no means consider myself an elitist in any sense of word, but one might see me as one as I hit the water or the trail in one of my vehicles.
So don't worry about anybody else out there and what gear they are running. In any endeavor there will always be the rich guy, the poser, the social media clown, or maybe someone who saved all of their money, worked really hard and made their dream of owning a sweet ride a reality. It's a waste of time trying to question what's in anyone's heart.
My advice is to not worry about any of it. I used to drive up and down the Sierra mountains in my old Ford focus (259k miles on the clock) with a bunch of water bottles, a sleeping bag and a box of pop tarts. I did the same in an old subaru legacy. I proposed to my wife on an overland trip during the winter solstice in that old subie with my dogs riding in the backseat. Some of my favorite fishing trips were on that old leaky boat. I look back and those were the most fun times of my life. No fancy truck, no fancy gear, no social media.
I'm currently building my new F-150, and I don't need to do much. Out of the factory its just as capable, if not more than my old Sport Trac. Factory Lockers, torque for days and comfy seats. But you won't see me throwing elaborate drawers, racking systems, solar panels or any of that fancy stuff. Just throw it all in totes, toss it in the bed and go! Not that there's anything wrong with those things, I think the gear and tech today is amazing, it's just not for me.
There's an old boater saying that people in boats always wave at people in boats. On the water you will see all walks of life, people in kayaks, people in old leaky boats, bro dude in a wake boarding boat, old fisherman, you name it. We all wave at each other because no matter what you're in, you're just so happy and lucky to be out there enjoying life. Try to take that approach to the trail and you won't have a care in the world.
