I really want a tent with a stove. But by not buying one, I can afford a caribou hunt in the Brooks Range. Luckily, my buddy who owns a tent with a stove is bringing his. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)

I Went to the Woods: Wants vs. needs

I started to see the value of the middle ground.

By Jeff Lund

My wife Abby is not a practicing minimalist. That is, she doesn’t really care about titles.

When we met, she just simply didn’t feel like she needed a lot of stuff. Of all the things that attracted me to her, that was one of the big ones. She seemed to stand not on products or quotes or the projection of who she wanted to be. She was confident enough to just be herself. She did what she liked to do, which happened to be a ton of stuff outside, and she had just enough gear to make it happen.

However, when we first started dating, she didn’t hunt and wasn’t as deep into fishing as I was. So I figured it was my duty to educate her on the need to be prepared. For anything. I called myself “prepared” which was a euphemism for I had a ton of stuff I didn’t need and validated the mess by saying I was prepared when the truth was I didn’t want to tell myself no.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

There is certainly something to say for having comfortable, functional gear which will make the experience better. Layering cheap clothing makes for bulky, awkward fits and can be potentially dangerous when the weather turns.

Conversely, sleeping under a tarp with just a Walmart sleeping bag and hooded sweatshirt so that you can post on social media what a minimalist you are is stupid on multiple levels.

But I started to see the value of the middle ground. I have had the same clothing system for hunting going on six seasons now. It works. So why buy something else? I’ve added and replaced here and there, but I started calculating expenditures in terms of tickets. I could buy a jacket I don’t really need, but sure would like, for $749, or I could buy roundtrip airfare to Fairbanks to hunt caribou with a buddy.

Recalling the days I could rarely tell myself no, even when I used fake, credit card money, made me sick. Not that I have a bunch of $749 jackets around, but small things add up. I mastered convincing myself more smaller things was different than one big thing. Add on top of that eating out because I was too lazy to plan and eat at home, and I’ve bought stuff I don’t need and single-serving meals for the price of experiences.

How much time have I wasted because I valued a product over an experience?

I’m still tempted by shiny new things, but for the most part I only replace gear that has failed. In some cases, I find I don’t even really need a replacement.

What makes me feel good is not that I can use #minimalism on social media, or that I feel superior because I don’t buy new camo every year. What makes me happy is that restraint has paid for another caribou hunting trip. This time when it’s not -30 degrees.

It’s easy to say that a trip is better than a jacket, but how often do we still buy the jacket, and in doing so, decorate our closet rather than feed our lives?

As consumers, we fund a multi-million (billion?) dollar industry that preys on our inability to say no to crap we don’t need because someone who got it for free says it’s a “game-changer.”

Stop it.

Minimalism isn’t about cutting your toothbrush in half to save ounces three times a year when you get into the backcountry. Minimalism is the year-round practice of valuing what you have, and using it.

• Jeff Lund is a freelance writer based in Ketchikan. His book, “A Miserable Paradise: Life in Southeast Alaska,” is available in local bookstores and at Amazon.com. “I Went to the Woods” appears twice per month in the Sports & Outdoors section of the Juneau Empire.

More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast through the week of Feb. 15

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

Elon Musk on stage with a chainsaw gifted to him by President Javier Milei of Argentina, left, during the 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Resort and Conference Center in National Harbor, Md., on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (Eric Lee/The New York Times)
Musk to all federal workers: Explain accomplishments during past week by Monday or lose your job

Some agency leaders tell employees to hold off on responding as further guidance is sought.

Jude Humphrey, a Student Conservation Association intern for the U.S. Forest Service, reads a story about snowflakes to kids during a Mendenhall Minis event at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center on Saturday morning. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Firing on: Remaining Forest Service staff fill in to keep Mendenhall Glacier activities flowing

As visitor center continues lectures and kids’ events, fired employees get a show of community support.

The University of Alaska Southeast class of 2024 receives their degrees during a commencement ceremony Sunday, May 5, 2024, at the UAS Recreation Center. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
University of Alaska removing DEI references from all print and online materials

UAS chancellor says deletions are to comply with Board of Regents’ directive issued Friday afternoon.

A bike is parked outside the main entrance of Bartlett Regional Hospital on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
About 100,000 Alaskans could lose health insurance under GOP plan backed by Trump, hospital officials say

Cut affecting Medicaid could also be costly to state and other policyholders, letter to delegation asserts.

Tetyana Robbins, executive director of Project Alaska, embraces Deepika Ramesh Perumal, executive director of the Alaska Literacy Project, after a House Judiciary Committee meeting at the Alaska State Capitol Building on Feb. 19, 2025. The presentation to the Alaska Legislature was one of many in Juneau this week by immigration leaders in the state. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Immigrants and refugees in Alaska feel uncertainty under Trump administration

Policy changes spur preparation outreach from immigration advocates.

U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III, R-Alaska, address the Greater Juneau Chamber of Commerce on Thursday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Begich supports Trump’s federal cutbacks, but ‘I recognize the process won’t be perfect’

Congressman says cutting most Mendenhall Glacier staff may have been hasty; also wants faster flood fix.

Police calls for Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Most Read