built to last

I've been getting into caving recently, and like any hobby in comes with a certain amount of initial expense. There are lots of things to consider - packs, helmet, lights, pads and of course some rugged clothing.

Unfortunately, I'm on a limited budget when it comes to new hobbies, because I already have so many that I have spent lots of cash on - some of which I don't end up using very often. For example, I've tried to get back into skateboarding, but find that I don't always have the time or energy. So all of that expensive padding and my custom built board don't get as much use as I would like. I can probably use some of the same pads for caving too, though. That's always a great approach - finding hobbies that can share resources.

One of the things that I didn't have already was a good sturdy backpack to take with me on my underground excursions. I checked out some outdoors outfitter shops and saw some really cool packs made by companies like North Face, but seeing as I don't know the longevity of this new hobby, I just couldn't justify the expense.

So I decided to check out the army surplus shop once again, and ended up ordering myself an olive drab Dutch military web pack that can be worn as a backpack, shoulder bag or strapped to my waist web-style. It may not be very fancy looking and it may not utilize all of the latest and greatest trends in outdoor fashion, but it serves its purpose. It also looks as though it has seen its fair share of military field training so I have a feeling that it will last me for a while - at least until I have decided that caving is a hobby that I want to be involved with for the long haul.