THE GEAR PHILOSOPHY
THE GEAR PHILOSOPHY
Why the Tools You Choose Shape the Life You Live
I didn’t grow up with fancy gear.
I grew up wanting it — studying catalogs, dreaming about the things I couldn’t afford, circling items with a pen like I was planning my own future survival kit.
Back then, gear wasn’t something you bought.
Gear was something you earned.
If I wanted a pair of roller skates, I worked for them.
If I wanted a knife, I earned it.
If I wanted a fishing rod, I figured out how to pay for it.
If I wanted a tool, I saved for it.
If I wanted a motorcycle, I built my way up to it — literally.
And somewhere along that path, a belief started forming inside me.
Not a rule.
Not a motto.
Not a slogan.
A belief.
A single idea that slowly shaped the way I view gear, survival, minimalism, and life itself:
“Have less — but have the best of what you keep.”
Gear, to me, isn’t about collecting.
It’s not about buying.
It’s not about impressing others.
It’s not about having every toy on the market.
Gear, to me, is about capability.
It’s about having exactly what you need —
not more, not less —
so you can live better, move smarter, and survive longer.
And it’s taken me decades, hundreds of mistakes, thousands of dollars, and some real off-grid experience to fully understand what that means.
THE TRUTH ABOUT GEAR: IT’S NOT ABOUT STUFF — IT’S ABOUT FREEDOM
Most people buy gear backwards.
They buy things to feel prepared.
They buy things to feel secure.
They buy things because someone online said they needed them.
They buy things because society tells them to stock up.
But here’s the truth I learned in the mountains of Colorado, alone with nothing but my truck, my dog, my wits, and whatever gear I had thrown into the back seat:
Gear doesn’t give you freedom.
The right gear gives you freedom.
The wrong gear weighs you down.
The wrong gear complicates your life.
The wrong gear makes you dependent.
The wrong gear convinces you you’re prepared when you’re actually not.
Good gear does the opposite.
Good gear:
makes life easier
buys you time
expands your capability
strengthens your confidence
reduces your stress
keeps you alive
helps you thrive
Good gear is an extension of your hands, your mind, your instincts.
It’s not clutter.
It’s not baggage.
It’s not “more stuff.”
It’s simply the right stuff.
THE FOUR RULES OF UNENCUMBERED GEAR
I learned these not from books, not from YouTube, not from bushcraft experts…
but from my own mistakes — from bad gear, broken gear, cheap gear, and gear that failed when I needed it.
These are my rules:
1. You must be able to utilize it.
If you don’t know how to use it, it’s dead weight.
Knowledge weighs nothing.
Skill is the real tool.
2. You must be able to afford it.
Debt is the enemy of freedom.
If you owe on it, you don’t own it.
Period.
3. You must be able to contain it.
Gear should fit your life, not overflow it.
If it takes up too much space, it becomes a burden.
4. You must be able to maintain it.
If you can’t keep it working — it’s useless.
Simple gear shines here.
Complex gear disguises its fragility.
These four rules guide everything.
They guided my EDC.
They guided my run bag.
They guided my survival loadout.
They guided my truck and trailer setup.
They guided every piece of fishing gear, hunting gear, cooking gear, and camping gear I own.
They allowed me to thrive with less — and live more with what I had.
THE MOMENT I REALIZED GEAR IS NOT A HOBBY — IT’S SURVIVAL
When everything in my life collapsed — the shop, the home, the relationship, the “American Dream” I built — I lost everything except the essentials.
And when you’re left with only the essentials…
you start to see what truly matters.
You start to understand the difference between:
things you want
things society tells you to want
and things that actually keep you alive
Gear became something different then.
Not toys.
Not gadgets.
Not collections.
It became a form of self-respect.
It became a commitment to living better.
Smarter.
Cleaner.
Faster.
Simpler.
Sharper.
Healthier.
More aware.
More in touch with nature.
More in touch with myself.
Gear, to me, is a language.
A philosophy.
A culture.
It’s not survival gear.
It’s not camping gear.
It’s not EDC gear.
It’s Unencumbered gear.
Tools chosen with intention.
Tools chosen with experience.
Tools chosen with honesty.
Tools chosen with the awareness that you don’t need much —
but what you keep had damn well better work.
WHY I’M SHARING MY ACTUAL GEAR WITH YOU
Because most “gear lists” online are marketing.
Or flexing.
Or collecting.
Or fantasy.
This isn’t that.
This is the gear I actually use.
The gear I’ve tested.
The gear I’ve trusted in mountains, rivers, deserts, storms, and daily life.
The gear that’s gone through hell with me.
The gear that didn’t break.
The gear that kept me alive.
The gear that kept me confident.
The gear that kept me moving.
The gear I rely on for both survival and joy.
The gear that’s part of my life — not my shopping cart.
And in the upcoming series, I’ll break down every category:
My EDC
My run bag
My survival loadout
My camping gear
My shelter setup
My fishing kits
My hunting kits
My tools
My base camp build
My transportation gear
And ultimately, my entire real-world kit
Each with narrative.
Each with reasoning.
Each with stories from my life.
Each with exactly what I carry and why.
No fluff.
No filler.
No hype.
Just the truth.
Just the gear that works.
Just the Unencumbered way.