[pct-l] how much money to save an ounce

[Tortoise]

Well the cost per mile is relevant when considering how much more to spend 
to lighten your load.
Obviously if one only does a couple hundred or so miles a year, the cost 
per mile goes up which may change one's decision on which to buy.

Obviously there are other ways to reduce one's pack weight -- the easiest 
and cheapest is simply to not take unneeded stuff, to do without so much stuff.

When I buy something I consider not only the initial cost but how much I 
will use the item, how long it will last and how much per use. One needs 
also to consider the consequences if the purchase fails  -- mail be 
trivial, the candy taste bad and you toss it; or your vehicle fails miles 
from anywhere, or your tent fails in a raging blizzard. One has to 
guesstimate based on knowledge of one's self. But the cheapest to buy is 
not necessarily the cheapest to use.

Tortoise

<> Because truth matters! <>

On 06/01/10 14:54, Lawrence Pelo wrote:
> Tortoise wrote: I am comparing silnylon vs. cuben fibre stuff sacks over
> on the ZPacks.com website. I'm also a (retired) accountant and sometimes
> love to analyze. So I did a little spreadsheet to compare the cost to
> save an ounce or a pound or a gram or a kilogram for the various sizes
> I'm interested in.
>
> Results - to save: 1 ounce		     $  28 1 pound		     $448
>
> 1 gram			$  1 1 kilogram		$991
>
> dollar amounts are rounded.
>
> the costs to save weight seem high until one considers carrying the
> weight on a thruhike of the PCT. then the costs to save a pound per mile
> hiked are less than $0.17 per mile. Would you carry a pound for a mile
> for $0.17? More info to consider in your gear planning.
>
> **************
>
> I love the cost-per-ounce-saved ratio. I've been using it extensively to
> lighten my own pack (I spent $3.46/oz to lighten my pack, shelter, and
> sleeping bag). But I doubt the utility of the
> (cost-per-ounce-saved)-per-mile ratio. It sounds like the sort of thing
> an oily car salesman would say:
>
> "Now, Mr. Tortoise, the luxury model does cost $10,000 more than the
> basic model. But it will last 200,000 miles, so you are really only
> paying 5 cents extra per mile! Wouldn't you pay 5 cents per mile to
> drive this fine luxury automobile?"
>
> But $10,000 is a lot of money. You should be considering (a) whether you
> can afford the extra cost as a whole, and (b) whether the upgrade is
> worth that extra cost. The extra cost divvied up over some arbitrary
> unit (Miles driven? Hours of driving? Days of service?) is misleading.
>
> If you can afford to spend $448 to cut a pound off your pack, then go
> for it. But for me it would be a bad financial decision, no matter how
> you slice it.
>
> -Lawrence
>
>
>
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