Are you a hoarder?

[Jurassic]

I suspect I know what the majority of people will say in response to the question but I was just curious.
The reason I ask is that I recently bought a new (to me) tent off eBay. I have lots of other tents but they've all been bought for specific tasks and don't really overlap in terms of usage (at least that's what I tell myself). I have tents for bikepacking (ultra light mid type), canoe camping (free standing semi geodesic, fairly heavy), mountaineering (full geodesic, very heavy and bulky but strong) and now I've just bought a two person backpacking tent for me and doggo to use on overnighters as the bikepacking tents are a bit tight for me plus 42kilo hound.
The question is, why can't I bring myself to sell my mountaineering tent or canoe camping tent or my Gatewood Cape (that's brilliant but unused in recent times)? It's just in case I ever want to use them again which is highly unlikely.
Yes, I am a hoarder, it's true!

[PaulB2]

De-hoarding is a slow process, I’ve got 35 year old RPG stuff I’ve been meaning to sell for 25 years

[whitestone]

I still have all my climbing kit stored up in the loft. I've not climbed at all for ten years and am unlikely ever to do so again.

[redefined_cycles]

Im trying to dehoard. It's going very slowly and one or two items at a time. The wife (IMHO) is worse. She even keeps a spare kettle, just in case...

[Jurassic]

The wife (IMHO) is worse. She even keeps a spare kettle, just in case...

She sounds very wise Shaf, nowt worse than not being able to have a brew!

[redefined_cycles]

The wife (IMHO) is worse. She even keeps a spare kettle, just in case...

She sounds very wise Shaf, nowt worse than not being able to have a brew!

Oh dear.. (all this bit deleted about her spare tiny microwave for micro holidays... I'll just laugh it to myself). Every so often I accidentally throw something out (that's been sat unused for years, like my mum would do with us). But she spots it and the culprit (when she finds him/her) is always in alot of bother

[voodoo_simon]

The wife (IMHO) is worse. She even keeps a spare kettle, just in case...

She sounds very wise Shaf, nowt worse than not being able to have a brew!

Oh dear.. (all this bit deleted about her spare tiny microwave for micro holidays... I'll just laugh it to myself). Every so often I accidentally throw something out (that's been sat unused for years, like my mum would do with us). But she spots it and the culprit (when she finds him/her) is always in alot of bother

Have you shown her where the hob is and pans are stored Shaf??

I was hoarding a load of 26inch stuff for years and years, had a clear out last year to make way for another bike. Local bike charity didn’t want to know or rather made it very awkward to drop it off (who opens Monday to Friday only 10am to 3pm… seriously!!) so dropped it off at the tip as a bloke there ships is out to Africa (no doubt making a profit…).

Just cleared out the loft too, took 5 car trips (estate) to clear out but it’s looking smart now, may put a projector up there and make a mini cinema!

Books is one of the few things I keep (and gore tex jackets - no idea why!!)

I know what you mean Jurassic about keeping something back for just in case, I can be guilty of doing that with something expensive but I think if I sell them, I’d get peanuts and I’m not desperate for the money. Like my 8000m rated sleeping bag, it won’t get much use but when I have needed it, I wouldn’t want to have to buy another and same with my fat bike, rarely gets used but a replacement would cost £££ whilst I’d only get pocket for it, so might as well keep it

[Jurassic]

I was hoarding a load of 26inch stuff for years and years, had a clear out last year to make way for another bike. Local bike charity didn’t want to know or rather made it very awkward to drop it off (who opens Monday to Friday only 10am to 3pm… seriously!!) so dropped it off at the tip as a bloke there ships is out to Africa (no doubt making a profit…).

I suppose it's good if the 26 stuff is going to be reused.
Your post reminded me of when I used to help out at a local dry ski slope/ski club and we cleared out all the club's old long, non carving skis. Most of them were in great condition but nobody wanted them, you literally couldn't give them away. They ended up getting burnt in an incinerator, just leaving the metal edges to dispose of. What a waste!

[whitestone]

I think it was Grindlewald or possibly Chamonix but I remember seeing someone had used old skis to make a picket fence for their garden.

My dad would hoard stuff. There was a barrel on the farm full of rusting nuts and bolts. The scrappie was coming round one day. "Father! (*) Shall we weigh in this barrel?" "No, they might come in useful." I had a look at the contents. "Why on earth do we need a one and five sixteenths Whitworth bolt?" "We might need it" "But everything on the bloody farm's metric!" After he died my brother got rid of all the crap (and then got loads of his own )

* Father is pronounced Favva! in this case not "farther:.

[fatbikephil]

No I use all my stuff
The multiple tent (or other stuff) thing seems to be a consequence of endless gear specialising by manus - a marketing ploy which apparently worked. In the good old days you bought a tent, a sleeping bag, a rucksack, a pair of boots and waterproofs. Now you need half a dozen of each depending on the weather, terrain, time of year etc. etc.

I've been guilty of buying new stuff for when current stuff wears out if I can get it cheap. I also have a 29+ tyre mountain...

[Leerowe76]

Going to be keeping an eye to this thread to see if I'm weird or just as normal as the next man/woman. I'm pretty sure we all collect/hoard something which is value to us and us only , I do get a slight anxiety when the misses says were having a clear out too

[redefined_cycles]

The wife (IMHO) is worse. She even keeps a spare kettle, just in case...

She sounds very wise Shaf, nowt worse than not being able to have a brew!

So true

Good thing is, that the one shes put away, had a top/handle that broke. So I used a bit of carbon steerer a made a new beauty of a handle. All polished and everything and fixed by blue Araldite. It'll last ages - but wasn't good looking enough to keep in kitchen (according to her ).

[redefined_cycles]

Have you shown her where the hob is and pans are stored Shaf??

I think we came to a truce on that. As long as I don't touch the ugly quad hob she got off my brother who was chucking it away, she'll not touch my three stoves and 3 ti pots and other stuff. Tis very complicated (especially when she's looking over my shoulder whilst I write this (phew).

[slarge]

I keep stuff, including wood- have you seen how expensive wood is to buy?
But my dad is on another level - he's got a box full of oak offcuts - nothing longer than 3". To me that's kindling but he won't let me have it (he's 87 and never going to use it)

[fatbikephil]

I keep stuff, including wood- have you seen how expensive wood is to buy?
But my dad is on another level - he's got a box full of oak offcuts - nothing longer than 3". To me that's kindling but he won't let me have it (he's 87 and never going to use it)

This week my Mum and Dad are getting a firm round to clear out their garage - a lot of which is wood that Dad has collected over the years and will never use...

[gecko76]

I killed a kettle on the second day of the first lockdown (it boiled dry and burst). Not knowing when we'd be able to replace it was nerve wracking. We now have three.

[Bearbonesnorm]

I think Bob's climbing gear is a good example of how we hoard - I've stuff that I've not used in years but (a) it's likely not worth that much if I were to sell it but (b) would cost lots if I had the need to replace it. However, keeping what is actually crap, always seems to lead to a massive clearing out ... often once you're dead and your precious bits and pieces will simply end up in a skip anyway

[Jurassic]

My hoarding is with things that I perceive as being valuable as well (like tents), it's not like I'm saving milk bottles full of pee or anything. The problem is that my wife doesn't share my opinion that they're valuable, she values the space that would be created if they were gone more! I feel like there's a weird external pressure to declutter as well even though there's no one other than the two of us judging me!

[pistonbroke]

Just returned from an emotional trip back to the UK for my father's funeral. He died 4 weeks ago at the age of 94, he was pretty sporty well into his 60's and 70's. Car rallying was his love and was semi-professional in the '60's and '70's and drove in the RAC Rally a couple of times in the '90's. He also waterskied into his late '60s so you can imagine the amount of stuff he'd accumulated. It was totally overwhelming and thankfully my BiL has agreed to clear the house on a paid basis. Post funeral I sorted through any momentos and tools I wanted but emotions got the better of me and I had to leave a lot of stuff. I found a signed photo of John Surtees, World Champion on 2 and 4 wheels and loads of rally memorabilia. I couldn't take his welding equipment as the oxy-acetylene bottles stood taller than me and I'm sure the ferry would have refused them so if anyone wants an industrial standard welding/cutting kit, collect from Stafford, please shout.
It's my ambition to avoid leaving this sort of task when I die but being the proud owner of 16 bikes, each with a "valid" reason for their existence, doesn't look as though I'm on the right track!

[Dave Barter]

Sorry to hear of your loss Dunc. My Dad was also a hoarder but not quite as exciting. I disposed of a huge spare lightbulb collection, enough sellotape to stop Wotsits from bleeding and I seem to have most of HMS Broke which my great grandfather served on

[redefined_cycles]

Just returned from an emotional trip back to the UK for my father's funeral. He died 4 weeks ago...

Very sorry to hear that Duncan.

[godivatrailrider]

Sorry to hear of your loss Dunc. My Dad was also a hoarder but not quite as exciting. I disposed of a huge spare lightbulb collection, enough sellotape to stop Wotsits from bleeding and I seem to have most of HMS Broke which my great grandfather served on

I'm in the same situation, Dad died in June @ 91. Owned a couple of bedsitterland type houses.... OMFG the sh!te he's hoarded in 50 years of doing this ... jam jars by the 100, prune / dried apricot bags, bags of them, broken locks and door knobs and hinges.. pickled onions that must be 30 years old, paint, bit's of twisted wire, tools, odd cutlery, .... he has a 4 car garage that you could just about walk from the back to the front... it's a mind boggling spider mansion.... it's taken us weeks to make a dent on it..

[Cheeky Monkey]

Sorry for your loss. Sounds like a good innings well-filled.

Have cleared out both Mum (moved to a home) and Dad's (died) places over the last few years. A funny old experience with a fair bit of bitter-sweet. Clearing out the uncle-in-law who was definitely a hoarder and very strange chap at times was an experience, even just being a two room flat. I gave up in the end and left it to the builders doing the renovation. Who the hell still takes snuff

I have too much stuff. I will hopefully reduce and rationalise as time goes on and aim not to leave a load for someone else to deal with but it's unavoidable to some degree. Hey ho

[Kumquat]

I'm keeping my genesis 853 26er
I'm planning on riding it when I inevitably start to shrink.

[Johnallan]

I didn't think I was really hoarding much stuff, just keeping a few spares.

However, I started tidying the garage today and decided it'd be a good time to donate a few things to Happy Days Cycles. I managed to fill a van with 3* framesets, probably 20 lightly used tyres, maybe 10 wheelsets, boxes of handlebars, seatposts, saddles etc. and the garage doesn't look much better than it did.

The cycling charity were over the moon with the parts and will certainly make better use of them than I ever would. Its something I'm going to try and do more regularly, rather than holding onto things 'just in case'.