That talk with my dad about his old Coleman stove hit different

My dad called me last night to ask about a new camp stove. He's been using the same Coleman two burner since 1987 and it finally gave out. He told me he bought it for 35 bucks back then and it lasted 37 years. It made me think about how I've gone through three stoves in the last 10 years because I keep chasing the lightest or newest models. He said 'they don't make 'em like that anymore' and I laughed but then I felt kinda guilty. Has anyone else had a family member call them out on buying too much new gear instead of making old stuff last?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor.amy16d ago

My dad pulled the same thing on me with his old cast iron skillet that he's had since before I was born. In my experience, gear from back then was built to be fixed, not replaced, and that's a whole different mindset. I remember watching him clean his stove after a trip, taking the time to do it right, and I just toss mine in the garage dirty half the time. It's kind of humbling to realize how much we've bought into the idea that newer always means better when his single stove outlasted three of mine.

lauras8316d ago

It's not just gear either, I've noticed the same thing with phones, kitchen appliances, even furniture. Everything's designed to be replaced now instead of repaired, and it's wild how much money we spend because of it. My sister replaced her whole coffee maker twice before our mom finally gave her the one she's had since 1994 and it still works perfect.