Most people will not willingly choose to retire from an active outdoor lifestyle. But many are forced into it due to injury or illness that interferes with it physically or emotionally. Like just about any kind of activity, it is possible to tire of it.
If you are one of the rare birds who are tired of your outdoor lifestyle or you have a condition that proscribes it, then maybe it is time for your to consider retiring and disposing of all your gear. But most outdoor enthusiasts will want to continue their enjoyable and highly rewarding activities until they are forced to give them up. Either way, it could take as much planning to retire your vehicles and equipment as it does for you to retire -- and perhaps more than it did to acquire them in the first place.
Retiring from the outdoor lifestyle is not something most of us would like to think about. We all hope we will stay healthy enough to enjoy our chosen activities forever. Unfortunately that doesn't happen for everyone. The time may come when old injuries or new health issues impact our ability to continue our preferred past times. Or maybe you've just done everything you want to do. That may mean making changes to what we do and/or how we do it. Or, in the worst case scenario, you may have to give up your treasured fun.
When will you know it is time to retire? That will be different for every person, but if you have suffered significant injuries, under gone major surgeries, or gotten seriously ill, you may have to, at the very least, make some changes in your recreational activities. As we get older some of us will experience failing eyesight and may no longer be able to drive. If that is the case you may be able to call on family or friends to take over the driving so you can continue to enjoy your favorite destinations and forms of fun. Other health related conditions may require modifications to our camping choices and equipment. I have seen riders paralyzed by a previous accident continue off-road riding using vehicles with modified controls. That might be an option for some people, but not everyone. My preferred off road vehicle is a dirt bike but while working as an ATV mechanic at an off road resort one summer I got to play with ATVs and side-by-sides and it was comforting to think that if I ever reached the point where I couldn't ride my dirt bike I still might be able to enjoy off roading on 4 wheels. A riding buddy of mine was asked why he didn't take up golf as he grew older. His reply: I can still swing my leg over my dirt bike!
Let's face it. Eventually we are all going to get older. Some people seem to age slower than others. I am now 78 and still in pretty good shape, good enough serve as a volunteer firefighter and EMR and work as a summer firefighter as well as to keep riding by dirt bike and sailing when I get a chance. However, I do find that some movements are more difficult than they used to be and the ground comes up a lot harder jumping down out of my pickup bed than it used to! One of these days I realize my physical limitations may impose unwanted restrictions on my outdoor activities. I know too many people for whom that is already happening. One thing I am sure of though. As my grandfather said: ''A man will rust out quicker than he will wear out"! And I have seen many examples of that. So I have no plans of stopping.
If or when the time comes to give up your outdoor activities you may be faced with disposing of your treasured vehicles and equipment. Some may pass it down to other family members or friends. Or you may end up selling it off. Selling it can be emotionally stressful but it may also provide you with a little extra cash to enjoy whatever new things you may want to pursue. If you end up in a position where you have to sell off your items, be sure to check out the market and set appropriate prices. You will, of course, want to get back as much of your investment as possible but setting prices too high will delay sales and you could up having to settle for much less at a later date. Setting prices low will help move things quickly, but if they are too low you will be depriving yourself of deserved revenue.
I just turned 78 and my wife has been encouraging me to begin down sizing. Fortunately we are both still in pretty good health. I am not sure I am quite ready to do that yet, but she does have some good arguments on her side. Investments in things like RVs, OHVs, and boats depreciates every year and even if they are not being used they could be a drain on the budget (registration, insurance, storage. etc. for example). I have to admit that our current lifestyle does not give us much time for the fun leisure activities we would like to enjoy, but I keep hoping that is eventually going to change.
Before you decide to"lighten the load" make sure you aren't getting rid of anything you will want or need again! If you are SURE you won't ever ride your OHV or go out in your RV or boat again, then go ahead and find new homes for them. But if your circumstances may change such that you could resume your desired activities, you may want to hang onto them. Replacing them later is only going to cost a lot more money. Only get rid of them if you are certain you won't ever want to or be able to use them again. You may be able to lighten the load a bit by disposing of duplicate or unused items. Most campers tend to collect extra stuff over the year. We find bargains or get gifts that end up spending most of the time on the shelf. These are prime candidates for being recycled to other campers. We passed quite a bit of our excess stuff along to our children. We also sold a lot of it during one of our moves, only to have some of our kids come asking about borrowing it only a few months later. We got rid of several tents then ended up having to buy one for a church activity where we couldn't use our RV.
The answer to the question of eliminating equipment and gear may be affected by whether you have the resources available to continue to keep them or not. If you are headed into a retirement home with little or no storage, you may have to eliminate almost all your camping and outdoor recreational items or rent a storage unit. But, if you are remaining in you own home with adequate storage, you may be able to keep things you think you may be able to use again. Of course, if your physical condition is such that you are certain you will never be able to use any of your gear again, parting with it sooner rather than later makes sense.
In some cases it may make sense to lighten the load without eliminating all your stuff. Getting rid of unused vehicles that might have registration and insurance costs can help relieve the strain on the budget but, if your health permits, hanging onto some tent camping equipment if you have room to store it might still make sense.
If you decide to sell off your outdoor recreational gear and equipment you can place ads in local newspapers or online sites like craigslist or ebay. You may also be able to sell some of it via a yard or garage sale, if your personal situation (physical condition, appropriate place to hold the sale etc.) permits. You might want to check with family, friends, and neighbors before listing things for open sale. You might find it more pleasing to pass treasured items on to family or friends than to sell them to strangers, even when selling them might get you more money for them.
Something that might make the whole process more appealing is to find another form of recreation. That isn't always easy, but with so many options available in today's world, it is possible. You might even want to start researching alternative hobbies before you get to the point where you HAVE to make a change. With virtually immediate access to almost unlimited information on the Internet you should be able to explore alternatives and make wise decisions long before it becomes absolutely necessary. You might not have to totally abandon your outdoor interests. You may be able to apply your extensive history and experience to advise other people, and you might find that nearly as much fun and rewarding as doing it yourself. I have not yet begun to reach the level where I must physically abandon my favorite past times but have begun to find rewards in writing this blog.
Keep on keeping on!
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