How folding equipment helps me to get out more often.
I think that having smaller but frequent adventures is better than massive, but sporadic ones with nothing in between. Sure, small adventures might not match the intensity of the high from an exotic trip, but because they can be done often, the high never runs out. Small trips are more flexible. It is like comparing the use of a folding knife to a big, high-grade kitchen knife: the big one is superior for preparing meals, but a folding knife still does the job, and because it isn't bulky and is more versatile, I am more inclined to take it outside. That is the point, as it is outside where the adventures tend to be, so the more often I get there, the more often I find them.
Take a folding bike. I can bring it on any train, unfold it in distant places, and do trips from A to B, rather than a round-trip to the same parking lot, as would be the case if I drove.
By doing so, I get to explore the new location on my own terms, faster than walking, while having more fun. Sure, a folding bike is not as fast as a road bike or as capable as a mountain bike, but in the end, going over some dirt or distance is fine, too:
Ultimately, the folding bike lowers the barriers to expanding my reach so that I can take cycling further. And with that, I can take other hobbies with me.
Mentioning other hobbies brings me to another foldable source of joy I got last year: a boat.
Again, it doesn't match the speed, agility, or durability of a solid hard-shell kayak, but it takes almost no space at home, and I don't need a truck to haul it around. Instead, I can simply put the boat in a backpack, and off I go.
If the river is further than I am willing to walk, I can load the boat on the folding bike. Then, as I unfold the boat, I fold the bike and take it on the boat with me, go down a river, and return by cycling. There is no gap in the experience.
Again, the barrier is low, so heading out and exploring something new is easy. Wide open or tight, urban or natural, it's always been a treat, even when I only went for a short, after-work outing.
And so, I learned that, like cycling, being on a boat can be great regardless of the season.
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