In reply to peas65:
I use my car about twice a month to get to the hills, easily driving 250 miles in a weekend. However, that's also the only time the car gets used, and usually there are at least 2 of us in it. Compare that to someone commuting 20 miles to work every day, by themselves, and it's not that bad.
I agree with your view that the mountaineering community is no different from the rest of society in our consumption, but I think to say 'we all crave the newest kit' is a bit shortsighted. Some people consume lots and are easily enticed by shiny new stuff, others are happy enough to continue using what they have until it's falling apart. Within the mountaineering community people may be enticed to by the latest new light weight carabiner, but equally there will be plenty of people who are into fashion/video games/films/music and always want to have the latest release. However, I also see plenty of people out on the hills who are using kit that is at least a couple of decades old.
Guess it's partially the difference between consumption and consumerism. Some only spend money when they have to (i.e. to replace a worn out rope), others spend money because of the satisfaction they get from owning/buying stuff (i.e. buying a 9th jacket because it's been released in a new colour).