My wife and I are enjoying our 10th anniversary for a few more days. As part of that “celebration” we’re getting a lot of hiking in. I’m not a big hiker, but it seems to be the thing to do here.

After all take a look at this:

After spending hours and hours staring at a computer screen it’s great to get back to nature.

What you don’t in this picture was the airplane nip (those mini 50ml bottles of alcohol) that someone didn’t throw away at the trail head. I know, of all the injustices in the world, this isn’t exactly an MLM scam, but picking up your litter in a place like this should be common sense. I’m not even sure what you are doing at a trail like this if you don’t know that.

While all these thoughts were in my head, my wife was expressing them. She then went to the next one, “What on Earth are you doing drinking on a hike?” That didn’t require any clarification for me. It’s not only more likely to cause you to slip and fall, but it’s also dehydrating. Either one could be a problem.

But the question, I had is, “Who is the heathen who buys airplane nips?”

I understand that many people spend money in ways that I wouldn’t. People buy bottle water. People buy high heels with red soles (or other fashion). People buy tech gadgets that they almost never use. (Okay, the last one IS a way I spend money.)

I just don’t understand airplane nips. Typically they run around $2 or $2.50 for 50ml for a middle of the road brand of alcohol. That’s between $40-50 per liter. Often you can get a 750ml bottle for around $15 or what amounts to $20 per liter. If you opt for the big 1.75 size, you can usually spend around $25, which comes out to be around $14 a liter. The big one might even cheaper.

I can see buying for convenience. When you want less than 2 ounces (50ml) of alcohol, why buy a huge bottle? However, who is the person who says, “I’m going to go to the liquor store to pick up less than 2 ounces of alcohol, do you want something while I’m out?” It just seems like a nonsensical amount of alcohol to buy at a nonsensical price.

Obviously there’s a market for them. I just don’t understand it. Anyone out there buy airplane nips? If so, A) Sorry for calling you a heathen and B) Please let me know why in the comments.