Hunter’s orange is pretty damn bright by design. I would also argue that hunter != hiker.
I’ve never noticed a correlation between photographers and clothing colors. I tend not to be in my own photos, so it’s not something I select gear based on.
Obviously not every bag is bright, although my wife’s bag is a nice metallic teal, but every hiking bag I’ve ever seen has reflector tabs built in. Ditto with our tent and rain flies, and quite a few of our tops. They help in a SAR situation, and improve safety if you ever need to come close to a road at night.
Taste is subjective, but outdoor gear trends towards the bright for safety reasons.
I have never seen a hiker wear camo, all of them have reflector tabs, and a large percentage have tops, bags, and hats in bright colors. And that’s not even getting into inclement weather gear, which trends towards the super garish. There’s a reason why Everest has a “rainbow valley”, and it’s not because heavy coats are designed to be subtle.
To bolster your point, even if my clothes are drab, I probably have a brightly colored buff or bandana on me intentionally if only to be easier to spot through the woods by fellow hikers. Likewise a fair bit of my gear is in flavors of "rescue orange".
I pointed out that hunting isn’t hiking (opinion, but they do have different names), and that regardless hunters regularly wear gear that is anti-camouflage by design, making any distinction there moot.
I then proceeded to point out that hiking gear has reflective tabs and bright colors for similar reasons. The more extreme the gear, the more intense the visibility features on average.
I then made an observation about what I’ve seen.
At no point did I say that any of those groups aren’t “real” hikers. Therefore, not a true Scotsman argument.
I’ve never noticed a correlation between photographers and clothing colors. I tend not to be in my own photos, so it’s not something I select gear based on.
Obviously not every bag is bright, although my wife’s bag is a nice metallic teal, but every hiking bag I’ve ever seen has reflector tabs built in. Ditto with our tent and rain flies, and quite a few of our tops. They help in a SAR situation, and improve safety if you ever need to come close to a road at night.
Taste is subjective, but outdoor gear trends towards the bright for safety reasons.
I have never seen a hiker wear camo, all of them have reflector tabs, and a large percentage have tops, bags, and hats in bright colors. And that’s not even getting into inclement weather gear, which trends towards the super garish. There’s a reason why Everest has a “rainbow valley”, and it’s not because heavy coats are designed to be subtle.