India, Sept. 24 -- The founder of Patagonia may have once been a billionaire - but it was a label he hated. In fact, Yvon Chouinard, 86, was so enraged when his name was included in the Forbes 2017 billionaire list that he decided to give his company away.

Chouinard may not be a billionaire anymore - having transferred all of his ownership in the outdoor apparel company to a trust and a nonprofit organization - but living frugally does not pose a challenge for him. In fact, he seems to prefer it.

A lifelong rock climber, Chouinard has spent years sleeping in the wilderness and surviving on bare essentials.

In his 2005 autobiography Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman, Chouinard detailed some of the most e...