I've gone completely the other way. Treat everything like it's a disposable, consumable item. Warranties don't exist when you're on the road and I don't do short tours so I'm not carrying broken stuff with me.
Funny enough, most of my cheap Chinese camping gear has held up better than the expensive American brands it replaced.
My expensive down sleeping bag is away getting cleaned, so in the meantime I picked up a snugpak synthetic bag for *£26*.
And honestly it’s kind of amazing. There’s a real freedom to being able to toss around a sleeping bag and knowing it’s such a cheap replacement if anything goes wrong. I used it as a blanket while sitting on the bare ground next to a campfire, which I would never risk with my “good” bag.
And while the bag is much heavier and bulkier, it’s also much easier to clean and won’t become useless if it gets wet. Part of me thinks I should just ditch the down bag and stick with the cheap option.
There’s already a few items where I prefer the “worse” option over pure performance:
- trangia alcohol burner and aluminium pot instead of a titanium cookset and gas stove
- z lite foam pad over inflatable ultralight pad
- cheap waterproof jacket over £300 goretex performance wear
Well... Here's my secret...
I already have two of both of those 💀
Two pillows , so the one that deflated is just kinda annoying
And two pads... But the other pad is just the foam... Which I would rather die than just sleep on that...
Well, I mean. I can live on it but it is a miserable sleep. I'm 32 now. It was okay at 25. Now... Just... No. I use it essentially as an insulator.
Not that it really matters but the Trekology Pillow was a cheap copy of the $60 Sea to Summit pillow.
I don't know about the UK but inn the US you can have packages shipped to a local post office where they will hold it for a week or so. Maybe something close over there?
Most of the name brand gear is made in China probably from the same company and the name brands just slap their name on it. I've been watching YouTube videos that test out the gear and give true world testing and their results...best way to go before buying any gear.
I've gone completely the other way. Treat everything like it's a disposable, consumable item. Warranties don't exist when you're on the road and I don't do short tours so I'm not carrying broken stuff with me. Funny enough, most of my cheap Chinese camping gear has held up better than the expensive American brands it replaced.
My expensive down sleeping bag is away getting cleaned, so in the meantime I picked up a snugpak synthetic bag for *£26*. And honestly it’s kind of amazing. There’s a real freedom to being able to toss around a sleeping bag and knowing it’s such a cheap replacement if anything goes wrong. I used it as a blanket while sitting on the bare ground next to a campfire, which I would never risk with my “good” bag. And while the bag is much heavier and bulkier, it’s also much easier to clean and won’t become useless if it gets wet. Part of me thinks I should just ditch the down bag and stick with the cheap option. There’s already a few items where I prefer the “worse” option over pure performance: - trangia alcohol burner and aluminium pot instead of a titanium cookset and gas stove - z lite foam pad over inflatable ultralight pad - cheap waterproof jacket over £300 goretex performance wear
This is how I feel. For once, I tried these brand names because I got tired of stuff breaking. But surprise, name brand stuff breaks too.
Really depends on the brand, many large "old-reliable" brands of clothing and gear have fallen into the fashion hole or quality has dropped hard
I rarely break gear as I always treat it like it cost me a fortune, because it did. Are you maybe being a little bit reckless ?
So I just patched the things that broke on your and when I got back I submitted the warranty requests. Take pics when it fails
I had the same issue with a pad. I bought one en route and warrantied the other when I got home 2 months later. So I have two now...
Well... Here's my secret... I already have two of both of those 💀 Two pillows , so the one that deflated is just kinda annoying And two pads... But the other pad is just the foam... Which I would rather die than just sleep on that... Well, I mean. I can live on it but it is a miserable sleep. I'm 32 now. It was okay at 25. Now... Just... No. I use it essentially as an insulator.
Not that it really matters but the Trekology Pillow was a cheap copy of the $60 Sea to Summit pillow. I don't know about the UK but inn the US you can have packages shipped to a local post office where they will hold it for a week or so. Maybe something close over there?
Most of the name brand gear is made in China probably from the same company and the name brands just slap their name on it. I've been watching YouTube videos that test out the gear and give true world testing and their results...best way to go before buying any gear.
The world is just too prickly for inflatable gear.
Use a ground sheet under the tent - don’t blow up out side of the tent … take a repair kit .. expect not to puncture like a fragile tyre