Expensive vs cheap

[I_think_I_can]

I've been looking at the Go Lite clothing for when I thru hike. Is it really worth it to go with that brand, which costs 25-45 dollars, or is the cheap stuff that goes for around 10-20 as good? I'm new to hiking, and I want to get as much for as little as possible cause I'm also broke... THanks.

Erin:-?

[food]

The sleeping bag is an item where you get very good value from high end equipment. Western Mountaineering, Feather Friends, Marmot, and Nunatak all are good.

REI is not a good source for ultra-light equipment. Ultra-light equipment is comfortable and safe, but the sacrifice is durability. REI’s refund policy is not compatible with ultra-light. I buy stuff like stoves, trekking poles, water filters, water bladders, etc. at REI to have their refund policy available. But ultra-light equipment almost always comes from cottage industries.

Wally World, a.k.a. Wal*Mart, is an excellent source for some equipment. The 2.5 ounce pot from their Ozark Trails solo cook set along with an Esbit wing stove makes excellent emergency gear for day hikes. Their fleece clothing is not as good as Patagucci, a.k.a. Patagonia, but is a much better value. I own Patagonia fleece and a Marmot Precip. For serious cold weather hiking I would not use anything else. A thru hike puts a lot of wear on your gear. Wally World fleece and rain gear is ideal.

[uphillklimber]

It's an age old balance. Three factors to consider on gear:
1) High Quality and durability
2) Light weight
3) Low Price

Pretty much, you have to choose which 2 factors you want to zero in on. It is very difficult to get all three in any one item. I think we all have a claim to where we found a hi quality lightweight item in the 80% off clearnce bin, but that is exceedingly rare.

It's a tough balance that only you can answer. Ideally, you buy the most expensive gear you can afford to gain in the lightweight and quality areas, particulary on a through hike.

You must choose, but choose wisely (from Indiana Jones)

[Connie]

My personal special interest website has special purpose clothing listed on the Products page, and there is help from reading on the Gear Lists page, also from reading hiker's websites listed at Links.

My entire website is about this question: clothing and gear. I did not organize it by weight and by price, rather I organized it by function. Here is a "gear discussion" organized by weight and by price, from a hiker website: http://home.bresnan.net/~swultralight/UL_and_LW_Gear_Discussion.htm