Cheap Gear – How to Dirt Bag and Deal Shop Like a Professional

I have an idea of appling waterproofing silicone to those extra strength GLAD brand trash bags which can be used as a pack cover,--has anyone tried this before? I'm thinking that might weaken the overall durability and therefore be counter productive or more likely simply not feasable & plus quite messy to apply.

Also ,aren't trash bags like this that are advertised for outdoor use treated with something which would make it at least water resistant , water repellant ?

I tried their website but wasn't able to access it. www.glad.com.


My pack is 96 lt and has no cover , bought it second hand and the company doesn't make these packs any longer.

**As a side note ; Does the silicone work as advertised ,and if so ,what items of clothing does it work on best ? :sun

The heavy duty trash bags are usually black or some opaque colour, which makes them quite UV resistant. But they are generally made of polyethylene, which is wet resistant when clean and new. That is, it should cause water to bead up and run off until it gets gunked up, to use a technical term, or UV degraded on the surface. I wouldn't try to silicone coat it for two reasons: first, I don't think the silicone would stick very well unless the bag was pre-treated or somewhat UV weathered, and that would maybe make it weaker, and second, depending on the silicone material, the solvent might weaken the poly as well, although LDPE is pretty impervious to most common solvents. And the third reason is that the bag is already pretty much wet proof, at least until it's worn some.

LDPE film is not very resistant to wear holes and minor tears, especially from sharp objects, so you should choose a pretty thick bag, one of the industrial kind. It will still be fairly light, so no problem. Then protect it from sharp objects, like stove parts, knives, stones and sticks and so forth.

You can get a pack cover for $20.00 bucks...

A Lands End Goretex jacket (spotless with NO wear) for $1. Crappy pics (I know) but a great rain shell at a great price. :D

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Cottage gear manufacturers can be a great source... Someting has to be done with irregulars, older demos and old prototype items...These are seldom to never advertised and when found can be 30-50 % off .

Pan

great article. i'm always broke and most of my gear is used military gear i inherited or bought cheap as dirt. my mess kit is an old WWII mess kit my grandfather used. my friends have the latest new gear and laugh at mine, but it gets the job done and for some reason their gear always goes out:rolleyes:

military gear is great gear, it's cheap and last a life time. i just upgraded my pack from a large ALICE ($45) to the USMC ILBE Main pack, got it on Ebay for $80, they sell new for over $400. they are made by Arcteryx and their packs aren't cheap, but get a USMC ILBE Arcteryx and you can have one for way cheap, plus it has attachment points all over it for adding pockets and other useful things.

With all due Respect this is really Really scrapping the bottom here Eh if Ya cannot afford cough up the "twenty" 4 a pack cover "Covers are often free if you push the salesman hard enough when you purchase a new pack" how are ya going to afford a Hiking trip and no offense by all means.

On the other hand I would say use the trash bags But REPLACE them on a weekly basis.

just got back from walmart they have a 5 pc mess kit alum light weight for 5.88,and a hand shovel folding about 6in long with case,looks like a flower garden hand trowel,3.88.went to local surplus and got 100ft parachute cord 7 strand 550 lb for 7.99,some cool camo duct tape3.37,finally got my old sleeping bag in the pack but had to buy a compression bag at walmart for 8.88 ,i might have to pack it on the outside next time know what i mean,lol.now all i need is the wife's permission to go.

If you have them, Ross and Savers are great stores to venture for clothing. Bought a Land's End rain jacket for $7 at Savers. I'm a thrifty (cheap-skate) kind of guy. I'm hoping my inexpensive gear will last the thru.

if you're looking for a good jacket, might wanna check this out http://campaigns.ebay.com/patagonia
patagonia and ebay are working together to re-sell used patagonia gear, it's all pretty cheap and most of the jackets and such look to be in really good condition (its part of the common threads initiative)

Thanks for the tips, this is good stuff

thanks 1SG, I just got out of the military and it's nice takeing advice from someone who holds the same position as the last person who used to give me advice. it means alot to me. AT 2012!!!

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Originally Posted by SGT Rock

Added that zip file attachment.

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The Group Summary column G is off a little bit. Only had to tweek a little, but overall this is a great start for managing the thought process, thanks!:)

I like the idea of using gear that is recycled from your everyday wardrobe, using something second hand, or using something that does the trick but isn't featured at your local gear store (like swimming trunks). I bought a pair of very expensive hiking shorts with a belt, and found that this relatively expensive piece of gear was overly design in unhelpful ways, like the belt came undone when I have my backpack on, and the crotch is way too tight when I hike even though the shorts fits good in the store. So now I'm perusing my local good will for shorts~ the only problem is that it's winter and they don't have many out....
Any recommendations for getting good, cheap shorts before March?

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Originally Posted by lgrabazs

Any recommendations for getting good, cheap shorts before March?

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C9 Brand running shorts at Target
Starter brand running shorts at Wally World
PT shorts from your local surplus store

Personally, I had have nothing but good luck with the C9 Brand clothing. The various runner forums like them, too.

If you are a small person, shop in the boys department for the XL size sports clothing. They are often cheaper and more durable than the comparable item in an adult size.

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Originally Posted by Mags

C9 Brand running shorts at Target
Starter brand running shorts at Wally World
PT shorts from your local surplus store

Personally, I had have nothing but good luck with the C9 Brand clothing. The various runner forums like them, too.

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+1 C9 boxer briefs, and long sleeve wicking type shirt on sale about $15.00 bucks.

I'll have to check out that c9 stuff.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2

Addressing to SGT Rock:

Great article, how down-to-earth you are!

Honestly we need to have more simple and straightforward people around :)

P.S: if ever you do wanna shop for new hiking gear, then try heading to a clearance sale if you can! :D

Don't give up on the charity stores....after a half dozen or so fruitless visits to various different ones over the last few weeks we hit pay dirt today at Bangor in Maine, here on business...Two pairs of zip-offs (for me and my boy) one brand new, and a brand new ultra light wind jacket...sum total $12.00! :)