Why should I buy a backpack that's over 200 dollars?

[Mikenet7482]

I just bought this backpack to practice with untill I get a better one next year for my long trip....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/40-50L-Outdo...r=580531492459

This backpack was 30 dollars and seems to have some of the features of name brand packs and it's new. I checked the dimensions and it'll fit my tent and other supplies easy.

Here is another even larger one....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Camping-Trav...item3f4141cb99

It's a different design, I found many hiking backpacks for under 50 dollars, various types, and sizes, one had a 80L capacity for under 50 dollars!

This doesn't make sense to me, are backpacks this cheap going to fall apart on me or something, they look decent in the pics? I'll have my backpack in a few days to give an opinion on it, but can anyone here with more experince tell me what's wrong with getting a backpack this cheap, or are they like shoes where you just pay more for name brand equipment that isn't always better? Most are spending at least 150 for a backpack from what I can tell, and often much more than that.

One more thing, has anyone here done weeks or months worth of hiking with a cheap backpack like this? I'm very curious how they hold up compared to the more expensive ones.

[MuddyWaters]

I

This doesn't make sense to me, are backpacks this cheap going to fall apart on me or something, they look decent in the pics? I'll have my backpack in a few days to give an opinion on it, but can anyone here with more experince tell me what's wrong with getting a backpack this cheap, or are they like shoes where you just pay more for name brand equipment that isn't always better? Most are spending at least 150 for a backpack from what I can tell, and often much more than that.

One more thing, has anyone here done weeks or months worth of hiking with a cheap backpack like this? I'm very curious how they hold up compared to the more expensive ones.

Most cheap items are cheap for a reason.
Cheap materials go into them is a big one.
Lack of quality control
Unskilled design and construction



Looks mean less than nothing.

I promise you, you will get what you pay for.

Some items can be serviceable though. It just depends.

The popular items arent popular because they are expensive, they are popular because they work well. $200 is actually a bit of a bargain for something to last years of daily use.

[scrabbler]

The larger one looks more legit to me, and like Muddy says the quality will definitely be suspect. Not to say you wont get some mileage out of either, but dont expect $200 bag quality and well designed features from a $40 bag. For instance, the first bag has crappy water bottle holders, and some goofy exterior straps to hold something that would totally throw off the balance of your pack. It's like they saw that they had some free space and threw them on there as a "feature" when in reality you should probably cut them off. Also, sizing of items from China on Ebay is generally hit and miss. So anyway, I still say go for it. It will last you some hikes, and you'll learn the true value of what's good and not good. Maybe it is better to get a $40 pack to learn these lessons. Good luck.

[Sarcasm the elf]

In addition to what muddy waters said. If you buy a pack at a reputable outfitter (and if you are paying $200, you should be buying it in person at a reputable outfitters.) the price you are paying is partially for a skilled salesperson helping you find a pack that fits you correctly. For the $200 packs you are also generally paying for an item with an a fairly solid return policy and long warranty against defects.

[nsherry61]

Since you've already invested, I'd like to read your take on it after you get your new bag and use it for a season. Many of us could share stories of what fails and works on cheap gear. I can build a pretty high performance kit with crazy cheap almost everything, from pop can stoves to grease pots, to cheap tarps and Walmart clothing (for trail use, not mountaineering) to thrift shop ski pole trekking poles to grocery store ultralight foods.

But, there.are two things, that for the life of me, I can't figure out . . . a ghetto sleeping bag/quilt or ghetto backpack with acceptable performance and reliability.

[Feral Bill]

At that price, a used name brand pack would be a better buy.

[lemon b]

You get what you pay for. Agree with The Elf. Hiked Dawsonville to Front Royal with a cheap surplus backpack in 1978. Did not know any better, being young.
So the answer is yes of course one can enjoy a hike with a cheap backpack, but I'd advise shopping the used market and taking along someone who knows how to fit a backpack.

[sittinguy]

I use a Field and Stream 65l only $80 new. Only weighs 4 1/2 lbs. Works fine.

[Bronk]

A lot depends on how much you're going to use it. If you're like a lot of us on here that do 15 or 20 trips a year, you might want to invest in something more pricey. But if this is something you might use for a weekend trip twice a year, that may be all you need. I've used plenty of cheaper gear...my stove cost $6 and has served me well for almost 2 years now. For awhile I camped under a $10 blue tarp from Walmart because I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a new tent. I used a $10 Walmart sleeping bag for awhile too. Will the $30 pack last as long as the $200 one? Maybe or probably not. It all depends on how you use it and how it was made to begin with. I once bought a polo shirt on the discount rack for $5...the original tag said $45. Was it a $5 shirt or a $45 shirt? Lots of stuff has a huge markup and I've found that some of this stuff you buy on the internet is every bit as good as the name brand stuff...my $6 stove is a good example of that.

[vamelungeon]

"You get what you pay for" is true sometimes, but not always. Sometimes you are paying for a brand name and not quality. You can find quality items at lower prices if you shop carefully and are patient about it. I really hate the attitude of "you have to buy the best most expensive stuff to hike" because it just isn't so. There is a certain amount of elitism, it seems, among a lot of WB forum users, a bit of equipment snobbery. Watch for sales, watch for used equipment, check out stuff from less well known manufacturers. Some less expensive stuff will be junk, but not always. "You get what you pay for" doesn't always hold water.

[Feral Bill]

"You get what you pay for" is true sometimes, but not always. Sometimes you are paying for a brand name and not quality. You can find quality items at lower prices if you shop carefully and are patient about it. I really hate the attitude of "you have to buy the best most expensive stuff to hike" because it just isn't so. There is a certain amount of elitism, it seems, among a lot of WB forum users, a bit of equipment snobbery. Watch for sales, watch for used equipment, check out stuff from less well known manufacturers. Some less expensive stuff will be junk, but not always. "You get what you pay for" doesn't always hold water.

How about "You get what you pay for, if you're lucky"

[MuddyWaters]

"You get what you pay for" is true sometimes, but not always. Sometimes you are paying for a brand name and not quality. You can find quality items at lower prices if you shop carefully and are patient about it. I really hate the attitude of "you have to buy the best most expensive stuff to hike" because it just isn't so. There is a certain amount of elitism, it seems, among a lot of WB forum users, a bit of equipment snobbery. Watch for sales, watch for used equipment, check out stuff from less well known manufacturers. Some less expensive stuff will be junk, but not always. "You get what you pay for" doesn't always hold water.

I dont know of anyone that buys hiking stuff because its expensive, most want to avoid spending any more than necessary. They buy it because it works, and it meets their needs, and they can afford it.

Can you dirtbag it? sure. That doesnt make those that buy western mountaineering bags snobs. There is a real pleasure to using high quality well designed gear that just works, especially if youve experienced the other side before. Sometimes this other side, is simply the weight of a 40 lb pack.

[garlic08]

Some scrounge by successfully with much less than others if they have some skills with repair, maintenance, and rehab. Those who drive old cars know what I mean--it becomes a kind of hobby. And some are much easier on gear than others. A friend calls me the outdoor gear beta tester, because I always find a way to break things in the outdoors. And I also enjoy the challenge of MacGuyver repairs and always have some parachute cord, duct tape, safety pins, needle and thread, and a bit of wire. Funny thing is I use that stuff more often on others' more expensive gear.

I've seen some uber-hikers out there on mega-hikes with Walmart gear. And I've seen folks strolling around the neighborhood park who wouldn't leave home without being decked out in four figures worth of Patagucci equipment complete with poles and gaiters. It can be pretty much however you want it to be.

[Bronk]

Garlic brings up some good points that every hiker should take to heart...what do you do when you're 5 miles from the nearest road and your shoulder straps rip off the pack? It happened to me just outside Hot Springs with a name brand pack. If you can't rig something to get you to town you're going to be in big trouble. Luckily for me the outfitter was able to hook me up with somebody local that had a sewing machine and knew how to use it.

[garlic08]

...what do you do when you're 5 miles from the nearest road and your shoulder straps rip off the pack? It happened to me just outside Hot Springs with a name brand pack. If you can't rig something to get you to town you're going to be in big trouble....

Hah--same thing happened to me years ago in a remote area of the Pasayten Wilderness on the PNT--a plastic buckle broke. But I just happened to be hiking past an historic mine (they sold tungsten to Nazi Germany in the 1930s!) and I found a nice piece of fencing wire, an old stove and a rock and was able to hammer the wire into a nice buckle shape. It was kind of fun, and the pack still works that way to this day.

[MuddyWaters]

Garlic brings up some good points that every hiker should take to heart...what do you do when you're 5 miles from the nearest road and your shoulder straps rip off the pack? It happened to me just outside Hot Springs with a name brand pack. If you can't rig something to get you to town you're going to be in big trouble. Luckily for me the outfitter was able to hook me up with somebody local that had a sewing machine and knew how to use it.

Is what u use your needle and dental floss for.

[Casey & Gina]

Garlic brings up some good points that every hiker should take to heart...what do you do when you're 5 miles from the nearest road and your shoulder straps rip off the pack? It happened to me just outside Hot Springs with a name brand pack. If you can't rig something to get you to town you're going to be in big trouble. Luckily for me the outfitter was able to hook me up with somebody local that had a sewing machine and knew how to use it.

I have an old Quiksilver pack that I bought knowing nothing. In addition to being hugenourmous and heavy, it is absolute Rubbish. The internal compartments have all ripped apart (I have resewn new material in many places), the "rugged" rubberization on the bottom has flaked off into a million pieces, and of the shoulder adjusters now has a knot instead of an adjustable clip, and the shoulder strap which failed utterly (due to there being a break in the webbing where they decided to add a cell phone pocket on one side only) is still holding up years after I repaired it by stitching it together with dental floss, surprisingly. I still have it and use it when I want a spacious pack I can toss around without caring what happens to it - there is a value in cheap! But there is no way I would take it on a long hike where weight and durability are concerns.

[RED-DOG]

Some of my favorite packs has been dirt cheap ones but some of my best packs has been expensive ones.
you get what you pay for.

[LIhikers]

........................you get what you pay for.

Not necessarily, but you can be pretty sure that you're going to pay for what you paid.

[LIhikers]

Not necessarily, but you can be pretty sure that you're going to pay for what you paid.

Correction...you're going to pay for what you get.