Let's be honest. Most of the outdoor gear we buy is made in China and we just buy an item with 3x's the markup and a local company's brand. What gear have you bought from China that turned out to be a better than expected clone or alternative or what is something you've bought that turned out to by a scam and a rip off?
$25 Walmart single person tent. Took it up San Gorgonio, all over Joshua Tree, and San Diego near Cuyamaca I get blown the fuck out of reddit threads Everytime I post this, or even suggest someone to get a cheap tent for someone that goes a few times a year
I got a copy of the trangia alcohol stove for 4 euros. works perfectly.
>>2785678most people are retards and tread their gear like shit.
>>2785672Are any of these nature hike backpacks any good?
>>2785672pathfinder school steel canteen. I knew the youtube channel, so I was aware they're a bunch of larpers selling chink stuff, but I didn't think you could get something as basic as a stainless steel canteen in a molle pouch wrong. Well, they could - the "molle" straps were sewn on on both ends (forming the worst belt loop I've ever seen), the opening of the canteen was way too wide, so that the first time I tried to drink from it while walking, half the water ended up sloshing out the top, and getting the cap on tight enough to be watertight was damn near impossible.Funnily enough, my other chinesium canteen that isn't "designed in the US" is a perfectly fine copy of the military issue one.
>>2785707Why would you pay that much for chink stuff? last I checked, the esbit alcohol stove was around 5€, too. And that's pretty much the best stove of that type you can get. Even the trangia is just a lesser ripoff, although they did copy most of it (everything except the "starter jets" formed by alternating big and small holes, because esbit still ahd that patent when trangia started copying them, iirc).
>>2785855china stuff is cheaper and the same manufacturer
3FUL pack strap bottle holderNaturehike 300W down bagToaks titanium windscreenFiremaple titanium frying panWidesea closed cell foam padHas anybody bought titanium shepherd hook stakes? I'm curious about those.
>>2786120the ti hooks work very well in rocky or grassy/rooty soil. terrible in loose dirt as you might expect, and in winds the hook can get turned around, so get it close to the ground and add some small stones to hold in place. they are fine for guy lines and things, but I still prefer the mini groundhogs for corners. overall the weight savings are basically not there, but I see it as a compact way to carry a few extra pegs.
>>2785678after sleeping through really strong winds in a shitty hammock, I'm looking to buy a 1 person tent.Looking at desert fox and found a couple of video reviews saying it's okay. Or should I just get the decathlon MH100 for a few more bucks?
>>2786120I have that bag in my cart, thinking about pulling the trigger on it. How compact does it compress to? Do you carry it inside or outside your bag?
>>2786172Get a nature hike tent. They hold up pretty well.
Never depend on chink gear ever. Are you stupid?
Picrel is 95% aliexpress stuff. Quick review, prices are what I paid at the time (includes coupons and such).>1. Naturehike Cloud Up 2 (20D Nylon version, includes Mat) 132,61€Absolutely amazing tent for the price. It's light, it's easy to set up, it's well built. Just enough space to sit up, this is a tent for sleeping, not for living in it.>2. Inflatable Naturehike pillow 3,73€Pretty nice ergonomics for a side sleeper like me, larger than it needs to be though.>3. Naturehike Sleeping Bag liner 24,57€Incredibly comfy, easy to wash, adds a few degrees to your bag.>4. Widesea sleeping pad + inflation sac 30,13€Served me well for 2 years, but it has an integrated pillow that I despise, so I since replaced it with a westtune bag for 15,86€, which I haven't tried yet.>5. Just a ziploc with toothbrush, toothpaste, toilet paper and a bar of soap (not from china)>6. A noname drybag, 1,69€I use it to store my electronics>7. Noname microfiber towel 1,90€Dries super quick and weighs next to nothing>8. Folding cuttlery with screw-together chopsticks 3,66€The chopsticks are super versatile, spoon and fork are usable>9. Titanium mug 11,52€I like this thing. Since getting it I also bought a titanium lid for 3,89€ as well.>10. 2-3 person pot set 11,39€It's nothing fancy, but enough to cook for 2 people, includes a pan and a pot. Very light, which is a plus.>11. Naturehike CW400I love it. It's pretty warm, insanely comfy, packs down tight, there's enough leg room due to the square shape and you can unzip it into a blanket, which I have used alone or with someone else (if you share it you have to enjoy sleeping close together though, if you aren't spooning/sleeping back to back you quickly run out of blanket).>12. Generic noname gas stove 5,38€Nothing fancy, but it works and refuses to break, has heated up many meals for me.>13. Titanium shovel 8,19€It works and it's light.>14. Opinel No. 6 (not from china)(cont)
>>2786415(cont)>15. Generic backpack cover 60L 1,90€Keeps my backpack dry. Bulky but light.>16. Flip-flops (not from china)>17. Foam pad to sit on 1,29€Prevent a wet or cold butt and provides the slightest sliver of comfort>18. Oversized rain poncho (decathlon, so not from china)>19. Heat exchanger pot 11,09€Just big enough for 1 person meals, the heat exchanger supposedly saves fuel. It's heavier than I'd like and only suited for solo hikes due to the low volume. I bring No. 10 when with others and 19 when alone.>20. Cheap plastic water bottles (Not from china)>21. Pouch with first aid, meds and repair stuff 4,75€It's just a molle pouch, nothing special.>22. Washing machine nets I use for organizing clothes (not from china)>23. Food (not from china) >24. 3FUL Ultralight backpack 40+16L 67,48€Pretty great backpack. Quality materials, good seams. No frame so it needs the eggshell mat for structure. It's a great deal overall.>25. Widesea Egg nest mat 23,79€It's insulated, has a silver lining for radiation heat and protects my pad from stones or punctures, while also giving the backpack structure. It's great, but a cheaper alternative would work just as fine (make sure it has the reflective foil on one side).>26. Widesea titanium spoon with long handle 1,86€Very convenient when you want to scrape some overnight porridge out of the depths of a ziploc bag in the morning without getting your hands dirty>27. Sofirn H05B HeadlampMetal housing, replaceable 18650 cell, red and white light modes, USB-C charging. Wish the lowest settings would go even lower in brightness though. Doesn't have the 18650 cell included (I used a salvaged one).>28. USB rechargeable LED bulb 1,90€Can be hung into the tent to see at night. Surprisingly bright, I added tissues into the bulb as a diffuser because it's too bright otherwise.>Not pictured: Flames creed 3m*4m 15ad nylon tarp 53,22€Used for hammock camping when not using the tent and going solo.
>>2786210It compresses quite small. Not much bigger than the Nemo Tensor pad.Down should always be kept inside your pack mate. Preferably in a dry bag.
>>2786469>>2786415>>2786120Do these Naturhike bags temperature rating correspond to their actual performance in your experience?
>>2786477The CW300 comfort rating (9C) is accurate, but I wouldn't take it out in temperatures lower than that. It's very much a spring bag.
does anyone here trust aliexpress boots? im thinking of picking up maybe 3 pairs of 15usd boots and seeing how they gois it a waste?
>>2786477Yes, the CW400 rating is accurate. If anything I think I could go a little lower than advertised, but I happen to sleep warm usually, so that probably plays into it.The liner also adds a few degrees of insulation on top, so that's nice. >>2786483Never tried them because my feet are too large usually for Chinese sizes, but as a general rule I'd say shoes are such an essential and subjective item I'd probably not risk it. If you have a Decathlon near you, they have pretty decent shoes for pretty cheap, plus some areas where you can test grip on different surfaces (stone, wood, etc). That's where I got mine and I love those.
>>2786415This is what I was looking for. THANK YOU. Someone who has bought chinese gear and actually tested it and gives an honest review. Wish more people on this board did this. I was able to afford an extra week on a trail because I bought all Chinese gear instead of American overpriced marked up chinese gear.
I have the naturehike cloud up 2 tent, it's nice. the lanshan 2 pro is a very popularr trekkkin pole tent too.3f-ul make ood stuff, I have their bagbrs stove is very popularaeismax nano 2 is a grreat sleepin bagg forr the prrice. naturrehike also had down products and sleep pads that should be goodaonijie 30L pack is an amazin daypack, or for fastpacking if you do thatsvbny sv202 8x32 are reat bino's that punch way above their price pointbuy all your closed cell pads (ie sit pad and matt) from aliexpress, no need to waste money on z-lite
>>2786964What type of area/climate are you hiking/camping at?
>>2787349PNW. Jesus I should have proofread.Synthetics would be better here but aliexpress down is such a good value that I haven't upgraded
protip: lots of Ali gear can be found on Amazon so you can try it before you buy it
>>2789107Good point, just be careful about returns being free.
>>2786964>aonijie 30L pack is an amazin daypack, or for fastpacking if you do thatthanks i've been eyeing that thing up. i have a naturehike daypack that is absurdly nice for what i paid.
Any good deal on a water resistant toiletry bag?>toilet paper>toothbrush & paste/powder>soapAnd maybe a bit more?
>>2789292When we are talking water resistant, what conditions are we talking about? Protection against the occasional splash? Rain? Protection against temporary yet full submersion in a river crossing?There's plenty of rolltop dry bags you can buy off AliExpress. They are reasonably effective, certainly against splashes or rain, but even when submersed for a short time (not for anything longer though, as the seams usually whick water into the bag, creating a mess with stuff like tp). Can be had for 2-3$ probably.That being said they add unnecessary weight, so personally I just use a generic Ziploc type bag. Served me well.
>>2789294Zip up, not ziploc preferably, I was really just seeing if there was something people liked & that I could maybe use for things besides camping as well.
>>2786964>>2789144how tall are you guys? torso length has always kept me from trying one of these packs. why isn't it ever mentioned in the description? we aren't all 5"6 fucking chinamen.
>>2789386I'm neither of these anons, but for the 3FUL one it fits me at 6 foot (184 cm).
