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  • This might start some opinion battles...

    ... but I'm posting it anyway. I was searching the Internet for "overpriced tents" and was surprised that I couldn't find any forums that had a discussion on the topic. I know it's really subjective because some of the high end tents, most notably (IMO) Hilleberg, are supposedly made of the best components available, but I just can't see me spending $600+ on a solo tent. I understand that quality usually costs a bit more, but... really?

    Anyway, that got me to thinking about other camping gear and some of the stuff I've seen that made me cringe when I saw their prices. Just about anything from Snow Peak instantly comes to mind, especially their tables. Is their quality really worth what they're asking? Or can it be that I'm just too poor and think that $330 for a 3-foot by 2-foot bamboo table is just ridiculous?

    So... what I'm asking here is what do you all think about various companies and the money they want for their products? Any that you instantly rule out? Some that stand out as the best bang for the buck?

  • #2
    Re: This might start some opinion battles...

    I guess I'm poor or something also ,heck I still drive a 94 model chevy truck if that tells you anything...lol.I can go to walmart a buy a new tent for several years for that price

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    • #3
      Re: This might start some opinion battles...

      I'm in the same camp.

      I don't buy cheap, I buy cost effective. If I were hiking the Himalayas, then paying the big bucks is worth it - casual camping in the U.S., not so much. I know folks who buy the most expensive "quality" gear available, and folks who buy the least expensive. Guess what? They ALL have a great time camping.

      Do what makes sense for YOU and don't worry about what the self-proclaimed expert tells you is the only way to do it right.
      “One could not be a successful scientist without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of scientists, a goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid.” - James D. Watson

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      • #4
        Re: This might start some opinion battles...

        I like nice things and some of the really high end products are really nice but I generally won't pay the extra money to get the "top of the line". Right now I don't get to camp much so I am not going to spend the money to buy a high end tent. I can buy a cheap Walmart tent and it will last me several seasons if I am careful with it. I don't like the cheap polyethylene floors but I always use a heavy ground cloth and the floors don't give me any trouble. However, if I spent a lot more time camping I might buy a heavier duty tent.

        There are a lot of products that are overpriced to me. One is a custom knife. I just can't see paying $300 for a custom knife when I can buy a $15 Mora that does everything I need it to do. Almost anything you buy has a utilitarian end with several choices up to the luxury end. I don't always buy the cheapest but I do tend to buy what meets my needs toward the lower end.

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        • #5
          Re: This might start some opinion battles...

          I buy gear that will last and provide a comfortable experience for me and my family. I usually try and find the cheapest prices on the gear I need.
          Nights camped in 2019: 24
          Nights camped in 2018: 24

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          • #6
            Re: This might start some opinion battles...

            I too am of a penurious bent.
            I like nice things but mostly they have to be functional first, I really can't see spending lots on a frivolus tent or anything else (drive a '94 truck as a DD, also).
            ... My criteria is; if I can build it the same or better for half the price or less its too expensive...
            My most expensive tent is the Alaknak (rated as an outfitters tent at the time) at around $600 (more now), many moons ago.
            The most recent tent is the Standing Room; $200 plus canopy $89, plus tarps ~$30.
            Its hard to find a decent tent for $100 or less anymore (unless its used).
            I just shake my head at things like $300 camping tables or $80 "off road" (like it makes a difference?) shovels.
            I have little problem with buying quality components like a Warn winch, a Thetford porta pottie , the Need must be there and justify the expense...


            Enjoy!
            Last edited by Happy Joe; 04-20-2016, 05:36 AM.
            2006 Jeep Rubicon, TJ; 4.11 gears, 31" tires, 4:1 transfer case, lockers in both axles
            For DD & "civilized" camping; 2003 Ford explorer sport, 4wd; ARB & torsen diffs, 4.10 gears, 32" MTs.
            Ground tents work best for me, so far.
            Experience along with properly set up 4WD will get you to & through places (on existing, approved 4WD trails) that 4WD, alone, can't get to.

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            • #7
              Re: This might start some opinion battles...

              Three things I will never scrimp on: 1) A well-made, waterproof tent. 2) Sturdy hiking boots. 3) Comfortable mattress pads.


              I learned these lessons the hard way, mind you.

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              • #8
                Re: This might start some opinion battles...

                I have no personal experience with Hilleburg tents, but I have read a little about them and I have family who are outfitters and mountaineering guides. If you’re someone who camps in the harshest conditions and where a failure of your tent would cost your life, then Hilleburg’s four season tents are probably not over priced. However, if you only camp in mild weather, a Walmart tent lasts you a few seasons, and even if it fails you’ll only be left uncomfortable for a night or two; Hilleburg tents are probably overbuilt and over priced for your needs. There is also the fact that Hilleburgs are not mass produced in china by a factory who cranks them out at the lowest price like the Walmart tents.


                Snow Peak tables are a different matter though. I don’t know, but I tend to doubt they are built to a higher quality than something from ALPS or Cabelas, though they probably are better looking.


                Every time I look at Frost River packs, I question what makes them so expensive. I’m sure a big part of the cost is that they are US made and there is a lot of attention to detail, but the designs all seem so simple and easy to make.


                In the end the value of any item is what someone is willing to pay. Obviously Snow Peak and Frost River have plenty of customers willing to pay the prices they ask, because they’ve both been around a long time. For what ever reason those customers find it’s worth paying the prices they’re are ask, so who’s right and who’s wrong?

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                • #9
                  Re: This might start some opinion battles...

                  i am on the fence on the subject
                  while i do well with cheap stuff, and make them work well,
                  overall when i look at equipment i have that has lasted over 10-20 +20 years, they are generally higher end brand names of the time,
                  have also had my share of expensive gear that didnt quite last to my expectations

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                  • #10
                    Re: This might start some opinion battles...

                    Originally posted by terasec View Post
                    i am on the fence on the subject
                    while i do well with cheap stuff, and make them work well,
                    overall when i look at equipment i have that has lasted over 10-20 +20 years, they are generally higher end brand names of the time,
                    have also had my share of expensive gear that didnt quite last to my expectations
                    In my experience, I have found that "higher end brand names" from 40+ years ago has held up better than cheap stuff - but higher end brand name stuff made less than 40 years ago doesn't. Then there is also the "circular argument" - does more expensive stuff last longer because it is better quality or because you are more careful with it because it cost more.
                    “One could not be a successful scientist without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of scientists, a goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid.” - James D. Watson

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                    • #11
                      Re: This might start some opinion battles...

                      Originally posted by toedtoes View Post
                      In my experience, I have found that "higher end brand names" from 40+ years ago has held up better than cheap stuff - but higher end brand name stuff made less than 40 years ago doesn't.
                      I think that's certainly true of some items like tools. 40 years ago a cheap set of sockets from Taiwan were just as likely to break as they were to break loose a tight nut. Today even top of the line tool companies like Snap-on are outsourcing manufacture to China because the quality is so good and production is so cheap. I don't know if it's true for other items like watches. 40 years ago you could by a really cheap Timex from almost drug store in the US and it would have been made from better materials and lasted longer than any of the plastic and pot metal, cheap watches I see today.
                      Last edited by Yukon Jack; 04-21-2016, 01:46 PM.

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                      • #12
                        Re: This might start some opinion battles...

                        I think Yukon Jack made some good points about tents. There are many fair weather campers like me who camp just a few times a year and never in extreme conditions. I am rarely more than a few steps from my truck when I camp and I can remember only one time when I camped with temperatures below freezing. I think there are a lot of campers like me, maybe even most campers, that don't need extreme gear. I can get by just fine with a cheap Walmart tent and it will last me several seasons. My tents are more likely to rot in storage, get damaged by mice or insects, or maybe get damaged when something gets tossed on it than fail while camping. However, if I spent a lot of time camping or camped in extreme conditions then I would buy more durable gear and be happy to pay the price difference. At my age and with my physical restrictions I will probably never need anything heavier than my cheap tents. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate the finer things in life it just means that in my choice of tents I tend to be more apt to buy cheap.

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                        • #13
                          Re: This might start some opinion battles...

                          I'll spend real money on a backpacking tent if it is stormworthy and saves me a few grams. For car camping...I go cheap. A blue tarp makes up for a lot of design flaws.
                          2018: Any way the wind blows; doesn't really matter to me....Too Meee....

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                          • #14
                            Re: This might start some opinion battles...

                            Originally posted by Irate Mormon View Post
                            I'll spend real money on a backpacking tent if it is stormworthy and saves me a few grams. For car camping...I go cheap. A blue tarp makes up for a lot of design flaws.
                            HA! Too true
                            “I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
                            – E. B. White

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                            • #15
                              Re: This might start some opinion battles...

                              I guess as far as tents are concerned it depends on what kind of camping you do. I don't find a big use for "Himalayan" lightweight tents at this juncture in my life so I spend my money in a different direction.

                              I have 2 Snow Peak lanterns that I wish I'd bought from the beginning; spent more money over time on Coleman/Cabelas lanterns that broke too fast and had inferior lighting. I find the design ethos of the Snow Peak table system beauteous but the cost prohibitive. Perfectly happy with my considerably less expensive C+B table in a bag and suspect one day I'll grab up some manufacturers' mass produced countertop height metal top folding table as well.
                              2017:

                              July 3 to July 16- annual kiddo trip
                              Aug 2 to Aug 14- adult trip to recover from kiddos' outing. Bring on the Campari!



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