Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

[Mike]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

As a matter of fact, I plan on picking up some more gear from Walmart before our next trip. I want a "welcome" mat to put in front of the tent, so I have a place to take off/put on my shoes, and not be in the dirt.

There is supposed to be some new kind of camping door mat that sand passed through easily. I read about them on campingforums.com


I would check those out. Sounds good.

[toedtoes]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

There is supposed to be some new kind of camping door mat that sand passed through easily. I read about them on campingforums.com


I would check those out. Sounds good.

Aren't we on campingforums.com???

[Irate Mormon]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

Any QUALITY tent has a waterproof bathtub-style floor, and you will be bone dry no matter how much water pools under your tent.

Well, I have to chime in here. I realize you guys are talking about heavy, car-camping tents. Backpacking tents, especially those tailored for UL hikers, do NOT have bathtub floors. This means that one must use appropriate techniques for staying dry. Hence, your footprint is ALWAYS smaller than your tent, for reasons already mentioned. UL tent fabrics are rated as to how much water pressure they will take before letting water in - let us just say that site selection is important. UL tents are quite well made (and quite expensive) and having a bathtub floor has nothing to do with the quality of the tent. Going light is all about making choices, and one of those choices involves learning good technique. Technique is why you can through-hike the John Muir trail with a 7-oz. tarp made of spinnaker fabric, and stay warm and dry...So I guess for me, I ALWAYS assume that water can get in through the floor of the tent. In the case of my Coleman (for extended stays - I like the extra room), the floor is waterproof, but alas the rainfly is not :-(

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

Sure. I buy all my Coleman liquid fuel there.

I was really peeved that no WMs sold white gas fuel near the campground this year. All they had was propane:(.

[Irate Mormon]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

On a recent trip I decided I needed to pop into WM to get some white gas. Sticker Shock! I am so glad I have dual fuel gear.

[cunningman]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

Wal Mart has good prices on some gear that I like. AquaSak comes to mind and extension cords, seam sealer, camp dry, cooking tools & supplies and even tarps....im sure there's more. I also bought a couple accessories for my fold n go gas grill at Wally world vs online or elsewhere. JMHO

[JoeN]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

Where I live there is a choice of Walmart or Academy. They both carry a lot of the same stuff from China though Academy does carry a few items that are not cheap knockoffs. I do buy some things from Walmart, especially expendable items, but if I want a really quality item I usually buy it online - Cabelas, Campmor, LL Bean, REI, etc. Still at the better known outdoors stores you have to be careful because they all sell some of the cheap products. I do buy flashlights from Walmart. Their Ozark Trails flashlights are a pretty good deal. I have bought several 200/250 lumen LED flashlights for about $10 there and they were aluminum case with o-ring seals. Apparently others have discovered the flashlights because the last few times I have been in Walmart the 200 lumen flashlights were sold out and the 250 lumen flashlights were up to $15.

You can trust what you buy at Walmart, you just have to be smart and know what you are buying. Some items are as good as anywhere else and some are cheap use once and throw away.

[actad]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

double post when I edited

[actad]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

I picked up some nice camping items online from Walmart last month that were marked down. I got a fabric table, a fabric end table, a UCO three candle lantern with the neoprene cover, and a cot for the grandkids. All are now back to regular price online at about $25 more. Not a huge difference, but not bad for a night of surfing the Internet. They were not available in any of my local stores.

Tonight, I was in the Walmart near work and found a Rio Easy Up cot for $44. I needed a cot for an adult with a higher weight limit (this one is rated 300lbs), and felt it was a pretty good deal for a military style cot with a lever that locks the legs in place. They had a lot of marked down items, especially the tents. Surprising to me because I feel camping in my neck of the woods is right around the corner.

[Irate Mormon]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

I got a couple of tents from WM and they did OK for casual camping in good weather. Also a cot which gets used frequently when grandkids visit, plus when I go on extended trips. A tarp is a good remedy for a WM tent when the weather turns bad. If you don't have a caviar budget, you improvise.

[Happy Joe]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

Over the years I have learned that if you use cheap (especially chinese) stuff (Wallymart, Harbor Freight or other); always have a backup plan, because it will likely fail eventually.
For years the Ozark Trail cot backup plan was a foam pad, a moving blanket and the ground; the cot failed slowly with a few parts breaking almost immediately , the air mattress failed after a couple of years and the frame finally became too much hassle after around 5 years of uncomfort.
I bought a tent from Wallymart once but a trial setup showed it to be completely unsuitable for use as a shelter (too much ventilation to provide protection from cold, or rain). I gave it away, unused.
I had a 5,000 BTU propane heater from Wallymart; it lasted about 3 or 4 years of very careful use before it spontaneously disintegrated.
I can't count the number of Wallymart camping chairs that we including friends have had collapse, with some amusement and, fortunately, no injuries (we now carry at least 3, for the 2 of us, and inspect them regularly).
Some of our camp cookware and tableware is from wallymart (kitchenware dept. not sporting goods) because it is cheap enough that if lost or "borrowed" it is no biggie to replace.
I use Harbor Freight chinese tarps and learned that the silver ones last much better than the blue ones (but the grommets still rust).
We went through several chinese inverters, but 2 of the 3 failures were probably due to near miss lighting strikes, the third just started spitting brown smoke; I now carry a spare.
I was given a chinese copy of a trifold e-tool that failed the first time it was needed (in heavy not frozen snow).
I can't count the number of 12 volt chinese air compressors that my friends have burned up... resulting in much hyperventilation blowing up air mattresses.


So yes; you can rely on Wallymart goods ...to fail... always have at least a backup plan and be aware that low quality is the rule with chinese goods.


Enjoy!

[toedtoes]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

While I don't shop at Walmart (can't stand shopping in a store with family groups entertaining themselves - prefer to be able to walk in, get what I want, and walk out; not fight to get down aisles), I can't say I've ever had problems with "made in China" products that I read about from others.

My chairs, tables, tools, etc., have all lasted well and have not had "failures". The worst I can say is that they wore out sooner than much more expensive gear - and as someone who likes to get new stuff every so often, I don't really see that as a downside.

[Happy Joe]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

Since Wal-Mart put most of the larger stores in the area out of business (the Big-R is still open) its about the only close choice so I am forced to shop there.
I find that going early (before dawn) in the morning is best although you have to dodge floor waxers and shelf restockers.


In terms of cheap chinese goods;
If it uses an electric motor be wary (IMO, there is simply no comparison between cheap chinese and moderate priced first world country goods in terms of longevity, I have many examples). Cheap chinese electric tools should simply not be expected last in semi industrial use, but can often, with a bit of effort, be made to last fairly well in some hobbyist settings. Harbor freight 4 or 4 1/2 inch hand grinders are a prime example, I think the count is now about 6 or 8 cheap chinese grinders to the still functioning, old, USA made, Skil grinder.
With Chinese machine tools I count on replacing the motor about the second year of use.
Relatively high dollar goods made in china can work well, Warn winches for example.


With electronics you have to pretty much grit your teeth and take your chances... as mentioned I carry spares based on past performance... or rather lack of it.


For camping chairs etc; get the chairs rated for the highest load possible (probably 300 pounds) and don't expect it to last more than a couple of seasons when used by a 200 pound person. Our chair failures are split between fabric failure, hardware and plastic part failure. I do have an early small folding fabric chair that has survived (somehow) for more than 20 years... not sure if its chinese though.
Each year I wait for the end of the season sale and restock for the next year, I usually get at least one chair per year, but some times I can skip a year or have to get two chairs so I guess our expected life in careful use is 2 seasons...(we carry 3 chairs for the two of us and if one looks iffy it gets replaced before we start, I stock a pair of new chairs in long term storage).
... getting old enough now that we no longer bounce if dropped suddenly...


Enjoy!

[toedtoes]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

I think knowing the limits of the product and staying within those limits is important.

For instance, the chairs. If the chair is rated for up to 300 lbs, that doesn't mean a 275 lb person can use it for 10 hours a day for a month straight and it won't fail.

Like most things, moderation is the key. If you're close to the weight limit, then rotating between chairs is a good practice.

Same with power gear, etc. If you're using it at an industrial level, then of course a casual use item isn't going to hold up. Expecting it to is an exercise in futility.

The point I was trying to make, is that it's not that Chinese products are necessarily junk - it's that people are expecting the same level of workload from a $30 HB/WM product as they do from a $80 non-chinese product.

My chairs, tables, power pack, etc., last because I don't push them beyond what they're capable of handling. If I need something to stand up to industrial or near industrial work, then I buy accordingly.

[Happy Joe]

Re: Do I trust camping gear from wal-mart?

The users of our (allegedly rated 300 lb) chinese chairs weigh about 130 and 190 pounds.
I expect chairs, and all equipment really, to be able to perform for extended times within their rated specification. If it doesn't meet the rating by definition it is substandard (probably chinese).


I have been amazed to see cheap (and I'm not talking price) chinese grinders, in other hands, fail in less than 20 minutes where moderate quality European, Japanese (even some Japanese name made in china) or US grinders, and other tools, last for years... I can make cheap chinese last for years if I take special care to very lightly load them; however these grinders are meant to grind welds and as such should stand up to that use, especially in a home use environment.
In home use, machine tools, IMO, should last virtually forever; however as I said I can depend on replacing chinese electrical motors within the first two years (when considering machine tools first try to get antique/worn out domestic made machines; you will probably be happier with their performance, even if you have to overhaul them (as you may have to do to get new chinese to meet spec, or even function) before use).


My point is that, based on experience, I simply can't depend on cheap chinese goods to perform even with care at a reasonable use level.


Some brand names, who have their equipment made in china (NOT Wal-Mart or Harbor Freight) seem to be able to put good equipment in consumer's hands; I'm not sure what they do to make the system work but the price for this equipment is usually similar to US, Japanese or European made goods, the fit, finish and longevity all are normally acceptable; these are exceptions and to not meet the definition of cheap. Cheap usually goes far beyond a potentially inexpensive initial price.


Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder but ugly (as well as cheap) goes clear to the bone, IMO.


Enjoy!