My buddy Rob told me his $6 army surplus tarp outlasted three of my fancy backpacking tents and I had to sit down.

He said he just patched a hole with duct tape and kept using it for 8 years while I'm on my fourth tent because a zipper broke or a seam gave out, so has anyone else ditched the expensive gear for the boring stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

jennifer_fisher3d ago

Hear me out on this one... I get the appeal of cheap gear that just works, but there's a reason we pay for the higher end stuff. Your buddy's tarp might be a tank, but I bet it weighs like 5 pounds and takes up half his pack. My tent is light, packs small, and sets up in under a minute. Also, durability isn't just about lasting years, it's about not failing when you're stuck in a storm. A cheap tarp can get the job done for sure, but I've seen the duct tape fail on friends in heavy rain and wind, and that's not fun. I'd rather replace a zipper every few years than wake up soaking wet because a seam ripped out under stress.

felix4783d ago

Man, you actually got me thinking. I used to be all about the cheap stuff and thought it was just as good, but waking up wet in a storm sounds like a nightmare I'd rather pay to avoid.