Budget Walking Gear - Hot or not!

[Joe]

Righto! In other threads I've indicated that I'm trying to walk on a budget...not buying the most expensive gear purely because of its expense. I fully understand the risks of substandard gear but also believe that you can walk without having a macpac (or insert other pricey brand here) badge on.

So I have decided to start this thread detailing all the equipment I have purchased and its cost (where i can remember) and down the track I will provide reports on failures or successes. Please feel free to add to this with your own budget camping ideas and hopefully we can create a great repository of cheap alternatives...DIY is also highly recommended...although I haven't got any yet.




Item #1: Eye "Mountaineer" 85+10litre pack
This was purchased off Fleabay for around $65 delivered to my door. Nothing local even compares for size/ features to cost ratio. I generally try to support local business for purchase...but sometimes the fleabay is just too good. The features advertised with it were as follows:

Fully adjustable AIRCOMFORT VENTILATION SYSTEM for maximum comfort
Super light, heavy duty material
Breathable mesh foam back
Expandable removable top lid
Adjustable padded hip belt
Adjustable Sternum strap
CR system 9 levels adjustable shoulder height
Separate bottom compartment with continuous zipper and removable compartment separator
Bladder ready
Removable Aluminum 3 sections support structure
Zipper around front allowing you to access items deeper into the pack
Breathable padded human dynamics shoulder straps
Both sizes hidden pockets and mesh pocket
Binding straps on both sizes and front and top
Rainproof material
Color: black with red
Weight: 2.4 kg
Capacity: 85L, 10L extra by adjustable top height
Size in use: 85X50 cm

few areas of good chinglish in there...but basically its hydration ready, adjustable everywhere and rainproof. I have put a good amount of strain on its compression straps, and loaded it up till it was chockers full and done a couple of overnights with it now and have yet to fault it. Its light, sturdy roomy (almost too big for the walking ive been doing but i figured buy big now to provide room for later longer walks if i get motivated) and comfy. I have no doubt that it will start to wear out before a more expensive pack would...but i could also buy 6 of these for the price of the more expensive packs so if it does die in a few years im still a winner! (after the 2nd one postage is free so they go down to $40 a pack!)
Heres the ebay seller i bought from:

eBay - MOUNTAINEER

Pictures of my actual pack to come later.
I gave the pack a real workout this last weekend beating through thick scrub, scraping it across many rocks and also giving it a good and thorough dip in a river. It came through with flying colours. The external mesh pockets did wear away a touch from scrapes but not to the extent that they are unusable. I had a compressed foam sleeping mat hanging from one of the front d clips for the whole day which repeatedly got caught on things and despite my lack of finesse in extracting it from being caught the bag did not rip or damage in any way. After the dunk in river the majority of bags contents were still dry, the only areas of leakage being near the zipper.






Item #2 DMH Self inflating mattress. 3/4 lenght "Hikelite"
Cost me $45(ish) from the Backpackers Barn in Devonport (now a snowgum store) I drove around all the local bushwalking supply stores (didnt take me long. there is only 3) and checked out the price and quality of all the self inflating mats. The DMH was by far the cheapest (half the price of the thermarests) and after laying them all down and giving them a test it was just as comfortable as the others. Im a big sook when it comes to carrying weight so I went for the lightest option getting the D7 lightweight rather than the D6 standard. The difference being 1.3cm in thickness and 100gms. 100gms i'snt much but if i cut that amount of 10 items it starts to make a difference. I also carry a small compressed foam (10mm) mat to cover my feet area and protect the hikelite from nasties on the floor. I havent walked with this yet (only bought it yesterday) but have given it a good loungeroom test and am very happy so far. Detailed report to follow.

http://www.dmh.aust.com/mats/hikelitemats.html




Item #3 Stockman Weekender Sleeping bag
I think the one I have is called the alpine. Its rated to -5degrees. Its a mummy style bag which is down filled and has big padded rolls down the zip to keep warmth in. I bought it at Kmart for around $60 on sale a fair while ago. They still stock them but I wouldn't recommend buying one. I find my feet still get a bit cold in it on really cold nights (although I hate sleeping in socks...so i might be asking for it a bit). I like the look of the DMH hikelite S62 Passport Sub Zero. Its cheap and from what I have seen i reckon will perform better than the weekender. This will become the wifes bag in not to distant future

(Admin Edit: Added URL tags to reduce long line and remove need for horizontal scrolling. -SoB)

[Joe]

Item #4 Garmin Gecko GPS



This is not really a budget hiking item...a compass and the 25k or 100k map for the area is a helluva lot cheaper...but I already had one for geocaching..and its good and cheap when it comes to GPS so I figured I would chuck it in.
The gecko is smaller and lighter than its cousin the etrex. Its also faster to aquire sats and easier to use (imho) It does cost a little more than the basic etrex yeller but the Geko also weighs less than half the etrex, holds more tracklog and route points and has games built in!!!(ok forget the games...they waste battery and generally arent that fun.) The small size and weight come from it using AAA cells instead of AA's. This comes at a small cost in runtime though and if you dont want to carry spare cells or a solar charger then perhaps the good old Etrex Yellow is for you. I love my Geko though, interface cable for it can be purcahsed on fleabay for ~$20 and you can do moving map and all sorts of fun stuff.
I have given it many drop tests...including one fully submerged in few feet of salt water test which it came through with flying colours. A mate tried the closing it in the car boot test which his failed...but only the screen the unit still functioned!
I bought mine secondhand for $150.

For those of you with rediculously expensive cameras (nudge tasadam) you could even consider one of these:
http://www.redhensystems.com/products/v ... 2x-gps.asp

with a geko...I dont believe a suitable mount for etrex has been made. That said the interface between etrex and geko is identical apart from the little nubbin that holds the etrex on...so it should fit.



Item #5 Cheap Blue Nylon Gaiters
These were a xmas present from Mother in Law. She bought a set for me and a set for Speculator. I have no idea where she purchased them from or how much she paid. They are great for thier intended purchase except for a few small gripes. They dont breath. At all. Which is evidenly fine for those of us who are devoid of glands...but for myself this is a pain. After a good walk wearing them the inside is soaked in sweat. Mine have faired well as far as wear...they show good signs of use and abuse but no signs of wearing out. Specs are starting to look tatty and worn. Why this is I cant say...Perhaps the good Captain has been having a chew on them.


Item #6 First Aid Kit
Small plastic box containing Thermal Blanket, *&%$#! bandages, splinter probe (never leave home without one) alco swabs (for swabbing alcos) scissors, lighter, matches, medi tape bantaids etc. Cost under $20 to assemble. The Box was a bit heavy and big so i replaced it with 3 ziplock bags. one inside the other, one of these is used for rubbish on way out and one is spare.

Item #7 Cheap Plastic Compass
Bought from Allgoods in thier throwout bin. Was $3 from memory. The GPS has compass built in so this is just a redundancy measure. Its always thrown in bag never needed to use it yet though. Compass is basically just a floating bit of metal...cant see why you should spend any more than $5 on such an item. Does the Mont Super Uber compass 5000 do anything that my $3 cheapie doesnt?....nope.

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[Joe]

Item #8 Victorinox "Spartain" Swiss Army knife
Bought second hand from fleabay. cost under $10 delivered. There is a store on fleabay that sells the knives that are confiscated at airport to stop swiss terrorists taking over planes..and with victorinox or Wneger brands you know that even 2nd hand copy is going to be in good condition. The Victorinox Spartan is the knife MacGyver used. Nuff said really. If you saw the show you know you shouldnt be without one. They arent cheap to buy new but patience will get you a good copy from fleabay for next to nothing. Handy to have a good sharp knife with you on walks. And a victorinox spartan makes you feel a little like MacGyver...




Item #9 Boots - Mack SuperTech Flinders
Bought for around $140 at Allgoods
I am VERY picky about boots. As mentioned in anothr thread I have sever ankle problems that result in me killing shoes very quickly. I therefore never buy anything more expensive than around $100 for the reason that it wont last me very long. Average pair of shoes/boots only lasts me 2 months. maybe 3. Ive bought $300 shoes before on reccomendation of specialist only to have them useless to me after a month. With that in mind, as I said im very picky with boot choice. Ive developed an eye for what will work for me and what wont. I can tell straight away what boots will be any good for me. The Mack boots passed this test I havent walked in them yet (only purchased yesterday) will report on trail use after next week. So far though i can say they are nice and wide and extremely sturdy through the midsole area and look thoroughly waterproof. The lining is a single piece (like a sock) meaning there isnt a single seam inside to rub your feet. Sole is nice and chunky for grip and also very rigid for support, yet they remain lightweight. I hate wearing a heavy boot. All the eyelets are metal loops rivetted to the leather. This is by far the best method, I have broken more of the stitched ones than i can remember. The other boot i can reccommend is the Blundstone Mountain Master. They are like sex for the feet. Most comfortable boot I have ever worn. I wore them for work and they lasted me around 2 months. Which should translate to a good couple of years for someone with non retarded feet like mine!

[Joe]

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