Cheap Stuff that Works

[ElDiablito]

Best budget tripod fluid head: https://www.amazon.com/ProGearX-Compact-Rotation-Panorama-Mirrorless/dp/B0BWJDWRR4
I’ve bought 10 of them..come out to like $22 with coupon. They do everything the VA-5 did for me in a more compact unit with more true Arca-Swiss attachment I believe. Pretty sure they’re rebranded model of these https://shop.gohunt.com/collections/optics/products/mutnt-fluid-head-with-arca-plate

Thank me later

Just picked up one of the $25 Progear heads. Damn! I think you’re right - they do appear to be the same head as the $111 GoHunt Mutnt head. Fantastic for the money!

 

[Jack321]

Just picked up one of the $25 Progear heads. Damn! I think you’re right - they do appear to be the same head as the $111 GoHunt Mutnt head. Fantastic for the money!

Is it smooth and easily lockable? I have a Suriu VA-5 and would like something as a backup.

 

[Geewhiz]

Is it smooth and easily lockable? I have a Suriu VA-5 and would like something as a backup.

I have a va5 as well and am less than impressed after seeing all the hype on here about that head. I'm looking for other arca compatible options as well.

 

[CjMelendrez]

following, this is fantastic.

 

[fmyth]

Just picked up one of the $25 Progear heads. Damn! I think you’re right - they do appear to be the same head as the $111 GoHunt Mutnt head. Fantastic for the money!

I think the GoHunt is the same as this Small Rig:

 

[Shortschaf]

VA5 is very overrated. I would get the smallrig if I wanted another fluid head.

 

[416safari]

The one on the left is the one we have had for years, but a rectangle opening.

Another vote for the Costco Orvis Tech pants. I've got a bunch, wade in them, canoe in them, hike in them, work in them...

Our Costco has the Orvis Teck Pants on sale for $4.00 off. I'll have to run over and pick up a couple of pairs

 

[SonnyDay]

Just make sure they are the carbon ones, the costco are carbon but their site has carbon and aluminum poles.

I bought the Cascade Mountain Tech trekking poles based on this thread… and they really suck. They may work fine if you use them all the time and never need to adjust the length… but I typically carry poles on my pack and only use them for steep terrain or packout.

In cold weather, you need tools to adjust the length on these poles… as the “quick release” mechanism is really poorly designed.

Went back to REI brand…

 

[fngTony]

I bought the Cascade Mountain Tech trekking poles based on this thread… and they really suck. They may work fine if you use them all the time and never need to adjust the length… but I typically carry poles on my pack and only use them for steep terrain or packout.

In cold weather, you need tools to adjust the length on these poles… as the “quick release” mechanism is really poorly designed.

Went back to REI brand…

What exactly about them is poorly designed? I just picked up a pair myself for my daughter we used them once on a pretty short hike, but nothing jumped out at me as problematic granted we adjusted them once and that was it.

 

[rtkbowhunter]

I bought the Cascade Mountain Tech trekking poles based on this thread… and they really suck. They may work fine if you use them all the time and never need to adjust the length… but I typically carry poles on my pack and only use them for steep terrain or packout.

In cold weather, you need tools to adjust the length on these poles… as the “quick release” mechanism is really poorly designed.

Went back to REI brand…

What's the issue? I bought a set off Amazon 4 years gao. Never needed tools to adjust them.

 

[Matt5266]

I've been using a pair of those poles for about the last 5 years. Awesome. No problems

 

[SonnyDay]

What exactly about them is poorly designed? I just picked up a pair myself for my daughter we used them once on a pretty short hike, but nothing jumped out at me as problematic granted we adjusted them once and that was it.

What's the issue? I bought a set off Amazon 4 years gao. Never needed tools to adjust them.

For reference:


My first issue is that the nut that allows the locking mechanism to function isn't attached to anything... so one fell off somewhere in north-central Colorado when they were attached to my pack (see replacement locknut at top left of the picture, above).

My second issue is that the nuts they provide are too slippery... so they are basically impossible to get tight enough when there's any amount of moisture, snow, or ice on them. Completely impossible with gloves on.

On every other pair of poles I've ever owned (5 or 6 at this point), the "handle" portion of the quick release mechanism is what rotates to tighten it (the black plastic curved flap that's on the bottom of the joint in the picture). But if you rotate this piece on the Cascade poles, there's a nylon washer that gets un-seated from the recess it fits into... and it then flips around noisily while you rotate. It gets harder and harder to rotate the handle as things tighten up... so then this little washer has to be re-seated by making little partial rotations of the handle. One of my washers broke from all the force this put on it... which then made it almost impossible to tighten that joint--even with pliers. Luckily that was a top joint, so I could supplement with duct tape. If it was the bottom joint (which tightens the tapered lower section of the pole), you'd just be SOL and have a short pole.

I found myself taking 5+ minutes, gloves off, in 10 degree weather with blowing wind just to adjust the stupid things so I could use them... which is a non-starter. To me, one of the big benefits of trekking poles (versus cheapo used ski poles) is the ability to quickly adjust length for uphill/downhill, traversing a slope, making a shooting bipod, etc.

Maybe I just got a bum pair... but it's worth it to me to pay an extra $150 for poles that function.

 

[BH2010]

For reference:
View attachment 733681

My first issue is that the nut that allows the locking mechanism to function isn't attached to anything... so one fell off somewhere in north-central Colorado when they were attached to my pack (see replacement locknut at top left of the picture, above).

My second issue is that the nuts they provide are too slippery... so they are basically impossible to get tight enough when there's any amount of moisture, snow, or ice on them. Completely impossible with gloves on.

On every other pair of poles I've ever owned (5 or 6 at this point), the "handle" portion of the quick release mechanism is what rotates to tighten it (the black plastic curved flap that's on the bottom of the joint in the picture). But if you rotate this piece on the Cascade poles, there's a nylon washer that gets un-seated from the recess it fits into... and it then flips around noisily while you rotate. It gets harder and harder to rotate the handle as things tighten up... so then this little washer has to be re-seated by making little partial rotations of the handle. One of my washers broke from all the force this put on it... which then made it almost impossible to tighten that joint--even with pliers. Luckily that was a top joint, so I could supplement with duct tape. If it was the bottom joint (which tightens the tapered lower section of the pole), you'd just be SOL and have a short pole.

I found myself taking 5+ minutes, gloves off, in 10 degree weather with blowing wind just to adjust the stupid things so I could use them... which is a non-starter. To me, one of the big benefits of trekking poles (versus cheapo used ski poles) is the ability to quickly adjust length for uphill/downhill, traversing a slope, making a shooting bipod, etc.

Maybe I just got a bum pair... but it's worth it to me to pay an extra $150 for poles that function.

Maybe I'm not understanding how you're using them, but I have the cheap cascade poles and the nuts are held on by the tension of the cam lever. As long as you don't walk around with the cam lever open, they won't be able to fall off. And you don't need to really tighten them either, certainly not more than finger-snug. Flipping the cam lever over is what clamps down on the pole, not the nuts. Mine will still rattle if the cam lever is open, but when closed I can put a lot of weight on the poles and they won't collapse.

Sent from my SM-G986U1 using Tapatalk

 

[SonnyDay]

Maybe I'm not understanding how you're using them, but I have the cheap cascade poles and the nuts are held on by the tension of the cam lever. As long as you don't walk around with the cam lever open, they won't be able to fall off. And you don't need to really tighten them either, certainly not more than finger-snug. Flipping the cam lever over is what clamps down on the pole, not the nuts. Mine will still rattle if the cam lever is open, but when closed I can put a lot of weight on the poles and they won't collapse.

Sent from my SM-G986U1 using Tapatalk

On mine, as the cam gets close to tight... the cam lever/handle is basically impossible to turn because the surrounding plastic is in the way (made worse by the washer rotating around and unseating).

The biggest issue is with the bottom joint... which needs pretty heavy adjustment to lock after extension/retraction because of the taper of the bottom section of the pole (which causes a pretty significant change in pole diameter based on position).

If I want the poles to stay retracted when strapped to my pack, I have to adjust the hell out of that bottom joint to get it tight enough so the lower section doesn't keep extending out and catching on stuff. If this joint isn't tight, the nut can also fall off (this is how I lost my nut... as I decided it was "good enough" and I'd just deal with the lower pole section slipping out and getting in the way occasionally).

Anyhow... apparently I just have potentially unreasonable standards about how easy my trekking poles should be to adjust!

The more I think about it, I should just delete my posts above and list my Cascade poles for sale in the classifieds....

 

[BH2010]

On mine, as the cam gets close to tight... the cam lever/handle is basically impossible to turn because the surrounding plastic is in the way (made worse by the washer rotating around and unseating).

The biggest issue is with the bottom joint... which needs pretty heavy adjustment to lock after extension/retraction because of the taper of the bottom section of the pole (which causes a pretty significant change in pole diameter based on position).

If I want the poles to stay retracted when strapped to my pack, I have to adjust the hell out of that bottom joint to get it tight enough so the lower section doesn't keep extending out and catching on stuff. If this joint isn't tight, the nut can also fall off (this is how I lost my nut... as I decided it was "good enough" and I'd just deal with the lower pole section slipping out and getting in the way occasionally).

Anyhow... apparently I just have potentially unreasonable standards about how easy my trekking poles should be to adjust!

The more I think about it, I should just delete my posts above and list my Cascade poles for sale in the classifieds....

Maybe you got a bad set? Mine definitely don't have a problem staying retracted. I just went and got them out of the closet to check. When retracted, the cam lever flips over with minimal effort. Out in the range of use it is much tighter, but at either setting the nut isn't spinning when closed. When open the nut is totally free to be adjusted as necessary. I think the design is pretty solid, because once you have them adjusted the first time you should really never need to touch the nut again.

Sent from my SM-G986U1 using Tapatalk

 

[SonnyDay]

Maybe you got a bad set? Mine definitely don't have a problem staying retracted. I just went and got them out of the closet to check. When retracted, the cam lever flips over with minimal effort. Out in the range of use it is much tighter, but at either setting the nut isn't spinning when closed. When open the nut is totally free to be adjusted as necessary. I think the design is pretty solid, because once you have them adjusted the first time you should really never need to touch the nut again.

Sent from my SM-G986U1 using Tapatalk

Yeah, what you describe is what I am used to from all the other trekking poles I've ever owned... so maybe I just got a crap pair.

FWIW, my REI ones are 3 oz lighter than the Cascades--even with the Wiser Quick Sticks attached!

 

[twall13]

Ya, I own several different sets of trekking poles, including the Cascade Mountain ones. There are certainly better trekking poles out there. Lighter weight, better construction, better designs and materials, etc.The Cascades are probably my 3rd choice out of the 4 I've tried. That said, they pack a lot of features in for the price point, hence the reason they show up on this thread. To get a carbon pole with cork grips generally you'll pay at least 3 times that price. So for what you pay, they are great. You decide if the extra money is worth it for a nicer set for you. That decision will be different for everyone.

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

 

[JRDK2000]

Allen lighting fixed blade broad heads. I have shot 2 mule deer and a pig using them and they worked great

 

[Arithson]

Favorite thread ever.

My $0.02- some might not call it cheap at $150 or whatever they cost now, but my Rustic Ridge Elk Hunter -35F sleeping bag from SW is one of the most important pieces of gear I have.

It’s big and bulky and weighs a ton. If you’re camping by the truck or with some pack horses for me it’s a no-brainer.

I do about 20 nights a year in mine between October and May in all temps. Too hot for the rest of the year.Lowest I’ve done is 20 below on an ice fishing trip. Literally sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag as comfortable as can be at 0F for the cost of a hotel room.

Unless it’s going to rain or snow I don’t bother with a tent.

I second this. That’s what I have in my canvas bedroll and have ran it for over 10 years guiding in Montana out of a wall tent or just in the ground it is the best sleeping bag there is

 

[SonnyDay]

I second this. That’s what I have in my canvas bedroll and have ran it for over 10 years guiding in Montana out of a wall tent or just in the ground it is the best sleeping bag there is

Rustic Ridge Elk Hunter -35F sleeping bag is sale for $119 at SW right now!

https://www.sportsmans.com/camping-gear-supplies/sleeping-gear/sleeping-bags/rustic-ridge-elk-hunter-35-degree-long-rectangular-sleeping-bag-blackolive/p/1724272?msclkid=92cc919a220019b70dfcf7177207d1eb