Overrated Gear

[Trackerbacker]

Off the top of my head, stuff that doesn't work for me:

Kifaru pack
SG pack
Mystery Ranch pack
Kuiu packs
Kuiu Peloton 97
Kuiu Peloton 240 (specifically the "wind resistance")
Sitka lightweight hoody
Enlightened Equipment quilts
Sea to Summit pads (comfort is fine, not amazing, but warmth and weight suck)
Tyto knives (other replaceable blade knives are fine)
Jetboil (no issues, but no discernable benefit for me over the cheap BRS and a pot)

I've gotta somewhat agree with the principle here.

Running value deals or outta the box solutions..I seem to be the only guy that can carry 5 days gear in an under 3000cuin bag, with room and weight to spare....

.....running coleman, ozark trail, amazon specials and basspro/cabelas (ascend) stuff....

....and in comfort and heat...



Whachya need all them liters and logos for?

 

[dank]

Off the top of my head, stuff that doesn't work for me:

Kifaru pack
SG pack
Mystery Ranch pack
Kuiu packs
Kuiu Peloton 97
Kuiu Peloton 240 (specifically the "wind resistance")
Sitka lightweight hoody
Enlightened Equipment quilts
Sea to Summit pads (comfort is fine, not amazing, but warmth and weight suck)
Tyto knives (other replaceable blade knives are fine)
Jetboil (no issues, but no discernable benefit for me over the cheap BRS and a pot)

Peloton 97 is my jam. Saves me 10 oz over my other mid layer options!! Rips easy but who cares. Holes and pilling don’t really reduce its effectiveness.

 

[Drenalin]

I've gotta somewhat agree with the principle here.

Running value deals or outta the box solutions..I seem to be the only guy that can carry 5 days gear in an under 3000cuin bag, with room and weight to spare....

.....running coleman, ozark trail, amazon specials and basspro/cabelas (ascend) stuff....

....and in comfort and heat...



Whachya need all them liters and logos for?

View attachment 472647

Don’t get me wrong, I like expensive gear. But a lot of it is overhyped and turns out to be pretty disappointing when I try it for myself. Some turns out to be outstanding. And lots of folks have the exact opposite experiences as me, so it’s good to have choices.

I will say though, to your point, a lot of us seem to be spending a good chunk of money chasing what turns out to be marginal gains. Attitude is more important than the stuff.

 

[Drenalin]

Peloton 97 is my jam. Saves me 10 oz over my other mid layer options!! Rips easy but who cares. Holes and pilling don’t really reduce its effectiveness.

I’ll be one of the first to admit that we all have preferences and my experiences will not necessarily be everyone else’s. I’m glad it works for you.

I had the hoodie and the bottoms. Durability was poor, but that was way down my list of dislikes. The hood, fit wise, was awful and completely useless. I despised the amount of static electricity it held, which made taking it off and putting it on a PITA. The zip off bottoms were not life changing for me, I strongly prefer not jacking around with my undies and just carry puffy pants now instead. Wasn’t impressed with the warmth enough to offset any of those concerns. I’ll take the weight penalty and stick with Sitka’s heavyweight hoodie for a mid.

 

[fngTony]

I’ll be one of the first to admit that we all have preferences and my experiences will not necessarily be everyone else’s. I’m glad it works for you.

I had the hoodie and the bottoms. Durability was poor, but that was way down my list of dislikes. The hood, fit wise, was awful and completely useless. I despised the amount of static electricity it held, which made taking it off and putting it on a PITA. The zip off bottoms were not life changing for me, I strongly prefer not jacking around with my undies and just carry puffy pants now instead. Wasn’t impressed with the warmth enough to offset any of those concerns. I’ll take the weight penalty and stick with Sitka’s heavyweight hoodie for a mid.

Interesting. I’ve had the exact opposite experience. In fact I’m a total peloton 97 fan boy.

 

[grappling_hook]

As someone who’s far from intelligent it’s crazy to me how many people find headlamp buttons difficult.

Black diamond storm

Big button on/off and hold to brighten or dim

Small button cycles between colors and flood/spot light.
Press it once to cycle between spot/flood/color
when it lands on a color hold it to change colors.
Big button twice is strobe
hold both together til the blue light flashes to lock/unlock.

 

[TX1]

I'll ruffle some feathers here....TOYOTA.

I bought a 2006 loaded Tacoma TRD because I heard all the hype....What a POS.

Immediately I noticed the rear springs were flat and the 'truck' would bottom out with nothing in the bed, over speed bumps.
Toyota corporate told me I was crazy until some years later when they were forced to issue a recall and then refused my reimbursement request for the springs because I didn't have the dealer diagnose the problem.

Add to that the weakest frame (Tundra, too) of any pickup, body trim that just decided to leave at freeway speeds, rear window rattled out of place on a cobble road, horrible upholstery, fuel door that doesn't even have hinges and rusted off, 'alloy' wheels that corroded and flaked at 60k, six-speed manual that had ratios chosen by first graders,...I could go on and on.
That 5' bed on Tacomas is a pathetic joke.
Just a poorly-engineered and cheaply made POS.

And the fanboy Koolaid keeps them in business.

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one that feels Vortex and Leupold are in the ranks of overrated.

Had a 2015 POS whistling door seals at 60mph i always wondered why any company would put TRD (turd) on the side of their vehicle

 

[justin davis]

Sleeping bag ratings. Why don’t the manufacturers rate them for comfort rather than survival. I have to buy one that’s rated almost 20 degrees colder than I think it’s going to get at night.

Western mountaineering bags do. They keep you warm well below their ratings

 

[Dust Rider]

Just threw out my last Black Diamond headlamp. This one made it maybe two or three years. held together with duct tape for the last year as it kept splitting open and batteries would not secure in place.

 

[Carrot Farmer]

Just threw out my last Black Diamond headlamp. This one made it maybe two or three years. held together with duct tape for the last year as it kept splitting open and batteries would not secure in place.

an upgrade I did this year, Peax Headlamp! I'd trade all of my Blackdiamond headlamps for 1 Peax...definite game changer for me. I love the 3 different settings for the redlight(its a spot, not flood!)

 

[BBob]

Interesting. I’ve had the exact opposite experience. In fact I’m a total peloton 97 fan boy.

Same. My 97 is one of my oldest Kuiu pieces at around 5 years old. It's always in the pack and probably my most worn piece of clothing. It's still totally fine save for some pulls and snags here and there on the sleeves.

 

[dingle]

an upgrade I did this year, Peax Headlamp! I'd trade all of my Blackdiamond headlamps for 1 Peax...definite game changer for me. I love the 3 different settings for the redlight(its a spot, not flood!)

Man, a switch might be long overdue. Recommended models? I'm a red devotee but sometimes it's nice to have a cold white available.

 

[t_carlson]

Same. My 97 is one of my oldest Kuiu pieces at around 5 years old. It's always in the pack and probably my most worn piece of clothing. It's still totally fine save for some pulls and snags here and there on the sleeves.

Kuiu has improved the durability of some of their pieces. I had an early Peloton 240 that you couldn't hardly look at without getting a snag. A buddy got one a few years later and I mentioned it to him. He said his was pretty much bulletproof. So, I bought another one, and sure enough, very durable now.

I had a 97 when they were first released and it got holes and snags very easily too. Sold it. Haven't tried one since.

 

[Carrot Farmer]

Man, a switch might be long overdue. Recommended models? I'm a red devotee but sometimes it's nice to have a cold white available.

Peax has 1 headlamp.

3 white(max 1000lumen!), 3 red settings. USB to micro usb rechargeable and battery lasts!

Best Hunting Headlamp, Backcountry Duo Headlamp | PEAX Equipment

Breakthrough lumen output armored in a machined aluminum housing, the BACKCOUNTRY DUO is the brightest, most durable hunting headlamp ever designed. Never get left in the dark with run times up to 69 hrs. Engineered to endure any mountain adventure. Get yours now.

www.peaxequipment.com

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Dust Rider]

^^ I went back to Princeton Tec. Had a old miner style one that lasted over 25 years of hard use in construction. Still made in the USA.

 

[Bobbyboe]

This may be unpopular, but a tipi and stove! I bought into the hype and got the worst sleep ever! I decided being comfortable, warm, well rested and fed trump any advantage a tipi gave me. I’d rather hike further everyday and be comfortable than suffer/survive in a tipi.

 

[SwiftShot]

Mine was a Jet Boil. Worked just like it should except for the ignition on it. Besides that was what it said it was.
Replaced it for less money with a toaks 650 ml pot a uber small burner from Amazon for 7 dollars. New kit weighs 1/3 of the old kit for less money and works just as well. Oh takes up half the space.

 

[Macchina]

Expensive multi tools. Got a Leatherman Skeletool for ~$80 that I never use.
A cheap walmart multi tool is ~$6, has more tools, weighs only half an ounce more and i don't care if I lose it. Probably not as durable but whatever... I'll replace it if needed without second thought. I'm much more likely to lose it than to break it any way.

I'm sorry, but I think you're way off on this. The Skeletool specifically is an awesome tool to carry in place of a folding knife (it has a pocket clip and one hand opening blade). It's excellent when you're hunting with a lot of equipment (archery or quads). I have gutted and skinned game before with a Skeletool and it worked great.

Chinese pliers rarely grip as well as the sharp teeth you find on USA or Swiss made multitools.

I love Leatherman's and Victorinox multitools. Certain tools work OK on cheap tools, but things like saws, wire cutters, and screwdrivers are worlds different. It sucks to strip out a Phillips screw in the backcountry because your multitool wasn't up to the task. The saw on a multitool has completely replaced a seperate hand saw for me, I am able to cut small branches from a tree I'm sitting in much easier with a multitool saw than swinging my Silky around.

 

[bayoublaster7527]

I invested heavily in #elkshape, #hushin and #BRO branded merchandise, including exclusive flat brim hats. None of it made me a stone cold killer. What gives? Highly overrated.

 

[twall13]

I'm sorry, but I think you're way off on this. The Skeletool specifically is an awesome tool to carry in place of a folding knife (it has a pocket clip and one hand opening blade). It's excellent when you're hunting with a lot of equipment (archery or quads). I have gutted and skinned game before with a Skeletool and it worked great.

Chinese pliers rarely grip as well as the sharp teeth you find on USA or Swiss made multitools.

I love Leatherman's and Victorinox multitools. Certain tools work OK on cheap tools, but things like saws, wire cutters, and screwdrivers are worlds different. It sucks to strip out a Phillips screw in the backcountry because your multitool wasn't up to the task. The saw on a multitool has completely replaced a seperate hand saw for me, I am able to cut small branches from a tree I'm sitting in much easier with a multitool saw than swinging my Silky around.

I have to agree with you. My Skeletool is my daily pocket knife. It doesn't have a ton of tools, but it has the tools I use regularly and they work well. Screw drivers, pliers and a knife get me through most of the tasks I need on a daily basis. I have some cheap Cabela's multitools in that $6 range and they just don't work very well when I actually go to use them.