Not such a good idea.

[Wayland]

I was trawling through some old threads and found one that gave me an idea for this thread.

I bet loads of us have bought things over the years that we thought were really good ideas, but actually turned out to be real turkeys.

In that thread I mentioned a nesting pan set that seemed great but the inner pans were so small they were totally useless.:11doh:

Since then I bought an adapter to put a pan on top of a Kelly kettle and then realised I could no longer drop fuel into the top to keep it going.

So, time to fess up. What did you fall for and end up never using.

 

[Cobweb]

Not bushcrafty but a set of 3 elinchrom studio lights.... I don't have a big enough place for a studio and my clients don't particularly like me dragging in big heads when a small flash does exactly the same job

 

[SimonM]

A set of nesting,non stick pans - sales bod did a routine on me and I bought them.

At that time I ate & cooked with a metal spoon.... used once and lived forever more (8years or so!) in my storeroom (loft!)

Simon

 

[John Fenna]

Eos 35mm SLR camera....just before all the mags I write for insisted on digital!

 

[rik_uk3]

Pasta maker (too much trouble to clean)

Small slow cooker (too small for a family so got a big one)

Knitting machine

Glow plug powered aeroplane on its second flight the transmitter failed and off it went heading the the Brecon Beacons and never to be found (my son has still not forgiven me)

 

[durulz]

Item #1 - A camp bed.
One of those ones made of canvass that have two poles down the side then wire frame legs. It cost about ten quid.
A friend had one and took it camping and I was so envious I decided I would get one. I only took it once - really heavy, awkward and made a dull metal 'clanging' sound as we walked. I went back to the inflatable mattress, and still haven't found anything to better it.

Item #2 - A 'windproof' shirt. It seemed like a good idea. I was going through a flecktarn stage. However, when I finally got the shirt (more of a smock) we had begun 'de-militarising' our look. So it's never been used. Mind you, it is a nice item.

Item #3 - a big knife. One with a 6" blade. Only cost £40 or so, but really, it's quite useless. Too big for general camp work, and too small for chopping. In reality I use either a Frosts or a machete, depending on the task. The big knife has never been used.

 

[Mesquite]

A Vauxhall Vectra Sri140.

Bloody thing cost me a fortune in fuel just as the prices rocketed. I've now got a Zafira 2.0 tdi which is way better than the vectra fuel wise so I'm saving money.

Only problem is the vectra is still on my drive waiting to be sold Anyone want to buy it? Only done 69,000 miles, great sound system and in pretty good nick

 

[Wayland]

Snip> Glow plug powered aeroplane on its second flight the transmitter failed and off it went heading the the Brecon Beacons and never to be found (my son has still not forgiven me)

That is such a wonderful mental image........

.........Classic.

 

[Wild Thing]

I bought a Buck 184 Buckmaster over 20 years ago while I was young, stupid and in my rambo faze. Never got along with it and it has only been out about half a dozen times. I am considering selling this soon as it's just taking up space in my sharps box.

Also I bought a French army mess set which has three parts. Couldn't get along with it so I gave it away.

Ho hum

 

[w00dsmoke]

Thermarest base camp...too big and bulky for the comfort gained
Cheap alternative...lasted half a night
Airbags for the canoe...total waste of hard earned dosh as they leaked like seives
Wild country Hoy (tent)-nice shape, nice size, but inner tent far too fidley to put up in the dark on stoney ground (you need to peg the inner tent out in far too many places)
Plastic sporks...my wife bought loads, they melt when you are stirring stuff when cooking!
Very expensive good looking Camel dessert boots for a trip across Oz, lasted two weeks, the inner soles were essentially cardboard and this rotted away leaving pointed tacks holding the sole on digging into your feet.

 

[Mastino]

My first pack of cigarettes Made up by the packs that followed

 

[Jared]

Cheap gear from Argos...

A moonbag, the aluminium reflective bs doesn't work in Brecon in Winter.
A cheap tent, fly sheet/door stitching destroyed in gusts.

Enamelled mug, looks nice when bought, but few dings and they start to chip and crack.

Oh, and did the knife thing too. Cheap bowie type pattern with a useless saw back, and plastic handle made in two halves that screwed on.

 

[sapper1]

Wilkinson sword sliding pruning saw,Absolutely useless,not even worth throwing at something because it would break if it hit anything.

 

[redandshane]

Oh no I must confess I bought a Swiss alpenflage poncho because it was cheap
Its got poppers up the front so its a jacket /poncho
And as for the flage well it would be fine in a rose bush I suppose
I wish I could think of a use for it
In fact writing this has prompted me to use it to cover logs outside
There are probably many more all done in the name of saving money!!!

 

[xylaria]

An aluminium polled double ridge tent, bought for new for a fair buck when carbon fibre dome tents where coming in. Imagine two standard rigdes that have to put up exactly in line, only a complete idoit would design a tent based on that idea, well i bought it. I gave it to a local collection after the pakistan earthquake. I spent ages writting pictographic assembly diagrams, and still feel guilty that some family at the other end said great a tent, then slowly realised they got something so crap.

 

[Peter_t]

a night vision scope lol. it was one of those things that is reely cool when your 13 and i have barely used it since (now 17) it cost £160 and the image is cr@p! also i burnt the sencer thingy? that makes the image by looking at brite lights lol its was better to wait untill your eyes adjusted to the darkness which costs nothing!

pete

 

[AJB]

A Vauxhall Vectra Sri140.

Bloody thing cost me a fortune in fuel just as the prices rocketed. I've now got a Zafira 2.0 tdi which is way better than the vectra fuel wise so I'm saving money.

Only problem is the vectra is still on my drive waiting to be sold Anyone want to buy it? Only done 69,000 miles, great sound system and in pretty good nick

6 month old Vectra 2.2 DTi

In one year, 4 gear boxes, 2 turbos, 3 engine management units, 4 cruise controls, 2 sets of windscreen wiper blades - arms - rods and motors, 1 cat, mirriad bits and bobs

Quality motor!

 

[jonquirk]

I lost an Optimus 8R that I'd paid £3 for when my scout troop went over to gas entirely. The replacement I bought cost £30 and never worked as well. It was soon replaced by the MSR Whisperlite I still use

 

[Bimble]

I got an old WWII Swedish army pack thinking it would be good for a small frame pack. (Logic: Swedes know what they’re doing outdoors, right?) No offense to any Swedish members out there, but it’s a good job you stayed out of the fighting; all your troops would have been doubled up in pain from carrying kit.:11doh:

It also smelt like unwashed rugby kit!

Next I bought a Sabre45, mostly ‘cus everyone raved about them. Did not fit, so now I’ve got two redundant day sacs. (Logic: Must be good, other people say so! Baaa, Baaaa, Ba,Baaaa)

Finally, tried on a Fjallraven Vintage 30, properly adjusted filled with stuff and then walked around the block with it after leaving my watch as collateral.:werd: (Shop assistant thought I was a bit anal, but after the other two I was taking no chances.)

Fell in love with it and now we live happily ever after.......

Odd that the pack I now cherish is also Swedish, though it says it's made in China?

 

[sam_acw]

I guess don't buy Vauxhall is the message.
Big cutting tools too here. For me it is either a bag axe from Delaronde Forge. I've never been able to get the damn thing sharp, I don't know if it is too hard, soft or just doesn't like me! That was a big disappointment.
Other option was the Lofty Wiseman survival tool, always wanted one, got one, didn't use it as it was too heavy and didn't like holding an edge.