AliExpress decent cheap outdoor gear?

[Ozmundo]

AliExpress decent cheap outdoor gear? Maybe.

Reviews of “Tactical” hunting jacket and gaiters.

Over the years I have picked up some well made and inexpensive bushcraft items from the Chinese powerhouse that is AliExpress. This have generally been hard kit like stoves, pots and tent fittings from makers like Jolmo Lander.

They do sell popular items like Lanshan tents and Nature Hike UL packs which are well thought of.

I have two bits of clothing that are pretty good.

 

[Ozmundo]

First item is Outdoor Travel hiking gaiters.



I’ve had this pair for three years. They are very lightweight polyester and Velcro front fastening. Simple buckle foot strap and a small adjustable buckle at the top.

They are very easy to put on and as they are front opening you can get to your boot laces without taking them off.

Prices seem to go between £10 & £14.

They have never come undone in use and keep all the crap out of my boots. In the winter season I use them for beating so they get pushed through a lots of brambles and I’ve had no tears yet.
I prefer them to the old army ones I have, which are solid but just a lot more faff to put on.

 

[Ozmundo]

Second item is much newer and I only had about three weeks.

Like a lot of AliExpress products these show up under various names and makers.



Prices range from £21 to £26. Sizing is quite large, I normally wear L or XL but the jacket I got was Medium and I can get a mid layer under it.

I bought this with the intention of it being a mid-Layer or light jacket. The fabric is polyester fleece “soft shell” with a water repellent coating. I ran it under a tap and it didn’t leak and no water came through the seams either. I assume with washing and use the seams probably leak as they don’t seem to be taped. The zips are also not weather proof designs.

Inside views





Pocket layout



It a “tactical” cut jacket so close cut and not especially long. Fold down hood with draw cords, rear pocket (items as the bottom fit in it), upper arm pockets (with Velcro patches), upper chest pockets with inside Dring and headphone cord pass through, small left forearm pocket, pit zips and draw cord hem.

I don’t expect it to be a rain coat. So far I used it most days and been out in steady 20mph winds and drizzle with a longsleeve lightweight top under it was warm enough when waiting in exposed shots for 20 minutes.

It’s stood up to brambles and the odd bit of black thorn. A pack away jacket will easily fit in the back pocket for proper rain or if you have to sit out the weather.

Overall construction is not bad. No jammed zips or missed stitching.

 

[demented dale]

Most of that stuff on Ali Express is the same as the stuff on ebay minus one less seller putting a cut on. I get all sorts on there. I bought a bow press 16 quid. same one was on ebay for 40. some of the stuff on there is decent some naff. I find it pays for me to read the reviews DD xxxx

 

[Toddy]

@Ozmundo

Nice clear practical reviews I like those

I think folks get a little too hung up on brand names, mostly because they're associated with some amorphous ideal of 'quality'.
The reality is that the armies of the world are generally kitted out as cheaply as can be done.

I wish that we made more here, but reality again, there's only so far that money will go for most folks, and China's happily providing.
Lot of good stuff among the offerings, and usually at very good prices.

Very few of us need expedition in inclement places kit, we just need decently made protective and comfortable stuff that wears well, and if it doesn't break the bank while it does it, so much the better

Good idea for a thread

 

[Ozmundo]

You are right about the eBay resellers and middle man pricing.

 

[Chris]

The quality from these places can vary quite a lot, but it does also seem to be on an upward trend. Some genuinely very well made equipment can be found there.

For me a lot of the problem with AliExpress and the like isn’t so much one of quality, but one of ethics.

Non-sustainable materials being built in factories which output a vast amount of pollution and waste, made by people who are working in awful conditions. Not to mention the impact on local businesses in the UK who are priced out at least in part because they have to follow laws designed to protect people and the environment.

It’s nice being able to get things quickly and cheaply, but it’s not necessarily good for the planet/people on it.

There is of course some nuance and I am not saying all cheap things are bad, but it’s perhaps something to consider when balancing up purchases. AliExpress can be so cheap at times it makes it tempting to buy things you really don’t need, because why not? But then consider HOW they can sell it so cheap whilst still making a profit.

Plus of course plenty of big western brands are getting their kit made in these same factories and selling it at exorbitant markups. So it’s not all down to China being at fault - supply and demand and all that.

It’s hard to resist these things sometimes, especially if money is tight, and I really don’t know how to get the balance right.

 

[Ozmundo]

China will meet its' Net zero target early. The UK and many other western nations will fail to do so. We set the agenda and still can't meet the deadline.

It's very easy to put the blame on countries like China or India and say the consumerism of the west is the problem driving it.

It's not. It's greed by very very wealthy people who control the petro-chemical industry. What you or I do makes no difference, our choices are largely illusory.

I don't agree with Chris Packham on everything but he gave a very clear explanation in a recent radio interview.

Radical with Amol Rajan

Amol Rajan talks to radicals, pioneers and innovators. From populism and climate change, to economics and AI... How can their radical ideas help you win the future?

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Pattree]

I will use neither Ali Express nor Temu (knowingly) until I know more about the Uyghur people in China.

I am highly sceptical about emission figures published by countries with major global interests in production.

As to the quality of Ali Express products - dunno.

 

[Ozmundo]

I will use neither Ali Express nor Temu (knowingly) until I know more about the Uyghur people in China.

I am highly sceptical about emission figures published by countries with major global interests in production.

As to the quality of Ali Express products - dunno.

I am pretty skeptical about emission figures too. We might be a bit more honest is this country but given the amount of greenwashing, figure massaging and outright lies we are fed on a daily basis.... it feels like a choice of which lies you buy into.

But that of course was part of the plan. Lie enough so everything is distrusted.

Which is why I deliberately didn't put any politics in the original post.

 

[slowworm]

Which is why I deliberately didn't put any politics in the original post.

I agree, I'm not overly happy with buying from China but if I buy a similar item in the UK it's going to be made there anyway.

If you are going to buy something made there then it would be good to get.something that lasts.

 

[Laurence Milton]

I empathise with several posts made above, having done so, my hypocrisy allowed me to buy from AE, a Lightour R 7 + lightweight inflatable pad at a good price that I otherwise wouldn't have afforded....................

It's to go with a Sierra Designs Cloud 800 zipless bag. American company, made in China.......double whammy.
But amazing bag.

 

[Nice65]

I already have a BRS3000 stove, an amazingly fierce little burner, but one showed on Aliexpress for £2.71 posted, and it seemed daft not to buy it.

Like this:

BRS 3000-T stove

BRS 3000-T stove now available at Ultralight Outdoor Gear with FREE UK Delivery, reviews, full tech specs & helpful buying advice

ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk

 

[Keith_Beef]

China will meet its' Net zero target early. The UK and many other western nations will fail to do so. We set the agenda and still can't meet the deadline.

China will announce that it has met its deadline.

Western agencies will measure emissions from space and say "not quite".

China will say "we met *our* targets and you are measuring wrong".

When China meets its emissions targets, it's because the government is able to invest huge amounts of money in renewable energy generation.

It's also planting enormous numbers of trees to try to stop it's deserts from encroaching on cotton and food producing land.

What China is very slow at doing, is cleaning up it's dirty, polluting manufacturing industries.

 

[slaine_23]

For me a lot of the problem with AliExpress and the like isn’t so much one of quality, but one of ethics

If you watch dragons den virtually the first thing the dragons ask is if the product is made in China. The money men don’t give a monkeys.