Low Budget Equipment 2019

[Robson Valley]

A really big hike in new boots is a mistake unless you can go slow and saunter along the track.
A pound on your feet is 5 pounds on your back.
So don't look at boots suitable for crampons as a better way to get across the fields.
I'll avoid filling my boots with water at nearly any cost ( cheap trainers for river crossings, too.)

 

[Erbswurst]

I think he means the old German boots with the stitched sole?

The new ones are a short lasting throw away article that I wear out within 6 month.

 

[Bishop]

For what it's worth Mountain Warehouse are having a clear out and the Microlite 1400 3/4 season sleeping bag has been reduced again to just £40. Have owned a couple of them since they first appeared and whilst they do have this one weird quirk of the fill rubbing against the liner creating flashes of static electricity found it to be more than adequate for the average Welsh winter temperatures.
Sadly only available in orange or purple.

 

[Paul_B]

I remember when starting off buying my own kit I started off with cheap kit then I saved to replace with better kit. Is this the normal approach or do people just keep buying the cheap kit?

For me cheap kit was about getting me out there with kit that at least works to acceptable level. Then I replaced with kit that worked better, better made/ designed and more durable according to most need. Cheap kit never satisfied my needs they just allowed me out safely.

 

[Erbswurst]

The stuff I recommended is cheap and well made.

The only reason to buy different kit would be to get a water proof rucksack or to lighten the load.

 

[GuestD]

remember when starting off buying my own kit I started off with cheap kit then I saved to replace with better kit. Is this the normal approach or do people just keep buying the cheap kit?

With me, it has evolved through experience, and learning from others, then tailoring things to suit. I still prefer to carry my ancient Trianga, and use my old canvas lightweight Blacks of Greenock tent, because of their basic simplicity. I've got a modern down sleeping bag, and sleep mat, and a friend gifted me some titanium pots/cups. So everything thing works fine. I've got/had expensive axes, but my tool of choice now is a £10 Marbles cleaver, because it is hugely versatile and does what I need

 

[Erbswurst]

I really own a lot of stuff.

The differences in function are far smaller than the differences of the prices.

The skills are important, not the stuff.

 

[Robson Valley]

I bought better kit until I could see that I was really comfortable with what I had.
I look at new knives and hatchets. Ho-hum. Nothing is 10X better than what I use now.
Learning to sharpen what I have has turned out to be the most important event.

Took me about 45 years to buy a new personal camp stove (Coleman single petrol) to get the BTU for a boil.
Perfect for hot tail-gate lunches in a day of -5C grouse hunting.

 

[GuestD]

Coleman single petrol) to get the BTU for a boil.

these things are great. I know someone who carries one solely for heating his hands up when working outside in the winter when laying monobloc.

 

[Laurentius]

I think he means the old German boots with the stitched sole?

The new ones are a short lasting throw away article that I wear out within 6 month.

Well yes, the old ones. I have seen them recommended on this forum many times. Obviously you want to try them on first but I would prefer them to a brand new pair of Doc Martens of dubious manufacture in these latters days if you want a pair of high boots.

 

[Erbswurst]

The Austrians still sell pretty similar boots for a very low price:

http://army-warehouse.com/54-bh-schuhe-stiefel

 

[Janne]

Good prices!

But - a bit risky buying a such important piece of equipment as shoes/boots untried.

 

[Duggie Bravo]

I've never had second hand boots, but a good friend swears by ex German army surplus boots. He always walks through a river on a hot day until they are completely soaked and then wears them until dry. The theory being they will take the shape of his feet, then fit a new quality insole. Seems to work.

I always used to break my Combat Boots in by filling them with hot water, letting them soak for ten minutes and then wearing them. It was always nicer to put your feet in to wet and warm boots, rather than wet and cold
On Basic we did a sewer run in the first PT session to get one pair of boots done and then through a Ford for the second pair


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[baggins]

No matter what you buy (or spend), you'll evolve your kit like anything else, depending on it's suitability to your needs. I've tried so many lightweight day hiking stoves over the years, yet always return to my swedish army trangia, not the flashiest, lightest or most powerful stove, but it suits what i do and need. Jackets and boots, the same. not always the cheapest of gear, but over time, i've determined what suits my needs and no amount of advertising or manufacturing spiel will sway me (yes, i've been taken in by the 'must have' hype along with most folk) but now i know what i want and need, be it old or new.

 

[Erbswurst]

Indeed.

That's one reason why I recommend to beginners to start with cheap good quality stuff.

It's far better to replace later cheap stuff, if you discover that you need something else, than to collect expensive stuff that doesn't do the job.