I think there are some great responses to this thread but this has to sum it up the best for me. Klim suit £1000 plus great if you have the cash to burn. I have a vented jacket and pants with some army gore tex jacket and pants to go over the top less than a tenth of the price and does the same job. Just be careful if you come off in the bush when its wet as no one may ever find you

just back from a 1 year trip South Central North America.
Our 5 years old Quetcha tent(dechatlon 50 euro's) did it very well. At the very end of the trip all the zippers gave some problems and the seals started to worn out, but it was still wind and waterproof.
Only disadvantage was the weigth.
I noticed that the lighter a tent is, the more it will cost.

Keep it dry guys!

ils

as i heard "Touring Ted" say on here...... "every $20 saved on preparation is another day on the road"


Been interesting to read this thread. Just going through the decision process of which gear to get at the moment and I'm tending to keep it minimalist and fairly cheap/simple.
I always remind myself of early travellers/ explorers/ adventurers and the simple gear/ setups they would of had.

30$ aus from local camping store has flymesh inner for those hot aussie nights



that's it on my bike behind the seat

In my experience getting the right bit of equipment at the right quality level ends up being cheaper on long term trips. Having to spend a night in paid accomodation because of a failed bit of equipment, or because your gear won't keep you comfortable in the weather can easily be much more of an expense than 50% more spent on a bit of gear for the right quality level.

Of course expense doesn't necessarily mean quality, which makes things more complex.

I'm a bicycle tourer which may make a slight difference for some bits of gear.

hello
To the OP question:
"Is there really any need for high end equipment?"
My answer is no, no need at all.
BUT, why not?
If you have bought the bike you like for long trips, changed some parts like original suspension to expensive öhlins, navigation system and so on, why go with a tent for $20 from the supermarket.
If it's only against insects in the bush,maybe yes, but if you will face the wind of mongolia or rain of scotland?
I found that quality has its price but not everything that is expensive is worth the price.
I'm travelling with a Hilleberg Saitaris, probably the most expensive tent you can find on the market.
But for me it has all the details and quality I ever wanted. I can put it up allone in a storm , it has all the space I need etc.
The price?
Well it's as much I have to pay for a shipping of the bike but I will still have it for years while the shipping is just memory.
And for a Hilleberg you know that there was no child labour involved, makes me sleep even better
sushi

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OK with sitting on my arse here on the computer planning the trip, I wanted to be self sufficient, to be able to pitch a tent in pissing rain, to be able to stand up (dodgy back) and stretch so I got my self one of those expensive ones Redverz thingies that some people may want to park their bike in. Not me I liked the space.

But then realised that the time it takes to put up, takes too much time from my day. To do it properly was taking around 30 mins. Then by the time I unwrap my bed, sleeping bag and the rest of it was taking me as long as 50 mins every day. Packing up would take the same. So I lost at least an hour and a half every day pissing around with a tent and attachments, so then I would get more value by staying two days or more. Thats when it made more sense but when some campsites were charging 25 euros a night, I could find a hotel for not too much more and save myself a lot of time.

However, then I arrived back on Australia land and was aghast at the $300 a night asked by most hotels in the north west so angrily bought $17 k-mart special 5 minute tent. It wasn't until late at night when I couldnt breath that I realised why it was $17.

So thats it from both ends for me, nice and luxurious if you have the time, cheap and nasty if its not too hot or cold, or surrounded by mossies.

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Steven
Perth to Perth 2012

I've done most of mine on the cheap. You can buy a tent for lest than a room price. So if you use it for any two nights. You are in pocket. You can always buy a cheap tent some where. To get you out of a fix.

The down side is the setting up and taking down. A lot of time is spent doing that.
John933

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To buy petrol in Europe. Pull up at station. Wait. Get out a 20 Euro note, then ask someone to fill up the bike. Give person money. Ride away. Simple.

If you are Coleman selling through Wallmart, you order up 50,000 tents per year from China and the design is such to only last a few outings before the zipper gives up the ghost, then you need to re-purchase next year. These tents are cheap and junk.

1 Coleman for 5 outings at $125.00 then failure or a Kelty type quality for $289 and 100 outings before failure.

I personally spend way more because it's worth it knowing the tent isn't going to fail.

I have the Redverz tent as well and it takes me about 15 minutes to set up and tear down. Just need to keep the water proof gear on until the tent is up. Packing it up while raining is not fun, especially the folding and rolling it up. So, I purchased the side loading waterproof bag they sell just to stuff it in when I'm in a hurry.

The answer to the unanswerable is: You get what you pay for.

Cheers
Chris
who purchases brands such as Therm-A-Rest, Trangia, VauDe, Mammut, Ajungilak etc. for extensive and rough family travel by bike and canoe and has rarely to replace or repair one of the heavily used items.

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You get what you pay for up to a point.

A £20 tent is going to be junk but will probably keep you dry until it starts falling apart.. I used a £20 for 3 years with no issue until the seams started splitting.. Value for money. HELL YEAH !!

A £100 will be fine for 99% of people if they're honest with themselves. I've got three Vango tents which all cost £100 and they're BRILLIANT.

Lightweight, well made, lots of features etc.

a £500 is not 5 times better than a £100 tent. They is only SOO much you can do to a tent to make it worth a certain price. They might weigh 0.5 kg less and have space age designs to withstand high winds but no way are they worth the price to the average ABR...

To be honest, I see just as many £500 tents leaking and breaking than I do the £100 ones.

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

£20 tents are a bit like condoms - use it once and throw it away Festival fields are littered with cheap tents that people use for two or three days and just walk away from rather than pack up and take with them. For £20 it's easier just to buy a new one next time.

I used to think that it was only a summer thing though until I went to the Elephant Rally back in Feb and saw many people doing the same thing there on the Sunday morning. Just pack up in the snow and leave the tent. You could walk round and take your pick, although some were more desirable than others -




Back in August my son lived in one of my £20 tents for a week in Amsterdam until he found accommodation at the start of the university term. Considering what a hotel would have done to his student finances that tent was good value - and he hasn't even thrown it away.

It just comes down to what you can spend. Some of us have no money so it makes sense to do an overland trip with cheap equipment as opposed to staying at home. Likewise, if you can afford a solid tent, warm sleeping bag, then why not go for it?

I've been buying stuff for an overland in S.America, and have basically tried to achieve a balance between buying decent gear where it matters and keeping in budget, i.e. not spending 80 quid on a Titanium fork, but spending enough on a tent which is going to have enough room, two doors, free-standing etc,.

For example, intending to camp most of the time, I bought a brand-new Primus Omnifuel, which was relatively pricey, but then what other stoves are there at can run any fuel and weight less than 500g? Likewise, spending a bit on waterproof sacks, a decent Ortlieb rackpack and proper gortex waterproofs will go a long way when your caught in a cloudburst.