Wasted $150 on a cheap hiking backpack from Amazon

I bought this no-name 50 liter pack for a trip to the Smokies last fall. Thought I was saving money but the hip strap snapped on day two and the zipper jammed with my gear inside. Ended up buying a used Osprey from a gear shop in Gatlinburg for $80 that actually works. Anyone else get burned by bargain outdoor gear online?

2 comments

2 Comments

charles9196d ago

My buddy Dan bought the same kind of pack off Amazon for a trip to the Grand Canyon. First morning he put it on and one of the shoulder straps just popped right off the stitching. He had to duct tape it back together just to finish the hike. The whole thing fell apart by the third day, pockets ripping and the frame bending weird. He ended up borrowing my old Kelty for the rest of the trip and swore off cheap online gear forever.

hugo_jones6d ago

Dude that sucks! Totally been there myself. I snagged a 40 liter pack off some random seller for a weekend in the White Mountains and the bottom seam split open like a zipper after two hours on the trail. I had to stuff my sleeping bag into a trash bag and tie it to the outside of the pack with paracord. The hip belt was this cheap foam that just flattened out after a mile and dug into my hips. Never again. You really do get what you pay for with backpacks, learned that lesson the hard way.