Where Do You Refuse to Compromise?

[Gone_xtrkn]

Part of the fun of our hobby/lifestyle is in buying/building new toys, working on our rigs, and sharing with like minded individuals. With the popularity of overlanding on the rise there is now a dazzling array of products available. Some are durable, innovative, and just plain cool and others are...less so.

What is one product or type of gear for which you absolutely refuse to accept anything but the “best?” Are there certain things where something is good enough and you’re wary of overpriced trends? Are you a firm believer in “buy once, cry once,” or “buy cheap, buy twice?”

I’m just curious to see how everybody feels on this. I’m sure I’ll hear a lot of answers involving medical/safety gear but I imagine there are many opinions here.

Personally I know that I’m willing to save longer and pay a little bit more for something if two products function similarly but one seems more intelligently designed or is sold by an independent business or one whose values I respect.

I was thinking about this because I had looked down my nose at those $40 FrontRunner Wolfpack plastic boxes because I was perfectly happy with my $9 Plano cases and patted myself on the back for being relatively thrifty and not succumbing to the siren song of fancy gear...but I recently did some measuring and realized that the FR boxes will fit perfectly stacked in the back of my rig with my large cooler in a way that the Plano boxes simply cannot. Wolfpacks are currently on the way and luckily there are plenty of other ways I can use the Planos.

 

[Maverick9110E]

Anywhere the longevity outweighs the dollar. Case in point... I just bought a Camp Chef Everest Stove. Looking at stove bags, i could buy the $34 camp chef brand one, that's more than likely made in china... Or i could buy the $80 one from Blue Ridge Overland Gear that's made in the USA. I'm sure the BLOG bag will last longer, but also ties in the fact of supporting a small business.

But i think everyone would also agree, there is always a certain amount that it becomes not worth the increase. If a superior product with a superior longevity comes along but costs 100x more... no one will spend the money. I'm firmly in the buy once cry once for just about anything non disposable that doesn't cost an astronomical amount more.

 

[grubworm]

hiking boots. good quality boots are an investment. nothing like being on a trip and feet hurt because of blisters from cheap boots

 

[old_man]

Mine is on welding/fabrication. If it is my ass hanging over a ledge, you can bet I will do it on things I designed and built myself.

 

[Billiebob]

Blue sky. Sandy beach. Clear water.

 

[MidOH]

Tires. Cooper STT. Or maybe if I'm doing far too much hwy in the next few years, ST Maxx. That's a big maybe. Real trucks need real tires.

And weight. My personal gear fits into a 35# backpack. Nobody rides with more than that. Still prefer backpacking gear to overlanding gear.

 

[M Rose]

hiking boots. good quality boots are an investment. nothing like being on a trip and feet hurt because of blisters from cheap boots

I totally agree with this... last summer I got huge blisters on my feet only 2 miles in on a 24 mile hike... ruined the rest of the hike... I ended up camping in one spot for the whole weekend letting my feet heel. My feet hurt so bad the only comfort I found was in my camp sandals... I ended up hiking out in my sandals. They felt so nice I ordered two pair of actual hiking sandals... one pair I wear almost every day, the other pair is my actual hiking pair for when I am out in the woods.

 

[morganwest95]

The golden rule, never cheap out on anything that separates you from the ground.

 

[M Rose]

The golden rule, never cheap out on anything that separates you from the ground.

Good rule to live by

 

[rgallant]

Good clothes from the boots, socks etc up, as my old Sgt Major liked to say "any idiot can be uncomfortable"

 

[smritte]

Wow...uhhhh...damn
Too much to list here.
I don't like crap. That goes for expensive crap.
Radios. yea i can buy 3 cheap ones for the price of a good one. Seen too many failures there and it needs to work when I need it.
Replacement vehicle electronics. OEM only. I can list a million reasons but i'm not. Does not include what I can build.
Brakes. If you actually know how brakes work, you wouldn't put crap on a modified vehicle.
Tires/Rims..see above.
Suspension. what I cant build needs to be correct. Very few aftermarket suspension systems are correct and quality.
I don't go for whats the latest fad. If I need it and its critical and I cant build it, then its quality. If it keeps breaking and its cheap, then I step up.

 

[Maverick9110E]

hiking boots. good quality boots are an investment. nothing like being on a trip and feet hurt because of blisters from cheap boots

Man good footwear period. Hiking boots, work boots, hell even flip flops. Anyone who spends a halfway decent amount of time on their feet should invest if they can.

 

[rho]

Clothing and shoes are a huge thing for me, for getting the better gear any ways. I'm super super hard on stuff so it pays off in the long run...
Electrical and bearings in the trucks is another one. Good tires as well.

I also don't cheap out on music gear... I've had performances ruined because of cheap gear and cheap cables. Never again...

Also don't cheap out on your tools and especially torque wrenches and M&TE. I have a handful of snap-on torque tools and mitutoyo calipers/dial indicators/mic's and its so so so so so worth it.

 

[Shakes355]

Compromise is part of the game. It depends on use, need and budget. The bigger the purchase, the less I compromise (if that makes sense). Like a progressive rate on my standards.

Examples: I wear $250 work boots, but $20 sneakers with $40 insoles.
>Boots are for protection first (need) and durability second (use).
>Sneakers are for recreational convenience first (use) and comfort second.

I pay good money for insoles because they move with my investments. It allows me to make cheap sneaks comfortable, thus reducing my standards and budget, and saves me from throwing away money later.

I approach most purchases this way. I dont skimp on protection (more of a budget thing since medical bills are no joke), information or advice, nor on labor.

Everything else is a crap shoot so grit your teeth and hope it works out.

 

[Downs]

Replacement parts. When possible and financially feasible I buy OEM. With my old Jeep that's getting harder and harder to do as the old stock of OEM parts is slowly depleted. I'll go as far as pulling OEM parts from the JY but with the age of these vehicles and the dwindling supply of JY examples that is getting harder to do as well.

 

[MMc]

There are so many things that are at play here, I love a cheap thing that last for years. I am alway looking at value. Having said that, I own a lot of high end gear. For me one of the things I won’t settle for cheap tents, period. I have different tents for different weather conditions. I desert camp so my 3 season has covers on all the screens so I don’t get blow sand in it, my 4 season car or going with a team is a bullet proof. If I am solo backpacking it’s very high end single wall lightweight. I also have bevybags.
I look at most RTT and I wouldn’t use them for much more than a day at the beach.
For most of my mission critical stuff it’s the best value I can find, depending on its use.
Don’t get me started on my fishing and hunting stuff.

 

[ChambersFamily]

Recovery gear. I never want to be stranded again with a winch that died, or without having recovery recovery boards with me. I've burned myself a few times too many scratching my head... when just having a extra thing here or a little nicer this would have got me right out.

We recently had the lid of one of our storage boxes literally ripped off with high Oregon gorge winds.... soooooo I can see the value in a high end box vs a $35 sporting goods store special.

 

[DzrtShamrock]

Lots of really good points in here. As a rule I don't like cheap (i.e. poorly designed/made) or janky looking stuff. How much I'm willing to spend though depends on the nature of the gear but if it's worth doing it's worth doing right. Most of the time I subscribe to the "buy once" mentality, but I try to always ask the question of whether price is an actual indicator of quality. I have learned that if there's a functional/quality/design issue that bothers me I'd better not compromise as it's going to consistently bug me later. Aside from that, if there's several options of generally equal quality, I'll typically key on the middle of the road or slightly less expensive option based on gear testing and feedback reviews.

Clothing and personal gear, I don't buy into name brands, I'm more about the materials. Example, wool socks.
Tools & recovery gear I won't budge on. Even if I never have to use it, it's worth it.

 

[AggieOE]

Man good footwear period. Hiking boots, work boots, hell even flip flops. Anyone who spends a halfway decent amount of time on their feet should invest if they can.

I'll second this. Feet. Always spend good money on your feet. lol Blisters ruin trips, including the big overlanding ones you've been planning for a year.

I spend money on tires, suspension, brakes, drivetrain replacement/maintenance parts. Although there are some good off-brand products, the OEM parts always perform well and (more importantly) predictably.
If your stock brakes go out at 80k, then you know you have another 80k on your next set (if not adding tons of extra weight).

I don't think I really skimp on much. I either don't buy it, wait to buy it, or build it.
I am, however, debating on skimping and buying some off-brand MaxTrax and a Tuff Stuff RTT instead of one of the more pricier options. I've heard good things though about both!

 

[RickR]

Hiking boots here as well.