Chinese branded hiking gear?

[kenny12]

I've been keeping an eye out on the shops on Kent St in Sydney and I noticed recently that Adventure Megastore has had a influx of chinese made cheap camping equipment.

There were 2 bags made mainly of Sil Nylon there which looked really interesting, one is a 35L bag and the other is a 40L bag.

They were really well made and the padding on them was excellent !

I'll post some photos up when I get around to taking some.

Has anyone had any experience with imported cheap but high quality camping gear?

[Ent]

Hi

It appears that a lot of gear has a common factory so significant savings can be made if you forget the fancy brand name and marketing hype. Reasonable chance if something is made in China a "no brand" version will crop up. With packs be a bit wary as a back problem can be forever. Pack quality is one area I am not keen to compromise on but then again with a sensible day walk, overnight walk and many day walk testing program before heading to remote areas might show something up as remarkably good or bad. With top brands you "buy" the confidence that a product will do the job, and yes that can be at a rather price premium, especially if made in a low cost labour country and a no name version exists.

I have personally found specialist quality manufacturers' goods when carefully selected at the end of the day are worth the money but to start out outfitting a new walker with such stuff can be hyper expensive for rather minimal gains to many people. Two items can look the same but some metals can be twice as strong and expensive depending on grade which you only discover too late. Though seriously, $20 for a spoon is more a statement of vanity than economic reality, now where has mine gone

Cheers

[Franco]

Recently I was sent the Luxe Lightwave ($499) from the designer. It is a silnylon (with PU undercoat) shelter somewhat similar to the Terra Nova Laser ($799).
I did not compare the two side by side but it appeared easier to set up, has vents and it is very well finished.
Of course there is also a lot of rubbish coming out of China but some stuff is very good indeed.
Franco

[Lindsay]

I use the Fire Maple 116T stove bought mail order from China and have had no problems at all. I think it depends on the individual item and if you can sort the good stuff from the crap then Chinese made gear can be good value for money. Of course it's the sorting that's the tricky part.

[Drifting]

there was a very interesting post about chinese gear some time on here. Definitely worth a look-up.

[corvus]

Interesting topic as I sit here in my chair using my computer with keyboard,mouse,printer,box,speakers and modem all made in China and working perfectly but wait there is more my every day boots,boxers,poloshirt,jumper and Titanium spec frames are also made in China that leaves my Merino Fleece socks,Bonds singlet and Titanium Wedding Band made in Australia with my Wenger Swiss Army Titanium Watch made in Switzerland
When you look at many "name brands" in hiking gear they are also made in China however I have it on good authority from an ex pat who works in China that we may see the non industrial manufacturing go elsewhere as the wages rise in China

I am also old enough to remember when anything made in Japan was considered cheap and nasty including Motor Vehicles yet many of us including me drive one every day now and think they are the "bees knees" so whilst there is cheap ordinary stuff coming out of China there are also many cheaper well made products being made there I guess you just need to be selective like most things in life
c

[1iron]

My $4 including postage 1 watt LED headlight arrived in the mail today from China.

[Pantera]

I was down at kent st the other day and all the top brands selling jackets in excess of $300 were all made in china.

Bought a North Face day pack in Cambodia for $10 and thats so far lasted a few years!

[rucksack]

China is 1.3 billion people and there are a lot (understatement) of factories manufacturing outdoor equipment here. Some of the North American and European brands who long ago set up their own factories in China seem to monitor their quality control very closely indeed. Other brands have in the past (or continue to) outsource their work to Chinese companies who run the whole gammut from very good to, well, you know ... the opposite. A recent example: Katadyn moved the manufacturing of their Optimus brand stoves from Sweden to China a few years back and have now had to undertake a costly and brand-damaging recall of their Nova and Nova+ multi-fuel stoves. Not a good look for their flagship models, but that's what you get here when you don't pay attention. Some manufacturers also run multiple versions of the same product line with a highly specified - higher quality version being exported to the first world and a lower specified and lower quality version being made for countries with lower income levels. There is no generic China standard, just as there is no generic Australia standard. With some qualification, you get what you pay for.

Many Chinese manufacturers are trying to unhook themselves from the outsourcing wagon and want to set off down their own path with their own brands. Often, this is done after many years of manufacturing for high end North American and European manufacturers. Yes, standards do rub off. Some companies have trouble though, escaping the 'copy a successful model' path and some do not remotely understand the need for their own internal R&D. Sounds like everywhere else, doesn't it?

Fire Maple is certainly one of China's better known stove manufacturers and some of their models are very good indeed. Their web site (http://www.fire-maple.com/) is bilingual (Chinese & English) so you can check out their product lines for yourself. The other stove manufacturer here is Bulin, but their designs are still reminiscent of MSR, Optimus and Kovea stoves (and sometimes all in the one stove), but they will get better. A lot of new Chinese brands are appearing here now in the outdoor stores and most of these are hard at developing their own IP. Those that aren't are, as Corvus has noted, already moving their operations to cheaper labour areas in southeast and south Asia. Their quality is very, very poor; they spend nothing on R&D and they produce with wafer thin margins. Often, this is what Australian outdoor retailers are buying. The higher end Chinese outdoor equipment manufacturers (that is, Chinese brands such as Fire Maple as opposed to high-end North American and European brands manufactured in China), will over time be more widely seen in the Australian market, as they are already in the North American and European markets. But they are more expensive, as you would expect from high end manufacturers.

One problem for monolingual Australians looking at Chinese (or Korean & Japanese) outdoor equipment, is that it is quite often difficult to do any thorough product research or to find & read equipment reviews & specifications when they are not published in English. So, when you walk into a shop and the cheapest, lowest quality equipment on the shelves is stamped 'Made in China', one has no way of knowing if there is anything better, what it would be and where you would find it. Life eh?

rucksack

[taswegian]

Recently I bought from a bushwalking supply shop a wool (designed in NZ) undergarment - singlet in all its simplicity. It cost nearly $90 less a discount!
Later in day I was in a clothing shop and saw similar garment for $28. Both made in China.


The differences in quality are debateable. I try and not buy Chinese if there is an option and will pay more for Aussie made (genuine) where I can get such.
My last pair of casual walking shoes lasted a short time before they cracked and were useless, and they were not cheap.
I remember my first pair of walking boots (serious ones), made in Ireland and they saw me through much of reserve and walls of jerusalem for about 14 years.

Yes agree with comment above by Corvus but long for the day when we are up to saying 'enough is enough'.
Being in the business side makes one acutely aware of Aussie jobs and our safety and welfare.
There is more at stake than getting something supposedly cheap because its 'cheap'.
Take a long look at some of the environmental issues from such places. (actually a short look would suffice) And all the time we say what a great place is our Aussie outdoors and wilderness places.

[flyfisher]

As a golfer in a previous life, I did buy and wear Footjoy shoes, made in china.

These shoes were very good quality, waterproof without Goretex, and lasted quite well.

Must say I was pleasantly surprised.

[ILUVSWTAS]

As a golfer in a previous life, I did buy and wear Footjoy shoes, made in china.

These shoes were very good quality, waterproof without Goretex, and lasted quite well.

Must say I was pleasantly surprised.

Ditto.
They were the top of the range golf shoes in my day too FF.

I actually dragged mine out for a round the week before last, was surprised at how well I hit the ball!

[flyfisher]

I actually dragged mine out for a round the week before last, was surprised at how well I hit the ball!

[Nuts]

The place of origin doesnt mean much these days does it..
What about the copied designs (and even logo) that are stolen and resold?
Copyright is there to acknowledge effort and protect standards. If saving a few $ is more important then un'branded' chinese gear is likely just as good... (but why pay for a ripped off logo??? there is something odd there.. like yuppie on the cheap )

[kenny12]

So i've been playing with the packs, and at the price i bought them for, i'm not afraid of modifying them, i've written up a short review about them in another thread

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