I'm 61 and finally in a position (financially and mentally) to act on the advice of "buy quality." Here are two recent purchases. Though I live in the Seattle area (company headquarters) I first heard of Filson jackets here on Pelican OT. I now have this jacket. With tax....a little over $400. No regrets. I really want their medium duffle. It is just a matter of time. Their briefcase is also very popular. They specialize in outdoorsy stuff and their warranty is absolute. You have two options. Repair or replacement. Here is a telling story:
A friend watched the following transaction: A fellow brought and old, tattered tin-cloth jacket to the store for repair. The sales people freaked out because this jacket was one of the first ever made (about 120 years old). They offered the customer $500, plus a new jacket, if they could keep the old one (for their display/museum). The customer refused. He wanted the jacket repaired. 'Nuff said.
These shoes came today. Samuel Hubbard. $300. Supposedly "ridiculously comfortable." Performance so far is as advertised.
Tell me about your decisions to buy quality. Hopefully, someone can tell a story which does not begin at 61 years of age. If I had bought these two pictured things forty years ago, the shoes may have worn out but the jacket certainly would not have. Tell stories.