you ever spend money after money trying to buy the perfect item?
 

man..this is my curse.

i research things, buy something only to find it isnt perfect. i then move up the "food chain" in terms of quality, rating, COST, etc.

i did this with binoculars. i think i got 4 pairs of the things before i spent KIDNEY money on a great pair. same with backpacks.
i wont guarantee that i am done either department. lowryder933 let me look thru his Swavorski binos..and it did stab in a wedge of doubt. bastard!! pretty sure i am done with backpacks.

well, i am doing it again. friggen 20 degree sleeping bags. i wanted to stay away from down bags. i have bought 3 of them. i thought my last one was the stuff. took it up into the mountains and froze my butt off. had to sleep in a down jacket. the bag just didnt fit me. damnit!!

now i am buying another bag. Western Mountainneering 20 degree. the Alpenlite 20. i have one on hold at some store in portland. i will get to lay in it first. going with a 6.5' bag so i can stuff things at my feet to keep them warm..or put a hot water bottle in there. and it will be down filled. packs down tighter, warmer. my wife is so annoyed with me. haha. my last bag should sell easy.

why do i do this? insane. a sickness?

You have too much money!

all the damn time. Start modest then go for the top. Especially on car stuff.

I'm used to it...

rjp

I continue to do this... Things like tools, camera accessories and just about anything that goes into or on my house. (And Vintage Leica gear)

Recently I was looking for a decent strap for my Canon 1Ds MKii... Long story short I bought 6 different straps, 2 Canon ones and 4 after market straps before finding this one.
It's on order and should be here in a few days and yes it's the most expensive strap available for a DSLR. (US Made)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1378943188.jpg

Some recent and planned projects...

1. I've just finished building a table for an industrial stepper foot sewing machine. Actually saved about $700 doing it myself.
2. Researching and designing an air tight glass fronted camera cabinet with an in built dehemidifying function. This will get expensive.
3. My "clean cabinet" is now complete. I use it to store my film scanner and for repairs for anything requiring a clean environment.

I tend to by Harbor Freight quality at first. If I manage to use the item enough to wear it out, then I consider a higher quality item (unless I expect it to be disposable). Sometimes I will go top-of-the line, sometimes just the next level up.

I've never bought a third of anything.

isn't that called dating?

Wrist watches. I have more than I can ever wear. And you can part with serious green. After a few weeks...or months if its a real stunner, the quest for the next holy grail takes over.

I end up having the opposite problem - I know myself well enough that unless I can buy "the best", I delay my purchase so long I never end up buying much of anything. Especially with clothes, every time I try to buy something a bit less expensive, I always end up disappointed. So I rarely pull the trigger...

^^^ what Don said and I don't enjoy shopping.

I just buy the highest rated and best right from the get go usually. In the end, you do end up saving money by not having to buy 3-4 items until you finally realize you should have went top shelf from the beginning.

Yes I just went through this with knives.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/770953-chris-reeve-sebenza-my-first-experience.html

I'm in Don's boat, I'll overspend to be sure that I don't have to buy something twice. Buy it right, buy it once. Most of the time it works out.

If it makes you feel any better you will be happy with the Western Mountaineering bag. The geese have it figured out, there is no better fill out there.

I'm suffering through some cheap tires I bought. Bought them from a mobile tire guy on Craigslist. When I told him what size, he said he had some blems he could sell really cheap. Cool! Don't care about scuffed sidewalls. Well, they had a little shake to them. He rebalanced which didn't really help so he pulled two that he said had a visible defect on the tread. Next two were better. Thought I was good. After driving a bit I felt there was still a shimmy. Well, he said I'd put too many miles on them so no more exchange, so I paid for two more. Again, slightly better, but not right. Meanwhile he got hung up in a nasty divorce and stopped responding. Could have bought some pretty good tires for what I've spent, not to mention the time. I've probably put 15K miles on them and am seriously considering just buying a set from Discount Tire.

Depending on what it is I am buying. House stuff, since I am a contractor and are used to installing high end stuff, I knew that if I bought cheap stiff for myself, I will hate myself until I tear it apart and redo it again. that will not end well with a mean wife and two little kids. So I go and mug the old lady in the alley daily until I had enough money for my plumbing fixtures. then there's the slate floor.. I just buy good stuff now to begin with. I hate cheap crap. Buy it once and be happy with it.

You need to start soaking your socks in kerosene so the ants don't climb up your leg and eat that candy ass right off.

Froze your butt off, don't be such a baby




Ha, I kid, I gotta be comfortable camping. You need to do better research up front.

FWIW, Outdoor Research makes some nice stuff. Guaranteed forever too.

You know, buying the best gear is an attempt to set yourself up for the best success. This is especially true around sports, including hunting. No offense, but often the least skilled or trained folks try to make up for it with equipment:

For example I often see fat guys on all carbon $10k bicycles. Or hunters with $1500 optics that wouldn't be able to walk 50 yards from their truck to stalk whatever they may find across the canyon.

I always slow myself down and try to go for mid-level stuff. I.e. my bicycle is heavy and inexpensive, as I need exercise, so no need to minimize weight or resistance. On hunting optics, I go mid-range and rather have money left for going hunting or shooting for practice, leave alone the worry of losing or damaging the equipment. I also make sure I do engage in a hobby for a while before upgrading. Did that with shotguns and still spent much less than what most guys would deem adequate for an upland scattergun ...

Maybe this will change one day, but for now family finances have priority and until I have that squared away, I'll be fine with my beater to mid-level equipment.

G

So true.


this is a guy thing. We have to have the biggest and the baddest equip. Steel and durable nut is not good enough, but the titanium nut that is 2.46 grams lighter and 25 bucks later is a must have. Wheat ever the hobby is, was, we have all gone through it. some of us learn just to buy the best from the beginning and never look back. Depending on what it is, I just don't care anymore. mid/high end stuff is great, because I just don't care about scratching and denting the hell of it. I am not sure if I want a slight scratch on my ti nut?

Vash, if you are ready to slide down a rocky cliff and scratch up that backpack, then you are ready for an upgrade.

I have the same issue as Don, I know that I will eventually be unhappy if I get something that is so-so, and as a result I either spend way too much time researching and analyzing before pulling the trigger or I never pull the trigger at all.

FWIW, western mountaineering makes outstanding equipment... If their bag fits you I am sure you will be very happy with it. Keep in mind the weight trade offs in their ultralights bags, especially when you start to talk about shorter zippers. I for one really like being able to open up the entire bag, stick a foot out, use it like a blanket in really warm weather etc.

oh, i am prepared to do bad things to this back pack. i've already researched how to remove blood :D

i've wrapped a deer carcass with my Marmot sleeping bag before. to this day, my wife wont use that bag. haha. not so sure i could do the same move with a WM sleeping bag. real down cleans up nice. my marmot is not real down. it is clean, but the smell is "off". i could never sell that bag. ever.