So do I buy my D-R-E-A-M jacket at US$250 or another brand made from the same material and will do the same job for US$80 ?

Desire v Dollar

Heart v Head

Lust v Logic

Ah, the classic value proposition. A couple of views:

Is the perceived difference in value worth $170? If so, buy the Dream. If not, buy the other brand.

-or-

What could you have purchased (or put into savings) for that extra $170?


For me, it's a balance between my goal of putting 4 kids through college and grad school / med school, or spend it on something else: Do I want more than tuition for 2+ degrees per kid?


On the other hand, there's always the lottery ;)

Just my 28,500 Turkish Lira worth,
MikeB

Edited by eaglemb on 12/19/2006 18:00:08 MST.

If you are truly lusting after it AND you can afford it, then what the heck, buy it. Otherwise, you will just keep thinking about it and end up buying it later anyway -- which just means wasting $80 and generating useless agony. And who needs that?

On the other hand, if you can truly be happy with something cheaper that works just as well although not as sexy, then buy the cheaper item and enjoy the bonus of knowing that you possess good rationality and self control. :)

Ian,
The way I see it, the jacket or other item which meets all performance requirements at the lowest possible weight+cost IS the dream jacket. I have no brand loyalty; only quality loyalty. And research is the key to avoiding expensive mistakes.

Sometimmes the best overall jacket IS the most expensive. I have a closet full of heavy, inexpensive jackets when all I need for every situation is the ID eVENT thru-hiker; an expensive jacket to be sure; but less than the total of my others.

Brett:

Your post above is the best illustration of why it makes sense to buy the best that one can afford! Far too often, dedicated hikers could have saved a bundle had they waited a bit, save up, and then buy what they truly need or want -- instead of "dealing with the itch" by picking up a whole roomful of suboptimal gear at supposedly fantastic sale prices! This is just a general observation -- and not directed at you. Heck, we are both gear whores!

BTW, how was your hike last weekend? Curious -- did you make it to the MontBell candy store?

Edited by ben2world on 12/19/2006 18:32:30 MST.

Hmmm. . . easy to argue either way.
I just saw an equivalent jacket by another company
for $10 more which makes me feel better.

I've been given some unexpected cash for Xmas which can go towards the purchase !

It's easy. You said they were equal, but one was more money. Buy the cheaper one. We're terrible in this country about equating quality with sticker price only. And it's made a lot of companies like Under Armour a ton of money. If they are truly equal, and you buy the one that costs 3 times as much, you've fallen victim to style over substance. Some would call that being a label wh*re. IMHO.

Edited by skinewmexico on 02/24/2007 22:23:35 MST.

I agree. Sometimes I think it's right to spoil myself a bit with the fancy product and sometimes I love getting the unfancy product that is just as good.
As it turns out I will possibly buy another brand of jacket that is about midway on price but much better on weight.

I agree with the previous posters. I usually have a smug sence of satisfaction when I score a great deal; whether it was a brand name or not, just based on meeting a performance requirement with a quality piece of gear. Just as an example, I own a lot of Montbell items, but a year ago I had never heard of them. Here in Japan you get no street-credibility (cred) from wearing a local brand. Better to be seen in TNF, ArcTerx, FirstDown, etc.. But for me MB just proved themselves over and over again to be a good value. Same with snow peak titanium cookware, gossamer gear evasote, Petzl lights, smartwool merino, etc.. These are products I vocally recommend to whoever will listen.

I sometimes wonder if something better will come along to replace those items I just mentioned; adding once again to my pile o gear and a landfill.. So lately I make an effort to reduce, re-use, and recycle gear (here at the gear shop).

I'm reading 'Climbing Ice' by Chouinard right now; and it discusses far more than the title suggests. Here is something I just read tonight which seems relevant: (edited for brevity)

"A person can go to the 98c bin and buy a hammer that will pound nails-for a while.. But it will surely break, leaving an unfinished work, and another peice of junk to add to the world's collection. How much better it would be to have a good tool at ten times the price, a tool you would get to know as the years went on until it settled naturally into your grip. You may even have the pleasure of passing a good tool on to someone eager to learn its use, and the art along with it."

And indeed, instead of buying a set of disposable ice axes, I bought a used set of Chouinard ice axes, which have 20 year of use already, to learn the art of the piolet. Hopefully they will last long enough for me to pass them on as well.

Edited by Brett1234 on 02/25/2007 09:42:22 MST.

So true.

I'm close to having my ultimate gear list (after many years of learning) which will of course need fine tuning to suit the next trip and to replace worn out gear, but I do like the idea of finally getting it all together so I can stop worrying about it and stop buying.
I have over my last several trips evolved a style of travel that I like and a gear list that is adaptable to a wideish range of conditions.
I also recently have developed a 'good enough' approach, I now have gear that is far lighter and of better quality then in the past and I think to myself for certain items 'good enough, this will do'. For an example I am going to buy a lightweight waterproof jacket that will be less then half the weight of my present one, but the waterproof pants I have are only about 50g heavier then lightweight ones on the market. I'm not going to spend upto $200 to save 50g.

Japan . . . hope to get back there again next year !

So true.

I'm close to having my ultimate gear list (after many years of learning) which will of course need fine tuning to suit the next trip and to replace worn out gear, but I do like the idea of finally getting it all together so I can stop worrying about it and stop buying.
I have over my last several trips evolved a style of travel that I like and a gear list that is adaptable to a wideish range of conditions.
I also recently have developed a 'good enough' approach, I now have gear that is far lighter and of better quality then in the past and I think to myself for certain items 'good enough, this will do'. For an example I am going to buy a lightweight waterproof jacket that will be less then half the weight of my present one, but the waterproof pants I have are only about 50g heavier then lightweight ones on the market. I'm not going to spend upto $200 to save 50g.

Japan . . . hope to get back there again next year !