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anybody tried aliexpress sleeping pads, tents, and titanium goods?
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Home › Forums › Gear Forums › Gear (General) › anybody tried aliexpress sleeping pads, tents, and titanium goods?
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Jan 6, 2015 at 2:53 am #1324272
There are lots of threads about the firemaple/ brs stoves coming out of China and being sold on aliexpress, but I'm curious to know if anybody has tried any of the tents, sleeping mats or other hiking gear?
There are some very intriguing items coming up. What I find particularly interesting is that many of the items are explicitly targeting the ultralight market. In between the dodgy imitations, there may be some genuine bargains.
Bob Gross will be unimpressed with their editing skills, but the pictures are helpful.
Here are the main things that caught my eye:
A US $20, 280 gram, 60cm x 200cm x 6cm mat that can be cut to length and resealed (at least according to the pictures) seems pretty neat. Yes, there's no insulation, but for summer use this would work pretty nicely –
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Ultra-light-280-outdoor-inflatable-cushion-four-seasons-sleeping-moisture-proof-pad/1068394941.htmlThese inner tents look OK (except a bit short (200cm):
2 person a frame mesh tent/ 575grams: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Summer-tent-with-75D-with-pu-coating-UL-outdoor-2-resident-backpack-trekking-camping-tent/2012506984.html
1-2 person mesh tent:
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Ultra-lightweight-592-grams-1-2persons-trapezoidal-single-gauze-tent-summer-mosquito-tent/1810150416.htmlThen there are lots of Hilleberg and MSR knock-offs:
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/3Ful-Gear-KODO-3-season-2-layer-2-resident-7075-T9-aluminium-pole-professional-silicon-coating/2031246358.html
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Trimodal-outdoor-double-four-seasons-tunnel-tent-oversized-camping-tent/32244492959.htmlSome stuff is just plain bizarre – like this cuben fibre/ silicone nylon mid. Not cheap!
The obvious question is quality. It would be great if people could share their thoughts and experiences.
Jan 6, 2015 at 12:31 pm #2162080My buddy just ordered one of these,
He has ordered products from Ali before and has gotten burned, no so much so that he was discouraged from trying again. The quality of the tent looks good, heavier than desired, but for the price it may be worth it.
Can't wait to see what arrives.
Jan 6, 2015 at 12:35 pm #2162084I wouldn't be afraid of the Ti stuff, but I would be wary of coated or zippered gear, expecting the cheapest and unreliable versions. You can chuck warranties and consumer safety out the door.
Of course there could be some real bargains out there…. :)
Jan 6, 2015 at 1:05 pm #2162100Some the gear, like the tunnel tents, looks like dead copies of Western gear. But the quality of their mfr is at present entirely unknown. Interesting.
Other stuff, like Ti gear, is possibly fine, as that's where all the Western stuff is made anyhow. Same factory, different door.
Cheers
Jan 6, 2015 at 2:48 pm #2162129I got the Olicamp Ti gas stove and it has been bombproof and completely reliable.
Jan 6, 2015 at 3:13 pm #2162139Jason. Thanks for feedback. Let us know how your friend gets on with the tent (although probably a bit heavy for most here). Field reports would be great.
Roger. Re "the quality is entirely unknown". I mostly agree. Except it seems that there are quite a few people providing feedback on the actual site that seems legit. Most of it seems positive – although obviously no reports on performance in the field.
For example, here's "Nick G." from Australia commenting on the aegismax blue wing ultralight mummy bag for US $100 or so that claims to have 300 g of 800FP down, rated to 3C:
"Again, good quality sleeping bag at a great price! Mine weighed 626g with stuff sack. ~590g without it. Highly recommended if you are in into light weight hiking and are on a budget."
The product is then given a five star rating (but no written feedback) from a Canadian, American, and an Italian:
Jan 19, 2015 at 1:41 pm #2166047And what about this 79$ double-wall, trekking-pole UL tent?
Weight is 750-800gr tent, YKK zippers… it doesn't seem so bad!
Jan 20, 2015 at 1:53 am #2166257I have tried the sleeping pad, cutting it down – see this MYOG thread. It works quite well.
Jan 20, 2015 at 10:46 am #2166353They seem to market knock-offs of every modern stove I've ever seen, along with cheaper prices than I've ever seen on most Fire Maple stoves.
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