The more I've paid for things, the more I've been disappointed.

With most equipment, you seem to get a cut off price where quality doesn't seem to climb with cost.

If you compare a £10 tent with a £1000 tent there is certainly going to be some big differences. That expensive tent will not be 100x better though.

That doesn't mean you should buy the cheapest crap on the market, because you WILL be disappointed.

You can get excellent quality gear at fairly low prices if you research, shop around and ignore fancy names and marketing.

Never be afraid to buy second hand gear. I have saved THOUSANDS like this. There are tons and tons of almost new bike/travel gear on Ebay/gumtree which is going for peanuts.

I think the biggest factor is being realistic with yourself and your trip and what you NEED to spend. (I've also wasted thousands thinking I need stuff I don't)

Why get a £300 stove designed for climbing Everest when you will be boiling water for coffee at sea level ??? A £60 Coleman Dual fuel is actually a lot more practical for the task.

Why buy a £1000 tent designed for the Antarctic when you will probably just be getting drizzled on in a Camp site in Wales etc ?? Vango make loads of tents under £150 which are FANTASTIC.

Do you need £1300 Aluminium panniers when a set of £35 Ex-Military canvas bags will outlast you and your bike combined and weigh 30kg less ?

Do you need a £600 GPS system when a 5 year old model for £100 does exactly the same thing, minus the features that most people will never use ?


Do some research, use your head and don't get sucked in by marketing. I wish I had listened to people telling me the same thing when I started out. I can't actually think of anything "expensive" that anyone would 'need' to buy when doing a RTW at all really.

If I didn't buy £1300 Metal Mules I could of spent another two months in South America. Those tin boxes are still in my shed keeping spiders warm at winter, where they have been for the last four years. Think about it...


Ted

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.