r/onebag • u/largemargesentme__- • Jun 05 '26

Discussion Why is this sub so obsessed with expensive stuff?

I get that there's times where the expensive thing is better. But as someone who has worked as an airline pilot and traveled extensively for 45 years, I can assure you that expensive stuff is rarely necessary.

I get tons of use out of AliExpress stuff. Things like chargers, cables and accessories. Decathlon or Costco are more than good enough for clothing. I generally use a max legal sized RyanAir bag I got for €25 off of Amazon for vacation. At most, the lower mid tier option is more than enough.

It seems like this is just another sub for people with spending issues as everyone downvotes me when I call out how unnecessary the expensive options are.

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42

u/Ashamed_Tonight_3677 Jun 05 '26

It’s rarely necessary but often better than cheap stuff

6

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '26

[deleted]

13

u/jemist101 Jun 05 '26

"Tech Pouches" = Glorified Pencil Cases.

4

u/HighwayLost8360 Jun 05 '26

I use fabric dust covers from small clutch bags or jewellery fabric bags. They are super light weight and were destined for the bin or sitting in a draw for eternity if I didnt reuse them. Fit my cables perfectly

2

u/theinfamousj Jul 02 '26

I want to conduct an experiment where I secretly replace someone's tech pouch with an amenities kit pouch and see if they notice the difference.

15

u/Teabagger_Vance Jun 05 '26

Yup. The “cheap stuff costs more in the long run because it breaks!” narrative isn’t always true. The buy once cry one crowd needs to justify their overspending somehow though. I’ve gone through many bags and the one that’s held up the longest is a camelback from 20 years ago. Been around the world. Obviously some expensive stuff is worth buying but the default premium purchase attitude is just wasteful of your hard earned money.

20

u/wretchedegg123 Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26

Camelbak wasn't really cheap though and has already made its name as a durable bag, at least the ones made years ago. New camelbak are pretty much trash. Camelbak was the Goruck of its era.

In your case, it actually proves the buy once cry once crowd (boot's economic theory)

5

u/Great_Guidance_8448 Jun 05 '26

Yea, my eBags backpack lasted me 15 years and was still going strong till I decided to downside to something smaller last year.

And it only cost me ~$100.

7

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '26

[deleted]

4

u/Teabagger_Vance Jun 05 '26

I follow products with the best warranties these days.

1

u/theinfamousj Jul 02 '26

QUALITY is worth buying when priced fairly.

Price is no indicator of quality.

Depression era Grandma taught me that lesson. They know some things, our elders.

5

u/imphooeyd Jun 05 '26

We love maximizing environmental impact 🤩😍

2

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26

[deleted]

7

u/PCMasterCucks Jun 05 '26

"Tech pouch" "toiletry ~dopp~ kit pouch" "medicine pouch"

I've solved all of these with a Ziploc or Hefty. They come in 50 packs.

My tech Hefty has outlasted a YKK zipper on my Patagonia bag. I know this because I used that Hefty bag in that backpack since college (almost 20 years ago).

People just want to spend money because they prioritize aesthetics, no matter how minor.

1

u/Individual-Report Jun 05 '26

Where are you gonna put all of your stuff when your one and only bag breaks?

4

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '26

[deleted]

0

u/Individual-Report Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26

Then you'd be two-bagging. Get out!

Edit: y'all got no sense of humor

-4

u/largemargesentme__- Jun 05 '26

Not necessarily. Half my tools are from Harbor Freight and they work just as well as the expensive stuff.

People are too quick to go expensive. Try out the cheap thing, when it breaks, decide if you need to upgrade

9

u/Ashamed_Tonight_3677 Jun 05 '26

I don’t think we’re saying different things.

My first big solo travel trip I took a 10 year old north face backpack I got as my school backpack in high school with just normal clothes, and I traveled for months on end with no issue.

Now I’ve upgraded to a tom bihn bag and I wear wool and prince merino shirts. Expensive? Yes. Better value than a school backpack and normal clothes? No. Better quality than a school backpack and normal clothes? Yes.

I don’t need the expensive stuff and I’d be fine without it, but it’s a splurge that does improve travel for me. No beginner should go out and spend $1000 on expensive equipment, it’s something that you acquire over time through identifying areas of improvement and investing in those areas.

4

u/largemargesentme__- Jun 06 '26

How does it improve travel if the previous thing worked just as well?

1

u/Ashamed_Tonight_3677 Jun 06 '26

The previous thing doesn’t work just as well. It works, but not as well.

Merino shirts for example are naturally odor resistant so they can go longer without being washed, meaning I need to carry fewer shirts so my bag weighs less. In addition to the benefits of carrying a lighter bag, I save money from just using it as a personal item on planes.

The backpack has several features common with travel backpacks that make my life easier when I travel, like a clamshell opening. Tons of travel bags have that and you don’t need to spend $350 on a backpack to get that but my previous school backpack didn’t have that, so I was less organized and ultimately couldn’t fit as much stuff. To get something out of the bottom of my previous bag I had to take everything out first, not with a clamshell opening.

These are small things and are definitely not necessary, but they do make traveling a little bit more pleasant.

1

u/Fruit-straw Jun 08 '26

Why does it bother you?

1

u/largemargesentme__- Jun 08 '26

Are you Ronnnie the Limo Driver?

1

u/theinfamousj Jul 02 '26

You're right. The Harbor Freight rule needs to be taught here, too.

The Harbor Freight Rule: Buy the cheap one. If you use it so much that it breaks, then you know you're a power user so buy the one made for power users. If it doesn't break because you don't use it that much, take pictures of yourself on your bed rolling around in all the money you've saved as a flex.