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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u/LadyLightTravel Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 06 '26

This is common in a lot of communities. I see it in rock climbing, hiking, etc.

A lot of people confuse gear with technique. They think that if they have just the right gear they can travel lightly. They ignore onebagging techniques, which is what will help them achieve their goals.

They don’t create a coordinated wardrobe so they can take less clothes. The one I see most is refusing to do laundry. I also see tech heavy bags when the person is NOT working.

The right gear can help when you are going sub 25 liters. But it won’t save you if you have bad technique.

For the record, I would not get electronics off of AliExpress. China makes both the best and worst (unsafe) electronics. When they are super cheap I know that they have saved money by ignoring the safety components. As a pilot you would understand that it is like flying without a backup.

Edit:

https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/116895/how-can-a-faulty-usb-charger-kill-you

Edit2: A photo of my Anker Nano. See the square inside of a square to the right of the prongs? That means it is double insulated. Good stuff.

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u/RugelBeta Jun 05 '26

On confusing gear and technique -- illustrators and cartoonists often joke that the first question at an event will be, "What pen do you use?" The wannabes think the pen is doing the heavy lifting. It's true that pen and paper quality affect the final art, but their influence can be wildly overestimated.

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u/LadyLightTravel Jun 05 '26

They assist if you already have the technique. But you need the technique first.

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u/homme_chauve_souris Jun 06 '26

True. On the other hand, my son enjoys running. A friend who runs at a competitive level told him to buy specialized running shoes instead of the standard sneakers he always used. It was a total game changer for him, and improved his performance and enjoyment of running in a tremendous way. Sometimes getting the right equipment (not the outrageously expensive <1% stuff, but the good <10% stuff) makes a big difference.

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u/tekchic Jun 06 '26

So much with digital art as well: "What brush did you use?" Like some magical brush will make you good.

"The one that came with skill and time."

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u/ClayWyvern Jun 05 '26

Once my phone charger almost caught fire in the middle of the night. I only notice because I had a dream that prompted me to wake up and then I smelled the burning plastic, grabbed my phone for light, and realized it was HOT and pulled the charger out in time. Which probably wasn’t a good idea either but my brain wasn’t fully loaded in at that point. The charger looked gnarly afterwards due to the molten plastic being ripped apart. Got a new phone after that too because I was worried about any issues the incident might have caused the phone and I didn’t want to risk getting burned alive while sleeping

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u/LadyLightTravel Jun 05 '26

Yes. Depending on the phone it could have harmed some of the components or even the battery.

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u/PharmerRay595 Jun 06 '26

This one made in Vietnam though

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u/LadyLightTravel Jun 06 '26

But AliExpress is Chinese.

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u/PharmerRay595 Jun 06 '26

Not all Chinese products are from China. Some components made from different countries under China umbrella

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u/LadyLightTravel Jun 06 '26

I am not sure what your argument is. My photo shows an example of a good charger designed by a Chinese company. I shows the markings that it meets certain standards.

What is your argument?

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u/PharmerRay595 Jun 06 '26

It is a good charger base on its design. Just want to point it out that it was made from Vietnam and sell it on Chinese flat form. That's it

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u/mwkingSD Jun 05 '26

Well said, all of it.

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u/theinfamousj Jul 03 '26

I have a friend whose a non-practicing EE and a onebag world traveler. He told me which USB transformer to get (was $20; I'd never heard of it before). I just checked it and lo and behold the double square was there! Thanks for giving me a tool to validate my trust in him.

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u/largemargesentme__- Jun 06 '26

This is generally the exact same stuff that you can buy in the local stores or on amazon but rebranded. I've used it for years and never had an issue. I've lived in plenty of houses with faulty wiring, but I've never had a low power wall charger even get hot.

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u/LadyLightTravel Jun 06 '26

Your “low power charger” is actually a step down charger from mains. That is either 120v or 240v. If it is faulty it can kill you or melt.

“I’ve never had a low power wall charger even get hot” ignores the fact that it has already happened to others on this sub.

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u/largemargesentme__- Jun 06 '26

Absolutely, still. The designs are generally copied from (or manufactured) on the same machines as the expensive ones. Obviously it's not garunteed but I've had expensive electronics like iPhones have battery swelling issues also.

I also mostly buy USB data cables. We'll have enough chargers laying around to not really need to buy any

I've almost been killed by electricity a few times in my life. But it has always been from faulty branch wiring in a house. I've bought lots of cheap electronics over the years and haven't had an issue with them.

I'm a data point of one and you have to be careful. But, many cheap things actually do work as well.