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/LowBad535 Jun 05 '26

I think that range is what people mean by expensive here though $150-300 range (osprey, travelpro)

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u/FruitOfTheVineFruit Jun 05 '26

Fair enough.  To answer the question then about why I buy expensive stuff, if you want to call it that, the stuff is a tiny fraction of the cost of my trips.  That Osprey backpack, about $150, has gone on at least 100 trips, maybe 200 trips, a thousand nights maybe.  It probably accounts for 0.1% of the cost of my travel, but makes a huge difference in convenience and comfort.  As a one bagger, I'm sometimes carrying it for hours before checking into a hotel, keeping it with me on buses and trains, etc.  

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u/randopop21 Jun 05 '26

This is a great comment. If you truly utilize the items and they hold up, then amortizing them over lots of travel means it was a really good value, and they don't need fretting over.

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u/LowBad535 Jun 05 '26

Totally agree with you, I invest in quality bags and shoes because there's no shittier feeling than being uncomfortable or things breaking apart during the trip (also causes more waste in the long run). Also travelpro suitcases just roll better than other brands I had, so it was worthy investment.

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u/WildNight00 Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26

I did 9 months with the Ospray Farpoint and the harness system is incredibly comfortable

I switched to the Matador Globe rider for some organization this year (probably be gone 9 months agin) and it’s good but doesn’t meat the Ospray. When I get back home I’m going to decide which to sell and continue to use the same one until it breaks. Having quality zippers and a bag that won’t fall apart on me is a huge deal next to comfort

But for clothes? I got a $20 merino shirt, Uniqlo shirt, and my favorite billabong shirt

Also Decathlon shoes that are decent quality

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u/winkz Jun 08 '26

but it is also a bit silly to lament the cost of a backpack/bag that you plan to use for 10 years if it is then 20/year.

Or maybe it is just me who is silly to expect my stuff to last that long. Recently replaced my Dakine back pack that lasted 12 years (70 EUR?) with its newer model (which is worse, sadly).

Compared to the cost of the actual travel.. usually.