Crappiest Gear, EVER!

[SemoreJugs]

Okay, lets hear the tales of woe. What piece of gear has been your biggest let-down.

 

For me, its my gear sling. I just use the thing to keep the shit organized in my pack, but mostly to justify the purchase of one.

 

If I ever aided, I might end up using it again while leading...

 

Oh and cheapest, shoddiest gear would have to go to my 5.10 anasazi's. Its such a love/hate realtionship. The seams on the lining are completely f'ed. The heels pop off on less than vertical climbs in hot weather. But godddamn it, I still love em on overhanging, sport, an boulder problems. I think i keep em around cause spent 6 months breakng them in.

[Kraken]

if you bought it from REI then just take the shoes back.

 

 

The crappiest piece of gear I can remember buying that I was incredibly unsatisfied with was a North Face coat.

 

It was purchased NEW on ebay, granted, but still, it was shoddy.

 

THe seams came apart, it just has a cheap feel, and the zipper broke after a few months of winter use. It was smaller than it said it was and the fabric wasnt waterproof or even a three layer gortex. It was lame.

 

TNF sucks nowadays.

[cj001f]

TNF sucks nowadays.

That sounds like a chinese TNF knock-off

[Kraken]

yeah that's what I figured. STill. TNF has gone way downhill.

 

Every preppy girl in town has a black north face parka.

[fenderfour]

Pika cam hooks. Bent, popped, dropped.

 

BTW - I have 2 pika cam hooks for sale. One is slightly bent, both amatuerly slung. Make me an offer.

[IceIceBaby]

Pika cam hooks. Bent, popped, dropped.

 

BTW - I have 2 pika cam hooks for sale. One is slightly bent, both amatuerly slung. Make me an offer.

 

I'll take them if you pay me $10

[kioti]

Montrail Masai Running Shoes, they were super comfortable, but they pretty much disintegrated. On the plus side, montrail did replace them with another model. On the minus side, the shoes they replaced them with aren't nearly as comfortable or as flexible. *SIGH*

For the most part though, I just avoid buying crap.

[MountaingirlBC]

My crappiest gear ever was also a NF jacket. It was a shell that was supposed to be breathable but I always ended up being more wet inside than out when I wore it. After 2 years of getting pissed off at how useless it was I put it in a box and sent it back to their warrenty department telling them to either fix it or send me a new one. I didn't actually expect them to do anything but it was such a POS I figured I had nothing to lose anyway. One week later, a brand new NF jacket arrived. They had made a lot of modifications to it (I guess I'm not the only one who complained) and it works great now.

[whidbey]

Koflatch degree boots... what the hell was i thinking when I purchased them? They suck ass!!!!!!!!!!!

[plexus]

Actually I have one of those NF Chinese knock-off windstoppers. Other than having to replace the velcro at the cuffs, the thing is pretty damn durable and keeps me warm. They must use Ancient Chinese Secret!!

[Alex]

CMI Rockjocks. A single-lobed active camming unit that just wasnt particularly well designed or thought through. I bought two direct from the factory one year, and never ever ever ever used them.

[Dru]

Anything made by Pika. Mostly the Mallards.

[smithisheaven]

I know I may recieve some abuse for saying this because alot of people find them excellent, but Alien cams have had a mixed history with me. Have had the trigger wires shred on me in the middle of a route at the crux trying to place the thing and a new unit as well. I used to be a dealer so I called them to let them know. It turns out the owner, who is an ass, used the wrong sort of material on the swages that held the trigger wires in place and they failed. He did replace them for me after about 3 months of waiting/whinning. The customer service there is horrible. That said if they are put together right they work well.

[knotzen]

Likewise, I may get some abuse for saying I really, really, really dislike my McHale pack. I bought it in the early 90s, so maybe Dan McHale has changed the design by now, but I paid top dollar for that pack, and have used it only a handful of times.

 

It has a pouch on the bottom for your sleeping bag, etc., but if that pouch isn't full, the main, top pouch sags (i.e., the bottom pouch has to be full to support the top pouch). Silly. Because when you're setting up your tent, you'll likely remove your sleeping bag, and then the top pouch, with everything else, flops around. And it's very difficult to fill the bottom pouch if you've got anything in the top pouch.

 

And then, it's very narrow and tall, so that when it's full, you can't move your had back more than about an inch without hitting the pack. Makes it very difficult to check out routes, trees, the sky, scenery, anything. Most annoying.

 

The quality of the gear isn't crappy; just the design. An expensive mistake, my buying that pack.

 

Anybody want to buy a snazzy McHale pack? Hardly used.

[Stefan]

Salomon hiking boots.

 

Everytime I forget they eat my heals. Everytime I forget!

[fgw]

Bugette belay device from DMM was a waste of $$ (that's the DMM unit for thin ropes). The wire loop that hooks to the biner is (was? at least in the model I had 18 months ago) coated wtih some black, rubbery plastic (high friction) and keeps getting sucked in by the ropes.

[kioti]

Shoulda gotten the Petzl Reversino (the smaller version of the reverso for thin ropes). Mine has worked awesome so far.

[fgw]

Tried that too - it's OK. Favorite thin rope belay device is HB's Airmarshall (???) - simple and functional.