I get a great laugh out of most “hikers” here, particularly when I’m out with the kids. A recent memorable one was passing a group of fully kitted hikers (with their special back packs, water bottles, hats, special boots, two poles each and all the proper clothing) in the Kenting national park as they struggled up a relatively easy climb. I was in a pair of sandals and my 4 year old wearing whatever took her fancy that morning, got some great video going by them!
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I guess they spend a fortune on it and then have to justify using it.
Sometimes might be to test it out but they usually look way over dressed.
But that’s not true. I’ve seen some local (or Chinese?) backpacks being sold in some shops for not much money. I think companies are exploiting the fact that mountaineering backpacks look different and cool, but there’s nothing super expensive or super advanced about them. Some cheap shit will do too. And some cheap backpacks are not even that shitty.
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It’s funny because I’m pretty sure I beat the shit out of most people I find on the trails, who wear and carry really expensive and unnecessarily fancy stuff; my cheap, basic yet functional gear doesn’t limit at all. And I have heard some locals make comments about my cheap gear… which didn’t stop me walking 2, 3 or more times faster than them the same trail.
It’s incredible how companies manage to make people believe they need things they clearly don’t.
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Exactly. I guess gear does add excitement, a sense of adventure and power and dunno what else. Sure it does. We need to overcome these things though, otherwise we are just being dumb sheeps.
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True! I often meet groups of hikers on local trails (even very easy ones) equipped like they are going to invade Iraq and stay there for a while 
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Prices for quality seem only slightly higher here. What the rip off is is how people buy uselss stuff to look like hikers, so the staff is trained forthat class not so much fitting and such.
My 90liter pack is 400usd new, i vought a used one for 100. 20 years ago, travelledthe world, moved houses, worked and so on for a couple decades, still amazing. My tent was 450usd new and.still use it over a decade later in north america and throughout asia. Ice and snow to tropical swamps.
Carrefour also has slave labor chinese tents for 20usd, Ther ar e levels and.options.
For shoes and packs one must try on in person, impossible to online buy. But most other things you could bring in yourself. But after you pay taxes and duty, probably the price is similar to buying here, just depends on selection.
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The stores aren’t as far away as Metro Oasis. They’re on the same side as Taipei Main Station on Zhongshan.
Totally agree. Some gear is built to last and totally worth the money. Shelling out for a backpack that will take a beating and last decades is wise (especially if you use it), but the same company sells overpriced cotton T-shirts with a logo (looking at you, North Face). The thing is to know what you need and what quality and value look like. I’d rather pay more for a reliable tent that will keep me dry and doesn’t weigh too much, even though I could get a cheaper one.
What about army surplus stores, available in Taiwan? Back in Canada those can be a cheap place to get quality outdoors gear…
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Same overpriced stuff… Seems like Taiwan imports all it’s military equipment from States. I guess Trump and Biden sold Taiwanese military skivvies along with F-35😅
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The “military surplus” stores ive seen here are pretty different to the ones in north america. Here they seem mostly just cosmetic with some older clothing. And not the type that would seem comfortable in taiwans climate. I usually just buy knives and lights from them.
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Even with tshirts there are levels -20/1, 30/1 150 gsm, 160gsm, 100% cotton, cotton/poly blend, tencel modal etc. Just checked North Face’s US site and their 100% cotton tshirts are $25 USD. That is the going rate for a shirt. If you want a shirt less than that, hang out at basketball games and catch one out of a cannon.
Anyone who thinks these companies are just making money hand over fist, and it’s all markup to gouge you, has never made a t-shirt and never had to sell one.
Pro-dealed my Arc’teryx shell years back, got a $450+ dollar jacket for closer to $200 (can’t remember exactly the numbers). Getting cost minus and avoiding retailer markup saves a bundle. Best part is, when the taped seams fell apart they just gave me a new one on warranty!
Pro deals are great and how I get most of my stuff. But a business cannot sustain itself on prodeals and a warranty service is very costly especially with goretex. If I couldn’t get a deal on something I really valued, then I would pay full price.
Problem is people have gotten hooked on disposable fashion and low prices like crack cocaine. If you want to point the finger at anyone, point it at the bottom feeders. They are the ones gouging you for making shit product and questionable sourcing practices. The outdoor industry is an antithesis of this trend and go out of their way to move towards quality, sustainability and fair labor.
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All of my underwear is Patagonia capilene (and a few pairs of the cheaper MEC version). $40 a pop but they are worth it and last forever! Patagonia is a great company; great products, great CSR.
Retailer markup is usually 100% though, if you’re not buying on sale you’re a sucker. I have to really really want something to pay full retail. Basically, it never happens.
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I don’t pay 1200 ntd for jocks , that’s insane.
Poya/oasis has some very decent underwear that’s good for hiking and whatnot.
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Agreed, fast fashion and related markets are horrendous. But tge customer is as much to blame as the companies involved. I would argue even moreso.
Waste less, buy less, save money, spend more of the saved money on quality. Repeat. I strive for that standard despite the occassional fail eg. night market food.
Nope not in Taiwan. Overpriced mostly and unclear.
Also I’m very skeptical of these fair trade claims from big brands.
No way I’m paying a fortune for gear I might use very occasionally. Hitting the right price point opens up hiking gear to the masses.
Im also a family man and kids grow fast… nobody has money to keep buying real expensive stuff that they grow out of fast.
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Don’t others have problems with their hiking equipment decaying in the climate here? When I arrived I had a good quality backpack, good quality tent, a goretex jacket, all perhaps five years old - but the waterproofings and linings were flaking off within a couple of years here. I’ve cycled through several mid-range MEC backpacks that way - far shorter lifespans than I think they’d have had in Canada.
Sort of like how books I’ve owned for five years in Taiwan look older than my college books in my parents’ basement in Canada.
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